[Diabetes-talk] Need Tips for Lowering A1C

[Mike Freeman]

Hi, Debby.

I have a PDF file of an article from the November, 2010 issue of "diabetes
Self-Management Quarterly" which describes an altermative to the orthodox,
strict approach of most diabetes experts that I think makes more sense that
your friends might find congenial and that I will send you -- and yes, it's
accessible. The article is entitled "Intuitive Eating" and involves an
approach advocated by a dietitian, Linda Bacon,, associated with the Health
At Every Size (HAES) movement that your friends might find easier to adjust
to than following the usual food-police regimen. But before describing this
approach, I think it's appropriate to mention the obvious: no one is going
to make healthier eating choices unless he/she *wants* to do so -- enough to
stick with it for more than a few weeks or months. Without such desire,
nothing will work in the long run.

That said, the Intuitive Eating Approach doesn't place *any* foods
off-limit. Rather, it assumes that those wishing to try this regimen are
intelligent, motivated and willing to put some effort into the approach. The
Intuitive Eating approach involves being extremely aware of *why* one eats
-- real hunger or to satisfy cravings or emotional needs. Intuitive eating
for the diabetic involves strict monitoring of bg levels before and, say, an
hour or two after eating, to determine the effects of particular foods on
blood glucose levels and also a willingness to experiment with healthier
choices as well as reducing quantities of yummy but overly-high-carb foods.

This approach is easier to handle on insulin but also works for those on
oral meds. For instance, your friends might start out by noting that after
breakfast, their bg is out of their desired target range so they might first
try eating *one* Egg McMuffin rather than two or taking a long walk after
eating the two Egg McMuffins. Or if one finds that eating a KFC meal with
mashed potatos and corn and biscuits drives bg through the roof, perhaps
cutting out the corn and biscuit might do it as well as perhaps substituting
a baked potato for the mashed potatos. In other words, one concentrates on
making choices and observing the consequences rather than on cutting back so
far that one feels deprived. Also, one learns to eat *only* when one is
hungry -- not when it is socially expected.

On the other hand, one doesn't beat oneself up for eating a slice of
birthday cake; one takes a long walk to burn off the excess bg.

I'll send you the article via private email and I'll send it to anyone else
who wants it. It's the sort of article that gives traditional CDE's and
diatitians indigestion but has a surprising amount of empirical data on its
side.

I'll say no more as this isn't the forum to conduct diet wars. But this
might be an approach that would ween your friends off high-carb foods
without them feeling like one lady's husband did when she was trying to get
him to eat more vegetables with dinner and he came home, saw what was on the
menu and remarked: "Hmmm ... seems like we're expecting *goats* as dinner
guests!"

Mike Freeman


-----Original Message-----
From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debbie
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:43 AM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Need Tips for Lowering A1C

A couple of friends of mine have extremely elevated a1C readings, well above
the preferred range.  How can they transition from a fast-food mentality to
healthy eating without feeling deprived?  One friend eats two
sausage-and-egg biscuits from a well-known restaurant every morning.

None of them are on insulin yet, and I want to do what I can to encourage
them to alter their eating habits.  I found one product called sunbutter, a
peanut butter substitute.

Please send comments either through the list or via personal email.

Debbie  
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