Enhancing Nutrition While Living With Diabetes

If you are pre-diabetic or have been diagnosed with diabetes, you know that what you eat is important. What you may not realize is that the unique way your body processes and uses food is equally important. Six steps are crucial to good nutrition—ingestion, digestion, absorption, transportation, utilization and elimination—and a kink in any one of these steps can cause a variety of health problems.

Consider Susan, who sought help for acid reflux and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). She was taking medication for type-2 diabetes and complained of ankle swelling, tingling in her lower legs, poor sleep and overall fatigue.

First, Susan provided a detailed list of what and when she ate. She also identified her cravings. Next, a physical examination of her digestive points (stomach, liver, pancreas and gallbladder) was conducted, and a 24-hour urinalysis was performed to determine how her body digested and utilized proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The assessment of Susan’s test results revealed her body’s inability to break down carbohydrates and fats. These kinks in step 2 (digestion) and step 3 (absorption) taxed her kidneys and her lymphatic system, and likely produced the symptoms she experienced.To address these issues, slight dietary modifications as well as a lymphatic breathing exercise were suggested. A regimen of systemic and digestive enzymes—critical to effective nutrition and missing from the diets of many people—was recommended.

Susan benefitted enormously by adopting and maintaining this simple nutritional plan. She was able to lower the dosage of her oral medication for diabetes. Her acid reflux and GERD are gone, her leg pain and swelling have disappeared and her food cravings are under control. With better digestion and nutrition, Susan’s quality of life has greatly improved.

Reneé S. Barasch, LDHS, is the owner of Nutritional Health Solutions. She provides information, support and tools to help people enhance nutrition by improving the way their bodies process and use food. For more information, call 847-207-2034 or visit DigestiveHealthSolutions.com. See her ad in the Community Resource Guide.