23 Comments
How important is a strong knowledge of nutrition for T1D management?
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I consider basic digestion of carbohydrates regulated by activity and fats to be the most important understandable aspect of nutrition for T1D management.
Most other aspects of nutrition/ biochemistry affect my health and T1D but I would leave up to my doctor to understand/ diagnose.
Mom lived to 98. Dad lived to 102.
May have been due to healthy diabetic exchange diet started in 1951 with my diagnosis of T1D.
I actually chose a career in nutrition and am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
for person with Type 1or 2 as well as providers -essential for both
As important as it is for anyone who wants to be sure to eat in a balanced nutritional way. No matter your choice of diet you need to make sure to have all the vitamins covered.
This question is like asking if the sky is blue, or the grass is green. Managing T1D is all about knowing and using nutrition. I learned the nutritional values of fruits, and vegetables and read the labels on all packaged foods, so I know what is going into my body. Not just the carbohydrates, but the fats and proteins as well. Also, I need to know what minerals and vitamins I am getting. Yes, it is Very important to have a strong understanding of nutrition in the management of T1D.
I put “somewhat” because I interpret it as meaning “more so than a non-T1D” and I think it’s important for all of us.
This is a very dumb question.
A clear consensus agrees that understanding nutrition is important.
Another question here might be: how much detail does one need?
Every Detail including Timing and what response you achieve
I answered “Very” because there wasn’t an “Extreme” Answer offered. One you know about nuntrition and Carbs and Protien and Fat you have the Basis of what your insulin dosage should be, then just factor in the Timing issues and you can get an A1c of 5.4 like me! Until I changed to Dex G7 and Tandem and I think I need to come off 24/7 Sleep mode with CIQ
A strong knowledge of nutrition is important for all individuals. But only if you don’t want to be obese, have fatty liver, heart disease, a weak immune system.
I was a Registered Dietitian and CDE for 30 plus years. Well worth it.
It’s essential information .
Important, but I was also fed a lot of very bad information from a dietician that I will pay for the rest of my life. Carb counting is one of the biggest fallacies in the diabetes field they way it is usually presented.
How your body uses nutrients is vital. For example, when you go low, your cells suck up potassium, salt, calcium etc. Super Important to know. Knowing how fat, protein and carbs interact with each other is vital. More important everyone can be different with regards to iron absorption.
Very important, but as I’m finding out, you need to be the one with the strong knowledge. Physicians, etc don’t get enough education themselves. A good nutritionist helps, but it’s really up to the individual.
It is absolutely essential!
Diabetes is an endocrine disorder (failed pancreas?), everything effects it. Stress, activity, and food.
There is a BASIC fundamental knowledge all D’s MUST possess period. What food group is X food in? What is a single portion of X food? What happens to that portion size, if/when you cook X food? It is not hard once truly learned… Getting the insulin dosages “correct” in order to cover whatever food(s) we eat, that can be @#*(@ challenging math!!! Lacking foundational information about food, basic nutrition that can increase our suffering severely, and with no real need to do so…just saying
I answered Very Important because a T1 PWD has to learn and master basic knowledge about selecting healthy food choices in appropriate amounts to feed oneself. As a kid with T1 diabetes in the 1960s we had to learn to eat portion sizes from the ADA exchange plan. We followed a little booklet published by the ADA as a guideline. (I bet some of you long timers remember those booklets grey/white illustrations and black.print). No color pictures of healthy plate portion sizes – it was 3 oz meat, 1/2 c veg from list A and B, 1 free food, 1/2 pc of fruit. And graham crackers and milk as after school and bedtime snack. BORING!
Later on, as diabetes science progressed, in the early 1980s I attended a diabetes self-care program in NYC as part of the DDCT and learned to select a variety of nutritious foods by reading food content labels to determine appropriate portion sizes for carb, protein, and fat content and to choose foods with wholesome healthy ingredients. It was then I learned about the CHO/insulin ratio factor … made a world of difference in my understanding of “we are what we eat” and how to manage my diabetes.
VERY important! If a diabetic is not aware of proper nutrition, they would be eating foods high in carbs or foods that would have a negative impact on their long-term health. A reasonably-sized, balanced diet is the key