Roughly 22% of adults report having gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic. (1)
COVID-19 has created a perfect storm for gaining unwanted weight. Insomnia, loneliness, depression, anxiety, decreased physical activity, and disruptions in our daily routines have increased chronic stress in our lives which can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is associated with increased food cravings and weight gain. (2)
Lately, I have been intrigued by the idea that the addition of umami could possibly help us achieve weight loss and increase our enjoyment of foods at the same time. Research shows foods with umami flavors tend to reduce people’s appetite without cutting their satisfaction with the meal. (5)
Umami is that rich, deep, indescribable flavor of lusciousness found in foods like Parmesan cheese, cured pork products, grilled or roasted meats, sausage, and soups and stews that have been slow-cooked for a long period of time. It occurs when glutamate breaks down into L-glutamate via fermentation, braising, or ripening. Glutamate alone, however, cannot produce the full flavor of umami. Instead, it arises from the combination of glutamate and ribonucleotides, molecules that serve as the building blocks for DNA and RNA. Interesting to me is that glutamate is also abundant in human breast milk; in fact, human milk contains as much glutamate as most savory broths.
In 2000 scientists at the University of Miami identified the first umami receptor on the taste buds lining the surface of our tongues. Mushrooms, especially dried shiitake mushrooms, are rich in umami. Umami-rich ingredients can be found in cooking ingredients/condiments. Naturally brewed soy sauce, Marmite, anchovy relish, miso, tomato puree, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce are all great sources of umami. Recently, many seasoning products have been developed with umami as the goal – such as Takii Umami Powder-Magic Shiitake Mushroom Seasoning, Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company Multipurpose UMAMI Seasoning Blend, and Taste No 5 Umami Paste.
Umami was named more than a century ago by Kikunae Ikeda a chemist at Tokyo University. As Dr. Ikeda savored a simple bowl of broth, he pondered the nature of deliciousness. How was it a lightly simmered mixture of water, dried fish flakes, and a little bit of dried seaweed that could be so mouthwatering?
Dashi, the broth that set Ikeda on his quest in 1907, maintains an essential place in Japanese cuisine to this day. Over the course of a year, Dr. Ikeda boiled kombu, the dried seaweed, down into a tarry resin and stripped out salts and other organic compounds one by one. In the end, Dr. Ikeda harvested a single ounce of crystals strongly resembling the flavor of his bowl of dashi-a flavor that he called umami (roughly translated from the Japanese word for “delicious”).
The crystals producing the umami flavor turned out to be the amino acid glutamate. Hoping to provide cooks easy access to umami, he learned how to produce it in industrial quantities and patented the notorious flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG).
MSG was popular in the American food supply for decades. However, since 1968 the chemical has received bad publicity despite dozens of studies concluding that MSG is safe and the purported negative health claims found to have little supporting evidence. (6) Currently, MSG is popular in processed foods such as canned soups, frozen dinners, cold cuts, dressings, and Doritos. MSG can help reduce sodium in dishes without compromising flavor because of umami. MSG contains 1/3 the amount of sodium as table salt.
Since the pandemic, I have been cooking more and experimenting with creating physically nourishing and emotionally satisfying meals. Consciously including umami has been an exciting part of this experiment.
Directions: Toss 2 pounds whole mixed mushrooms, 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Spread on a baking dish and roast at 425 degrees F, stirring a few times, until tender and browned for 30 to 35 minutes. Cook 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves and ½ tsp smoked paprika in butter until soft, toss with the mushrooms. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and salt. Enjoy.
This article is written by our resident nutrition expert, Dawn DeSoto, RD, CDCES
Citations
-Zachary Z, Brianna F, Brianna L, et al. Self-quarantine and weight gain related risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obes Res Clin Prat. 2020;14(3):210-216.
