Meal Planning for Diabetics

These days fitness is all the rage, and all kinds of diets have become commonplace as people seek to lose extra pounds in order to look good on the beach or in the gym, but meal planning for diabetics can be a matter of true healthcare rather than just an effort to look their best. While for most people the issue of diet can often be solved by simply limiting their dietary intake of calories, those who suffer from diabetes must be extremely careful where those calories come from, as their condition prohibits their body from metabolizing the sugars that the take in from their foods.

While many people think of food sugars as being derived from sugarcane, corn, or maple syrup or some other type of sweetening agent, the truth is that food sugars are also derived from sources starches and fats which the body metabolizes into glucose, which is the same kind of sugar the body makes form cane sugar.

Glucose is needed by the body because it is the source of fuel for the cells, but glucose can only be used by the cells in the presence of a hormone called insulin. In diabetes, the pancreas either does not produce sufficient insulin, or the cells of the body are resistant to the insulin which is produced, and this can allow glucose levels to rise dangerously in the bloodstream. Therefore meal planning for diabetics must take this into account and limit not only the amount of sweets but also the amount of starchy foods like potatoes, rice, and breads. As a general rule, white foods are bad foods due to the level of starches in them.

The best place to get advice on meal planning for diabetics is from your personal physician. If you are a diabetic, your personal physician will be familiar with your typs of diabetes as well as your overall health and is the person best qualified to offer food advice.

Do you know how to lower glucose level?

Do you know how to lower glucose level? Knowing how to lower glucose level is very important for those with the disease diabetes. Diabetes is a very serious disease that affects many people the world. Not only does it affect those who have it but it effects all who come in to contact with them.

Diabetes is where the organ known as the pancreas quits or slows in the production of insulin. Insulin is a vital chemical of the body; it is responsible for feeding your body’s cells.

The chemical takes the glucose (sugar) in the blood and transforms it into a form of fuel that the cells can use. So without it the body doesn’t get the required fuel amounts. This also results in the glucose amounts to skyrocket which is very dangerous. Over time the increased amounts of glucose in the blood causes damages such as heart disease, heart damage, kidney damage, nerve damage, and eventually blindness. All of this will make a diabetics life miserable in the long run, but with the proper care the effects will be limited. So learning how to lower glucose level is very important.

Lowering the blood glucose level can be quite easy with a few simple things such as diet, exercise, monitors, and charts. The proper diet can drastically improve the life of both diabetic and normal person. But a diabetic needs a correct diet because such foods as candy and fruits can wreak havoc on the blood sugar levels. Exercise is also very important and can help with lower fasting glucose level. But with both of these a doctor should be consulted with as he can give the correct amounts of each needed. A blood glucose monitor is also very useful as it allows you to check your blood sugar at any time. A chart can be made to record each test, but this can be applied to help lower cholesterol level to. So now you know how to lower glucose level.

Glucose Levels After Eating

As the number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to rise the question of what are acceptable glucose levels after eating has become one of the most frequently asked questions in doctor’s offices all around the world.

While there are no hard and fast rules, normal blood glucose is generally thought to be between 60 and 100 milligrams per deciliter. Though this the normal rule in some cases blood sugar levels can be affected by other underlying medical conditions, including the age, weight, and overall health condition of the patient, the only one who can determine what normal glucose levels after eating are for the individual is the individual’s physician.

If you are a diabetic, the best way to keep your diabetes in control and in check is by regularly checking your blood sugar level and maintaining them as close to normal as possible. Only by maintaining a healthy blood sugar level can the worst of the health effects of diabetes be headed off. A healthy blood sugar level is the only way to prevent diabetes related neuropathy, blindness, kidney disease and other long term effects of abnormal blood sugar levels. Whether you have type one or type two diabetes, whether you control your blood sugar by diet alone, or with a combination of diet and medication, the blood sugar is the key to the prevention of long term detrimental health effects. The trouble is that it can be very difficult to maintain normal glucose levels after eating when you are a diabetic.

A healthy blood sugar level can be maintained, but it does take a great deal of discipline, especially when it comes to counting carbs and regulating sugar intake as a means of keeping the sugar in check. Let’s face it the foods that we love the most are the ones that are highest in sugars and the kind of carbs that we shouldn’t be eating if we want to keep ourselves healthy. Regardless of the difficulty the only way to stay healthy is to wake up each morning aware of attaining and maintaining healthy glucose levels after eating.

What Can Diabetics Eat?

What can diabetics eat? It’s the eternal question of those who have been diagnosed with the disease diabetes. The diabetes disease is overwhelming the United States as more and more people pass the defective gene on or basically, eat too much of the wrong foods and fail to do adequate exercise. Diabetes is where the organ known as the pancreas stops or slows in the vital production of chemical called insulin.

Insulin is the chemical responsible for fueling the body. It takes the glucose (sugar) that is in the blood and turns it into fuel that the body’s cells can use. So if there is not enough insulin in the body the amount of glucose in the body rises, and this can have serious health effects that just come to the surface years later. Such as heart damage, nerve damage, blindness, and kidney damage. So for a diabetic managing a correct blood sugar level is very hard and is mostly defined by what they eat.

So what can Diabetics eat?

The amount of food today that is high in sugar and is low in everything else is endless, making it very hard for those who have the disease to get the proper nutrition to manage their condition correctly. The facts are that diabetics generally need a high protein diet with only limited amounts of carbohydrates and very small amounts of sugars. When you factor in the fact that fried foods must be greatly limited, potatoes and white rice are very starchy, and most oily foods are too high in fat the answer to “what can diabetics eat” can be quite challenging.

As a rule, the first person that can say what can diabetics eat is the personal physician of the individual with diabetes. The personal physician will be familiar with the diabetics personal health history and present condition and will be able to give the best advice on what you can and shouldn’t eat. For more healthy choices, read here for some great “super foods” to add to your daily diet.

What are Normal Glucose Ranges?

What are the normal, low, and high glucose ranges for a normal or diabetic person? This is an important question for those who have diabetes or those at risk of getting diabetes. Diabetes changes lives of the diabetic and those who care for them, for better and for worse. Diabetes is where the organ known as the pancreas slows or even stops in the production of insulin.

Insulin is a chemical that is used to transform the glucose in the body into fuel that the body can use. Without the insulin to change the glucose into fuel the glucose levels spike to dangerous levels. These increased glucose levels cause damage to the heart, kidney, eyes, and nerves. Heart damage and kidney damage appear later on in life and can have serious effects, while eye damage will show over time with gradual blindness. Nerve damage will appear as numbness or extreme pain in certain areas such as the foot.

So – What are Normal Glucose Ranges?

Normal glucose ranges for an average person are anywhere from 64.8 mg/dl to 104.8 mg/dl. With diabetes the average glucose level ranges is anywhere from 70.2 mg/dl to 140mg/dl. These amounts are normal but the desirable level is 104.8 mg/dl. In order to keep it or get it to this level diet, exercise, and proper equipment is needed. The proper diet consists of no simple sugars such as candy, fruit, and the like. Complex carbohydrates are what are needed as they give lasting energy. So talk to your doctor about the correct diet. Exercise should also be a major part of your daily routine as it can significantly lower your glucose ranges and improve your health. The American diabetes association also approves using a blood glucose meter. The blood glucose meter is a small unit that is used to measure the amount of glucose in the blood. Find out more by CLICKING HERE about the new NON INVASIVE GLUCOSE METERS, soon to be widely available. So talk to your doctor about lowering your glucose ranges.