DIABETIC EDUCATION

• Patient education is a proven component of the quality treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. Delaware Family Care is dedicated to helping people with Diabetes manage their disease and improve their quality of life. Studies have shown that keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal slows the onset and progression of eye, kidney and nerve disease caused by Diabetes.
  Delaware Family Care Associates offers one-on-one education to their Diabetic patients with a specially trained nurse educator.
  Education is geared toward understanding the pathology of the disease, complications of the disease, treatment modalities, survival skills, foot care, exercise regime and diet.
• Diet
• Good nutrition plays an important part in management of Diabetes. We all must maintain a healthy diet to supply our bodies the essential vitamins and minerals. However, if you have Diabetes you need to follow these important guidelines.
  
  • • Eat meats around the same time every day. Space meals no more than 4-5 hours apart.
    • Eat meals that are nutritionally balanced. You should have foods from all food groups.
    • Cut down on serving sizes. Compare your serving size with that on the label.
    • Avoid too much fat. Especially saturated fat and cholesterol. Good rule of thumb to follow is 3 grams of fat/ 100 calories. Read food labels carefully, some food labeled low cholesterol may still be high in fat.
    • Read labels to see how much carbohydrates are in the food. All carbohydrates make your blood sugars go up. Total carbohydrate is the combination of carbohydrates and fiber.
    • Eat fewer high sodium foods and use less salt. Your daily intake of sodium should not exceed 2,400 mg/ day, 1 tsp. of table salt = 2,000 mg.
    • If you are overweight, loosing 5-10% of your body weight can lower blood sugars.