Image of food for people with diabetes

Anyone can tell you that it is a good idea for people with diabetes to stay away from candy and cake.

But proper nutrition for people with diabetes is not that simple.

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to use sugar as fuel. Foods called carbohydrates— rice, beans, breads, cereals and fruits— are digested and broken down into sugar. This sugar goes into the blood and travels to the millions of cells in the body. Cells make up our skin, heart, eyes—everything.

Eating too much food can add on the pounds. Being overweight or obese can lead to diabetes or make diabetes harder to control. The fat can make it harder to use sugar as fuel. If a person with diabetes eats too many carbohydrates, their blood sugar will go up. People with high blood sugar can suffer kidney damage, strokes, blindness, amputations—even a higher chance of depression and some cancers.

To control your diabetes you should limit your portions of carbohydrates, increase your intake of veggies, maintain a healthy weight (that probably means losing weight). If you have any questions about diabetes, please call the SBH Diabetes Center at 718-960-6690.


Harris Leitstein