-Chao AM, Jastreboff AM, White MA, Grilo CM, Shinha R. Stress, cortisol, and other appetite-related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6-month changes in food cravings and weight. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017 Apr:2594):713-720
-CDC November 19, 2004/53(45);1066-1068. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults with Diagnosed Diabetes-United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2002
-Menke A, Casagrande S, Geiss L, Cowie CC. Prevalence of the Trends in Diabetes Among Adults in United States, 1988-2012. JAMA. 2015 Sep 8; 314(10):1021-9
-Masic U, Yeomans MR. Umami flavor enhances appetite but also increases satiety. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 100, Issue 2, August 2014, Pages 532-538.
-Zanfirescu A, Ungurianu A, Tsatsakis AM, Nitulescu GM, Kouretas D, Veskoukis A, Tsoukalas D, Engin AB, Aschner M, Margina D. A Review of the Alleged Health Hazards of Monosodium Glutamate. Compehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2019 May 8/18(4):1111-1134
This series is designed for health care professionals who are interested in getting started in diabetes education and for those actively working toward becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Each course in this series provides the critical building blocks and foundation for those entering the diabetes field. Plus, they prepare you to advance to our Level 2 Standards of Care Intensive Courses.
Join us for our 2021 Live Webinar Updates. All courses air at 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Instructor: Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, has been Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management for over 20 years. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF and Touro University and a nationally recognized diabetes expert.
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Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
The Winter Solstice, on December 21, marked the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. People in New York got just over 9 hours 15 minutes of sun, while those in Anchorage Alaska got fewer than 5.5 hours.
Lack of light can contribute to depression. The idea that people are more susceptible to depression in the winter months wasn’t picked up until the 1980’s when South African psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal moved to the US and noticed a change in his mood during the New York winters. Dr. Rosenthal, Dr. Al Lewy, and Dr. Thomas Wehr investigated and identified Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In 1987 it was included in DSM.(1)
This winter 2020 is an extra dark one. A recent study showed that depression symptom prevalence was more than 3-fold higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. During the pandemic, many people are making a lower-income or have no income, have depleted their savings, and have more exposure to stressors, which were all associated with a greater risk of depression. (2)
Studies show that people with diabetes are more susceptible to depression. Depression is three times as prevalent in people with diabetes when assessed by self-report. The combination of diabetes and depression present a major clinical challenge as the outcomes of both conditions are worsened in the presence of the other. Quality of life is worse, diabetes self-management is impaired, the incidence of complications is increased, and life expectancy is reduced. (3)
Refer to mental health providers as needed. As I am writing this blog my sister texted me that she is feeling very sad, unmotivated, and just wants to sleep. Diabetes Education Services has resources to help us screen our clients for depression in the Psychological Care Assessment Resource Page.
Can food, in particular a golden spice, help those of us without the more serious clinical depression cope this winter with milder winter blues?
Turmeric is a plant with a very long history of medicinal use, dating back 4000 years. In parts of Southeast Asia, turmeric is used not only as a principal spice but also as a component in religious ceremonies.
Turmeric, derived from the root of Curcuma longa, a flowering plant of the ginger family, is a gold-colored spice commonly used in the Indian subcontinent, not only for health care but also for the preservation of food and as a yellow dye for textiles. Curcumin, which gives the yellow color to turmeric, was first isolated almost two centuries ago, and its structure as diferuloylmethane was determined in 1910.
Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 BCE) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions. Extensive research within the last half-century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. (4)
“Curcumin can influence several mechanisms in the body; in particular, it is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. This has relevance to depression because people with depression have greater inflammation and oxidative stress, which can affect all major organs of the body, including the brain”, reports Adrian Lopresti, PhD., a clinical psychologist and researcher at the School of Psychology and Exercise Science at Murdoch University. (5)
Due to curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effect, a 2013 review of studies suggests that curcumin can decrease the level of glucose in the blood, as well as other diabetes-related complications. (6) 500-1000 mg of curcumin per day has been found to promote the anti-inflammatory effect. (7) 1 teaspoon of fresh turmeric has about 200 mg of curcuminoids. Curcumin’s bioavailability can be enhanced by 2000% by combining it with black pepper (piperine is the major active component). (8)
Try turmeric tea or add turmeric to scrambled eggs, to rice as it is cooking, to stews. You can also try my favorite before bed treat, Golden Milk.
