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Healthy food choices are important for our nutrition. In order for all of us to feel better, maintain a healthy weight and be protected from diseases and other harmful conditions we need to pay close attention to what we put into our bodies. However, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your food selections become even more important, since diabetes nutrition can have an even greater impact on your health.
The good news is that diabetes nutrition is really not that different from the healthy food choices that the rest of the population should make. It simply becomes more important to make those choices carefully and consistently if you have this disease.
Watch your Percentages
As a general rule, diabetes nutrition should include a diet that consists of 20-40% of carbohydrates, 20-40% from protein, and 30% or less from fat. This should be measured by the amount of calories consumed and is good guideline for anyone with diabetes.
In addition to monitoring the correct percentages of the types of food you eat, it is also important to make good choices within those percentages. For example, opt for organic fruits and vegetables from the health food store instead of the chemical laden kind you get at the supermarket.
Go with a skinless chicken breast rather than a piece of red meat as often as possible. By consistently acting in a conscientious manner when planning your menus and making your food selections, you will go far in keeping your diabetes nutrition where it should be.
What to Include In Your Diabetes Diet
Diabetes nutrition is not that different from nutrition for everyone else, so stick with the standard guidelines of nutrition and you will go far in helping to manage your disease. If you are overweight, you will also want to opt for low-calorie and low-fat foods that will help you to drop the excess pounds and maintain a healthier weight. Always remember to drink a lot of water.
Along with organic fruits and vegetables being at the top of your diabetes nutrition list, you may want to add plenty of whole grains that will offer the necessary fiber and nutrients. Your protein selections should be of the lean and low-fat varieties.
Try soy protein as plant based protein is better for you than animal based protein. Animal based protein comes from meat that you consume. If you insist on eating meat try to add wild fish and beans instead of red meat whenever possible to meet your diabetes requirements.
What to Avoid In Your Diabetes Diet
Like any healthy diet program, diabetes nutrition consists of keeping foods high in fat and sugar to a minimum for both weight control and nutritional considerations. Although most medical professionals will agree that a little sugar is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to diabetes nutrition, too much of a good thing can become a problem rather quickly.
Therefore, it is important to limit your intake of refined sugar items as well as those that are fried or high in fat from other sources. Stay away from all processed foods (fast food, potato chips, candy etc.) They have no nutritional content whatsoever.
Keep in mind that even healthy foods contain calories, so it is also important to monitor portion sizes as a part of diabetes nutrition.
In healthy individuals, the body produces a hormone named insulin. This hormone enables the body to process starchy foods and sugars into the energy the body requires for its normal functioning. In people who suffer from diabetes this hormone is not or in insufficient quantities produced. Therefore Mother Nature must get a helping hand.
Two Types of Diabetes
As stated before the body needs insulin to process certain food substances. There are two possibilities: either the system does not produce enough insulin for the body to use, this is a Type 1 diabetes. Or the system does produce insulin alright but for some reasons the body is unable to use it, this is diabetes type 2.
It is however perfectly possible to live a normal life with both kinds of diabetes. The sort of nutrition a diabetes patient uses is extremely important, since diabetes is a serious condition, which should not be taken lightly. Below you will find some hints about nutrition and lifestyle for diabetes patients.
The Right Food and the Right Exercise
The main purpose in diabetes nutrition is to stay away as much as possible from starchy foods and focus on vegetables and fruits. High fiber content is equally important so better go for the whole grains and brown rice or pasta instead of the white varieties. Fish and lean meats pose the least problems.
Of course as with any medical situation, don't start a diabetes nutrition on your own but first consult with your physician. One person reacts totally different to certain food items than another and your doctor can help you in making the right choices.
Mens sana in corpore sano: the Romans hit it right on the spot with this one as well: a healthy mind in a healthy body. Supplement your healthy diabetes nutrition with some exercises: make it a daily routine if you can. Walking is a great way to stay in shape and does not require a lot of effort. Half an hour a day will do wonders for you. If nothing else it will help in keeping your weight under control: important for a healthy individual but certainly for some one suffering from diabetes.
Some tips:
- Regularly check your blood sugar, that way you can closely monitor your sugar levels and control your diabetes nutrition. If your levels are not regular you know there is something wrong with the way you eat.
- Regular check-ups with the doctor, he or she will check to see if you have the diabetes well under control and if necessary put you on a different type of diabetes nutrition.