SLN makes it easy and affordable for weight loss surgery patients to achieve sustainable weight loss.
95% of Sarah Lynn Nutrition patients pay $0 out of pocket!
Sarah Lynn Nutrition accepts hundreds of insurance plans nationwide
Diabetes changes how your body processes sugar, or glucose, from food. In people without diabetes, insulin is secreted by the pancreas to direct glucose from the bloodstream into cells to be used for energy or stored for later use. People with diabetes either have trouble making insulin or their bodies aren’t effectively using it, which results in higher-than-normal blood sugar levels.
Chronically elevated blood sugar increases the risk of developing heart disease, kidney disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. It can also lead to vision changes and nerve damage. These risks and other diabetes symptoms can be minimized with proper blood sugar control. Diabetes management includes combining healthy eating, exercise, and stress management with medication and blood sugar monitoring.
A registered dietitian nutritionist, or RD, offers a wealth of resources when it comes to managing diabetes. Dietitians are nutrition professionals who work closely with other members of a healthcare team and provide medical nutrition therapy to patients.
Some dietitians have completed extra training to become certified diabetes care and education specialists. Diabetes dietitians help patients diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes understand how blood sugar is affected by different foods, exercise, illness, stress, weight loss, and more. They can help you manage carbohydrate intake, teach you how to build blood sugar-friendly meals, and provide meal planning resources.
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is a customized plan that uses food and nutrition to manage or treat all sorts of health conditions. Only registered dietitian nutritionists are qualified to provide medical nutrition therapy.
After assessing your medical history, current health problems, and eating habits, a dietitian helps you set individualized nutrition-related goals. Reducing the risk of long-term complications and improving health status is always at the heart of MNT. Nutrition goals may include gaining or losing weight, balancing blood sugar, lowering cholesterol levels, or new healthy eating habits.
Once these things have been assessed and goals have been laid out, a dietitian will work with you to create a plan to help you reach your goals. It may include one-on-one or group nutrition counseling, meal planning, changes to the amount or types of food you eat, or the addition of supplemental nutrition (i.e., tube feeding) for people who aren’t able to meet their nutrient needs with food alone.
There are four types of diabetes. The type of diabetes you’re diagnosed with will determine the best course of treatment and diabetes management.
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is a customized plan that uses food and nutrition to manage or treat all sorts of health conditions. Only registered dietitian nutritionists are qualified to provide medical nutrition therapy.
After assessing your medical history, current health problems, and eating habits, a dietitian helps you set individualized nutrition-related goals. Reducing the risk of long-term complications and improving health status is always at the heart of MNT. Nutrition goals may include gaining or losing weight, balancing blood sugar, lowering cholesterol levels, or new healthy eating habits.
Once these things have been assessed and goals have been laid out, a dietitian will work with you to create a plan to help you reach your goals. It may include one-on-one or group nutrition counseling, meal planning, changes to the amount or types of food you eat, or the addition of supplemental nutrition (i.e., tube feeding) for people who aren’t able to meet their nutrient needs with food alone.
There are four types of diabetes. The type of diabetes you’re diagnosed with will determine the best course of treatment and diabetes management.
Hormonal imbalances during pregnancy can make your body less responsive to insulin, resulting in higher-than-normal blood glucose levels. This is known as gestational diabetes. It usually occurs in the second half of pregnancy and resolves after the baby is born. Although it’s not a chronic condition, gestational diabetes increases the risk of health complications for both mother and baby, and it can increase the risk of the mother developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Like type 2 diabetes, some pregnant women can keep blood glucose levels stable by improving healthy eating habits and getting more physical activity. Others may require blood sugar medication to control blood sugar.
People who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes may be diagnosed with pre-diabetes. This diagnosis means their blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough to warrant a type 2 diagnosis.
Elevated blood sugar is a sign that your body is starting to develop insulin resistance. Eating balanced meals, reducing intake of sweets and refined carbohydrates, increasing physical activity, and losing weight can reverse this condition and prevent it from becoming full-blown type 2 diabetes. Early intervention and regular check-ins with your doctor and a registered dietitian nutritionist team are key.
If you’ve been diagnosed with any form of diabetes, seeing a registered dietitian nutritionist for nutrition counseling can help you learn to manage the condition and minimize the risk of related health problems.
Registered dietitians help people with diabetes improve blood glucose control. This includes learning how different foods affect blood sugar and how to build balanced meals that contain fiber, protein, and healthy fat to prevent blood sugar spikes. Nutrition coaching to improve weight management and disordered eating habits can also improve blood glucose.
You don’t have to wait for an official diagnosis to see a registered dietitian nutritionist for help with improving blood sugar control. If you have a family history of diabetes or have pre-diabetes, a dietitian can help you make healthy eating choices to balance blood sugar and help you lose excess weight. Early intervention can lessen the chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Since carbohydrates are the main source of glucose, learning how to portion carbohydrates is a key part of diabetes management. A dietitian specializing in diabetes can teach you easy tools to help you count carbohydrates and track how many you consume. Carbohydrate counting can also help you lose weight and customize insulin dosages to the amount of carbs in each meal.
If left uncontrolled, diabetes can impact heart health, kidney function, vision, and the nervous system. Dietitians and diabetes educators support patients with diabetes to make lifestyle changes that help to lessen their risk of diabetes complications.
High blood glucose levels over time can alter normal kidney function and increase the risk of chronic kidney disease. Proper diabetes care and education with a dietitian can help minimize kidney damage.
Registered dietitians have specialized nutrition expertise to help people with all forms of diabetes improve their overall health and reduce the risk of related health conditions. Nutrition is an essential part of diabetes care, and most health insurance plans cover visits with a registered dietitian for patients with diabetes.
Offices currently located in Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany, and Rochester, NY, but we see patients all across the country.
Resources
Follow Us