April 12, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Westbrook, Maine, USA:
I was diagnosed with diabetes a little over four years ago, and while I have always tried to eat well, I had a hard time with sticking to the diet that the dietitian gave me and went to bed on more than on occasion crying because I was starving. My most recent hemoglobin A1c was 7%, and my cholesterol is 152 mg/dl. I work in food service and have to eat enough to work. Is there a diet that can help me and keep me from starving?
Answer:
There is no reason for you to be starving. You should have enough to eat in order to maintain your desirable body weight and to feel satisfied. I would recommend you discuss this with your physician and your dietitian to see what can be done to increase the amount of food you eat.
Congratulations on wanting to follow the recommendations of your health care team. I am sure when they find out that you are hungry all the time they will want to change your management regimen. Of course, you can always try eating more veggies and free foods to help fill you up, but you may need to go beyond this.
JM
