Know someone living with diabetes? Using MyPlate is a great way to plan balanced meals and help manage diabetes. Read on to learn more.

Utilizing MyPlate is a simple and effective way to manage diabetes.  MyPlate serves as a quick, simple example of how to eat according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; which includes foods from all five food groups.  MyPlate is what a “balanced meal” should be. Eating a protein, a whole grain and fruits and vegetables at each meal and even for snacks is an important factor in managing blood glucose levels.

Try these six steps to get started:

1. Using an 8” dinner plate, put a line down the middle of the plate. Then on one side, divide it again so you will have three sections on your plate.

2. Fill the largest section that is half of the plate with non-starchy vegetables. Such as asparagus, artichokes, green beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beets, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, peppers, radish, salad greens, sprouts, squash, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, tomato, turnips, or water chestnuts.

3.  In one of the smaller sections, put whole grains and starchy foods such as bulgur (cracked wheat), whole wheat flour, whole oats, cornmeal, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, triticale, millet, quinoa, sorghum, or whole grain pasta

4. In the remaining small section, put your protein. Good sources of protein are beans (black, kidney and pinto), hummus, lentils, edamame, soy nuts, nuts and nut spreads, tofu, fish and shellfish, chicken, turkey, cheese, cottage cheese, whole eggs, or other meats with fat trimmed and in moderation.

5. Add a serving of fruit, a serving of dairy or both.
6. Choose healthy fats in small amounts such as:  olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados.

Choosing to eat by the MyPlate guidelines is a great way to eat even if you don’t have diabetes and just want to be healthy or even lose weight. 

This article was written by Patricia Mathis, USU Extension 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences Educator in Wasatch County

It’s never too late to take charge of your life!

Diabetes is a complex disease that requires daily self-management, making healthy food choices, staying physically active, monitoring blood sugar and taking medications as prescribed by your doctor.

Over 8 percent of the American population has diabetes. In over 65 populations, 25 percent have diabetes.

Our bodies need daily nutrients. We consume carbohydrates for energy, proteins for strength, and fats are also needed for nerves and body functions. How much we consume of each is critical to understand. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose during digestion. Carbohydrates are the main ingredient that raises blood glucose.

As you take control of your diet, you will need to understand portion size, the ingredients in products, and watch for added ingredients. Fiber is also an important component for diabetics. Fiber can help control blood sugar levels by slowing down sugar absorption.

Fiber makes you feel “fuller” and helps move foods through the digestive tract. With bright colors and flavorful textures, vegetables are an excellent way to add fiber, vitamins and minerals to your daily plan. Fill your plate half full with vegetables at meal time. Aim for 30 grams of fiber every day. Adding apples, pears, bran, and vegetables to your everyday diets will increase the fiber and help in maintaining sugar levels.

Finding out that you have diabetes can be discouraging and frustrating. It is a serious disease with many possible complications. However, research has shown that people with diabetes can live long and healthy lives. The way to do this is by managing glucose levels with diet, exercise and proper medications.

For those with diabetes, it is critical to find ways to eat foods with lower sugars, salts and fats. These three items greatly flavor most of our foods and when we minimize them, we must make some modifications, finding new ways to flavor foods.

Learning to use herbs, spices, sugar substitutes, low fat and low-sodium products will make a difference in your blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is an ongoing epidemic, and shouldn’t go unchecked. Keep it monitored and under control. You may enjoy this favorite recipe for the upcoming holidays.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into slices or chunks
1/3 cup sugar free pancake syrup
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp low fat butter or butter substitute, cut in small pieces

Cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 8 minutes until almost tender. Drain well.
Heat syrup and ginger in a small sauce pan. Cook 3 minutes on low for flavors to blend; set aside.

In prepared pan, arrange potatoes in a single layer. Pour syrup mixture over potatoes. Dot with butter. Cover and bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

This article was written by Carolyn Washburn, Extension Professor, Washington County

Reduce the risk of disabilities with healthy lifestyle choices.

Don’t Get Weaker as You Get Wiser

The risk of disability increases with age. Inactivity, poor diet and smoking, among other unhealthy behaviors, are associated with a wide range of chronic diseases, some of which can even lead to premature death.

New studies reveal that this kind of lifestyle affects everyone, especially older adults. Older adults often fear the loss of independence and disabilities and yet they sometimes submit themselves to unhealthy behaviors.

