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July 31, 2007

I'm diabetic. Where do I begin?

Q. I just found your site and think it's wonderful!  As a newly diagnosed diabetic, I'm overwhelmed and extremely nervous, mainly because there are so many "yes, but.." scenarios with food.  In using your site to develop a diet to lose weight and control blood sugars, where do I begin? 

A. First of all, good for you for meeting your new challenge head-on by seeking to take control of your diet and its effects on your health. At NutritionData.com, we really believe in that old chestnut, "Knowledge is power."  Our mission is to empower you to make better choices by providing you with detailed and reliable information about the foods you eat.

But I also understand your nervousness...there's a lot of new information for you to absorb and it can be overwhelming at first.   You might want to start by reading our article on glycemic index, an indicator of how foods affect blood sugar levels.  Most diabetics find it crucial to monitor the glycemic index or glycemic load of their diets.

When you search for foods or analyze recipes on ND, you'll see the estimated glycemic load as part of the analysis.  To keep blood sugar levels steady, you'll want to choose foods and plan meals with a low to moderate glycemic load. As a general guideline, aim for a total daily eGL of less than 100, divided evenly over the course of the day's meals and snacks.

ND can help support your weight loss efforts as well. 

You might also find it helpful to read our article on Weight Loss.  Ultimately, losing weight is a matter of reducing the number of calories you take in and/or increasing the number of calories you burn.  But reducing calories can leave you feeling hungry. To control your hunger, look for foods that fill you up with fewer total calories. To help you identify these foods, ND created the Fullness Factor™.  For more about this index, please see our Fullness Factor page.   

By the way, don't overlook the "burn more calories" part of the equation. Exercise not only promotes weight loss but also enhances insulin sensitivity, which is a big help for diabetics.  Start by doing some form of physical activity every day, even if it's just walking briskly for twenty minutes, and increase the intensity as you get fitter.

To get the most out of ND's tools, I suggest that you set up a personalized pantry, where you can store your favorite foods, compose recipes and mealplans, and analyze your diet.  If you haven't already registered, you'll need to establish a username and password for your ND account.  Click on "Pantry" in the navigation bar to get started.  Our Pantry Help page will guide you through the features.

Finally, remember that you are not alone!  We have thousands of ND users who are also diabetic and who use ND to make their diets and lives healthier.  If any ND diabetics have words of advice or encouragment for our new user, I hope you'll add your comments below. 

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