Directions
Simply pour all ingredients into a small saucepan, whisk to combine ingredients. Heat until hot to the touch but not boiling – about 4 minutes. Enjoy warm.
Written by Dawn DeSoto RD, CDCES, our resident Nutrition Content Writer
References
We are updating this course to reflect the 2021 ADA Standards of Care. This presentation will include the latest information on Social Determinants of health, assessment strategies and approaches. We will explore the psychosocial issues that can discourage individuals from adopting healthier behaviors and provides strategies to identify and overcome these barriers.
Life studies are used to apply theory to real life situations. A great course for anyone in the field of diabetes education or for those looking for a new perspective on assessment and coping strategies.
Topics include:
This course is included in: Level 2 – Standards of Care Intensive. Purchase this course individually for $29 or the entire bundle and save 70%.
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Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
I have been eating chocolate daily for years. I crave chocolate. I love chocolate.
I am not alone. About 7.3 million tons of retail chocolate confectionery were consumed globally in 2015/2016! (1)
My family holiday tradition is the gifting of See’s chocolates, but as I attempt to decrease my sugar intake, I have made a commitment to eat less chocolate.
Chocolate is made from tropical Theobroma cacao tree seeds. Its earliest use dates back to the Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica. The word cacao originated from the Mayan word, “Ka’Kau.” Ancient Aztecs considered Cacao the “Food of the Gods.” Cacao was a pillar of the Mayan, Aztec, and Nahua communities, economies, and religions as a sacred medicine.
In Mayan and Aztecan culture, cacao is a sacred crop and has historically been used for ceremonial practices, known as “Cacao Ceremony” or as offerings to the Gods.
Cacao and cocoa are both milled and processed from the cocoa bean, but cacao is processed at a low temperature and considered raw. Cacao contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Cocoa is the term used to refer to the heated form of cacao. Cocoa undergoes a higher temperature during the processing and some of the nutrients are lost, although it still retains antioxidants.
Cacao is stronger flavored than cocoa. Dutch-process cocoa is cocoa that has been treated with an alkalizing agent to modify its color and give it a milder taste. Dutch cocoa forms the basis for much of modern chocolate.
In the 1980s phenylethylamine (PEA) was discovered in chocolate. PEA acts as a CNS stimulant and increases the brain’s production of norepinephrine and dopamine-producing the euphoric effect often associated with a “runner’s high.” Cacao also helps to boost anandamide, a fatty acid neurotransmitter, which is also known as the “bliss molecule.” And cacao contains theobromine which has an effect like that of caffeine in the nervous system.
No wonder why so many of us love chocolate!
Recently, there have been studies that found that cocoa flavonoids including epicatechin have an anti-diabetic effect by enhancing insulin secretion, improving insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues, exerting a lipid-lowering effect, and preventing the inflammatory and oxidative damages of the disease. (2)(3)(4)
Chocolate is often heavily sweetened as in See’s candy, but there are many chocolate bars that contain more cacao or cocoa and less sugar. Lately, I have purchased cacao powder and have been making a hot drink with coconut milk, monk sugar, and spices.
My daughter and I are going to start a new tradition this holiday season. We are not going to gift See’s candy, but instead, we are going to gift cacao.
1 TB Cacao powder has
Sugar Free Mexican Drinking Chocolate
Combine is a small saucepan and whisk until the consistency is smooth and silky. Pour into mugs. Give thanks. Enjoy.
References:
Dawn Desoto RD, CDCES, celebrates the fall and winter season with a collection of recipes that nourish and heal. Dazzle your taste-buds and energize your gut bacteria with this delicious and seasonal compilation.
Choose a pie pumpkin and wash it’s exterior. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and pulp. Roast in your oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Simply peel away the skin from the flesh and toss the pumpkin pulp into your food processor or blender.
Ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and pumpkin puree together. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk them together while slowly pouring in the evaporated milk.
Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 390 degrees, reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 – 60 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
Mix the melted butter or coconut oil, walnuts, and cinnamon together and pour over the apples. Bake in the preheated oven until the apples are soft, about 20 – 30 minutes. Stir once during the baking.
