- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
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Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
Risk factors (1)
- Diabetes: Does alcohol and tobacco use increase my risk?
Symptoms (1)
- The 'dawn phenomenon': What causes it?
Causes (1)
- Diabetes and depression: What's the link?
Complications (2)
- Diabetes: How does it affect my liver?
- Blood sugar and mood: Any connection?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Diabetes management: Does aspirin therapy prevent heart problems?
- Blood glucose monitors: What factors affect accuracy?
- Byetta: Can diabetes drug also help me lose weight?
Lifestyle and home remedies (11)
- Vegetarian diet: Can it help me control my diabetes?
- Diabetes: Are electric blankets off-limits?
- Caffeine: Does it affect blood sugar?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (1)
- Diabetes treatment: Can cinnamon lower blood sugar?
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Question
Carbohydrate counting and diabetes: Looking beyond carbs
I was taught to control my blood sugar by eating a certain amount of carbohydrates at every meal. However, what about those foods that have no carbs? I say that I can eat as much of these as I want. My wife says I'm wrong.
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Your wife is right. Carbohydrate counting is a method for controlling the amount of carbohydrates you eat at meals and snacks. This is because they have the greatest impact on your blood sugar. Eating consistent amounts of carbohydrates every day helps you control your blood glucose level.
But carbohydrates aren't the only dietary consideration when you have diabetes. You need to also limit fat and cholesterol and control the number of calories you consume. The best way to do this is to control portion sizes.
Eating a healthy diet helps you control your diabetes and reduces your risk of diabetes-related conditions, such as heart disease and stroke. So, just because a food contains no carbohydrates doesn't mean that you can eat it in unlimited amounts.
Your best bet is to adopt a healthy lifestyle:
- Control portion sizes and the total number of calories you consume.
- Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
- Limit sweets and salt.
- Drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all.
- Include physical activity in your daily routine, if approved by your doctor.
Example: Looking beyond carbs
Both of the following breakfasts provide the same amount of carbohydrates. However, breakfast No. 2 is a better choice because it's considerably lower in calories, fat and cholesterol.
| Menu | Carbohydrates | Cholesterol | Fat | Calories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast No. 1: 2 fried eggs 3 sausage links 1 cup hash browns 2 slices white toast 2 teaspoons butter 1/2 cup orange juice 1 cup black coffee |
75 grams | 475 milligrams | 60 grams | 830 | |
| Breakfast No. 2: 3/4 cup cornflakes 1/2 banana 1 cup low-fat milk 1 slice wheat toast 1 teaspoon margarine 1/2 cup orange juice 1 cup black coffee |
75 grams | 4 milligrams | 5 grams | 370 | |
Low-phosphorus diet: Best for kidney disease?
- Dietary guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Agriculture. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- What you need to know about eating and diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Diabetes meal plans and a healthy diet. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/food-nutrition-lifestyle/nutrition/meal-planning/diabetes-meal-plans-healthy-diet.jsp. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Nutritionist Pro Diet Analysis (computer program). Stafford, Texas: Axxya Systems; 2008. http://www.nutritionistpro.com/index.php. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
