Reading labels without getting triggered
Years of yo-yo dieting makes it hard for people with type 2 diabetes to make sense of food labels. This article can help.
If you are like many of my clients, years of yo-yo dieting have made it hard to read labels. The knee-jerk reaction is to try to watch and limit everything! If this sounds like you, and you KNOW that you don’t want to return to yo-yo dieting, this article and handout will help.
I'm not sure what to look for. I hear you and want to talk about six things on a food label with a short pep talk to keep you on track!
Number One: Starting with the serving size can help you gauge if you're eating more or less than what the label is listed. Please don’t assume that the serving size is what you ‘should’ eat. That annoying mosquito-like sound is diet culture whispering in your ear. Swat it away!
If you're eating less, you would divide how much you're eating by maybe half or a quarter. If you're eating more, you would multiply.
So typically, for myself, when I eat cereal, I eat a greater portion than the amount listed. For that reason, I would multiply. If I know 3/4 of a cup has X number of carbohydrates (say 15 grams), then a cup and a half would be two servings or 30 grams. I am not a ‘bad’ person for eating two servings. I am not a ‘better’ person for eating one. When you think that eating one amount vs. another is morally superior, it is likely that the diet-culture earworm is talking to you. This is triggering, so if that has happened (or may happen), here are a couple of things to help get that earworm out.
Name it to tame it! Simply say (out loud if you need to), I can see I am triggered by diet culture. This is normal. Good for me to see it!
Oops! When you recognize that you are triggered, try saying, “Oops.” This is a stand-by favorite! Yes, I got triggered. It happens. It isn’t me. It is what happened.
But I need to manage my blood sugar! Yes, you do, and you are taking steps. Our fear-based thought makes us think that managing your blood sugar means you will be ‘perfect’ or have an Instagram-worthy meal choice when you eat. This is fear and that nasty earworm talking. See what you ARE doing instead of what you aren’t. You are connecting with your deep intention to compassionately step out of diet culture while managing your blood sugar. That is some big stuff, so hooray!
Let’s use another example - bread. I always eat more than one slice of bread for breakfast. By looking at #1, I can see that a single slice is one serving. This means I would multiply how many slices I ate.
Number two is looking at the percent of daily value. For blood sugar management, you don’t have to look there. This is why I placed a big X over this section.
Number three is looking at total carbohydrates, and that is actually helpful. Note you're looking for the number with the G after it. And that's the grams of total carbohydrates.
Number four is fiber. You'll see another G; this will help shift carbohydrates' impact on your overall blood sugar. Imagine a clock; when you have carbohydrates without fiber, the hands of the clock are pointing to 12:00. This is great if you are having a low blood sugar reaction. However, if you aren’t, having your blood sugar go straight up can create a roller coaster. While roller coasters might be fun at an amusement park, they aren’t for people with diabetes. Shifting to higher-fiber foods changes how quickly foods enter the blood sugar. Again, imagine a clock and the hands are now pointing to 1:30. Foods with three or more grams of fiber are considered a good or high fiber source.
Number five is sugar, and this is included in the total carbohydrates. So you don't need to look at sugar or add sugar to the total carbohydrates.
Number six is looking at protein. Protein does impact your blood sugar, but the hands of the clock are at 2:30.
Common questions:
I thought I had to count sugar. Nope.
How can I use this information to make a food choice? Some people like to count grams, other people don’t want to. It is fine either way. At No Weight Loss Required, we start with awareness. Becoming aware of carbs in our diet - what has them, what doesn’t is step 1. You can decide if you want more or fewer carbs in your diet because you are noticing how you feel when you eat more or fewer carbs at one time.