Pour the wine into a small saucepan along with the orange zest and juice and all of the spices
Bring almost to a boil and add the pear halves. Turn down the heat and let the pears simmer gently for 20 – 30 minutes, or until they have slightly softened. Carefully turn the pears over a few times throughout the cooking time to ensure they color evenly. When the pears are cooked remove them from the wine and place them on plates. Add a tablespoon of yogurt to each plate and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Combine coconut milk, oats, chia, banana, maple syrup in a pint-sized jar and stir. Top with blueberries and coconut. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat up and sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon in the morning.
285 calories, 6 gm protein, 57 gms carbohydrate, 7 gms fiber 6 gm fat
To add more color into our diets, I am sharing my Spinach Pomegranate Salad recipe
Toss the spinach leaves with the rest of the ingredients. Serves 4
We hope you enjoy these delicious recipies!
As we continue to navigate this long-lasting pandemic there has been so much loss and heartache.
Years ago I went to a conference on preventing burnout in healthcare providers with Dr. J. Bryan Sexton, associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke’s School of Medicine and an expert in the idea of resilience. He impressed me and I have talked about his conference to many colleagues over the years.
I loved sharing his wisdom with my clients, because of studies that link resilience to better diabetes self management. (1)
Lately, as I have been struggling with overwhelming feelings of sadness, I have remembered to practice some of his tools to cultivate resilience. Cultivating resiliency is something that takes daily focus. To cultivate means to nurture, grow, and encourage resilient behaviors.
Three Good Things
Humans are hard-wired to remember the negative aspects of our day, but flipping around the natural inclination is simple.
Building resilience is possible by focusing on positive emotions – joy, serenity, hope gratitude, inspiration, pride, love, awe, and amusement.
Promoting positive thoughts and building resilience can be as easy as taking notes each night before bed. Think of three things that happened during the day that went well and your role in the positive outcome, then jot down those three things. Best results for this exercise come after 14 consecutive days. Empirical evidence shows that this elevates brain serotonin with positive effects on our mood that last for months. (2)
Show Gratitude
Grab a pen and paper and write a letter of appreciation to someone- anyone. Take five minutes to explain something they did, how it impacted you and the benefits you received. Whether you share the letter or not, Dr. Sexton said it can have lasting impacts, increasing happiness while lowering depressing thoughts because focusing on benefits forces us to linger on positive thoughts.
Rediscover Awe
Through an “awe intervention,” you can create a sense of slowed down time, which offers a calming sensation and a feeling of having more time available.
Awe also helps us to feel inspired. I call awe intervention, “joyful thanksgiving”. It is a practice that I am doing in which I acknowledge and give a little extra gratitude for the many amazing sights, sounds, tastes, relationships, information, and emotions that excite me and create awe right from the moment when I wake up.
I began to feel grateful for this medicinal food. Oats, blueberries, banana, and nuts contain water soluble fiber which slow the absorption of sugar and fat from food, and therefore help prevent spikes in blood sugar and blood fat, possibly reducing the inflammatory response to food. (3)(4)
Fiber is a super food which provides important nutrition for our intestinal bacteria to live and prosper, that’s why fiber is called a pre-biotic. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and legumes remain the single best sources of fiber in the diet. High-fiber vegetables include many of the green leafy vegetables like kale, collard greens, chard, arugula, and even lettuces. Whole-grain sources of fiber include oats, quinoa, barley and rye. Legumes include beans like peas, soy, black, pinto and lentils.
Encouraging our clients to consider adding more fiber rich dishes to the holiday meals this season and perhaps telling them about Dr. Sexton’s tools for cultivating resilience may help them to feel happier and more hopeful and contribute to better blood sugar control.
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ TB chia seeds
½ banana
1 tsp maple syrup
½ cup blueberries
2 TB chopped walnuts
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Combine coconut milk, oats, chia, banana, maple syrup in a pint-sized jar and stir. Top with blueberries and coconut. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat up and sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon in the morning.
