Eating Right with Diabetes

[ADAMateo Community Manager]

Hey everyone,

I've just finished adding a new content page to our main website. It's called "Be Sodium-Savvy," and it discusses some easy ways for people with diabetes to alter and limit their sodium intake.

The page resides here: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/be-sodium-savvy.html

Take a look when you have a few minutes, and let us know your thoughts on the page. Do you find the information helpful? Is there anything we're missing, that you'd like us to add? We will certainly take your suggestions under consideration.

Thanks,

[jpg391]

Matt, I may have found a problem. There is no link provided if you go directly through the main website instead of using the one you provided. If that was intentional for now, I apologize for bring it up.

Otherwise I like the page. I would not change a thing.

[alan_s Honored Contributor]

Matt, I'm traveling so I can't answer in detail at the moment.

I'd just like to note that being sodium savvy includes eating sufficient salts, not just limiting them. I'll expand on that later

[__bsc_]

Thanks for the advice, but I have not found that salt has any significant effect on my blood pressure.  In fact, I find that salt deficiency has a serious negative impact on my insulin sensitivity and given that I follow a low carb diet, I strive to make sure I get plenty of salt in my diet.

ps. Has anyone actually read any of the studies of salt reduction, the so-called DASH diet and hypertension.  The results are particularly underwhelming.

[morrisolder]

This is a tricky one...

the common  American diet is way too high on salt, as noted, and many people arrive here, especially newly diagnosed, who are eating that diet in one form or another.

On the other hand, most of the people who have done a good job altering their diet to manage blood glucose issues are not eating that diet, particularly in this respect: "It is estimated that about 75% or more of the sodium Americans eat is from processed, packaged foods." We are following the advice to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed foods in general.

There is also the truth, and check with your experts if you think I am stretching it, that while too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, that only happens with something like 20% of all people. For the rest of use, too much salt does not have that effect. 

I have been told there are other good health reasons to avoid sodium, although I haven't found what they are.  If that is true, those reasons should be listed on this page.

It took me years to figure out why I was getting horrible leg cramps intermittently at night. It's supposed to be an electrolyte imbalance, and I tried to make sure I was getting enough potassium, magnesium, calcium and I forget what else, none of which helped. I assumed for a long time it was the statin medication I was taking, but stopping taking that made no difference at all. Dehydration was another possibility, but did not seem to fit.  Finally about a year ago I was hiking with a retired doctor, who put me back on the first theory, and we settled on sodium. I actually had been suffering from not getting enough sodium, suffering from a too-low sodium diet for years, because I eat such a natural diet. This was especially true when I had gone on a long hike or worked on trail, or otherwise exerted greatly. Now I try to eat more salt, it happens less frequently, and when it starts, I get up and eat a couple of salty crackers, end of problem...  And my blood pressure has not been affected...

I do suspect its unusual for people to not get enough sodium, but I'm proof that it can happen, and I'd bet that a significant minority of the people who re most actively managing their diabetes are in the same situation...

Not sure how you integrate that into the page, but I think it should be there...

[powerwalker2]

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morrisolder wrote:

This is a tricky one...

the common  American diet is way too high on salt, as noted, and many people arrive here, especially newly diagnosed, who are eating that diet in one form or another.

On the other hand, most of the people who have done a good job altering their diet to manage blood glucose issues are not eating that diet, particularly in this respect: "It is estimated that about 75% or more of the sodium Americans eat is from processed, packaged foods." We are following the advice to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed foods in general.

There is also the truth, and check with your experts if you think I am stretching it, that while too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, that only happens with something like 20% of all people. For the rest of use, too much salt does not have that effect. 

I have been told there are other good health reasons to avoid sodium, although I haven't found what they are.  If that is true, those reasons should be listed on this page.

It took me years to figure out why I was getting horrible leg cramps intermittently at night. It's supposed to be an electrolyte imbalance, and I tried to make sure I was getting enough potassium, magnesium, calcium and I forget what else, none of which helped. I assumed for a long time it was the statin medication I was taking, but stopping taking that made no difference at all. Dehydration was another possibility, but did not seem to fit.  Finally about a year ago I was hiking with a retired doctor, who put me back on the first theory, and we settled on sodium. I actually had been suffering from not getting enough sodium, suffering from a too-low sodium diet for years, because I eat such a natural diet. This was especially true when I had gone on a long hike or worked on trail, or otherwise exerted greatly. Now I try to eat more salt, it happens less frequently, and when it starts, I get up and eat a couple of salty crackers, end of problem...  And my blood pressure has not been affected...

I do suspect its unusual for people to not get enough sodium, but I'm proof that it can happen, and I'd bet that a significant minority of the people who re most actively managing their diabetes are in the same situation...

................................

