Eating too much sugar causes diabetes. People with diabetes can’t eat sweets or chocolate. “There is no diabetic diet, no such thing, never has been,” Gardner says. “A diabetic diet is a healthy, wellbalanced, calorically appropriate diet. It’s basically what we should all be eating.” The United States Dietetic Association recently switched from the traditional Food Pyramid to the Food Plate, which is a graphic that shows a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy in the form of a traditional place setting. “Everyone should seek out a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, moderate in fat, moderate in protein, less fat than protein, less protein than carbohydrates,” Gardner says “Sometimes that’s hard to get across to people that there are no magic foods, there aren’t special foods, it’s just healthy food.”
MANAGING DIABETES SIMPLY MEANS TAKING YOUR MEDICATION AND WATCHING WHAT YOU EAT.
#5
“I view diabetes as a team approach,” Gardner says. “I am a resource for information to my patients and give them suggestions, like a coach would, and they actually have to go out there and play.” Diabetes requires patients to continually ask questions, stay abreast of the most current diabetes news and understand the risks and complications associated with the disease. Families have to work together to support one another and patients must work with their doctors to understand what they can do to improve things like their blood sugar and A1C, according to Gardner. Visit www.ada.org for more information about the American Diabetic Association. october 2013 inside columbia
47