Good hearty nutrition can protect you from the side effects of diabetes, like heart disease and high blood pressure that affect immunity too. A juicing and soup diet is one fast way of getting your daily fruits, vegetables, and all its immunity booster nutrients (eg. protein, Vitamin A, D, C, E) it has to offer into your diabetes meal. There are some precautions a diabetic diet has to take like added sugar content and hypoglycemia that affect your blood glucose. Ask your healthcare provider about your required carbohydrates per meal and even if a 100% juice and soup diet is appropriate for you. Your healthcare provider may recommend Glucerna as part of the diet to fill in nutrients missing from the ingredients that have been limited in the juices and soups.^{1, 6}

What is a Juicing and Soup Diet?

The difference between a clear liquid diet which some systems do not even allow pulp or fiber and a juicing & soup diet is that the second one includes every food item, but in “viscous” form.

When you preserve as much of the fiber content as you can, it will help you maintain satiation and avoid potential blood glucose spikes due to the carbohydrate now being easily digested. 

Keep in mind that you may have to eat more than the standard three meals a day to get your appropriate calories and nutrients.^{2, 3} The rules of juicing and the soup diet are the same as the regular solid diet. Packaged juices and canned soups should never 100% replace fresh and homemade. Remember the 80/20 rule (80% vegetables/ 20% fruits) when juicing.³

Careful with the Sugar and Carbohydrate Content

One key con of juicing is the potential to add way too much sugar or use overly sweet fruits to cover up a green taste of fruit and vegetable combos. Remember to choose more Low Glycemic Index options (rating of 1 to 100 on how fast an item raises blood glucose). On the other hand, when you are too cautious with your ingredient choices, a diabetic can experience Hypoglycemia, where blood glucose drops too low and causes fainting.^{2, 3}

The aim for this type of diet for a diabetic is to also support their immunity. Food items such as broccoli, citrusy fruits and tomatoes are good for Vitamin C (an antioxidant) to help boost immune cell resilience. A good way to get heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts is to make a stock. Do not forget to cook with yogurt or add to the juices as it is rich in probiotics to get helpful bacteria that can stimulate the immune system. ^{4, 5} To better control of your blood glucose, partially include solid counterparts of the fruits, vegetables, and lean protein (eg. meat, whole grains, quinoa, soy). You can do this by replacing a portion, a whole meal session (preferably for breakfast for satiation), or as your snacking option. ^{4, 5}

Glucerna as Part of Your Liquid Meal

Liquid diet is really not 100% liquid for diabetics because it needs to include protein and fiber content. The key to remember for diabetics is that they must choose low GI or low carbohydrate ingredients and that is done by knowing your food. As a means to monitor your carbohydrates content, you can have nutritional supplements to fill in the nutrients that were not covered by the food. For this you can have Diabetic Specific Formulas such as Glucerna. Rated as No. 1 Doctor Recommended Diabetes Nutritional Formula in the US,⁸ Glucerna is scientifically formulated for people with diabetes. It is low in Glycemic Index (GI) and has a new and improved carbohydrate system¹¹ with 4x the Myo-inositol¹⁰, an important carbohydrate responsible for mimicking insulin action. Glucerna also contains up to 28 vitamins and minerals (12 that supports immunity; protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc and iron) to provide complete and balanced nutrition.^{6, 7}

The mark of a good diet system is one that provides the right amount of nutrients, energy, and helps keep you satisfied. For about 2 servings a day (5 scoops + 200 ml water per serving), depending on personal goals, consider the use of Glucerna as part of your diabetes diet to start action from day 1.⁹ For those who live an on the go lifestyle, there is Glucerna Liquid options to help make managing blood glucose level a little easier.^{6, 7}

Visit Glucerna Myanmar today and sign up for a free sample.

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/full-liquid-diet#howit-works
2. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/juicing-diet.html
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-you-can-eat-on-a-full-liquid-diet-2507157 (It mentions Glucerna)
4. https://www.adwdiabetes.com/articles/boost-immunity-diabetes
5. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/diabetes-foods-to-boost-the-immune-system-020114#1
6. https://www.glucerna.com.au/why-glucerna/immunity-health
7. https://glucerna.ensuremyanmar.com/eng/
8. IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,550 physicians from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
9. Glucerna has been shown to lower postprandial rises in blood glucose (Devitt et al. J Diabetes Res Clin Metab. 2012; Luo et al. J Diabetes Mellitus. 2012; Mottalib et al. Nutrients. 2016; Davila et al. Nutrients. 2019.)
10. Compared to previous formula of Glucerna
11. Jenkins et al. Diabetologia. 1982

