IMPACT ON HEALTH

We all eat to live (and, indeed, live to eat), but for someone with diabetes, that adage isn't just academic. It's a matter of staying well and living longer. Because diabetes is a disorder in how your body processes foods, every choice you make to eat or drink is important. The benefits of eating well are powerful, helping to keep your blood glucose, blood fats and blood-pressure levels under control and helping prevent complications of diabetes. Most of all, eating right helps you feel in control.

Wouldn't it be nice to curl up and take a nap right now? About twenty million insomniacs pace the halls each night, but it's difficult to assess how many people suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, known as hypersomnia. The National Sleep Foundation estimates that up to 40 percent of Americans have at least some of the condition's symptoms some of the time. Its consequences are worse than decreased productivity: Fatigue causes at least 100,000 car accidents per year, estimates the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Diabetes nutrition focuses on healthy foods. But you can eat sweets once in a while without feeling guilty or interfering with your blood sugar control. The key is moderation. For years, people with diabetes were warned to avoid sweets. But what researchers understand about diabetes nutrition has changed. It was once assumed that honey, candy and other sweets would raise your blood sugar level faster and higher than fruits, vegetables or foods containing complex carbohydrates. But many studies have shown this isn't true, as long as the sweets are eaten with a meal and balanced with other foods in your meal plan. Although different types of sweets can affect your blood sugar level differently, it's the total amount of carbohydrate that counts the most.