The Healthy Diabetic

The Healthy Diabetic
Title: The Importance of Family Support
By: Jane D. Player, RPh, Certified Diabetes Educator
Many people assume that if they take their diabetes medication and go to their doctor’s visits that is enough to keep their disease under control. Granted these are two very important things that everyone with diabetes should be doing, this is only part of what one should be doing. A big part of being in good control with this disease lies with the patient and to some degree the family that is supporting or not supporting them. Diabetes has a very personal connection with me because my dad struggled with this disease for many years. He assumed that if he took his medication, went to his doctor, and only ate small amounts of “sweets” that he would be fine. Unfortunately that was not true. Food is the “catch 22” with this disease.
It is very important that people with diabetes eat about every 5 hours but what they are eating and how much they are eating is vital to keeping their blood sugars in good control. When I became educated about this disease state, I found that it is a lot more than “sweets” that can affect blood sugar. This then became a challenge for my mother and her cooking practices. This was not only a life change for my dad but for my mother as well. The way she had cooked all of her life had to change and the foods that she prepared had to change. Holidays became drastically different. It was not fair to my dad for her to cook something for him and something else for the rest of the family. Not only did that keep her in the kitchen all day, it made it very hard for my dad to be surrounded with foods that he loved and could no longer enjoy in the quantities he was use to.
Instead of holidays being a food fest, they became much more controlled and revolved around what my father could eat. Family support is so important in keeping this disease under control. Just think how hard it would be for you if you were presented with a beautiful chocolate cake and were told you could not have any and were given a half cup of fruit instead. Being the “food police” does not work either. By “food police” I mean someone who is always correcting the person with diabetes about what they should be eating. It is much fairer to the diabetes patient if you just do not have those kinds of food around. Having problem foods around just leads to sneaking foods and often over eating them because “forbidden foods” now become even more appealing. Also it is important to remember that a “sugar-free” food does not mean that it will not raise your blood sugars. They will still raise your blood sugars, maybe not as much as food prepared with sugar, but nonetheless they have an effect on your blood sugars.
Here are some tips to help your family member get in better control:
1. Everyone should have a meal plan. If you do not know how many carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol, or sodium they should be having- talk with your doctor, a diabetes educator or a dietician.
2. Look at the food labels to make healthier food choices. You should know the right amount of carbohydrate for each meal and snack.
3. Pay attention to your serving size.
4. Do not assume that “sugar-free” is carbohydrate free.
5. Do not assume that “dietetic” is “calorie-free” or even lower in calories.
6. Sugar is not the most important word on a food label. It is the amount of carbohydrate.
There is a lot to learn about food and it is very important for the diabetes patient to be disciplined about food every day. Family support can be a vital part of good blood glucose control. Help your family member by keeping better food choices at home. Encourage them to get an adequate amount of exercise- even better go on a walk with them. Make it easier for them to keep up with their medication and their doctor visits. Help them set up a schedule for testing their blood sugars. Praise them when their blood sugars are in good control.
This is a “family disease” and it does take the entire family doing their part to help their loved one keep their blood sugars under good control.
This requires a lot of work on the part of the family members but the reward is well worth it- more years of LIFE to enjoy with your loved one.
Jane D. Player, RPh, is a Certified Diabetes Educator and can be reached at 394-3121 or she is the owner of Pee Dee Diabetes Consultants.