As a Registered Dietitian, I met the requirements to become a certified diabetes educator (CDE) in 2005 and then, because I had a Master’s degree, I was able to meet the requirements and sit for the exam to be Board Certified in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM). I went on to develop and coordinate two separate accredited diabetes centers.
One of the most important things I learned through the above experiences is that to get the best results for our clients or patients and to truly help prevent complications down the road, diabetes educators should reinforce the importance of using all the tools available to better manage a patient’s diabetes. Not just medications. Meal planning and individualized exercise should be part of all diabetes treatment plans.
The basic factors involved in blood glucose management are:
- Food
- Weight loss if appropriate
- Diabetes Medicines or Insulin
- Exercise
Carbohydrate is the main factor affecting after meal blood glucose levels. Ingested protein has minimal, if any, effect on blood glucose levels and fat helps slow down the digestion of carbohydrate and thus helps maintain good post meal blood sugar control.
An individualized lower carbohydrate meal plan can help keep the balance of a patient’s blood sugars and will help to prevent both the short-term and long-term problems of diabetes. In addition, cutting down on total daily carb and distributing it evenly throughout the day can result in weight loss which can reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugars.
I am not talking about very restrictive carbohydrate diets here like the Keto diet but reducing total daily carbohydrate can be a valuable tool to help better manage a person’s diabetes.
I had a new patient that indicated she was never told that weight loss or cutting down on total daily carb could be part of her diabetes self-management plan. She is considered obese by the guidelines and has diabetes type 2 and is now on insulin. Through gradually reducing her carbohydrate intake while monitoring her blood sugars she was able to cut her long-acting insulin in half and she is losing weight. With the current cost of insulin utilizing all the tools available for diabetes self-management is even more important.
Again, as diabetes educators our job is to help people better manage their own diabetes. There are tools available for better blood sugar management:
- Cut down on your carbohydrate intake working with a diabetes educator
- Monitor your blood sugars
- Weight loss as appropriate
- Diabetes Medicines or Insulin
- Individualized exercise
Get the help you need for better diabetes self-management. Most insurance companies will let the patient self-refer if the licensed registered dietitian who also happens to be a certified diabetes educator (CDE) is contracted with them.