Diabetes Words and Phrases to Know

Blood sugar: Also referred to as blood glucose, that is the sugar that is in your bloodstream.  People with sort 2 diabetes have an excessive amount of blood sugar as a result of insulin ranges or actions aren’t working effectively.

Carbohydrates (carbs): A supply of meals your physique makes use of for vitality.  These embrace easy carbohydrates (comparable to honey, desk sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup), in addition to complicated carbohydrates.  Complex carbs embrace starches (comparable to bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes) and dietary fiber (present in fruits and greens, nuts, and complete grains).

Carbohydrate counting: A meal-planning method utilized by some individuals with diabetes.  It includes monitoring the grams of carbohydrates in meals to be sure that you do not eat greater than a predetermined quantity at a given meal.  You can depend every serving of carbohydrates, since every serving of carbs is 15 grams.  If you select this technique, your physician or diabetes educator will inform you what number of complete carbs to purpose for in every meal or the overall day by day quantity.

Diabetes educator: Also referred to as an authorized diabetes educator (CDE),this can be a specialist who counsels individuals with diabetes about how to care for his or her situation.  Diabetes educators are sometimes nurses, dietitians, medical doctors, or pharmacists.

Diabetes-friendly meals: Any meals that’s wholesome for somebody with diabetes to have.  Because there are not any particular meals that an individual with diabetes should eat, just about any wholesome meals can qualify.  Warning: Some packaged meals that are not particularly wholesome could also be labeled “diabetes-friendly,” so at all times test diet labels.

Dietitian: Also referred to as a nutritionist, that is an knowledgeable who’s skilled within the science of diet and advises others about wholesome consuming.  Some nutritionists are registered dietitians (RD or RDN); this credential implies that somebody has accomplished the next degree of coaching and handed a registration examination.

Endocrinologist: A health care provider who makes a speciality of illnesses — together with diabetes — which might be associated to hormones (comparable to insulin).

Fat: A nutrient you want for vitality and different bodily features. Although some fats is critical, it is necessary not to overdo it.  Try to decide wholesome fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) over unhealthy ones (saturated and trans) as typically as potential.

Fiber: A kind of carbohydrate that the physique can’t digest. It can’t be damaged down into sugar.  You’ll discover it in fruit, greens, beans, complete grains, and nuts.  High-fiber meals have a tendency to be cumbersome and require further chewing, so they might increase your weight reduction efforts by serving to you are feeling fuller longer.  Fiber performs an necessary function within the digestive course of, and getting sufficient might also assist enhance your blood sugar ranges.

Food journaling (meal monitoring): The strategy of writing down or in any other case recording what you eat.  Research has proven that holding observe of your meals consumption will help you drop pounds.

Glucose tablets: Chewable sugar utilized by individuals with diabetes to increase their blood sugar shortly when it drops dangerously low (hypoglycemia).  These merchandise are available a wide range of flavors and types comparable to gels, liquids, and powders, as effectively.  If you’re taking a drugs that makes you inclined to this drawback, your physician might inform you to carry glucose tablets with you — particularly throughout train.

Insulin: A hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the physique use glucose (sugar) for vitality.  People with sort 2 diabetes both do not make sufficient insulin, or their our bodies do not use it successfully.

Meal plan (meal planning): Any technique used to map out what you are going to eat.  This time period might refer to following a particular food plan, or it could simply point out the method of considering by way of what you propose to eat beforehand.

Natural no-calorie sweeteners: Similar to synthetic sweeteners, besides these come from a pure supply.  Stevia (Truvia, PureVia, and many others.) is taken into account a pure sweetener as a result of it comes from the stevia plant.

Obese: Refers to somebody with a BMI of 30 or increased, who’s carrying a considerable amount of extra physique fats.  Too a lot physique fats might trigger or worsen well being issues, together with sort 2 diabetes.

Protein: A substance made up of amino acids that your physique wants to perform. You’ll discover protein in meat, poultry, fish, legumes, tofu, eggs, nuts, seeds, and dairy merchandise.  Meats do not include carbohydrates, so they will not increase your blood sugar.

Sodium: A mineral present in salt.  Getting an excessive amount of — as most Americans do — can increase your blood stress, and, in flip, increase your danger of coronary heart assault and stroke.  Since these issues are sometimes tied to diabetes, it is necessary to watch your consumption.  Processed meals have a tendency to be very excessive in sodium.

Starch: A kind of carbohydrate present in grains, in addition to in starchy greens comparable to peas, corn, beans, and potatoes.  Just like sugar (one other sort of carbohydrate), starch can increase your blood sugar; so it is necessary to concentrate to how a lot you are consuming.

Sugar: A kind of sweet-tasting carbohydrate. Includes glucose, fructose, and sucrose.

Sugar alcohols: A kind of low-calorie sweetener that is typically utilized in “diet” and “sugar-free” meals.  These normally finish in “-ol.”  Examples embrace erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol.  Foods containing these sweeteners should still have carbs and can enhance blood sugar, so ensure to test the diet label.  Sugar alcohols might trigger abdomen upset in some individuals.

Whole grains: Grains which have all the grain kernel, together with the nutrient-rich bran and germ.  Refined grains (comparable to white bread), however, have had the bran and germ eliminated and include solely the starchy endosperm. Whole grains have extra fiber than refined ones, so that they’re digested extra slowly and will not trigger your blood sugar to rise as quick.