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You’ve probably heard of insulin, blood glucose, finger pricks and carb counting. For the diabetic, they’re a part of daily life–but most of us have little understanding as to just how these things play a role in diabetes, or just why this disease can be so deadly.

I say this because diabetes is a complicated group of diseases. I knew very little about diabetes before I began studying to become a Registered Dietitian. At one point I even remember thinking to myself, “High blood sugar doesn’t sound so dangerous.” 

Boy, was I wrong.

It’s one thing to understand what causes diabetes and why it’s so deadly, but having to manage diabetes gets even more complex. Once I began speaking with patients in the hospital during my clinical training, I saw just how daunting controlling blood sugar could be. Frequent finger pricks, dosing insulin, remembering to take medications, choosing the right carbohydrates and diligently counting them at each meal isn’t easy–but it’s essential. 

With the prevalence of diabetes today, it’s likely you–or someone you know–lives with this disease. Today, diabetes affects 347 million people worldwide, and back in 2007 it was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Given the current global obesity epidemic, diabetes has likely only become more deadly since then.

A little knowledge goes a long way, so for World Diabetes Day, here are 25 things you should know about diabetes:

INSULIN, GLUCOSE and BLOOD SUGAR

1. Glucose, a form of sugar, is a main source of energy for muscle cells and other tissues. 

2. After a meal, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars. These sugars are absorbed in the gut and enter into the bloodstream.

3. Certain carbohydrates, like sweets, sodas, white rice and white pasta, are digested and absorbed faster than complex carbohydrates that contain fiber. 

4. As blood sugar increases after a meal, the pancreas produces and releases insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone that signals cells to take up sugar in your blood. The greater the amount of sugar in the blood stream, the more insulin the pancreas will produce to compensate.

5. Between meals, blood sugar levels return to normal and production of insulin from your pancreas decreases significantly.

WHAT HAPPENS IN DIABETES

6. In diabetes, blood sugar increases after a meal and remains high due to a lack of insulin, or a problem with insulin signaling. The three classic diagnoses of this disease are Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes.

7. Type 1 Diabetes occurs when an immune response causes damage to the pancreas and insulin can not be produced. Type 1 Diabetics must take insulin daily.

8. Type 2 Diabetes occurs when tissues in the body become resistant to insulin. Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type, making up about 95% of cases, and is associated with being overweight, poor diet and physical inactivity. The exact cause isn’t known but having excess body fat appears to have something to do with it. To compensate for insulin resistance, the pancreas produces more and more insulin, but over time the pancreas may lose the ability to produce it altogether. If this happens, Type 2 Diabetics must take insulin daily.

9. Gestational diabetes, or diabetes during pregnancy, can occur due to the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes commonly goes away after pregnancy but women with gestational diabetes are at greater risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life.

10. Risk factors for diabetes include: being overweight or obese; having a family history of diabetes; being of African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Hispanic/Latino heritage; having a prior history of gestational diabetes; having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or being physically inactive.

THE DANGERS

11. If blood sugar is not controlled over time, high amounts of sugar in the blood will damage tiny blood vessels and nerves. The effects of chronic high blood sugar cause widespread damage in the body.

12. Eyes. High levels of sugar in the blood causes damage to the small blood vessels within the retina leading to worsening vision and possibly blindness. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20–74 years old.

13. Kidneys. High blood sugar damages tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, which decreases this organ’s ability to filter blood. High blood pressure, which is common in diabetes, only increases kidney damage. If kidney function decline is severe, blood must to be filtered by a machine – a process called dialysis. Dialysis is costly, time-consuming, and exhausting for those with kidney disease. One dialysis session takes 4 hours and must be done 3 times per week.

14. Nerves. High blood sugar can lead to nervous system damage leading to impaired sensation in the hands or feet, slowed digestion and other nerve problems. Ulcers may form on the hands or feet and, if left untreated, can lead to amputation. More than 50% of all lower-limb amputations occur in people who have diabetes.

15. Brain & Heart. Diabetics are at greater risk for stroke, dental, and heart disease. Approximately 20% of diabetics will die of stroke, making it a leading cause of death in this population. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults who don’t have diabetes.

MANAGING DIABETES

16. Diabetics can safely enjoy carbohydrates and control their blood sugar. Each diabetic’s needs are different, but spikes in blood sugar may be controlled through a combination of medications, insulin injections and/or healthy lifestyle changes–like eating a balanced diet, being mindful of carbohydrate intake and exercising regularly. Because it is a protein, insulin can not be taken orally. If taken by mouth, it would be broken down during digestion. This is why insulin must be administered by injection.

17.  Diabetics monitor their blood sugar by taking a small sample of blood using a fingerprick test.  Doctors can measure longer-term blood sugar control by looking at A1C, a measure of the amount of sugar on certain proteins in the blood.

18. Improved control of blood sugar has been shown to benefit those with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. In general, one percentage point drop in A1C blood test results (for example, going from 8.0% to 7.0%) can reduce the risk of eye, kidney, and nerve diseases by 40%.