285 calories, 6 gm protein, 57 gms carbohydrate, 7 gms fiber 6 gm fat
Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2015 Dec; 7(12): 10369-10387p. 1392:8
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The holidays are upon us in the midst of a pandemic.
In past holiday seasons, I would check in with my clients to see how the holiday season was affecting their health. We would talk about getting enough sleep and adapting exercise routines to adjust for cold weather and shorter days.
We would talk about stress management tools to help cope with the pressures to overeat and the pressures to eat foods that we have been attempting to avoid.
This year is challenging because we are already taxed by the unbelievable stress of living in a pandemic.
I have found that I am already struggling with insomnia and less exercise. I have been overeating and craving sweets. In fact, I think that I have developed a sugar addiction during these last 7 months. I have been substituting ice cream, donuts, and chocolate for the hugs that I used to take for granted. I am missing gatherings, parties, and shared dinners with friends.
Sugar is a powerful stimulant of serotonin that is lacking in my brain these days. I thought that I was developing a cavity and this woke me up.
I had to make a commitment to cut back on sugar.
I thought about the World Health Organization’s sugar recommendation of lowering our free sugar intake to less than 5% of our total daily calories. This works out to about 6 teaspoons a day, depending on the person.
Free sugar applies to
Whole fruit and milk sugar are not included in free sugar.
I started to look at the total amount of free sugar that I was consuming. On some days it added up to over 12 teaspoons per day! And I am a dietitian.
The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar daily. This translates to 57 pounds of sugar consumed each year.
Many people don’t realize that a lot of the sugar they take in are “hidden” in processed foods, according to the World Health Organization.
Research does show that for some people eating sugar produces characteristics of craving and withdrawal, along with chemical changes in the brain’s reward center, the limbic region. These changes are linked to a heightened craving for more sugar.
I am grateful to be able to consciously choose to lower my sugar intake to improve my health.
I am grateful that the whole fruit can be used as a sweet substitute for my sugar cravings.
I love the new fall crop of apples, pears, kiwi, and persimmons.
Below are my recipes for baked apples and poached pears that are a delicious holiday dessert.
Mix the melted butter or coconut oil, walnuts, and cinnamon together and pour over the apples. Bake in the preheated oven until the apples are soft, about 20 – 30 minutes. Stir once during the baking.
Enjoy!
Pour the wine into a small saucepan along with the orange zest and juice and all of the spices
Bring almost to a boil and add the pear halves. Turn down the heat and let the pears simmer gently for 20 – 30 minutes, or until they have slightly softened. Carefully turn the pears over a few times throughout the cooking time to ensure they color evenly. When the pears are cooked remove them from the wine and place them on plates. Add a tablespoon of yogurt to each plate and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Visit our Joy of 6 Page for sugar info and resources to share with your clients!
Written by Dawn DeSoto RD, CDCES, our resident Nutrition Content Writer
“This Webinar is filled with Bev’s energy, knowledge, and passion for diabetes that she replicates in all her teachings. She puts a demand on herself to be a mentor to all. Her information is well organized, full of current/relevant research, and helps CDCES’ view into the future as a changing world impacts diabetics. I find her to be the most exciting and engaging educator and … OUTSTANDING teacher!!” – recent participant
This one-hour complimentary journey will expand your view of how the trillions of bacterial hitchhikers profoundly influence our health. We will discuss how foods, the environment, and our medical practices have impacted our gut bacteria over time and strategies we can take to protect these old friends.
Webinar topics:
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Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
On Wednesday, we wrote about the FDA changes to the Nutrition Facts Label.
We wanted to share with you the Social Media Toolkit on this new label so you can spread the news.
This information is also available in Spanish by clicking here.
An interactive tool was also created to learn how the new label applies to our daily food intake. This tool includes explanations and definitions for what is on each label.
Join Dr. Diana Isaacs and Dana Armstrong for eight hours of intensive instruction on some of the most critical content needed to prepare for certification and to position yourself as a diabetes leader.
Both Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, BCACP, CDCES, and Dana Armstrong, RD, CDCES are noted leaders in the field of diabetes.
