Diabetes Information Handout

Tips to Avoid Diabetes or ways to improve control of your Diabetes (check with your doctor BEFORE discontinuing or changing any of your medications)

1. Exercise 30 minutes each day. Walking 30 minutes a day 5 days a week lowers diabetic risk by 58%. 2. Minimize processed meats ie hot dogs, baloney, lunch meats with nitrates 3. Sleep >7 hours per night and < 9 hours 4. Don't smoke, risk is dose related. The more you smoke the higher the risk. 5. Live away from smog 6. Breast feed your baby 7. Take blood pressure medications at night and reduce the amount of light exposure at night (this has to do with decreased melatonin and ability to sleep) 8. The American Heart Assoc. recommends no more than 25 grams of a day for women and 37.5 grams for men. A 12 ounce can of coke contains 40 grams of sugar, which is too much for everyone. 9. Sugar consumption increases risk of diabetes more than obesity does. However, obesity also increases risk. 10. How food companies disguise added : Avoid high- corn , dextrose, , cane juice, fructose sweetener, fruit juice concentrates, , syrup, , raw sugar, , , , Florida crystals, sorbitol, sorghum, sucanat, sucanet, xylitol, zylose, mannitol, barley malt, diglycerides, , erythritol, , glucitol, glucoamine, hexitol, inversol, isomalt, maltodextrin, nectars, pentose Increased consumption of any of these dietary sugars contribute to cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk. Even artificial sweeteners increase diabetes risk. 11. Try and keep carbohydrate content of meals < or equal to 30 grams 12. Substitute whole plant foods and lean protein for processed carbs, packaged foods and soda 13. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness under the age of 70. Everyday, 55 Americans with diabetes go blind. Most of these could have been prevented with diet, exercise and treatment. 15. Low serum lutein may increase risk of retinopathy, consider a supplement or eat more spinach, kale, and broccoli 16. Corticosteroid use increases risk of diabetes 17. The best diets to prevent diabetes are Mediterranean or vegetarian. Multiple observational studies link high meat intake to more diabetes 18. Diabetics with cardiovascular disease and poor sugar control should consider insulin pumps with continuous glucose monitoring 19. Dilated eye exams are crucial for maintaining vision with diabetes. If vision worsens come see me.

Source: A. Paul Chous, MA, OD, FAAO, CDE, Tacoma, WA 1/2017