Additional Readings:

12. https://caremedpc.com/how-to-boost-your-immune-system-for-diabetes/

Sometimes only when the major side effects hit us that we find out we have a major illness or a chronic disease. This is especially apparent for Diabetes where insulin level stability is a key player. It is a type of “vital hormone” the body needs to regulate blood glucose. High quality carbohydrates (ie. slowly digestible, inositol carbohydrate) raise blood glucose levels a lot slower. Because getting used to a balanced diet is hard for some, you can easily throw your blood glucose off balance. During this process, some use nutritional supplements to help with hunger and glucose spikes. So as long as they are Diabetic Specific Formulas (eg. Glucerna and Glucerna Liquid), it can very well help you.^{1, 7}

Why Insulin Sensitivity is Important

No matter how efficient a certain function in our body is, age, medication, and refining of foods can lessen insulin sensitivity. When you have Type 1 Diabetes (genetic, autoimmune, destroying insulin producing cells), low insulin can cause glucose to build up in the blood and cause organ damage.^{1, 2, 3} In Type 2 Diabetes (developed over time, lifestyle, the body does not recognize insulin), high insulin levels due to lack of sensitivity can damage the heart in the long run. Since both types have similar symptoms like frequent urination, thirst, fatigue, and vision loss, the only way to know is to take blood tests to measure blood glucose levels.^{1, 2, 3}

Myo-inositol vs. Other Inositols

The inositol found in our bodies is mostly made up of myo-inositol, which can be consumed through most types of food. Though aptly referred to as Vitamin B8, inositol is not a vitamin, but a type of glucose that aids your body in insulin processing. There are actually nine types of inositols in nature, but the key two forms are myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol for our cells.

Myo-inositol exists in higher levels in cell tissues, helping control blood glucose levels that need glucose more often like the brain and the heart. D-chiro-inositol (DCI) is tissues responsible for storage like the liver and muscles.^{4, 5, 6}

How to Get More Myo-Inositol in Your Diet

Food products that are high in inositol forming substances are grains, beans, nuts, and some fruits. As plentiful as your food options are, it is quite hard to get the right balance of foods to get myo-inositol (best in slot for mimicking insulin action). This is because the glycemic load or index of the food matters too. ^{3, 6, 7}

From a rating of 1 to 100, if the majority of the food you eat rates high (eg. highly processed foods and refined sugars), it will keep blood glucose in high levels, thus worsening your diabetic condition. For this some diabetic patients are recommended the help of diabetes specific formula (DSF) by doctors. For example, rated No. 1 Doctor Recommended Diabetes Nutritional Formula in the US,⁸ Glucerna is scientifically formulated for people with diabetes. Each serving rates low on the GI because of its New and improved carbohydrate¹¹ and 4x the Myo-inositol⁹ to help effectively manage blood glucose levels.¹¹ Glucerna is also formulated with dietary fibers, 28 vitamins and minerals, heart-healthy lipid blend and 12 immunity ingredients to help improve immunity (excess glucose in the blood hinders effectiveness of immunity cells), so that you have a better blood glucose response within 3 months.¹⁰

Increasing insulin sensitivity is key for controlling blood glucose levels and to live well with diabetes. Food and high-quality carbohydrates are the top tools for keeping you satisfied and nourished. And for extra help, 2 servings of Glucerna a day (5 scoops + 200ml water per serving) can help replace some meals as a low glycemic index choice. For those who want nourishment on the go, the new Glucerna Liquid is a convenient option to help keep you steadily energized the whole day. But always remember to consult your doctor on how you can incorporate Glucerna® into your daily diet!⁷

Visit Glucerna Myanmar today and sign up for a free sample.

References:

1. https://openheart.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001989
2. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/insulin-sensitivity.html
3. https://inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/hacking-your-hormones-to-maximize-health-and-wellness/#:~:text=Insulin%20Sensitivity%20is%20critical%20to,and%20liver%20for%20future%20use.
4. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-inositol#1
5. https://www.inositoli.it/en/myo-inositol/
6. https://abbottfamily.com.sg/articles/diabetes/inositol
7. https://abbottnutrition.com.my/products/glucerna
8. IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,550 physicians from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
9. Compared to previous formula of Glucerna
10. Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
11. Chee et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017; Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.

