Diabetic Diet - Diabetic Diet Issues

After receiving a diagnosis of diabetes, you may feel a little confusion on nutritional course you should take to aid the condition. What do you do? Following diabetic diet guidelines will help you find a diet that works for you.

First, you may want to see a dietician or a nutritionist to help you work out a meal plan to suite your tastes while factoring the new rules you must follow. This will help you learn which foods are allowable as well as which ones to avoid. The dietician will be able to help you eat well enough to prevent the complications that can arise because of diabetes, without removing the pleasures you used to get from eating.

Eating a healthy diet is something we all should do anyway, so focus on your health rather than the restrictions in place. Eat more starches like cereals, breads, and vegetables (think corn and potatoes). Make sure to attempt to eat at least five fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits will help curve your cravings for the “bad” sweets.

A healthy diabetic diet includes eating smaller amounts more often, monitoring carbohydrate intake in amount and frequency, eating less fat, and reducing your alcohol intake. These diabetic diets are usually high in fiber and low in fat with careful attention placed on the carbohydrate intake. Special focus is also placed on when a person should eat so that insulin injections can be monitored with more precision.

People who are affected by Type 2 Diabetes are placed on diets with a focus of losing weight, as a 5-10% weight reduction will reduce the impact of the symptoms and complications. On the other hand, patients with Type 1 Diabetes are advised to eat roughly 16 calories per pound of body weight. Bear in mind this is a generalized estimate, and may vary depending on a number of factors including but not limited to age, sex, activity level, current weight, and body style.

Recommended foods for a diabetic diet are high fiber, low fat and complex carbohydrates. Also on the approved list are alpha-lipoic acids, omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, and artificial sweeteners. Alpha-lipoic acids are vitamin like antioxidants that will enhance glucose uptake along with improving any diabetes induced nerve damage within a patient. Omega-3 acids protect the arteries from hardening, while omega-6 acids protect against the development of neuropathy (the symptom of tingling and numbness in the extremities that sometimes occurs as a result of diabetes). Stay aware from simple and refined carbohydrates such as table sugar and honey, foods that are high in fat and high sodium foods.

You may see special diabetic diet products as you cruise the grocery store aisles, but proceed with caution. Many of these products are overpriced, and may not offer any true benefits to diabetics.

While a diabetic diet may be hard to adjust to, it is worth the adjustment, as it will ease complications and your mind, as you know you are now a healthier person than you were before the diagnosis.