19. When it comes to Type 2 Diabetes, lifestyle changes to lose weight (think healthy eating and regular exercise) are more effective in preventing or delaying diabetes than medications. Not surprisingly, making small, healthy lifestyle changes are less costly, too.  

20. Type 2 Diabetes may be reversible. Weight loss, regular exercise and adopting healthy eating habits have allowed many Type 2 Diabetics to get off medications completely.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

21. At one time, Type 2 Diabetes was called Adult Onset Diabetes. This changed because, unfortunately, more and more cases are surfacing in children. In some countries, Type 2 Diabetes accounts for almost half of newly diagnosed cases in children and adolescents. Poor diet, lack of physical activity and childhood obesity are thought to be major contributors.

22. People with diabetes are twice as likely to have depression. This can complicate diabetes management, which requires a high level of self-care. In addition, depression is associated with a 60 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

23. Diabetes is known as the “silent killer” because many people with Type 2 Diabetes are unaware they have it. Unless very high, the effects of elevated blood sugar may go unnoticed.

24. People diagnosed with prediabetes, higher than normal blood sugar but not high enough to be called diabetes, are much more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes. Progression to diabetes may be avoided through weight loss and increased physical activity, and blood sugar levels may normalize.

25. Losing weight—even as little as 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight—can prevent or delay Type 2 Diabetes or even reverse prediabetes. For a 200 pound person, this is just 10-20 pounds!

I hope you’ve learned something about diabetes today! Feel free to share this post with someone you know who might be able to benefit from these facts. Who knows, you may be able to help them prevent diabetes, or even save their life.

Up next I’ll be sharing some tips for using MyFitnessPal to better manage diabetes. If you have any tips or tricks for using MyFitnessPal to manage diabetes, leave them in the comments below or on Facebook. I’ll be sure to check back and incorporate some of them into the next article!

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Trick-or-treating is a lucrative business, at least if you’re in the business of collecting calories. Based on the nutrition labels on popular candies, it’s been estimated that the average child accumulates 3,500 to 7,000 calories worth of treats on Halloween night, according to Donna Arnett, Ph.D., of  the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Public Health. Want to know what the scariest part of Halloween is? If all of those extra calories are gobbled up and not burned off, those treats will quickly pack on 1-2 pounds. Yikes!

I’m all for enjoying a few Halloween treats here and there–especially those delicious peanut butter cups–but with the abundance of candy, both at home and sitting on your co-worker’s desks, it sure is easy to go overboard. I recently put together a few tips and tricks to help us all survive the next few candy-filled days.

1. Hold off on breaking open those bags of candy until just before trick-or-treaters arrive. Take it a step further and wait until Halloween day to purchase your treats!

2. Be a role model by keeping your own candy consumption in moderation. Enjoy one or two small pieces at a time, and allow your children to do the same.

3. Keep a tally of miniature treats. It’s easy to have 3-4 “snack-size” treats throughout the course of the day. I’m guilty of this myself! Do the math though and the fat and calories quickly adds up to 1 full-size candy bar.

4. Prepare a few healthy finger foods for you and the kids to nosh on before heading out for Halloween festivities. Doing so will likely reduce the desire to fill up on candy instead.

5. Consider a candy exchange. Allow your children to enjoy their Halloween treats for a day or two and then propose making a trade; their pillowcase full of candy for a new toy of their choice.

6. Give out non-traditional treats! Things like sidewalk chalk, bouncy balls, jump ropes, glow sticks and hacky sacks are inexpensive and promote physical activity–which is probably more fun for kids than another handful of miniature candy bars.

7. Remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is just one day of the year. If you and your family make healthy eating a habit, a few days of overindulgence is perfectly okay, and should be enjoyed! Plan on making a tasty, nutritious meal over the weekend and get back on track once the trick-or-treating is over.

I hope these help. Have a very happy Halloween!

What tricks do you have for making Halloween a little bit healthier for you and your family? Share them in the comments below or on our Facebook page! 

Throughout this Nutrition 101 series we’ve counted calories, compared carbs, and highlighted the pros of lean protein, healthy fats and a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Nutrition can be complicated enough, so to simplify things we compiled all of the infographics into one!

You can read the full text of each deep-dive post in the links above, but to summarize, here are my top 5 tips to help you eat more nutritiously:

1. When it comes to carbs–the more natural & whole, the better. Go for complex carbs like 100% whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice, starchy vegetables (just leave the nutrient-rich skins on those potatoes), legumes, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Limit simple sugars from refined grains, processed snack foods, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

2. Keep protein lean. It’s perfectly okay to indulge in breakfast sausage and cheeseburgers on occasion. But on an everyday basis, there are plenty of great lean proteins to choose from! Some good meat-free options include beans, peas, quinoa, lentils, tofu, low-fat yogurt and 1% milk. Fish is another great source of protein that can also be rich in healthy Omega-3s. And as far as meats go, cuts that have round, chuck, or loin in the name are usually leanest, along with chicken and turkey breast.

