Relation between your lifestyle and diabetes

In this article we will dwell on lifestyle and its relation to diabetes.

Diabetes is a dark shadow that follows bad life style. Switching over to a healthy life may not get rid of the shadow but it will turn it into a less intense, pale reflection of its former self. Healthy lifestyle includes eating regular diabetic diet meals at the right times especially if we have to balance the effects of any tablets or insulin pumps for diabetics that might have to be taken. What are in our food – carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and fiber – enables us to make choices that help control blood glucose levels.

Principles of healthy diabetes meal planning

The principles of healthy eating for a diabetic are no different from that applicable for normal healthy humans. No foods are banned – but some should be eaten less often. Sometimes you might not have a choice about what food is available but generally you can adapt diabetes diet recipes and meals so that you can enjoy food while eating healthily.

The principles of healthy eating are:

• Eat regular small diabetic meals ensuring you include a portion of carbohydrates (I recommend a portion control plates as it makes this process easier)

• Eat more high fiber type 2 diabetes diet (including adequate quantities of fruits and vegetables).

• Switch to wholegrain – it is tastier and healthier.

• Cut down (don’t eliminate) fat. • Dramatically reduce protein from animal sources.

• Dramatically reduce (don’t eliminate) sweets and sugar free candies.

• Dramatically reduce (don’t eliminate) salt consumption.

• Dramatically reduce (eliminate if possible) alcohol consumption.

Diabetes and carbohydrates

When you have diabetes, your body is unable to use foods that contain carbohydrates in the normal way. All foods containing carbohydrates are normally broken down into glucose. Glucose is converted into energy through action of insulin. Underproduction of insulin or insulin intolerance means your blood glucose levels will rise each time you eat carbohydrates. But you still need to eat diabetes carbohydrates otherwise there will be no energy. The trick then is to eating carbohydrates in amounts that will balance out the blood glucose tablets or insulin.

Type 1 diabetics taking short action insulin should eat food about at the same time they take insulin. Type 1 diabetics taking long action insulin should eat five small evenly paced meals.

Type 2 diabetics on the other hand, due to their impaired insulin production or action, should eat foods that take longer to be broken down into glucose. Therefore fruits and diabetic dessert should be consumed after meals. (So that it is queued in the digestive tract). Eat carbohydrates in moderation. If you are taking tablets for your diabetes you will need to take them in relation to your meals. Some tablets work by helping your digestive system break down the meals more slowly while other tablets work by stimulating the Pancreas into producing more insulin. Matching meals times to your medication is therefore important.

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