A diabetes 2 diet is really no different from the healthy diet advocated for everyone.
It is not necessary to buy special diabetes food, it is sensible to pay attention to diabetes nutrition and your doctor may well recommend a diabetes diet plan if you are overweight or obese in order that you can lose some weight to make the maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels easier.
The main purpose of following a diabetes 2 diet is to help the diabetic maintain blood sugar levels within a healthy range and keep blood fats (lipids) at a level that reduces the risk of vascular disease – a known complication of diabetes.
Food and nutrition requirements are very personal and can be influenced not just by a health condition but by budget, culture, location and a willingness to learn and make changes.
A diet for diabetes includes all of the healthy eating recommendations made by just about every nutrition authority: high fibre/ low glycaemic carbohydrates, low fat dairy products, water, oily fish, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, a reduction in saturated fats.
By eating unprocessed, fresh foods you maximise your nutrient intake which naturally works to improve the lowered levels of many of the trace elements that have been shown to be lacking in diabetics. You effortlessly improve your nutrition profile without running the risk of accidentally overdosing on a particular nutrient or setting up conflicts between prescribed medication and supplements.
Many of the diabetes associations offer diabetes meal plan suggestions – there is even a diabetes association diet should you choose to follow it.
It is not necessary to follow a low carb diet – that is a diabetes myth. It is necessary to eat regularly, always carry a suitable snack with you, test your blood sugar levels before medicating and then enjoy your food.
If you keep a diabetes log book you will quickly come to understand the nature of your condition. You will be able to spot which diabetes foods to avoid – the ones that throw your glucose readings off the scale. Your body is as individual as you are and it is only by paying attention that you can learn what diabetes II diet suits you best.
Don’t be tempted to restrict your diet (unless your medical practitioner tells you to)- that can only have the effect of making life miserable. Treat yourself to some interesting cookbooks, experiment with new ingredients, invite friends around to share your meals so they can see catering for a diabetic is not difficult or frightening.
Be sensible about the quantity you eat and the level of exercise you take. Overeating and piling on the pounds is no healthier for a diabetic than it is for anyone else. Watch for the comfort eating sometimes triggered by diabetes related depression – and be prepared to combat it with healthy snacks and nibbles that will not throw out your blood sugar levels.
A diabetes 2 diet is nothing other than a regular healthy eating plan combined with self monitoring and prescribed medication – there’s no need to make it any more complex than that.