Dr. Isaacs, named 2020 AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year for her educational platform promoting the use of CGM for people with diabetes and other innovations. She is the CGM Program Coordinator and clinical pharmacist specialist in the Cleveland Clinic Diabetes Center.
Dana Armstrong is the Medical Clinic Director of The Diabetes Center/Salinas Valley Medical Clinic. She provides leadership and ensures coordination and integration of effective system-wide excellence across the organization. Having a child with diabetes, she combines her professional knowledge with personal experience and understanding.
Each expert highlights the critical content of their topic area, so you can focus your study time most efficiently. They also launch multiple poll questions to help focus on key concepts and assess their knowledge.
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
“The New Nutrition Facts Label: What’s in it for You?” education campaign developed by FDA, aims to raise awareness and increase use of the updated Nutrition Facts label.
Consumers, health care professionals, and educators will all benefit from this information and educational tools included in this campaign. Food labels can be confusing. This latest label, updated for the first time in 20 years, includes important changes worth exploring.
These changes by the FDA are based on advances in our understanding of nutrition and scientific research.
There are four major updates to the label around serving size, calories, % of the daily value, and the nutrients of the food.
Now in a larger, bolder font, the serving size is more noticeable. These adjustments mirror measurements we use when cooking. For example, a cup or tablespoon.
Serving sizes are based on the amount we typically consume in a day, rather than a recommendation of how much you should consume.
The new label may also contain multiple serving sizes if there are different foods packaged together.
The calories are also more obvious with a larger, eye-catching font.
Calorie intake should be based on the serving size food container. If the calories listed are 530, with two servings per container, eating the entire box would mean you are ingesting 1060 calories.
Each person’s daily recommended calorie intake is different, use My Plate to determine yours.
Daily Values are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day.
https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-new-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
These daily value percentages are anchored on new nutritional research and some of the daily %s have changed. For example, total fat values have increased from 65g to 75gs per day.
Certain nutrients do not have a daily value, such as protein, sugars, and trans fats. When looking at labels, check the grams for each of these so you aren’t consuming too much in a day.
Nutrient daily values are a balancing act. We don’t necessarily need to give up our favorite foods, but rather be mindful of how the foods we eat impact our overall daily % nutrient value.
A few nutrients have been omitted in the new labels.
Research indicates that calories from fat aren’t as important as the types of fat we consume. Additionally, we don’t see deficiencies of Vitamins A & C as often anymore.
New nutrients added are:
Since added sugars increase overall calories, but do not have an impact on % of DV, it is important to label these additives. Vitamin D and potassium as added because research shows many people in the United States are not getting the recommended daily value and may be deficient in each.
To explore the “The New Nutrition Facts Label: What’s in it for You?” education toolkit in English and Spanish, click here and click here.
Join Dr. Diana Isaacs and Dana Armstrong for eight hours of intensive instruction on some of the most critical content needed to prepare for certification and to position yourself as a diabetes leader.
Both Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, BCACP, CDCES, and Dana Armstrong, RD, CDCES are noted leaders in the field of diabetes.
Dr. Isaacs was named 2020 AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year for her educational platform promoting the use of CGM for people with diabetes and other innovations. She is the CGM Program Coordinator and clinical pharmacist specialist in the Cleveland Clinic Diabetes Center.
Dana Armstrong is the Medical Clinic Director of The Diabetes Center/Salinas Valley Medical Clinic. She provides leadership and ensures coordination and integration of effective system-wide excellence across the organization. Having a child with diabetes, she combines her professional knowledge with personal experience and understanding.
Each expert highlights the critical content of their topic area, so you can focus your study time most efficiently. They also launch multiple poll questions to help focus on key concepts and assess their k
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
October 6 8:00 am – October 8 3:00 pm
San Diego – DiabetesEd Specialist Course – October 6th to 8th, 2021
April 28 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Level 2 – Critical Assessment – Fine-Tuning your Diabetes Detective Skills – 2.0 CEs
April 29 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
May 6 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
May 18 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Free Webinar: What We Say Matters: Language that Respects the Individual and Imparts Hope
July 8 11:30 am – 12:45 pm