If you have diabetes, a local registered dietitian (RD) can be a valuable asset to your healthcare team. A local registered dietitian has completed specialized education and training in nutritional fields such as pediatric nutrition, senior nutrition and sports nutrition. A local registered dietitian often works with patients who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, helping them manage blood glucose levels through nutrition, learn more about supplements, probiotics and digestive health and understand how proper nutrition may allow some patients to reduce or eliminate type 2 diabetes medications. If you have diabetes, eating a low-glycemic index diet is essential, and a local registered dietitian can work with you ro use this index as a guide.

To improve your digestion, when you’re in the grocery store you want to look for foods containing probiotics. And you can find these in things like yogurt and fermented milk- or yogurt-types of drinks. These also help to increase the beneficial bacteria in the colon, which helps to further improve your digestion.

To enhance the growth of these healthy beneficial bacteria, you want to include foods that contain fructooligosaccharides, such as bananas and artichokes and onions. To also increase your digestion and help you stay regular, you want to look to consume enough fibre in your diet.

Fibre is found in foods such as whole grains like rice and pasta, bread, cereals. Also found in fruits and vegetables. So looking for fruits such as pears and apples and bananas, oranges, even dried fruit are also a really good source of fibre.

Fruits and vegetables also help you to increase your production of digestive enzymes. They have natural digestive enzymes in them, and therefore they aid in the digestive process. So altogether, making sure that you’re looking for your fruits and your vegetables and your whole grains.

When you’re eating these foods and you’re staying relaxed, you’re eating in a stress-free environment, making sure you’re eating in a really consistent manner, every couple of hours on a regular schedule. Chewing very slowly helps to stimulate the digestive system and start that process.

So, to improve your digestion, look for a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These are going to give you a variety of nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc. Also consuming some lean protein is going to help to repair the intestinal tract.

Again, variety is key to making sure you’re getting these important vitamins and minerals. For more information on how to improve your digestion, contact your local Registered Dietitian or local Registered Nutritionist.

A local registered dietitian can also help patients prevent diabetes-related complications such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic foot conditions and fuel the body for diabetes exercise. Your local registered dietitian may work with your other health care providers such as your local ophthalmologist, endocrinologist, kinesiologist and pharmacist to create a healthy diabetes management plan.