What Are You Eating?

A good part of dealing with my diabetes is watching what I eat and how much I eat. Before I knew I was a diabetic, I never thought twice about eating fast food. Forget about fat content, calories and salt. I ate what I wanted and what tasted good. I had no reason to think about such things. All I cared about was that it was fast, it was hot and it filled me up.

Lisa and I attended a diabetes class at a local hospital here in San Antonio a few weeks ago and part of the class was getting a suggested diet from a nutritionist that specializes in the disease. She recommended a diet of 2,000 calories a day for me. It requires me to balance my intake of protein, carbohydrates and fats to meet this daily requirement. I cannot just get all my calories from a bag of potato chips and a chocolate shake. I have to eat things like fruits and vegetables and limit the amount of sugars, fats and salt in my diet. I was given a booklet that breaks down the amount of calories, fat and salt (among other things) in popular fast food items. As I checked out the fare of several well-known restaurants, I was shocked at the numbers. Let me give you some examples:

1 Burger King Whopper
700 total calories (with 370 from fats)
1002 mg of sodium (salt)
1 Medium Fries
360 total calories (with 160 from fats)
640 mg of sodium
16 oz Coca Cola Classic
131 total calories
8 mg of sodium

This one “meal” at Burger King cost me 1,191 total calories (with 530 from fats) and that is over half of my allotted calories for one day. I still have two more meals and several snacks to eat before my head hits the pillow. Oh, and how about that salt intake? This one meal put 1,650 mg of sodium into my body. Nutritionists say we should be limited to no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day and no more than 1/3 of our total calories should be from fat. Are you starting to get the picture? Here are some more examples:

1 McDonald’s Big Mac
560 total calories (with 270 from fats)
1010 mg of sodium (salt)
1 Medium Fries
360 total calories (with 160 from fats)
640 mg of sodium
16 oz Coca Cola Classic
131 total calories
8 mg of sodium

KFC (3 pc) Crispy Strips (chicken)
400 total calories (with 220 from fats)
1250 mg of sodium (salt)
1 Medium Fries
360 total calories (with 160 from fats)
640 mg of sodium
16 oz Coca Cola Classic
131 total calories
8 mg of sodium

(Only 1) of 8 slices Pizza Hut 12” Medium Hand –Tossed Pepperoni Pizza X (how many slices?)
250 total calories (with 80 from fats)
570 mg of sodium (salt)
16 oz Coca Cola Classic
131 total calories
8 mg of sodium

Just think how many millions of hard working parents of modest means at the end of the workday just want a quick, cheap and easy meal for their kids. Let’s go to McDonald’s, kids! And so it goes. Why should we be surprised when diabetes, stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure are exploding in America and not just among adults, but also with our children?

Even if you try to eat sensibly and limit your intake of fat, salt and sugar, check out the nutrition labels of some of your favorite foods. You might be shocked to find high levels of sodium, trans fats and corn syrup. Convenience foods and processed foods are among the worst offenders. In our society today, you can find no end to unhealthy diet choices. They line our grocery store shelves! Over time, our unhealthy diets and fast food choices can shorten our lives and make those shortened years miserable and costly.

Healthcare in this country is in crisis. The cost of that healthcare is rising out of control for most of us. As a people, we are becoming obese and burdened with chronic illnesses. Will there be enough healthcare professionals and resources to take care of a population headed for disaster?

Modern medicine has given us many wonderful drugs to help manage our disease, but what about prevention? The bottom line is that no pill can replace a healthy diet and regular exercise. I challenge you to know what you are eating. Do not expect McDonald’s or Burger King to look out for your health. That...is still up to you.

FOOD for THOUGHT...