Week 2: Reading Nutrition Labels
A nutrition label provides a lot of helpful information about the foods you eat. It helps you determine the amount of fat,
cholesterol, sodium levels, and vitamins in each serving of that food. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to read a nutrition
label. The more practice you get reading labels, the better you’ll become in using them as a tool to plan your healthy,
balanced diet.
Look for These 4 Key Numbers
There are 4 places to look on the label that can help you determine whether it’s the right food to help you control your
blood sugar. Rollover the label to see what to look for.
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1
Look at the Serving Size on the Label
Sometimes there is more than 1 serving of a food per container.
2
Look at the Grams of Total Fat
Choose lower-fat foods most often.
3
Look at the Grams of Total Carbohydrate
Since we know it’s the carbohydrates in food that raises your blood sugar the most, looking at this number
tells you how much of this particular food is going to turn into sugar.
4
Look at Dietary Fiber
This is a carbohydrate that the body does not completely break down into sugar—so choose foods that
are higher in fiber when possible.
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One Carb Serving is Equal to 15 Grams of Carbohydrates
Most men can set a goal of 4 to 5 carb servings per meal (60-75g of carbs), and most women can aim for 3 to 4 carb servings
per meal (45-60g of carbs), but ask your doctor what your goal should be.
Examples of a Single Carb Serving
Getting the actual carb count from a nutrition label is more accurate, but generally these foods represent a single carb serving:
- One small piece of fruit
- One slice of bread
- One half of an English muffin
- One cup of plain or artificially sweetened
nonfat or low-fat yogurt
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- One cup of nonfat or low-fat milk
- Half a cup of oatmeal
- One tbsp. of honey or sugar
- One cup of soup
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Schedule a visit with a registered dietitian or a CDE to help you create a healthy meal plan that works for you.
Sign up for the FREE Making Healthy Choices online education session with our CDEs to get answers to your questions about creating a healthy meal plan that works for you.
Do not take Lantus® if you are allergic to insulin or any of the
inactive ingredients in Lantus®.
You must test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®.
Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your
healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under
medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution.
It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be
serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless
with no particles visible. Do not share needles, insulin pens or syringes with
others.
The most common side effect of insulin, including Lantus®, is
low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious. Some people may
experience symptoms such as shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Severe hypoglycemia may be serious and life-threatening. It may cause harm to your
heart or brain. Other possible side effects may include injection site reactions,
including changes in fat tissue at the injection site, and allergic reactions, including
itching and rash. In rare cases, some allergic reactions may be life-threatening.
Tell your doctor about other medicines and supplements you are taking because they
can change the way insulin works. Before starting Lantus®, tell your
doctor about all your medical conditions including if you have liver or kidney problems,
are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding or planning to
breast-feed.
Lantus® SoloSTAR® is a disposable prefilled insulin
pen. Please talk to your healthcare provider about proper injection technique and
follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that accompanies the pen.
Click here for Full Prescribing Information for Lantus®.
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The health information contained herein is provided for general educational purposes
only. Your healthcare professional is the single best source of information regarding
your health. Please consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions
about your health or treatment.