A diabetes dietician offers specialist evidence-based dietary advice to patients with diabetes while considering factors including nutritional status, medication, diabetes control and lifestyle. Dieticians work alongside diabetes specialist nurse educators (DNE’s) and diabetes doctors to help achieve the best diabetes control possible through a good understanding of the condition and the best use of medications where appropriate. We aim to try and reduce the risk of developing complications of diabetes such as cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. For patients with existing kidney disease – we liaise with our colleagues in the renal department to optimise the dietetic care and ensure the consistency of dietetic advice given.
We see patients who have been referred to us in the hospital and in out-patient clinics by their doctor or diabetes specialist nurse educator.We are able to provide written information and where appropriate, liaise with the patient’s doctor if nutritional supplements are required. We refer patients on to see a doctor or DNE if appropriate.
Who should see a dietician?
Patients requiring advice regarding:
- Newly Diagnosed or ongoing problems with Type 1 Diabetes control
- Newly Diagnosed or ongoing problems with Type 2 Diabetes control
- Weight Control (with Diabetes)
- Promoting a nutritionally adequate diet (with Diabetes)
- Diabetes and pre conceptual advice
- Carbohydrate Counting
- Diet and commencing insulin therapy
To get the most out of your important first visit, bring with you:
- A food diary. Record everything you eat and when you eat it for at least two or three days in a notebook or using one of the many smartphone apps. At least one of those days should be a weekend because people tend to eat differently on weekends and to have different activity schedules than during the workweek. Be sure to thoroughly log everything you consume, including snacks, beverages, and between-meal nibbles. In order to help you make improvements, your dietitian will need to get an accurate picture of what you’re currently eating. One study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in August 2008 found that keeping a food diary kept people on track to lose more weight than they would have lost without one. According to the American Diabetes Association being overweight is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
- A list of your activities. Exercise is an important part of living well with diabetes. Knowing how often you exercise and what you like to do, whether it’s walking, swimming, biking, or dancing, can help with your diabetes treatment and eating plan.
- A list of your medications. Write down the names of your medications, the dosages, and the times you take each one. If it’s easier, just bring your pill bottles with you.
- Your blood sugar levels record. If you have started using a blood glucose meter, bring your meter and logbook to your appointment. “If you haven’t been testing your blood sugar levels, your CDE can teach you how to check your blood sugar and how often you should test. We will go through all the ins and outs and make sure your diabetes testing is not as painful as you expect it to be,” she added.
- Your questions. If you write down your questions in advance, you won’t forget to ask them. At your first visit, your dietician will also ask you a series of questions to help you customize your eating plan. She’ll need your height, and weight to calculate your body mass index, or BMI. This information is important to determine whether you need to lose weight. If you do, your dietitian can help you plan menus for dining at home and at restaurants. He or she may also suggest good sources for recipes and healthy substitutions to lower fat and calories in meals.
She’ll want the details on all other health conditions you have, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, arthritis, or allergies, that will affect your nutrition needs, as well as any cultural influences on what you eat.
Your dietitian will cover a lot of information during your first session, so it may help to take notes. You and your registered dietitian can work together to revise the food plan after you have tried the meals and snacks she or he suggested. If you find that the meal suggestions are too complicated or leave you feeling hungry, you will want to address these issues with your nutritionist at your next meeting.
