Welcome to the NutriSense Virtual Diabetes Learning Center! We want to congratulate you for taking the first steps to live well with diabetes! While this program is self-directed and self-paced, we want to encourage you to reach out to your nutrition coach with any questions that arise. We are absolutely alongside you on this journey!
Let’s take a moment to go over what’ll we be focusing on over the next 7 chapters.
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Chapter 1: Understanding the Basics
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Chapter 2: Self-Management and Monitoring
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Chapter 3: Healthy Eating
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Chapter 4: Movement with a Purpose
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Chapter 5: Sleep and Glucose
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Chapter 6: Managing Stress
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Chapter 7: Putting It All Together
Before we dive in, I would encourage you to take a moment to set two goals for yourself.
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Goal #1: What is something you hope to achieve within the next month?
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Some examples may include:
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I will lower my fasting glucose value by 5%
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I will add a protein source to all my meals and snacks (More on the benefits of getting adequate protein in Chapter 3 - Section 1!)
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I will incorporate a walk after dinners three times per week
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I will minimize sugar-containing beverages
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Goal #2: What is something you hope to achieve within 3 months?
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Some examples may include:
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I want to lower my A1c by a full percentage point
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I want to lower my fasting blood sugars to <100-120 mg/dL
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I want to run my first 5K
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I want to lose 10 pounds
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We encourage you to write these down and share them with your NutriSense nutritionist! They can then help you develop a game plan to achieve these goals and support you along the way.
You will no doubt experience many successes and challenges on your journey to better blood sugars. The key is finding things that work for you that help regulate your blood sugar and reduce the risks of complications. This often takes time and can be a matter of trial and error.
As you’re working through the following chapters, you’re encouraged to stop periodically to reflect on whether or not (and if so, how) that information may pertain to your unique situation. Reading and understanding the information is one thing, but when you reflect on the following information and really apply it to yourself, positive change will start to occur.
Next: Myths and Facts