In a recent study found in The BMJ Journal, researchers in France reported that people who ate fruits and vegetables less than once a week, were physically inactive and who smoked or had quit smoking within the last 15 years, were more than twice as likely to develop a disability than their peers who did not participate in these lifestyles.

A disability is defined as “difficulty or dependency in carrying out activities essential to independent living, including essential roles, tasks needed for self-care and living independently in a home, and desired activities important to one’s quality of life.”

We are seeing our current population aging into their “golden” years with disabilities that are preventable. How can you avoid disabilities as you age?

The first step is to get moving. In the research, it was shown that one predictor of developing a disability was the fact that the person had a low or intermediate level of physical activity.

Low activity was defined as walking less than one hour a day and exercising less than once per week. High activity was considered the opposite. It was walking more than one hour a day and exercising more than once a week. Anything in between is considered intermediate.

The next step to preventing a disability as you age is to stop smoking. This study showed that those who smoke or have quite within 15 years have a 26 percent higher risk of developing a disability than those who did not smoke.

Poor nutrition was close to smoking as far as developing a disability. In the study, this was determined by how many times a person ate raw and/or cooked fruits or vegetables. The results showed that adults who ate fewer fruits and vegetables, i.e. less than once a day, increased their risk of developing a disability by 24 percent.

Eating fruits and vegetables, while healthy, is only a part of a healthy diet. Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., professor at Tufts’ University, Friedman School and author of the “Strong Women” series of books states, “Stick to whole and minimally processed foods, and emphasize the choices available on the perimeter of the supermarket – the produce and dairy aisles, for instance – rather than on the boxed, bagged and other packaged goods, many laden with added sugar, lining the center aisles.”

While things such as chronic conditions, trauma, body mass index and other health issues are certainly factors, the study still showed that more than two-thirds of the additional disability risks were directly linked to unhealthy lifestyles.

So get out and move at least once a week, take a walk and get other exercise as well. Remember what your Mama said, “Eat your vegetables,” and might I add, your fresh fruits as well. Help yourself become more active, eat healthy and perhaps you will lower your risk of having a disability.

References

Artaud, F., Dugravot, A., Sabia, S., Singh-Manoux, A., Tzourio, C., and Elbaz, A. BMJ (2013). Unhealthy behaviors and disability in older adults: three-city Dijon cohort study. URL found: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4240

This article was written by Christine E. Jensen, USU Extension associate professor, Emery County

Author – Carrie Durward PhD, RD

Did you know that 90 percent of people with prediabetes don’t know they are at risk? More than 79 million Americans (about 1 out of 3 adults) have prediabetes. Prediabetes occurs when someone has blood glucose levels that are above normal, but not high enough to be diabetes. Prediabetes increases the risk for developing diabetes, and up to 70 percent of people with prediabetes will develop full-blown type 2 diabetes. Read on to learn how to tell if you are at risk and three important ways to lower your risk.

Diabetes has very serious complications including heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage, eye disease, foot damage and hearing loss. If left untreated, these complications can lead to kidney failure, blindness and amputations.

However, diabetes can be delayed or prevented! The first step is to see if you are at risk. The American Diabetes Association has developed an online survey to see if you are at elevated risk. Take this survey and talk to you doctor about the results.

What if you are at risk? There are three main things you can do to delay or prevent diabetes:

1. Lose weight. Although staying at a healthy weight can help to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, you don’t have to lose a lot of weight to see improvements. Losing even 7-10 percent of your current body weight can improve your risk significantly.
2. Eat Healthy. Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, choose whole grains at least half the time and choose lean meat and dairy options. Try to eat less regular soda, sweets, chips and other snack foods—this will help you save money too! To learn more about how to eat healthier, visit these two websites:
   Diabetes.org
   Choose My Plate
3. Be Active. You don’t have to be an exercise fanatic. Some activity is better than none. A good place to start is to try 30 minutes a day five or more days a week. You can even do the 30 minutes in 10-minute segments.

To learn more about prediabetes and how diabetes is diagnosed visit here.

Carrie Durward, PhD, RD, is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Extension Nutrition Specialist at Utah State University. Carrie is a Registered Dietitian and holds her doctorate in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University and her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition from Arizona State University. Carrie has expertise in obesity and health, weight loss and nutrition behavior change. Her research interests include promotion of vegetable intake and weight bias prevention. When she isn’t working, Carrie loves to garden, spend time outdoors and cook and eat delicious food.