What are Good Diabetic Menu Plans?

Diabetic Menu Plans

Need a good diabetic menu plan?

For most diabetics eating right isn’t a choice – it’s more like it’s part of their lives. Without the proper diet and exercise the diabetic’s body will begin to suffer damage and the end result will be a rather short and miserable life – not a pretty picture!

Common Diabetes is a very serious non-communicable disease that is currently spreading over the United States and the entire world.

One Simple Rule for Your Diabetic Meal Plans

If you want to have a great diabetic menu plan, you only need to follow one golden rule – avoid anything that is colored white.

Breads and potatoes are examples of this main rule. These foods are stuffed with complex sugar and will drive your blood sugar level to the sky.  White sugar, and anything that has white flour in it are also items that you really need to stay away from.

That means the following should not appear on your diabetic menu:

  • Donuts
  • Buns
  • Cupcakes
  • Anything Sweetened with white sugar
  • Bagels

The bottom line is that a healthy diabetic menu isn’t that far off from the popular Atkin’s diet.  Carbs and sugar are the enemy, while protein, vegetables and limited portions of fruit are the answer.

Why Diabetic Menu Plans are SO Good!

If you haven’t tried eating and following the rules on this page, perhaps you should.  You might be doing yourself a massive favor.  Not only will you start to feel better, your skin will likely become more clear, you’ll sleep better, you’ll have more energy, you’ll be more relaxed, you’ll feel lighter.

There’s a whole bunch of benefits to eating like this even if you are a non diabetic.  So, don’t be afraid to mix things up in the kitchen and try eating like a diabetic.

Key Elements of Diabetic Menu Plans

Meat:
Lean protein is one of the first things to consider when putting together a diabetic meal.  So this means, that chicken, turkey, pork and fish are in, and beef is out.  That’s not to say that beef can’t be served on occasion, but generally speaking, sticking to the leaner meats will be the perfect way to start.

Veggies
Remember to add in some good veggies to your meals, but skip the temptation to add the potato – because it’s white!  Another important thing to keep in mind here is that your veggies can be sliced up and eaten as snacks throughout the day if you find yourself getting hungry.

Dairy
Milk and cheese are all good, but try to stick to the low-fat options as much as possible.   Yogurt is another great diabetic friendly food that can be added to any meal, and combined with some fresh berries makes for an excellent dessert or snack.

Dessert and Sweets:
There are a number of different ways that you can sweeten your food without using white sugar.  You need to be careful here not to trick yourself that while not using white sugar you may be using something that is equally refined and damaging to your body.

Fruit is a really good option because it’s sweet and also delicious and has not been processed or refined.  When you are choosing fruit, berries are some of the best because they are naturally very high in antioxidants.

Once you have weened yourself off of sugar and salt addiction and your sense of taste has started to come back you’ll be amazed at how flavorful and sweet some fruits really are!  I remember from my experiments with diabetic meal plans that cherries were so super sweet and full of taste that I almost couldn’t eat them.  Once you have transitioned to a more natural way of eating, it’s almost like you’ll have a chance to rediscover how food tastes again for the first time – truly amazing!

Continue ReadingWhat are Good Diabetic Menu Plans?

Healthy blood sugar level

healthy blood sugar level
healthy blood sugar level

For a diabetic, a healthy blood sugar level is very easily maintained with the right diet and exercise and without the proper diet and exercise a diabetic can send their bodies into overdrive.

For diabetics having a healthy blood sugar level is very important because without it their bodies can start having bad reactions and even start shutting down. Diabetics have to maintain a healthy blood sugar level or otherwise their organs don’t work together in sync and start working into overdrive which causes diabetics to get sick and their kidneys can start shutting down which for a diabetic can mean very bad things such as being placed on kidney dialysis 3-4 times a week so that they can function and live properly and safely.

A healthy blood sugar level is very important to a diabetic because by having a good healthy blood sugar level you can maintain your health and keep your body healthy and intact by having it all together and working together properly without any complications or problems.

For a diabetic a healthy blood sugar level is considered between the range of 74-115 and anything above that or below that is considered bad for a diabetic. In order to keep all of the organs properly working and everything running smoothly together and diabetic needs to keep a watchful eye on their diabetes and make sure that they are healthy and well maintained.

A healthy blood sugar level is a hard thing for many to do but it is very important when it comes to being a diabetic and can be a life threatening event as well because without having a safe and healthy blood sugar level you can cause your body to be in more of a harm’s way than good.