3. Make healthy fats your friend. Add avocados, nuts, seeds and nut butters and fatty fish like salmon into your weekly menu. Cook with oils like olive or grape seed instead of butter or lard. Make salad dressings with flaxseed oil for a healthy dose of Omega-3s. You can even substitute avocado for butter when baking!

4. Incorporate colorful foods into every meal. From dark greens to red berries, orange bell peppers and white onions, the colors in fruits, vegetables and even proteins are associated with important vitamins and minerals. Eating a rainbow of colorful foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is an great way to get a variety of micronutrients in your diet.

5. Make the most of your calories. Eat a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at each meal and choose foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. A good way to do this is to fill your plate with 3-4 food groups at each meal. Eat a combination of protein foods, whole grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and incorporate the groups you miss into other meals and snacks throughout the day.

Nutrition can seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Remember, healthful eating does not mean eating perfectly. It’s about making more nutritious choices most of the time, nourishing our bodies with real food and enjoying the occasional treat along the way!

I hope you enjoyed the series and learned some nutrition basics in the process. If you have a specific nutrition question, feel free to leave it in the comments. The questions with the most votes will inspire my future posts!

When you pick up a new food in the grocery store and look at a nutrition label, where do your eyes first land? Do you instantly look at the calories or grams of carbs, protein and fat per serving? You’re not alone. We often choose foods based solely on their macronutrient content (carbs, protein and fat) without thinking much about what micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) they provide.

Micronutrients are often overshadowed because they make up a much smaller part of our diet than the macronutrients. Micronutrients get less of our mindshare, too, because they don’t impact our weight the way the macros do.

Though they may seem less significant, vitamins and minerals are actually just as critical as the calories we eat. They play critical roles in the structure of our bodies. For example, calcium mineralizes our bones, and Vitamin C makes our collagen strong. Micronutrients also impact how well our bodies function:

• Sodium, potassium and calcium work together to moderate hydration and muscle contractions.
• Vitamin K allows blood to clot if we get a cut.
• Vitamin E, an antioxidant, protects healthy cells from being damaged.

The list goes on and on. The takeaway point is this: even though we need less of them in our diet than macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are no less important to our health.

It’s not necessary to know every function of every vitamin and mineral to understand their importance. There is a dizzying number of details and the scientific research changes almost daily. The idea behind this infographic is to show you just some of the major functions of these micronutrients, and some of the foods you’ll find them in. Instead of putting together an exhaustive list, I thought it’d be more beneficial to share some tips on how to get the most micronutrients from the foods you eat.

How to Maximize Those Micros:

Eat from every food group. Protein foods, dairy, grains, fruits and veggies can all be great sources of vitamins and minerals. But no single food, or food group, is a great source of everything. At mealtime, fill your plate with 3-4 food groups, and try to incorporate the ones you miss into snacks throughout the day. For example, if you have a bowl of cereal with milk and a hard boiled egg for breakfast, grab a piece of fruit to snack on later in the day.

Incorporate lots of color. Micronutrients contribute color to foods. These colors are often associated with certain vitamins and minerals. Eating a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables is an easy way to make sure you’re getting a great variety of micronutrients.

Eat fresh or frozen when you can. Food processing, as well as exposure to light and air, can degrade important vitamins and minerals

• Minimize the amount of processed and fast food you eat. These foods typically have low nutritional value when it comes to vitamins and minerals, and can be high in saturated fat, sodium, added sugar, and calories.
• Don’t let your farmer’s market finds sit around too long before you eat them–even when those fruits and veggies are tucked away in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
• Stock up on frozen produce. Frozen fruits and vegetables are commonly picked at peak freshness and quickly processed, which preserves their nutrient value.

Know a few kitchen basics. Certain vitamins and minerals can be lost or broken down in cooking, while others can be better digested and absorbed when paired with certain foods. Here are a few rules of thumb:

• Eat some produce raw and avoid overcooking the rest.
• When cooking: steaming, roasting or sautéing will generally preserve more vitamins and minerals, compared to boiling.
• Eat iron-rich plant foods like lentils, spinach, tofu and beans with a squeeze of lemon juice or citrus dressing. The Vitamin C increases iron absorption.
• For better absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K,  pair with a heathy fat, like oil & vinegar dressing. This is a great reason to choose low-fat milk instead of fat-free.

Choose foods over supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplements can be beneficial when treating nutrient deficiencies or certain medical conditions, but for most of us, they’re not necessary.  It’s possible to get a wide variety of micronutrients, and plenty of them, from a healthy, well-balanced diet.

As you make decisions about what foods to eat, keep in mind it’s not all about calories, carbs, protein and fat. It’s entirely possible to be malnourished from a lack of micronutrients even if you’re eating plenty of calories and macronutrients! A vitamin and mineral-rich diet is essential for good health. And the best way to get enough of these is by eating a healthy variety of colorful foods from the different food groups.

Check back tomorrow for a brief wrap-up of the Nutrition 101 series, and my top 5 tips to eat more nutritiously!

To read up on our previous Nutrition 101 posts, check out: Calories | Carbohydrates | Proteins | Fats