Accu-Chek®

TEXT SIZE: Decrease text size Increase text size

WelcomeLogin | Register

Sign in here.

Forgot your password?

Cancel

For Healthcare Professionals

This section contains information specifically for healthcare professionals that have an interest in Diabetes. To access this area you must be registered on this site and be logged in.

Services for Professionals

Under 18?

This section is for under 18's and contains a great interactive tool to help you and your family learn more about diabetes.

Managing Diabetes

- The interactive web tool for children and families. It may be helpful to look at this section with your parents at first.

Share this page Email this page Print this page

Close X

Choose a Share Option:

Close X

Email This Page

All fields must be filled in

Tip: to send to multiple recipients, separate email addresses with commas.

Cancel

Eating Well

woman eating salad

As a person with diabetes, you make important decisions every day about food. What you eat has a greater impact on your blood glucose levels than anything else you do.

You can meet this daily challenge by meal planning. With a meal plan, you can make choices when eating at home, grocery shopping and dining out. By working with your healthcare professional and learning about nutrition and the effect of food on blood glucose, you can turn meal planning into a pleasurable experience.

Most food turns into sugar—or blood glucose—before entering the bloodstream. Insulin then helps blood glucose move from the bloodstream into your body’s cells—from your brain to your muscles—where it is used for energy. Without insulin to unlock those cells and let the glucose in, your body does not get the nourishment it needs, and excess glucose stays in the bloodstream.

When you eat, you put fuel into your body. This is why your blood glucose level rises after you eat and why many people with diabetes need to use insulin near mealtimes. The insulin moves the blood glucose from the bloodstream to the cells, where it can be used.

Planning what, when, and how much you eat plays a key part in keeping your blood glucose levels in the range your healthcare professional has set for you.

Glycaemic Index

Carrot bunch

Studies show when considering the affect of carbohydrates on blood glucose, it is not just how many carbohydrates you eat but their source as well.1 Some types of food cause a quick rise in blood glucose after a meal, while others cause a smaller peak and more gradual decline. The measurement of how fast a food causes blood glucose to peak is called its glycaemic index, or GI.

What is a Glycaemic Index (GI) Number

High-carbohydrate foods are ranked on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 representing the effect of pure glucose on the body. The lower the GI of a food, the slower its peak. The way the food is cooked (for example, frying vs. baking) can also determine the GI level of the food. The GI breaks foods into 3 levels:2

  • Low: less than 55
  • Intermediate: between 55 and 70
  • High: above 70

A few low-GI foods include:

  • Whole-grain breads and cereals
  • Brown rice
  • Dried beans and lentils
  • Old-fashioned oatmeal
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Dairy products
  • Apples and oranges

Meats and fats are low in carbohydrates and do not have a GI ranking.

Used in combination with carbohydrate counting, looking at food GI levels may help you stabilize your blood glucose throughout the day. The rule of thumb is that the higher the GI, the smaller the portion you should have. Conversely, you can eat more of lower-GI foods with a less adverse effect on glucose levels.

Try choosing foods from the low-GI category more often and see if it helps you to maintain closer to normal blood glucose levels.

1 Archives of Internal Medicine 2006;166:1466-1475 'Comparison of 4 diets of varying glycaemic load on weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction in overweight and obese young adults: a randomised controlled trial.' Available at http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/166/14/1466 . Accessed on November 17, 2008.
2 International Diabetes Institute. Glycaemic Index. Available at http://www.diabetes.com.au/about.php?regionID=254. Accessed on November 17, 2008.

Back to Top
Accu-Chek ComboThe New Accu-Chek Combo

Imagine Complete Diabetes Management that Fits in the Palm of Your Hand. A state-of-the-art system that partners a “smart” blood glucose meter with a reliable insulin pump to bring you a new level of freedom and flexibility.
 The Accu-Chek Support Kitchen Corner

Hungry to learn more about food and nutrition that’s just right for you? We have loads of great recipes, meal planning options to suit your needs and your everyday eating plan. Ask our “Expert”!

My Accu-Chek Support

Join My Accu-Chek Support to receive news and updates on Accu-Chek products, diabetes management and events.

Are you ready to pump?

Adults and children alike are realizing the benefits of insulin pump therapy. Use this interactive tool to discover what pump therapy can do for you.

This website contains information on products which are targeted to a wide range of audiences and could contain product details or information otherwise not accessible or valid in your country. Please be aware that we do not take any responsibility for accessing such information which may not comply with any valid legal process, regulation, registration or usage in the country of your origin. For people with diabetes. Use only as directed. See your healthcare professional for medical advice.