Diabetes and Nutrition Education Center

1-in-4 has diabetes and doesn't know it. Are you the one?

Take our Risk Test to see if you are at risk. Then, contact one of our Certified Diabetes Educators to find the best solution for you, call (800) 364-0499. 

Services Provided:

Diabetes Education

Nutrition Services

Metabolic Testing

How to Schedule an Appointment

Diabetes education helps individuals with diabetes learn how to manage their disease and be as healthy as possible. It focuses on seven self-care behaviors that are important to focus on to be healthy and fully enjoy life:

• Healthy eating
• Being active
• Monitoring
• Taking medication
• Problem solving
• Healthy coping
• Reducing risks

The goal of diabetes education is to help people with diabetes practice these behaviors every day. This can be difficult but it does work, by helping lower blood sugar (glucose), blood pressure and cholesterol. Most people with diabetes know self-management is important, but many find it overwhelming. Diabetes education helps by designing a specific plan for each person that includes the tools and support to help make the plan easy to follow. 

How a FirstHealth Diabetes Educator Can Help You

If you have diabetes, you know how challenging it can be to manage your disease. Healthy eating, physical activity, monitoring your condition, taking medication and reducing risks to your health are probably part of your daily routine. At times, all of this might seem overwhelming.

Our diabetes educators can help. As members of your healthcare team, your diabetes educator will work with you to develop a plan to stay healthy, and give you the tools and ongoing support to make that plan a regular part of your life.

FirstHealth will contact your insurance company to confirm the extent of coverage. Insurance coverage varies.  Medicare Part B beneficiaries with diabetes or non-dialysis kidney disease are eligible for Medical Nutrition Therapy with a referral.

Meet our Educators:

Michelle Cole, R.D., LDN, CDE

Michelle Cole is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator and serves FirstHealth's Diabetes & Nutrition program coordinator.  She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and joined FH in 2012, after working as a diabetes educator since 2006 in both inpatient and outpatient capacities.  She is passionate about empowering her patients to feel at ease in controlling their condition and improving their overall health, and has a special interest in Diabetes advocacy.  Michelle and her husband reside in Asheboro with their two sons.  She enjoys family time, being outdoors, and is a fitness instructor at her local gym. 

Karen Moody M.S., R.D., LDN

Karen is a Registered Dietitian with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Appalachian State University and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Karen started her career working for 3 years in the inpatient setting, gaining experience with many patient conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and GI disorders in the medical and intensive care units of the hospital. She joined the FH family in January 2020 and is excited to advance her career by becoming a Certified Diabetes Educator. Karen is passionate about helping people find confidence in themselves to take control of their health through educating them about their condition and finding a healthy lifestyle, not a diet, that can be sustainable long-term. Karen enjoys outdoor activities, traveling to new places, and spending time with friends and family.

Nutrition Services

Our registered dietitians will meet with you one on one to develop a personalized nutrition plan, establish a healthy eating and lifestyle action plan, and provide ongoing coaching and advice.

Services are available for a range of needs:

• Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Digestive disorders
• Celiac disease
• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Food allergies

Metabolic Testing

People often run into difficulties with losing weight if they are not eating the right number of calories for their unique metabolism - too much or too little can lead to weight gain or a weight-loss plateau.

Indirect calorimetry can offer more insight than a standard estimate of calorie needs to help you maintain your goal weight long-term. 

A measurement of metabolism, this simple 10-minute breath test can measure your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the number of calories your body burns at rest in a given day. From there, we can calculate a more precise estimate of your daily calorie needs, accounting for your weight goals, activity level, etc. A registered dietitian can then provide you with more effective dietary recommendations.

The test must be done by fasting, and is typically given in the morning. With a provider referral, the test is covered by most insurance plans.

How to Schedule an Appointment

FirstHealth Diabetes and Nutrition Education offers services in Moore, Montgomery, Hoke and Richmond counties. 

To schedule an appointment or to learn more about our services, call (910) 715-1925.