Hi there,

My name is Elissa and I am currently a dietetic intern with Texas State University of San Marcos, TX. I recently volunteered for an opportunity with FoodPicker.org to help spread the wealth of information out there on nutrition and diabetes education. I am quite excited to start blogging to share what I’ve learned from my education and to help people with diabetes live their lives to the fullest through proper diet, and even enjoy it too!

I did not start in dietetics immediately. After highschool, I went on to continue my training as a professional ballet dancer. The demands of ballet and the impact nutrition plays on performance stirred my interest for dietetics, and I soon found myself applying with Texas State to major in Nutrition and Foods, with a minor in chemistry. My aunt, mother, grandmother, and uncle were also diagnosed with diabetes , which further peaked my curiosity on how nutrition affects our health. Now as a dietetic intern, I am privileged to work with many medical professionals, including the Texas Diabetes Institute, who are educating me to educate others.

Although being diagnosed with diabetes can be a scary time, it is important to remember that you can take charge of your health. It can start right at the dinner table, and by making simple, small changes. Using the healthy plate model is a great way to start. This picture shows portion distribution on your plate of carbohydrates, non-starchy vegetables, and protein. Because carbohydrates in starches, fruit, and milk can raise your blood sugar the most, it is important to remember that men have no more than 3-4 servings of these items per meal, while women limit to 2-3 servings.

Please feel free to add any comments, concerns, or questions. My main goal of this blog is to address many topics about diabetes nutrition, and to equip readers with nutritional knowledge to make diabetes management easy and enjoyable. Check out http://foodpicker.org for more information.