IOH Diabetes Product Review EatSmart Nutrition Scale

Islets of Hope received no compensation or commission of any kind for advertising or endorsement of this product and does not receive compensation or commissions from the sale of the EatSmart Scale through this site or any other means.

Product: EatSmart Nutrition Scale
Company: Health Tools LLC
Web Address: EatSmart

Purpose: Calculates and reports the nutritional values of foods by weight/serving size including: calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat (both total and saturated), fiber, sodium, potassium, magnesium, cholesterol, calcium, and vitamin K

I recently had the opportunity to review the EatSmart Nutrition scale, a relatively new scale on the market. As a 15-year-veteran carb counter with type 2 diabetes I thought, “sure, another scale to tell me what I already know…” But I was pleasantly surprised by the durability, features, and ease of operating the EatSmart that far surpass other electronic scales I have used (and reviewed) to date; enough so, that I recommend the EatSmart Scale as an important tool in managing your health because it calculates more than just carbs, calories, and protein -- it gives you information on 12 very important nutrients -- nutrients especially important to people with diabetes.

The EatSmart Scale is recommended by the Joslin Center for Diabetes in Boston and is fast becoming the industry standard of choice. What makes this scale superior to others on the market? Simple. The EatSmart Nutrition Scale is not just a tool to help you manage your weight it is a tool to help you manage your blood sugars -- and your health!

Good blood sugar control requires healthy eating and portion control (and exercise). It is critical for all people with diabetes to eat nutrient dense, whole foods as much as possible. The EatSmart Nutritional Scale can help you do just that because it provides comprehensive nutritional information on 999 whole foods preprogrammed into the scale. You can also use the scale to calculate nutritional values for pre-packaged foods, home-made recipes, and any food not found in the database.

The ADA now supports low carb diets

In its 2008 Clinical Practice Recommendations the American Diabetes Association (ADA) revised its position on the role of carbohydrates and its effects on blood sugar control in people with diabetes. The ADA now supports reducing carbohydrates and recommends purchasing a carb counting book. But books only list how many carbs are in a food item -- they do not weigh, measure, or calculate carbs for you -- you need an accurate scale to do that. And, the ADA also advises people counting carbs to be wary of adding too much fat into their diets.

Many people with diabetes are proficient at counting carbs but may still run the risk of eating too much protein to compensate for reducing carbs – and protein, too, can be converted to glucose and raise blood sugars. The ADA also believes that a high protein diet can stress the kidneys.

Do you take Glucophage?

If so, you may suffer from nutritional deficiencies in Vitamin B12.

Certain medications, including Glucophage (also sold as Metformin) can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb Vitamin B12. Studies indicate that increasing calcium in your diet can counter this effect. But you do not need to consume dairy which may contain high fat in order to get more calcium.

Many green vegetables have absorption rates for calcium of more than 50 percent, compared with about 32 percent for milk. In 1994, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported calcium absorption to be 52.6 percent for broccoli, 63.8 percent for Brussels sprouts both whole foods that would be found listed as “good foods” on any diet including vegan.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has recently petitioned the FDA to change the label on Avandia (a drug used in treating diabetes with known, serious side effects suspected of causing more than 13,000 heart attacks and heart failure in patients) to include a statement that a low-fat vegan diet is a safer, more effective approach to lowering blood sugar levels than the drug itself.