Ellie Wilson

MS, RDN, CDN

National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month, and a chance to highlight how to reach a better balance of food and health when navigating the spectrum of diabetes diagnoses.

Prediabetes is an early-stage diagnosis – it shows metabolism is changing and signals a prime time to activate strategies that can reverse that change or delay development of diabetes. Diabetes Prevention Programs ₁ are offered free in many communities and may be available through your health insurance. The information and strategies offered support weight loss, including changing how the body uses and stores carbohydrates. A 5% weight loss can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 58%, and delay onset by about 8 years.

            Insight – A recent study showed the order of eating a meal, meaning eating non-starchy vegetables, protein foods, then carbohydrate foods, can have a significant effect on weight loss and blood glucose levels. The pilot study showed participants with prediabetes lost weight, could make it work consistently in their lifestyles, and increased their vegetable intake – all keys to reducing risk of developing diabetes. 

Because weight loss has such an impact on metabolism, the medications for diabetes that have shown they can rapidly lower weight have become popular, and demand is straining supplies for those with diabetes that need them. Those medications, called GLP-1 analogs, (such as Wegovy and Ozempic brands), extend the action of one hormone humans (GLP-1) make to signal satisfaction, lower appetite and slow down eating. But the cost and limited supply means we must prioritize them for those already managing diabetes. The good news is, we can eat foods that help raise GLP-1 hormone production. Foods high in certain types of fiber drive production of GLP-1. Fiber is also a key food component in whole grains and produce that supports weight loss, gut health and heart health. Only 1 out of 10 people eat sufficient fiber or produce, so adding more produce and whole grain fiber is a pathway to move your health forward a few bites at a time. ₃

Where to start? With foods you already enjoy. Double up the amount of veggies on your plate, add eat them first. Start the day with an apple or other whole fruit. Oatmeal and barley also contain the fibers that have the holistic impact of shifting fullness and supplying the preferred type of fiber for optimizing gut hormones and microbiome health.

Learn more about your Price Chopper and Market 32 stores!  We have great resources to help you reach your best health. Our Pharmacy teams can assist with accessing supplies, medications and information through the Diabetes AdvantEdge program.  The Know Your Colors nutrition guides can assist with choosing well, including Carb Smart, Whole Grain and Heart Smart choices that help make eating well easy and delicious.

Check out these recipes and links to get started on better balance!

  1. Diabetes Prevention Program

 

  1. Shukla AP, Karan A, Hootman KC, Graves M, Steller I, Abel B, Giannita A, Tils J, Hayashi L, O’Connor M, et al. A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of the Food Order Behavioral Intervention in Prediabetes. Nutrients. 2023; 15(20):4452. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204452

 

  1. Martinez TM, Meyer RK, Duca FA. Therapeutic Potential of Various Plant-Based Fibers to Improve Energy Homeostasis via the Gut Microbiota. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 29;13(10):3470. doi: 10.3390/nu13103470. PMID: 34684471; PMCID: PMC8537956.
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Sweet Success – National Diabetes Month

Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN, CDN   Senior Nutritionist

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When I was seeing patients with diabetes, one of their biggest frustrations was finding a low calorie sweetener that would taste good, be convenient and meaningfully help them manage sugar intake. The products available then had no calories, but they also did not have a good taste, and were hard to use regularly.

Time has passed, and sweeteners have come a long way. Splenda® Naturals Stevia Sweetener has found the best way to bring flavor out and calories down. The sweet stevia leaf, long used in South America, is processed by drying the leaves and soaking them in water to tease out and capture their sweet elements – natural steviol glycoside compounds such as: Reb A and Reb D. The different steviol glycosides have different taste profiles.  Reb D content in Splenda® Naturals is important, as that has none of the bitter notes that some alternate stevia sweeteners have. Splenda® Naturals  is great in recipes and as the sweetener for coffee and tea. The packets make it easy to carry with you, especially as you make your way through the fun events and shopping the holiday season brings upon us.

How to enjoy it? This great recipe for Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce will wow your guests and help keep calories and carbs in check, and this AdvantEdge card e-coupon keeps you on budget – win-win!

Beef Satay.jpeg

Written by Ellie Wilson, MS, RD Senior Nutritionist Many people are on a budget these days and that tends to raise awareness of all kinds of things, including how much food we eat.  For those managing diabetes, being aware of food and what its impact is on blood sugar is important, but more than once I have heard that eating healthfully is too expensive. Balancing the budget and balancing health is possible, with a few insights and a little planning. Planning is the first hurdle – so many of us are so busy, we find it easy to ignore the concept. However, most of us plan “accidentally” – many people have a set routine for meals they cook throughout the week, as well as typical items they buy or prepare for lunch, dinner and snacks. It often changes seasonally – salads in summer, with meat on the grill; soup in the fall and winter, as well as crockpot meals. The first step to planning is just putting your “usual’s” down on paper, with dollar amounts you usually spend (or the budget amount you are trying to stick to!) You don’t have to change everything to eat healthier on a budget, just tweak what you usually do. Do you buy rotisserie chicken for Monday nights, when you don’t want to cook? Plan on scooping out some frozen broccoli from a bag in the freezer, and microwaving a small potato – done, healthy, fast, and cheap. Both the frozen broccoli (as well as any other frozen vegetable or fruit) and the potato are very economical choices for eating well. Try a little herb seasoning, lemon or ginger in the cooking water of the broccoli. Breakfast is also easy – eggs are a really inexpensive source of good protein, and easy to mix up with leftover vegetables for an omelet. Wheat bread is the new white bread – we now eat more wheat bread than white in the U.S., so it should be easy to find an economical choice that has at least 2 grams of fiber per slice. Manage meat – check on the sales, slice thinly, store leftovers properly, and you can probably turn down the volume but 969f0e87dd37c6cb806a316de15111e986a66c709a1d54752da6f781b2fc08beturn up the lean, more nutritious protein choices – trade up to seafood and lean meats.  Coupons are also a tool in your toolbox – check out that list of usual’s every week, and connect coupons where you can – you’ll get the best nutrition as well as the best bargain! Medication connection – check out the Price Chopper Diabetes AdvantEdge program. Multiple medications, insulin syringes, pen tips, lancets and lancing devices – are all free. That will definitely lower the cost of diabetes management! Here is a great EatingWell® recipe that puts it all together – enjoy!