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I'm glad you mentioned the possible connection of lack of sodium with muscle cramping, Morris.  I did find that mentioned somewhere recently when I was searching for reasons for my crazy right arm bicep cramps not long ago, after lifting my usual 4 - 5 pound dumbbells, but after a stretch (subliminal) of having ignored them for a while.  So I started adding a little more salt to my diet, in addition to extra water, just in case.  I came to the conclusion that it was due to several things, and not just one thing, and haven't had a problem since then.  Interesting how salt makes one thirsty, so it may help with water intake in that way.  I have tried to limit sodium intake over the last dozen+ years, but not terribly severely, and usually end up mixing salted and sodium-free versions of things like nuts, when possible.  It really IS amazing how much sodium is dumped into so many things on the grocery shelves -- sort of like sugar.  It's usually one or the other, but sometimes the manufacturers dump BOTH a ton of sugar AND salt into the same pitiful package.  That's when my blood really boils, and I get the heck outta there! 

[alan_s Honored Contributor]

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morrisolder wrote:

This is a tricky one...

Spoiler

the common  American diet is way too high on salt, as noted, and many people arrive here, especially newly diagnosed, who are eating that diet in one form or another.

On the other hand, most of the people who have done a good job altering their diet to manage blood glucose issues are not eating that diet, particularly in this respect: "It is estimated that about 75% or more of the sodium Americans eat is from processed, packaged foods." We are following the advice to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed foods in general.

There is also the truth, and check with your experts if you think I am stretching it, that while too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, that only happens with something like 20% of all people. For the rest of use, too much salt does not have that effect. 

I have been told there are other good health reasons to avoid sodium, although I haven't found what they are.  If that is true, those reasons should be listed on this page.

It took me years to figure out why I was getting horrible leg cramps intermittently at night. It's supposed to be an electrolyte imbalance, and I tried to make sure I was getting enough potassium, magnesium, calcium and I forget what else, none of which helped. I assumed for a long time it was the statin medication I was taking, but stopping taking that made no difference at all. Dehydration was another possibility, but did not seem to fit.  Finally about a year ago I was hiking with a retired doctor, who put me back on the first theory, and we settled on sodium. I actually had been suffering from not getting enough sodium, suffering from a too-low sodium diet for years, because I eat such a natural diet. This was especially true when I had gone on a long hike or worked on trail, or otherwise exerted greatly. Now I try to eat more salt, it happens less frequently, and when it starts, I get up and eat a couple of salty crackers, end of problem...  And my blood pressure has not been affected...

I do suspect its unusual for people to not get enough sodium, but I'm proof that it can happen, and I'd bet that a significant minority of the people who re most actively managing their diabetes are in the same situation...

Not sure how you integrate that into the page, but I think it should be there...

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"Spoilered" for brevity, but I read it all.

Thanks Morris. You have covered many of the points I was going to mention.

I also was one who found my night cramps increased as I "improved" my menu by cutting out processed foods and minimising added salt to my own recipes. I still get cramps, but not as badly since I resumed adding normal amounts of salt to my recipes and to my meals.

[ADAMateo Community Manager]

Thank you all for the comments so far! This is good stuff. I alerted our staff dietitians to this thread when I put the page up on diabetes.org, so they'll be reading and considering your responses, too.

As a minor note, since my post may have implied it, I only added the content page, i.e. I did not produce the content itself.

James, thank you for mentioning that about adding a link! I actually meant to do that on Friday but forgot. I'll add it right away.

Cheers,

[trisha01 Diabetes Brain Trust]

Morning Matt,

I agree with all of the above postings. Salt is essential, in more ways than one. I've had high blood pressure, since at least age 17, and salt has no bearing on my BP whatsoever.

However, for your nutrition folks, saurekraut can be rinsed in cold water before heating it up. That does remove some of the sodium in it.

Salt, and sugar, are both used as preservatives. I use a small bit of salt, when I make homemade saurekraut. The way I make it, doesn't stink up the whole neighborhood either!

One final little note....on the T1 post you did, the linky brings us to here. It may garner more results (= less clicking) by having the link there, as you have it above.

Trisha

[sunritef]

I know that the ADA recommends more carbs than many or the posters on these boards, but I would think that the ADA should be cognizant of the newer members that come to this board with metabolic syndrome.  They not only come here scared of sugar, but of heart attacks and strokes.  That catches their attention and follow the article.

Recommending that those with diabetes increase their fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grains without reminding them that this can increase their post meal spikes, to me, is inappropriate.  At the minimum, a warning should be included to test more frequently to see how your body adjusts or to space out the carbs during the day.  Please remember that many people on test once per day.  They may not catch these spikes.  The increase in carbs can also increase cholesterol for some.

The entire diabetic diet must be decided upon in a single recommendation;  focusing only on sodium, and giving recommendations that can negatively impact one's overall plan and health is not helpful.