Diet for Diabetics

Diabetes mellitus is a global epidemic which is caused by the non-functioning of the pancreas to produce adequate insulin required for the smooth operations of the human body system. Diabetes is also known as a silent killer because it treads slowly and surely to all the major organs of the human body and harms them significantly. Medications and herbal remedies are adopted by people to get relief from this dreadful disease but that is not sufficient all the time. One has to alter the diet intake also as it plays a major part in suppressing and preventing diabetes to a great extent.

A good diabetic diet should be able to maintain an optimum body weight judging by the sex, age and height of the individual while providing sufficient nutrition and keeping blood sugar levels under prescribed limits in blood. A major consideration in the diabetic diet has to be given to the proportions of calorie intake by replacing substitutes of foods containing high quantities of carbohydrates, fats and proteins with those of lesser content. Other serious issues to take care off along with diabetes are the complications of high cholesterol levels in blood and high blood pressure.

Even though diabetes is on the rise nowadays, for the persons on the periphery of this disease, a diabetic diet is the best solution to ward off diabetes, while for patients who have already contracted diabetes they can combine the diabetic diet with the physician’s prescribed hypoglycemic medications or insulin doses. Prevention of diabetes is even possible by making changes for a healthier lifestyle. Picking up a daily exercise routine as well as reducing 10 percent of your present weight especially around the waist helps in reversing diabetes considerably.

Taking precautionary measures to avert and keep a check on diabetes is no reason to deprive oneself from the choice of foods that one enjoys eating. Neither is it a punishment for life to eat a bland diet or stay hungry and feel sorry for your state of affairs. The basic idea of a good diabetic diet is to eat all that your heart desires but in a well coordinated manner. We have outlined a few tips to cultivate a better eating regime in you so as to enable you to live happily as well as healthily.

The first and foremost step is to eat a high fiber oriented balanced diet. Have a healthy breakfast and do not skip any meals or eat large meals but instead eat frequently about 4 to 5 times a day.

Foods containing a higher quantity of carbohydrates such as potatoes, instant oatmeal, sweetened breakfast cereals, white bread, rice and pasta, cakes, pastries, croissants, processed snack foods which attribute to spiking up blood sugar levels should be replaced with slow release carbohydrate foods such as sweet potatoes, yams, steel-cut oats, high fiber content muesli breakfast cereals, brown bread or whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and wheat bran muffins. These complex carbohydrate foods get digested slowly as compared to their refined cousins (the carbohydrate foods) and help in controlling blood sugar levels while giving a feeling of lasting contentment and boosting energy levels.

All kinds of non-starchy vegetables, cereals, lentils and fruits such as apples, blackberries, pears, etc.should be eaten as much as you can.

Foods with a low glycemic index such as seafood, skinless chicken, lean meats, beans, nuts, etc. are also beneficial protein providers. Blackberries also known as Jamun or Java Plum are well-known to control diabetes. After you eat the fruit, you should dry the seeds and ground them to a fine powder and consume daily in the morning. It is a harmless natural remedy for diabetes mellitus.

Cook your food in healthy oils such as olive oil or canola oil in place of vegetable oil, butter or clarified butter. Totally remove hydrogenated and saturated fats from your kitchen arena. It is better to eat oil bearing foods such as avocados, almonds, walnuts to keep yourself lubricated.

Reduce your intake of ice cream to once or twice a week and prefer to eat fruits as a whole with their fibrous content instead of as a juice. Packaged juices with sugary syrup bases are a strict No-No for you.

Moderate your intake of sweets from a regular feature to an occasional one.

It is more advisable to substitute it with a mixture of fresh fruits as an alternative. You can top it up with peanut butter and yoghurt if it pleases you. They wouldn’t do you harm at least.

Under no circumstances should you eat desserts and sweets solely as it would unnecessarily shoot up your blood sugar levels. If you eat it with other nutritional foods as part of your meal, then it wouldn’t do as much harm since it would be a part of the complete balanced diet. Relish and savor the taste spoon by spoon and don’t gulp it down as if it were your last meal.

Avoid sugar consumption as conveniently possible by you. If you can’t then reduce the quantity by half that you add to your tea, coffee or homemade sweet preparations of custards, jellies, cakes and pastries.

A Diabetic Diet Option: Become a Vegetarian

Alcohol, beer, wine and cocktails are all instrumental in fluctuating blood sugar levels to alarming proportions. It is sensible enough to limit your intake to one to two pegs a day only. You would need to weekly monitor your blood sugar levels due to this habit of yours.

Keep a check on the fatty foods that you enjoy eating most of all. They are underlying threats for increasing high cholesterol levels and heart ailments. Red meat, eggs and whole milk dairy products are a rich source of unhealthy fats and should be compulsorily discontinued from your eating course.

It is wise to opt for the healthier foods such as tuna and salmon which are inherent with omega-3 fatty acids and help in promoting both heart and brain health. Educate your senses to eat grilled, baked and broiled foods instead of deep fried crackers and chips. Prefer to use low-fat milk or cow’s milk for your daily requirements.

Maintain a dairy of your daily eating habits and try to have a normal calorie intake per day.

This helps in monitoring your progress and you will know where your shortcomings are and where you have to regularize them effectively. This method also helps in reducing weight and promoting good health to you.