D
o you know which foods will raise your blood sugar the most? If you are among the approximately 1 in 10 Kansans who have been diagnosed with diabetes, this is very important information that can help you manage this common, serious and costly disease. So, how do you find out?
One way to learn what foods will raise your blood sugar is to study our “Eating Healthier with Diabetes” placemat. This is a tool developed by our National Dining with Diabetes Working Group as a companion piece to our five session Dining with Diabetes workshops which I host several times each year. The placemats are designed for use in situations where attending the extended classes is not practical. For instance, I have shared the placemat with nutrition educators for use at County Health Departments where not all clients are willing or able to attend a series of classes, but still need this vital information.
I reached for the “Eating Healthier with Diabetes” placemat tool recently when I was asked by a group of residents at a long term care facility to share a single program about making food choices to help in managing diabetes. The placemat served as a guide for talking through healthy and affordable food choices from all food groups with emphasis on the foods to pay special attention to because they would be most likely to raise blood sugar.
Participants told me they learned a lot in this process and everyone left with a copy of the placemat as a reminder of what we had discussed. Some had even made their own notes on their copies. After the session, they also mentioned impacts such as learning the importance of eating more non-starchy veggies and reading labels, and understanding more about how to manage foods from the dairy, fruit and grain groups which are the foods which will raise their blood sugar the most.
The “Eating Healthier with Diabetes” placemat also came in handy at the Independence Health On Purpose Wellness Fair, hosted by the Southeast Kansas Senior Safety & Wellness Coalition. At this event, Tara and I teamed up to educate about the importance of physical activity and increased fruit and vegetable consumption to a large number of senior adults. We showcased the blender bike which attracted lots of attention as a number of participants climbed on to pedal their way to a yummy smoothie, and then stopped to check out information about healthy food choices, local trails, and more. Since I had included the “Eating Healthier with Diabetes” placemat among the handouts being offered at this fair, I was able to use the tool to have conversations with several fair-goers about ways to better manage their diabetes and understand which foods will raise their blood sugar most.
Not all situations respond well to the same tools, so it’s always good to have another tool to reach out with information that can meet a need.