Continue ReadingHealthy blood sugar level

What is a Good Blood Sugar Level

What is a Good Blood Sugar Level
What is a Good Blood Sugar Level

What is a good blood sugar level? This is the kind of question that most people never ask. Most people could care less about blood glucose levels and live blissfully unaware of how glucose levels can affect health, unless they suddenly find themselves diagnosed with diabetes. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke rates are all on the decline, but diabetes rates are rising at a staggering rate and an increasing number of people find themselves concerned with the question of, “What is a good blood sugar level?”

In order to answer the question, “what is a good blood sugar level?” one should first understand what glucose is and how it works. Glucose is basically what fuels every cell in the body. When we ingest sugars and carbohydrates the body metabolizes them into glucose which is actually a type of simple sugar.

The glucose goes into the bloodstream where insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, causes the cells to “open up” so that the glucose can enter the cell and be used for fuel. Without glucose the body would cease to function as surely as trying to run a car without gas, and higher than normal levels of glucose can damage many different body systems, causing kidney damage, heart problems, neuropathies, glaucoma, or even coma and death. Like most everything in medicine the answer to the question, “what is a good blood sugar level?” may vary from patient to patient based on factors such as age, weight, other health conditions, and even exercise levels. Because of this, there are no hard and fast answers, but in most cases if you asked a doctor “what is a good blood sugar level?” he would answer that normal glucose levels are usually between 60 and 110 in a normal person.

If you check your sugar regularly and find that it is running higher than 110 or lower than 60 it is probably a good idea to stop asking “what is a good blood sugar level?” and go see your doctor to find out if your body is metabolizing glucose correctly.

Continue ReadingWhat is a Good Blood Sugar Level

Good Foods for Diabetics

 

good foods for diabetics
good foods for diabetics

Good foods for diabetics are generally the kinds of foods that would be good for anyone. The key issue in controlling diabetes by diet is to eat foods that will provide good healty nutrition without throwing glucose levels abnormally high. Since glucose is a simple form of sugar which the cells of the body need for fuel and glucose is present in nearly all foods it is therefore important for the diabetic to simply limit the consumption of foods that contain high levels of sugars and carbohydrates or starches which can be converted by the body into a large amount of glucose. This limiting of the glucose, or sugar, intake has the result of decreasing calorie intake to a large degree and therefore many of the diets that sre designed for weight loss are also good foods for diabetics. This means that to help maintain a glucose level that’s not too high the diabetic should limit their intake of sweets, potatoes, breads, pasta, and rice. As a general rule, white foods contain a good deal of starch which is easily converted into large amounts of glucose.

When good foods for diabetics, or even for weight loss, is considered one key thing to remember is that high protein foods are absolutely essential to maintain the muscles and keep the body healthy. Carbohydrates must be a part of everyone’s diet because they convert into glucose which the body needs for fuel, so no healthy diet can be a simple matter of not eating, the key is to eat the right foods in the right amounts.

The best place to get advice about good foods for diabetics is from the doctor responsible for the diabetic individual’s treatment. The doctor will be familiar with the individual’s dietary needs, medications, and overall health condition and will be able to either directly offer dietary advice or put the diabetic in touch with a nutritionist for assistance.

Continue ReadingGood Foods for Diabetics

What is a Good Blood Sugar Level?

what is a good blood sugar level
what is a good blood sugar level

What is a good blood sugar level? This is becoming a question that is being asked more and more often in doctor’s offices and other healthcare facilities all across the globe. In most places heart disease, stroke, and cancer rates are on the decline, but the numbers of new cases of diabetes continue to rise each year. Not long ago, very few people would have ever thought to ask such a question as “what is a good blood sugar level?” but nowadays the question may be the answer to the difference between a long and happy life and a shorter life plagued with diabetes associates health problems.

Diabetes occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin or the cells of the body have become resistant to the action of the insulin that is produced. In either case the lack of insulin action will not allow the glucose in the blood to pass into the cells to be used up for energy.

This results in a build-up of insulin in the bloodstream. Glucose, a simple sugar, is usually used by every cell in the body as fuel, but when glucose levels get too high the glucose can cause damage to nearly every system in the body. This damage may manifest itself as heart disease, kidney failure, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy, or even coma and death. So, “what is a good blood sugar level?” is a very important question.

“What is a good blood sugar level?” can be a difficult question to answer due to the fact that everyone is different, but generally speaking a blood glucose level between 60 and 110 is considered normal. If you or anyone you know begin to develop the symptoms of sudden increased thirst, increased appetite, and increased urination it may be time to visit the doctor and ask the question, “what is a good blood sugar level for me?”

Continue ReadingWhat is a Good Blood Sugar Level?