Diabetic Diet Facts

The food you choose to eat, can be powerfully important for your overall health and well being.Your diet can make an enormous difference to cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

The diabetic meal plan is designed to help control blood sugar levels, the less fluctuation, especially rapid release of glucose in the blood is an important aspect of blood sugar control in patients with diabetes mellitus.

It was once thought that the diabetes diet was focused mainly around just cutting out sugar from your diet. However more recently it seems the recommendations for a good diabetic diet focus on a more healthy eating plan high in fibre and low in saturated fats, including a moderate amount of whole grain carbohydrates.

Moreover, a small amount of sugar isn’t a problem, as we now understand that the foods rich in starchy carbohydrates cause more of an increase in blood sugar levels than does sugar.

Some Interesting FACTS to help with Diabetic Meal Planning

1. A good diabetic diet should be a balanced meal plan tailored to your needs, tastes, lifestyles and activity level while aiming to provide all the diabetic needs while keeping the blood sugar as near normal as possible.

2. Not all so called “sugar free” foods are calorie free. There really is a lot of ‘marketing gimmicks’ out there. Some food products that are labeled sugar free, also contain carbohydrates which is in the form of starch. This will certainly increase your blood glucose levels. Choose starchy foods such as whole grains, as they are high in fibre.

3. Fat Facts! Fat doesn’t directly impact blood glucose levels, however if your meal does contain a large amount of fat, this can certainly cause the stomach to empty at a much slower rate and slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. Your blood glucose levels will stay higher for longer, which in turn makes it more difficult to keep your levels within the desired range.

4. When you are experiencing a Hypoglycemia episode, don’t treat that as a good excuse to just go eating your favorite sweet treats uncontrollably. This will cause your blood glucose levels to spike.

If you experience Hypoglycemia, it should be treated with approximately 15-20 g of carbohydrates (This would be for a reading of <4.9 mmol/L. Best to choose a fast acting carb – for instance jellied sweets, soda or juice.

5. Can I eat more protein, but cut down on carbohydrate? If you eat an excessive amount of anything, ie protein, you will also increase the level of fat that you consume and undoubtedly gain weight.

6. Diabetics should certainly eat fruits. Fruits are very good sources of fibre, antioxident vitamins and minerals, although they do contain carbohydrates. Aim for just 2 pieces of fresh fruit per day. (not canned)

Remember that a key objective of a diabetic diet is to reduce weight and keep it off, so a well planned diet is vital for the treatment of diabetes. Moreover, losing weight may not cure your diabetes, but will certainly help to control your levels which will improve your insulin resistance.

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