A Look at the Diabetes Diet

Most people look at the idea of a diabetes diet and think “no sugar”.   In fact, the diabetic diet is much more complicated than that.  Diabetics use their diet as a way to control their blood sugars and maintain an ideal weight.  The diabetic diet begins upon the diagnosis of diabetes and never ends.  In fact, the diabetic must pay attention to diet at all times.

Diabetics on a diabetes diet must count carbohydrates to make sure they don’t eat much in the way of pasta or other complex carbohydrates.  They must definitely stay away from processed sugars because those cause the most fluctuations in insulin levels in the body and because they push the pancreas to its limit.  Other carbohydrates must be eaten in moderation.

The diabetes diet can include meat, vegetables and fruit.  The fresher the item, the better it is for you.  Diets high in trans fats must be avoided and much of the processed food people eat each day are not good on this kind of diet.  Diabetics should learn to cook for themselves so they can control the amount of fat and sugar in the foods they eat.

High cholesterol and high fat is not good in a diabetes diet.  Diabetics are prone to heart disease so they need to eat as little fat and cholesterol as possible or at least eat these foods in moderation.  Low fat alternatives like low fat milk, low fat meats and low fat yoghurt should be used in place of the high fat variety.  Diabetics should also have their cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked often to see how they are doing.

Diabetes diets often need to be focused on weight loss.  The classic diabetic diet is less than 1800 calories and is usually around 1500 calories in order to achieve the best weight loss.  Lower weight can mean taking less diabetic medication and is extremely healthy for the diabetic.  A thin person may still be diabetic but they will also be healthier in the long run.  Obesity is one of the major causes of diabetes and losing weight can reverse some of the blood sugar numbers over the course of time.

Diabetics on a diabetes diet can use artificial sweetener to sweeten coffee or to use in breakfast cereal.  They make specialized foods for diabetics like ice cream; these contain artificial sweeteners and they actually taste pretty good.  NutraSweet is an artificial sweetener that is actually made from a protein.   Splenda doesn’t affect blood sugars in the way that regular sugar does.

On the whole, the diabetes diet should be low in calories and refined sugar, relatively low in fat but otherwise as balanced a diet as can be achieved using whole fresh foods.  Trans fats and highly processed foods should be avoided as much as possible.  If the diabetes diet is followed religiously, the end result will be an acceptable weight loss, no fluctuations in blood sugar and the beginning of a healthy lifestyle in other areas of the diabetics life as well.