Tag Archive for: coronavirus

Do People with Diabetes Pose a Higher Risk for COVID-19?

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If you’re a person living with diabetes, you may be wondering why you are considered to be at greater risk for COVID-19.  The general consensus at this time is people with diabetes (PWD) are not more likely to contract COVID-19, however, PWD may be at higher risk of experiencing serious complications.

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders of carbohydrate metabolism.

Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd.

Type 1 Diabetes

Is characterized as high blood glucose levels as a result of insufficient production of the insulin hormone

Type 2 Diabetes

Is characterized by the ineffective response of cells to insulin

For either diagnosis, managing your blood glucose level is your personal empowerment opportunity to take care of your health. Your physician and dietitian are your major allies to support and guide you in this endeavor.

When you manage your blood sugar (glucose) your risk of getting very sick is likely lower. If you experience high blood sugar or fluctuating blood sugars your body’s ability to fight off an infection is compromised therefore increasing your chances of getting seriously ill from COVID-19.

For PWD, hyperglycemia (high levels of glucose in the blood) can cause your immune system to not function well. If your immune system is not functioning at its maximum potential then it cannot fight off all of the viruses and bacteria entering your body. High blood sugar or fluctuating blood sugar weakens the immune system making you more vulnerable to become seriously ill if you contract COVID-19.

You can reduce your risk of infection by making lifestyle choices that will keep your blood glucose levels within normal limits.  Treatment of hyperglycemia is even more difficult when you are running a fever, experiencing unstable food intake, and/or dehydrated. To achieve optimal glucose control you will need to check your blood glucose more frequently and make informed adjustments with your food intake, exercise, fluids and medication based on the glucose levels you are seeing.

Diabetes tips to forestall COVID-19:

 

  • Control your blood sugar to keep your immune system at is best
  • Monitor your blood sugar more frequently during stress
  • Be more intentional to plan balanced meals with managed carbohydrate intake
  • Be sure to keep at least two weeks of fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables on hand
  • Exercise daily to help manage your blood sugar  and your mental health
  • Get plenty of sleep; place a curfew on the internet and news
  • Practice meditation, prayer, and optimism

Banister Nutrition provides Telehealth— give us a call to schedule an appointment. We would love the opportunity to help you to achieve improved blood sugar during this very uncertain time. ☺

CB

 

 

Healthy Lifestyle Opportunities during Social Distancing

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Over the past few weeks, it’s become easy to focus on things we’ve lost- 24/7 grocery store access, Barre classes, dining at our favorite restaurants, and even taking our children to the park. As the days turn into weeks, we grieve the loss of control in our daily routines.

This forced slowed down lifestyle gives us the ability to pause and be intentional about our health and fitness goals. We’re staying home, living a much slower pace, we have suddenly found ourselves with opportunities to be present and intentional.

Healthy Lifestyle Opportunities during Social Distancing

Time and necessity to plan meals and grocery shopping lists

  • Increasing interaction with the public is definitely a risky business. A quick trip into the convenience store when all you really need is gas could put you at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus but also lead to a few moments of misguided pleasure down the candy aisle. With recommended interactions outside of the home being brief, it’s a necessity to plan in advance to prevent multiple trips to the store and to decrease impulse choices such as convenience items. This is the perfect time to save on your food dollar plus trim your waistline by decreasing portions. Instead of the larger portion or a second serving, save it for the next meal.
  • Our best defense is a strong offense. Live the strongest healthiest version of yourself you can.  Be absolutely intentional with getting in at least six servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Purchase a rainbow of colors to assure you are incorporating a variety of nutrients. Don’t neglect to keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand for when you run out of fresh.

Teachable cooking moments for your family

  • Food prep and cooking at home can bring healthy options to your table in a fun and creative way. Try new recipes or experiment with new ways to cook to make cooking a fun family affair. More opportunities for family meals mean more opportunities for everyone to learn this essential life skill eliminating some of the feelings of, “I don’t want to cook, I don’t like to cook, I don’t know how to cook.” While we hope to never experience another pandemic, your children will benefit decades down the road for learning this important life skill.

Learning physical hunger over emotional hunger

  • Embrace this time to figure out physical vs emotional hunger.  Is your hunger coming from your gut or possibly your head? Is your hunger tied to the current freeway of anxiety, worry, fear, panic? This is the perfect time to look into the emotions you are feeling with curiosity, not shame or blame.  Identify your negative feelings and respond to them with compassionate words such as “isn’t this interesting.” Take the time to explore your feelings and learn more about yourself and your relationship with food. Remember, food will not fix fear, anxiety, worry or panic. COVID-19 will still be here after you polish off the chips, nuts, ice cream or cookies, then how will you feel? If you choose to indulge in reckless eating you will be layering more “icky” feelings on top of your “icky” corona feelings.

Feel your feelings and get moving

  • Everything about the coronavirus feels pretty awful. Thank heavens we can still be outdoors to exercise for our mental health. The weather has been challenging with days that have felt too hot, too cold or too wet to get outside. Realize you may need to adjust to the weather, you can dress cooler, wear a coat and even carry an umbrella—- MOVING is a necessity to maintain mental health. A dance party in the house would also work, I couldn’t live without my hula hoop during these trying times.

Seize the day! The stage is set! This is the perfect opportunity to create that healthy and fit version of you. Go forth and be intentional.

CB