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Health Disease Choice : Diabetes

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Health Disease Choice - Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions encountered in the primary care setting. It is a lifetime condition that requires careful management to prevent debilitating complications, such as peripheral neuropathy, amputations, diabetic nephropathy, kidney failure, diabetic retinopathy, and blindness. It is also a cardiovascular risk factor to heart attack and stroke. Basing on my experience with my patient encounters as a nurse, most diabetics do not fully understand the severity of their condition, thus management of it is being taken for granted. Costs of diabetes care continue to increase each year, causing a huge financial strain for both the patients and the healthcare system.

According to the article by the Diabetes UK nutrition working group (Dayson et al., 2011), nutrition therapy plays an essential role in the management of diabetes. The type of foods a diabetic consumes can impact the optimal glycemic control and reduce the risk for complications. A multidisciplinary approach is vital in the delivery of nutritional care. To maximize the benefit of nutritional care, it must be individualized, accounting the patient’s lifestyle and beliefs, preferences, and willingness to change. The nutrition guidelines emphasized diets low in saturated fats, increase intake of fiber and multigrain foods, low fat dairy foods, and avoid processed meat products. To significantly reduce the cardiovascular risk, a combination of

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