Part 8 of the “What Does It All Mean?” series, a real-life reflection on living with Type 1 Diabetes, written by Dennis Goldensohn, who has lived with T1D for nearly 60 years.
By Dennis Goldensohn: T1D for nearly 60 years, advocate, and mentor
Understanding the Importance of Good Nutrition
Today, diabetes and obesity are increasing globally! To this end, the food we choose to consume becomes very important and an essential part of managing one’s health. For those of us who deal with diabetes, the choice of food we consume is even more important in managing our diabetes.
Understanding the Nutrition Label
This edition of “What Does It All Mean” will look at how we can determine how best to choose food that is healthy and will help those with diabetes have better outcomes in managing their diabetes. This is not meant to be medical advice, only informational. You should always discuss any changes in your diet with your healthcare provider, general practitioner, dietician, or endocrinologist!
This chart is required on all food products. It tells the consumer what the nutritional values are, the portion size, how many servings per package, vitamins, and minerals. It is normally based on a daily calorie intake, and in this case, 2000 calories.
The Building Blocks of Good Nutrition
The building blocks of the food we consume are carbohydrates, fat, protein, and fiber. A well-balanced diet will have these components in the right proportion, and for those who manage their diabetes, this is extremely important! So, what are these building blocks-components?
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are essential macronutrients that provide energy and are found in foods like fruits, grains, and dairy, and come in simple, complex, and fiber forms. When they are consumed, they are turned into simple sugar. There are many foods that have added sugar, which is in addition to the sugar that occurs naturally in their makeup. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram.
Fat
Fat: Dietary fats are one of the four main types of nutrients. Fats are broken down into Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, Saturated, and Trans Fats. Fats have the highest concentration of calories of any Macronutrient. All fats contain 9 calories per gram. Saturated and Trans Fats are those that need to be consumed in small amounts.
Protein
Protein is an essential Macronutrient made of amino acids, vital for building and repairing tissue, producing enzymes and hormones, and supporting overall health. Protein is found in every body tissue-muscle, skin, hair, blood, and organs. It is made of 20+ amino acids; nine are essential and must come from food because the body cannot produce them. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories.
Fiber
Fiber: Dietary fiber is an essential carbohydrate from plant foods that supports digestion, heart health, blood sugar, and weight management. Fiber cannot be digested and helps in the digestion of food. It is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. There are two types of fiber, Soluble and Insoluble. Each gram of soluble fiber contains 2 calories, and insoluble fiber contains 0 calories.
Looking Beyond Added Sugar
If we look at the Nutrition Label above, it also states what vitamins and minerals are included. So, now that we have all of this information, let’s focus on the Carbohydrates. We should always look at the total amount of carbohydrates and not just the added sugar!! In this case, there are 29 grams of carbohydrates. But let us look closely, there are 26 grams of sugar. This is a flag to those who are managing their diabetes, as well as those who are not diabetics. This means when you consume this food product, these sugars will be digested quickly and enter the bloodstream, raising your Blood Glucose. Yes, we bolus for this, but complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and will not spike your blood glucose quickly.
Understanding Fat and Why It Matters
Looking at the fat content, there are 17 grams of fat, of which 8 grams are saturated. A little more than half the total amount of fat. Did you ever wonder why pizza is such a hard food to bolus for? Pizza has cheese, bread, tomatoes, and oil. Fat takes much longer to digest, is high in calories, and the tomatoes have natural sugar. And the bread-crust is high in carbohydrates.
Understanding Calories
Now let’s look at the calories. One serving is 260 calories. Let’s see how this is calculated:
17 grams of fat x 9 calories per gram = 153 calories
29 grams carbs x 4 calories per gram = 116 calories
3 grams protein x 4 calories per gram = 12 calories
TOTAL: 281 calories
As we can see, there is a slight discrepancy, but it is still close enough to understand what the caloric value is of each of these components.
What Is the Glycemic Index?
Another thing to consider is what the Glycemic Index is of the food you are consuming.
Glycemic Index: GI is a scale from 1-100 that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on how quickly they raise Blood Glucose Levels. Foods like white bread, white potatoes, and white rice have a very high Glycemic value. White rice has a GI of 73. White Bread has a GI of 75. White potatoes have a GI of 78 for boiled and 87 for instant mashed. The whiter it is, it is usually higher up on the Glycemic Index.
The GI Index does not take into account the following:
- How much food is being eaten
- The times of the day that foods are eaten
- Other components of the meal, such as fiber
Putting Knowledge into Practice
So, we now have all of this information. It can be quite a burden, but we need to be cognizant of what we consume and what each of the components is to ensure we are making the best dietary decisions on a daily basis. I have been a T1D for 58-plus years, and my wife is a prediabetic. She is on oral medication, and her A1C is 5.6, and mine is 5.9. Since she was diagnosed as being a prediabetic, whenever we go food shopping, we ALWAYS look at the food nutrition labels to see what the food we chose is. And you know, it has a huge bearing on how well we manage our health and diabetes.
A Real-Life Example
My daughter’s husband called me the other day, and he stated that in his blood workup, they did an A1C and it was 5.6. He asked me whether that was good. I replied, you are OK, but if you want, you can have another one done in 6 months and see if it remains the same. After we ended our conversation, I told my wife what our conversation was. She said to me, he drinks two or three cans of soda at a time. I then looked at a can of regular soda, and there are 41 grams of carbs in the soda, and ALL of it is SUGAR. Three cans, 123 grams of carbs-sugar. I called him back and said, Maybe you should rethink this and find some other beverage with less carbs-sugar. He agreed!!
Become Your Own Food Detective
So, in the end, a healthier diet helps everyone in the end! You have heard of the “Food Detectives” that ask you, as the one who has diabetes, if you should be eating certain foods? We know who they are! You can be your own Food Detective and make sure you are doing what is best for you! This is what counts! A little knowledge can go a long way in helping you be more informed and healthier as an end result!!
…………….And that is what it all means!
What Is This Series?
At Diapoint, we believe that the most powerful education comes from real people and real lives lived with diabetes.
That’s why we’re proud to introduce a new blog series by Dennis Goldensohn.
Dennis has been living with Type 1 Diabetes for nearly six decades, diagnosed at just 16 years old, and now approaching 59 years of life with T1D, without complications. His journey is not only a testament to resilience but also to what is possible with the right mindset and support.
Beyond his personal experience, Dennis brings a lifetime of dedication to service and advocacy. He spent 45 years working in aerospace manufacturing, while also volunteering with organizations such as JDF, JDRF, Breakthrough T1D, DPAC, and the Diabetes Research Institute. Today, he continues to mentor young people navigating their futures, while sharing his lived experience with diabetes to support others.
His series, “What Does It All Mean?”, is exactly what it sounds like: a reflection on life with diabetes, beyond the numbers, beyond the devices, and beyond the daily routines.
Through this series, Dennis explores:
- The realities of living with diabetes every single day,
- The misconceptions and stigma people face,
- The history and progress of diabetes care,
- The power of community, advocacy, and teamwork,
- And ultimately, what it truly means to live a full, successful life with diabetes.
This is not just education. This is perspective and lived experience.
And above all, this is reassurance that yes, you can.
