Diabetes Q & A with Dr. Kaufman

by Dr. Francine Kaufman

How should I read a nutrition label?

A food label contains a lot of information. It has the number of servings, the calorie content of a serving, and the macronutrients and some micronutrients. The most important thing is to be sure how many servings are in the container.

If you are looking at a bag of chips for example, it might be 3 servings - so someone can calculate the total calorie count of the entire container, and then divide it in to portions.

Then it is important to look at what kind of carbohydrate is in the food. It will list sugars, and you can understand how much simple sugar is in the food, and how much fiber.

Also the fat content is very important, this is given in grams and the kind of fat is also given. If you are concerned about fat intake, then understanding how much saturated or trans fats in a container is important.

Also the sodium content is listed.

The more you understand and read the food label, the greater the chance you will be in control of what you are eating.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder of sugar or glucose metabolism. Diabetes is due to either the inability of the body to make insulin (type 1 diabetes) or the inability of the cells of the body to respond normally to insulin (type 2).

The hallmark of diabetes is an elevation of the blood sugar level, and this leads to the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Diabetes in manageable with a lifestyle that includes measures to improve body weight and body composition and medications - all designed to lower the blood sugar level.

What are some tips on preventing/delaying diabetes?

Diabetes can be prevented by modifying your lifestyle. If you are overweight, sedentary and eating a diet high in calories, fat and sugar, then improving lifestyle can prevent diabetes.

In the diabetes prevention program, adults at risk to develop diabetes lost 7-10% of their body weight, and increased physical activity to 30 minutes five times per week and had a 58% reduction in progression to diabetes.

Should I be concerned with serving size?

Eating appropriate portions is important. We have become used to supersized portions—portion distortion—and this is contributing to our diabesity epidemic.

To understand portion control, read food labels, read menus in fast food restaurants, serve with utensils that give you portion control—such 4 ounce ladles, and use food models or food scales.

You can also learn about portion control by understanding that a portion usually fits in your hand.

An international authority on diabetes and obesity, Dr. Francine Kaufman heads the Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She's developed innovative programs for overweight and diabetic children and their families.

© 2005 KCET, Tavis Smiley Productions and PBS.

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Published: September 15, 2005