CommonHealth Wellnote: Healthy Eating, Your Blood Sugar and More

October 11, 2023 / Get Well

Individuals with diabetes are encouraged to pay special attention to carbohydrate intake. For most people with diabetes, carbohydrates should account for about 45% to 55% of the total calories you eat daily.

Make sure you choose your carbohydrates wisely — ideally, from vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Try to avoid highly refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as candy, sugary soft drinks, and sweets. Refined carbohydrates tend to cause sharp spikes in blood sugar and can boost blood triglyceride levels.

The facts on fiber:
Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains not only provide more nutrition per calorie than refined carbohydrates, they also tend to be rich in fiber. Your body digests high-fiber foods more slowly — which means a more moderate rise in blood sugar.

Fiber comes in two forms: insoluble fiber, the kind found in whole grains, and soluble fiber, found in beans, dried peas, oats, and fruits. Soluble fiber appears to lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity, which may mean you need less diabetes medicine.

In addition, a number of studies suggest that eating plenty of fiber reduces the chances of developing heart disease — and people with diabetes need to do all they can to lower their risk.

Flyer: CommonHealth Weekly Wellnote. Commonhealth dot virginia dot gov. Top panel: Healthy Eating and your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, your healthy eating plan should not be that different from a healthy eating plan for someone without diabetes. In fact, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) echoes the dietary guidelines recommended for the general public: A diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (peas and beans) and low-fat dairy products. However, you'll want to pay special attention to your carb intake. For most people with diabetes, cars should account for about 45% to 55% of the total calories you eat each day. Read up about how fiber is the key to slower digestion and a more moderate rise in blood sugar. Three columns below. Column 1: Sweet Surrender Event Planning. Get in touch with your CommonHealth Agency Coordinator (or HR Benefits Administrator) to get us on your event agenda. Low Fat foods often have added sugar to compensate for their lack of fat, leading to increased calorie intake and weight gain over time. Center Column: Attention: Supervisors and Managers. Managers and supervisors play an important role in encouraging and enabling a culture of wellness within their teams. Sign up for Minute with a Manager. Designed to empower managers to practice self-care and help create a workplace culture for wellness, these quick and easy educational tips are delivered to you via email each month. Blue button with the words Sign up (link below the button): forms dot office dot com slash g slash 661fGes4LM Right column: A little bit healthier this week. Image of people dancing. Get into the groove. Dance improves fitness, coordination and balance in a fun and creative way that serves to promote spatial intelligence, physical expression and imagination. Have a little fun today and find a way to move that feels good to you. Black bar at the bottom of the flyer with white type: Get in touch with us wellness at dhrm dot virginia dot gov.

 

For questions regarding this week’s communication or the CommonHealth program, please reach out to your respective campus coordinator below:

Submitted by:
Dahlia Henry- Tett, Chief Wellness Officer (CWO), employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu