The USDA’s food pyramid has always served as a reference to Americans for guidance about what foods to eat. This spring, the USDA created a new resource that is more personal and tailored to an individual’s everyday eating habits.
The USDA website MyPyramid.gov allows an individual to enter his or her age, gender, and daily exercise amounts into a database to determine how many calories and what amount of each food group should be consumed on a daily basis.
Approximately 17 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes. For those with diabetes, paying strict attention to diet is critical. Can the new universal food pyramid help people with diabetes have a healthy, balanced diet and still maintain their glucose levels?
Christine Hurley, R.D., CDE, clinical nutritionist for the Center for Diabetes at Springfield Hospital, says, “The USDA’s website provides basic guidelines for what someone with diabetes should include in his or her daily diet, but managing diabetes requires more precise information than what the site has to offer.”
MyPyramid.gov allocates an amount of calories to be consumed daily, according to each individual’s input into the computer.
“For someone with diabetes, 45 percent of those designated calories should be comprised of carbohydrates, along with a fiber as well as a protein and or fat to help the carbs flow through the body and keep food in the stomach for longer,” says Hurley. “The body turns carbohydrates into blood sugars, so it is important to take into account how much of the carbohydrate food group a person who has diabetes is consuming on a daily basis. Every 15 grams of carbs will be recognized by the body and broken down into blood sugar.”
Have more questions? The Center for Diabetes provides outpatient education for individuals with new onset or uncontrolled diabetes, or for those who desire intensive control.
“We can help provide patients with diabetes with the direction they need to make healthy lifestyle choices, including helping them meet the guidelines of the new food pyramid,” says Karen Rockwell, program coordinator for the Center.
For more information, call 610-328-8920 and a representative from Crozer-Keystone’s Call Center will be happy to schedule an appointment.