Additional Readings:

12. https://abbottnutrition.com.my/adult-nutrition/nutrition-the-underutilized-tool
13. https://www.lifelinescreening.com/health-education/diabetes/type-1-type-2-diabetes
14. Jenkins et al. Diabetologia. 1982

In the spirit of World Diabetes Day this month, how have you been taking care of yours? Even if this day was dedicated to bringing awareness and removing its misconceptions, managing your blood glucose is a process.¹ Since lifestyle practices and genetics can contribute to improvement or progression, diabetes is a progressive disease. It helps to talk to Medical Professionals and other diabetic patients to take coordinated and concerted actions in exercise, medication, food, and nutritional supplements for diabetes management (e.g. Glucerna and Glucerna Liquid).^{2, 8}

Drawing attention to Diabetes as a Critical Health Issue

World Diabetes Day is on the 14^th of November, and it aims to educate people that diabetes is a disease and not a personal failure. With food convenience modernizations and lifestyle trends, it was estimated that 1 in 10 people were living with diabetes in 2021.¹ Projected to rise to 643 million people by 2030,¹ be the one to conquer your condition and have a few go-to tactics to take care of your own diabetes. Obesity is not the sole cause and not every diabetic will have heart issues. If you believe that you do not have it, medical checkups are still advised as the longer you go undiagnosed, the more damage high blood glucose can do to your heart.^{2, 5}

Managing Blood Sugar with Vitamin E

Why is Vitamin E mentioned from time to time repeatedly? It is because it is an all-around beneficial vitamin for the immune system (high blood glucose inhibits immune cells from working efficiently), blood vessel health (blood vessel damage is common in diabetics), and skin health.⁶ It is an antioxidant diabetics need it for protection against over free radical production (oxidative stress on cells) with hyperglycemia.³ The main benefit for diabetics is that Vitamin E can help boost insulin sensitivity, so if they were to include the best sources like seeds, almonds, nuts, spinach, squashes, and fish, they can have better control over their diabetes.^{6, 7}

Watch what you Eat with Glycemic Index

Having glycemic control is key to conquering diabetic health and a solution to dealing with its misconceptions. The Glycemic Index, rating up to 100, measures how fast a food item raises blood glucose or blood sugar. Ratings of 55 or less are considered low GI options and are food groups diabetics should include more of in their diet. These foods are based on quantity and quality of carbohydrates, or in other words, slow-release carbohydrates (e.g. barley, beans, non-starchy vegetables).^{4, 5}

If you are not sure of your carbohydrate choices, you can always have the non-carbohydrate items first. Then fill in the carbohydrates and other nutrients with diabetes specific formula supplements. For example, diabetics can add Glucerna, rated as No. 1 Doctor Recommended Diabetes Nutritional Formula in the US⁹, at 2 servings per day (5 scoops + 200ml water per serving) to help effectively manage blood glucose levels¹³. Formulated to be low on the Glycemic Index, Glucerna’s new and improved carbohydrates system¹⁴ contains 4x Myo-inositol¹¹ (an important carbohydrate responsible for mimicking insulin action) for an improved blood glucose or sugar control. With up to 28 vitamins and minerals, including 12 that can help support immunity (protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc and iron), Glucerna can help manage your blood glucose response in 3 months¹².

As important as World Diabetes Day is to raise awareness for diabetes and conquer misconceptions, controlling your blood sugar is a process. Diabetes is not a personal failure and there are many ways to provide management. With a balanced diet and Glucerna together, you can start action from day 1.¹⁰ Nutrition should provide you with consistent energy and leave you satisfied at the same time. Want to take Glucerna with you for your diabetic nutritional needs when traveling? The Glucerna liquid is now available. Formulated with the same nutrients and 4x the Myo-inositol,¹¹ blood glucose control has never been simpler.⁸

Visit Glucerna Myanmar today and sign up for a free sample.

Remark: This article is in support of World Diabetes Day and links will lead to additional awareness on Programmatic Display.

References:

1. http://worlddiabetesday.org/about/
2. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-not-failure
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249697/
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-ways-to-lower-blood-sugar#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
5. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20041123/vitamin-e-helps-some-diabetes-patients
6. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324308#butternut-squash
7. https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2004/09/24/Further-evidence-vitamin-E-fights-diabetes
8. https://glucerna.ensuremyanmar.com/eng/mobile-home/
9. IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,550 physicians from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
10. Glucerna has been shown to lower postprandial rises in blood glucose (Devitt et al. J Diabetes Res Clin Metab. 2012; Luo et al. J Diabetes Mellitus. 2012; Mottalib et al. Nutrients. 2016; Davila et al. Nutrients. 2019.)
11. Compared to previous formula of Glucerna
12. Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
13. Chee et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017; Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
14. Jenkins et al. Diabetologia. 1982

Additional Readings:

1. https://abbottnutrition.com.my/adult-nutrition/nutrition-the-underutilized-tool