DiabetesSource

Summer means gardening, grilling, and swimming at the pool. Summer's
produce and expanded cooking options also mean the season is an
opportunity to improve your eating habits. The American Diabetes
Association announced today a completely revised online nutrition tool
in English and Spanish to help you get ready for the season:
MyFoodAdvisor™ (diabetes.org/MyFoodAdvisor).

The award-winning MyFoodAdvisor has new and expanded features that
allow people to track their daily meals, substitute healthier
alternatives in recipes or on the plate, and browse recipes. People
with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and those looking to lose weight can use
MyFoodAdvisor to find nutrition information on calories,
carbohydrates, sodium, fat and cholesterol.

"You would be surprised to see how small substitutions at meal time
can make a real difference in your health," commented Christine
Tobin, CDE, President, Health Care & Education, American Diabetes
Association. "MyFoodAdvisor can set you up for success by showing you
healthy alternatives, tracking what you eat and helping create goals.
Losing 10 or 15 pounds can help stop diabetes by preventing or
delaying type 2 diabetes or diabetes complications."

Join American Diabetes Association's Director of Nutrition and
Clinical Affairs Stephanie Dunbar, MPH, RD, and USA Today's Medical
Reporter Mary Brophy Marcus to discuss healthy eating and using the
completely revised MyFoodAdvisor during a Twitter Chat on Thursday,
July 15, at 2 p.m. ET, at @AmDiabetesChat and #ADA_USAT.

New features include:
-- Track It - You can create your own goals for calories, carbohydrate,
sodium, saturated fat and fiber and compare what you currently are
eating to what you want to be eating. This analysis allows you to make
healthier options to lower sodium or saturated fat intake or to keep
your carbohydrate intake consistent from day to day.
-- Spanish Version - The entire web site is now available in Spanish. The
prevalence of diabetes is 2 to 4 times higher among Hispanics/Latinos.

Updated features include:
-- Healthy Alternative - This feature, unique to MyFoodAdvisor(TM),
allows you to search for healthier foods. For example, searching for a
healthier alternative to ground beef for your favorite burger recipe
would provide choices for other ground meat products like turkey or
even vegetable-based meat alternatives. The algorithm, based on recent
research, takes into account 13 different nutrients to recommend the
best alternatives based on your selections.
-- Recipe Analysis - Analyze your favorite recipes with our Create Dish
functionality. You can request healthier options for all of your
recipe ingredients to make your old favorite a healthier favorite.
Your own recipes can be saved in your recipe box and imported into the
tracking it tool, and ingredients added to a shopping list.
-- Create Dish - The portion sizes have been expanded to meet your
preferences for using simple cooking measurements.
-- Simpler Navigation - The new version allows you to better search and
compare food options.

"For people with diabetes and their caregivers, one of MyFoodAdvisor's
useful features remains that serving sizes are based on 15 grams of
carbohydrate, which makes it easier to count carbs. There is also
information on phosphorus and potassium, two important nutrients to
watch for people with kidney disease," commented Tobin. "But
MyFoodAdvisor can help anyone looking to make smart food choices this
summer."

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to stop
diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected
by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and
manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities;
provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those
denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission
is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all
people affected by diabetes.