KTK-Nutrition

Everyone with diabetes or prediabetes knows that control of blood sugar levels is important.   But did you know that just walking for 2 minutes after meals is helpful in lowering blood sugar?   Yes, just 2 minutes.   And walking has so many other health benefits.   A relative with prediabetes was at the doctor’s this week for a checkup.   The doctor was impressed with how well the relative was controlling her blood sugar.   The relative said she tries to stay active.   The doctor said too many of his patients with prediabetes aren’t active which raises their blood glucose levels.   How does walking help lower blood sugar levels?   After you eat a meal, your body digests the meal and turns the carbs you eat like starches, fruit, and desserts into sugar.   This sugar enters your blood raising blood sugar levels.   Exercising after one eats a meal or snack helps your body get that sugar into cells to be used for energy.  ...

Everyone with diabetes or prediabetes knows that control of blood sugar levels is important.   But did you know that just walking for 2 minutes after meals is helpful in lowering blood sugar?   Yes, just 2 minutes.   After you eat a meal, your body digests the meal and turns the carbs you eat like starches, fruit, and desserts into sugar.   This sugar enters your blood raising blood sugar levels.   Exercising after one eats a meal or snack helps your body get that sugar into cells to be used for energy.    Walking is good exercise as everyone knows.   But for those with high blood sugar, when is it best to walk?   Is it better to go for a 45 minute walk every morning, to walk before you eat a meal or walk soon after you eat a meal?   What does the research show? Going for a 15-minute or a 20-minue walk after meals – A study in 2009 found that going for a 20-minute walk about 15 minutes after a meal lowered one’s blood sugar level ...

People diagnosed with prediabetes have so many questions about what they can eat, what they should avoid and what diet is best?   The Cleveland Clinic has some information about dietary recommendations for those with prediabetes.    As a registered dietitian I recommend making some lifestyle changes such as eating more good carbs, reducing the not so good carbs and upping your exercise.   A recent reader noted how she lowered her A1C by making lifestyle changes.   She changed what she ate, the proportions and added walking and biking as exercise.   This week we will talk about carbs and what carbs are not so good for those with prediabetes and what carbs you can enjoy.   We will also discuss protein and why it is important to include high-quality proteins at each meal.   There is so much confusion on what foods one can eat with prediabetes, including confusion about what carbs to eat, what proteins are good to add to meals.   Many of m...

My daughter has a friend who was diagnosed with prediabetes.   And this is becoming increasingly more common.   What is prediabetes?   How many people have it?   If you have prediabetes, what lifestyle changes should you make?   Focusing on exercise and diet are two important areas to focus on.   What is prediabetes? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says prediabetes is a “serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes”.   To determine if you have diabetes your health care provider will take a blood test: o    A1C Test – this test measures how much sugar is in your blood over the past 2-3 months.   o    Fasting blood sugar – This test measures how much sugar is in your blood after you have fasted overnight.   Your health care provider may also do a Glucose Tolerance Test or a random blood sugar test.   Know your num...