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If you think you have diabetes, there are some things you should know.  A visit to a registered dietitian can help. Your dietitian should have a glucose meter to check your blood glucose (blood sugar). They may use it as part of an assessment if you have had weight gain and a family history of diabetes. The Diabetes Association has worked with medical experts to determine the best possible glucose values for you as seen in the below chart .
| Test taken | Value (mmol/l) | Action |
|---|
| Fasting Blood Glucose (before breakfast) | < 5.8 | None – continue healthy life with regular diet and exercise | | Fasting Blood Glucose (before breakfast) | >5.8 | Ask your MD for a glucose tolerance test and ask your RD about regular diet and exercise | | Random Blood Glucose (anytime) | < 7.8 | None – continue healthy life with regular diet and exercise | | Random Blood Glucose (anytime) | > 7.8 | Ask your MD for a glucose tolerance test and ask your RD about regular diet and exercise |
A dietitian will need to know the following to make the best possible treatment plan/diet plan for you.
- Family history of medical conditions (on assessment template)
- Activity level (can benefit from a pedometer if you are not sure how much walking you do each day, in assessment package)
- Your waist circumference (in assessment package)
- A recent blood pressure reading
- A recent HgbA1c (the measure your doctor takes to determine your blood glucose over the past 3 months)
- A three day food intake record with several blood glucose readings (template given with assessment)
- Current medications if any.
- Cholesterol levels (LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, the ratio of Total Cholesterol/HDL)
- How your kidney function is (urine micro albumin, serum creatinine and e GFR)
A treatment plan will include targets for all of the above: physical activity, nutrition plan with portion or carbohydrate counting, waist circumference target, blood pressure target, HgbA1c target, cholesterol and kidney function targets.
Nutritionassessment.com is happy to work with your MD in establishing goals for your diabetes care when your condition is mild to moderate or you are wishing to prevent future complications from high blood glucose
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