for diabetics is ensure good for you?

Question

my brother was placed in the hospital and he is insulin dependent he had surgery on his foot which I posted a question earlier about treating open wounds on diabetics and his foot continued to get worse.. needless to say they cut off the pinky toe all the way back and they are giving him ensure. I dont think that diabetics should be on ensure.. he has a blood sugar problem it was over 300 this afternoon and I believe that its from the ensure.. why would they be giving him this.. he is blaming the levels on eating meats.. he says if he eats mainly vegetables that the levels will stay low.. so can someone answer this is it the ensure or is it the meats....?????.......

Answer 1

After looking at this, I wouldn't go near the stuff:
http://ensure.com/products/index.aspx

Just click nutrition facts and see for yourself that it's got plenty of sugar and carbs.

Just remember... doctors and nurses don't know everything. Case in point, read the answer from the ladies below who say Glucerna is made without sugar. This sort of mistake is common among professional medical people. Now read the label: http://glucerna.com/product/shakes.aspx
Be sure to click the nutrition facts and you'll see what I mean.

After reading Cammie's answer, I'm left wondering if she even read the question.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

there are probably many factors leading to your brothers increased blood glucose and i am assuming it is being checked (every 6 hours if he is not eating regularly scheduled meals or if he is, before each meal and at night is recommended). Meds (especially steroids), the stress on his body from being ill, and the foods he is eating can increase blood glucose. Eating meat should not have much of an effect on glucose levels because is is protein. Plus, getting adequate protein is important when a person is ill. Carbs or sugars increase blood glucose levels. Because he is a diabetic, counting carbs is ideal. The ADA (american diabetic association) website might have some information on how many carbs are found in various types of foods. The more carbs you eat, the higher your sugar. I am not sure what other health problems your brother has, but his doctor should give him instructions on what type of food to eat or talk to a nutritionist. A nutritionist would be able to tell you the daily nutritional requirements that are recommended for him. Check out the ensure website too or look on the back of his can/bottle for nutritional info. There are carbs in it but if he isnt eating much, ensure is a great way to nutritional supplement.

Answer 5

As a diabetic for 35 years I can say with certainty that meat does not cause high blood sugar - carbs do. And they are probably giving him ensure as a dietary supplement to make sure his body gets what it needs to heal. I went through the same thing last year when I lost part of my foot. The culprit is probably the infection, which can raise bgs to very high levels. Once they find the right antibiotic and get rid of the infection things should resolve. He may need his insulin or other meds adjusted until this happens.

Answer 6

If he is unable to eat food, then Ensure might be acceptable, but a multivitamin tablet would be a better choice if he is eating solid foods.

Ensure would definately raise his blood sugar if its being used in addition to food.

Glucerna might be a better meal replacement, since the carbs in it are supposed to be slower to digest than those in Ensure.

However, keep in mind that infections also raise blood sugar, sometimes quite a lot, and that being in bed will also raise it somewhat.

Most hospitals tend to give diabetics too many carbs, in my experience (diabetes runs in my famliy and I have it too), but it won't be the only factor affecting his blood glucose. Some medications will also cause a rise.

The hospital dietician doesn't know what he eats at home, they just try to do their best, often with outdated information concerning carbs.

Increasing his water intake slightly might help, but don't go overboard, as that can cause heart arrhythmia.

His insulin should probably be adjusted by his doctor to help get his blood glucose down, but they tend to be slow to change it.

The best thing would be to talk to his doctor about his blood glucose levels and ask what can be done to get it down to safer levels. Bring up your concerns about the Ensure. Most doctors are willing to discuss changes if you approach them the right way.

Answer 7

Ensure, Glucerna, Boost, etc. are all "not good" as far as I'm concerned. If you read the labels on any liquid meal replacement/supplement (at least the ones available in the U.S.), none of them have only one serving of carb (15 g) total, which is what I need for one meal or snack in order to avoid blood sugar level spikes. Your situation may vary. While it is true that Glucerna was developed for diabetics, and it used to be much better formulated than it is today, it is not great. Some of the high protein shakes do a better job on total carbs, but in my opinion are still not great.

There is the issue of fat and fiber too (it's not just a matter of carb g) - many of them are high fat and low fiber. This also affects how your blood sugar levels will go.

The meats shouldn't be spiking his blood sugar levels - they don't have carbs to spike it. Just being ill may be what is affecting his blood sugar levels, or the Ensure might be. It's like any other food a diabetic eats, test one to be sure, and if it doesn't work for you, don't make a habit of eating it. And let your doc know so he/she can recommend something different. It also pays to be well educated as to what levels of carb, fiber, fat, etc. a diabetic should be eating, as well as what effect increased levels of each type of food will have. This is partially accomplished by following a good diabetic diet (see www.diabetic.org for exchange list or glycemic index diet, which are the two standards though there's lots of room for variation between the two) and partially through trial and error as each diabetic may differ. I would also personally highly suggest looking more at the glycemic index/load, because for me that's been more successful than just sheer percentage/g of carb I eat. This has a lot to do with the effects of fiber, fat, and how foods react within the body when combined with one another - newer reasearch than just flat amount of carbs eaten.

Finally, I would suggest checking back in with the doc. Doc might suggest Glucerna, something else, or consulting a specialist to get a better balance both of diet and blood sugar levels. I tend to switch docs, personally, who advise things like Ensure/Glucerna, simply because if I am eating a properly balanced diabetic diet in the first place, I am not needing additional vitamin supplements (which those shakes have); I am already getting what I need in what I eat. It's a different scenario entirely if one can't eat a solid diet, however.

Your situation may vary - I am speaking from my own experience, plus the facts I've gleaned from lots of research and reading labels in the past 16 years.

Good luck! (:

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I was also in the hospital recently and as a Type 1 with some kidney problems I could never get a correct meal. The nurses follow the doctors orders but if he doesn't specify what, then they don't ask for the correct meal. Make sure the doctor wants him fed the ensure, its all sugar. He can take it if he get enough insulin for the sugar.

Answer 10

With the newer types of insulin these days, diabetic diets aren't necessarily as restrictive as they used to be. Read here https://tr.im/S4PB1
As with any medicine or diet change, you should discuss it with your doctor. Fruits, both fresh and dried, have a natural sugar in them that will raise blood sugar levels, so be careful about eating too much. Not sure about the nuts. Moderation is always the key. I've been diabetic for 18 years and just recently changed insulin types. I love it because it gives me more freedom in when and what I eat.

Answer 11

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