Keeping it Basic for the Overwhelmed Patient with Diabetes
Learning that you have diabetes can be overwhelming. There’s blood sugar monitoring and new medication, a new meal plan or carb counting, and possibly insulin. That’s a lot to deal with! Some patients panic, others go into denial, and some do both. The patient’s spouse or caregiver may also experience these feelings.
The Way to Eat with Diabetes Handout Tearpad provides the basics without oversimplifying things. The easy-to-read format breaks information into chunks that everyone can understand.
The front side (also available as a poster) is full color and gives general tips on timing meals, eating the right carbs, making a healthy plate and knowing limits for alcohol, sweets, and unhealthy fats. There’s also a list of good food choices for people with diabetes.
The back side goes into more detail for when patients are ready to learn about:
- ‘Slow' and 'fast' carbohydrates
- Regular, balanced meals
- Portion sizes
- Empty calories
- Diabetes super foods
