6 August 2008
The Foods Diabetic People Can Eat - Plan Your Meals Accordingly
Posted by Max Peykar under: Food .
Diabetes can be difficult to live with, but with the right diet and proper exercise, it can be controlled. While designing the right diet, it is essential to keep in mind the foods diabetic people can eat. There are plenty of recipes that are aimed at preparing delicious and healthy foods for diabetics.
There are two types of diabetes that affect everyone - Type I diabetes, which is caused by damage to the beta cells, which occur in the pancreas and secrete insulin, and Type II diabetes, which is caused when the body resists insulin or becomes deficient in insulin. Either type of diabetes can be controlled through watching what you eat - a diabetic’s food intake must be focused on health. They include fat-free and sugar-free variants of foods and many fibrous foods.
While people who do not take care of their health are at an increased risk for diabetes, the disease is often hereditary. Even if you have diabetes in your family, if you eat right and exercise regularly, you can avoid its onset. Once you do have diabetes, though, you will have to be on constant medication that causes the insulin level in your body to stay within the normal range. However, the first preference doctors show is for another sort of treatment - making sure that you control your diet and eat according to a carefully thought out preparation.
In addition, they are expected to maintain a certain physical activity level, such as jogging or walking for 30 minutes everyday. The commonly followed diabetic diets consist of non-fat, non-sweetened food types. Generally, the foods diabetic people can eat are constituted of all four basic food groups in moderation. Sweets, fatty foods (including whole milk dairy) and alcohol are not to be consumed at all.
A typical diabetic diet should include fibrous carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and plenty of water. Whole grains, wholemeal bread and oats are excellent examples for fibrous carbohydrates, while protein should be taken from lean meat,fish, legumes, nuts and seeds. Vitamins and minerals can be found in abundance in leafy green vegetables and fresh fruits. Such food items can be consumed in any amount and throughout the whole day. The 8-glass minimum for water consumption must also be followed.
Unfortunately, sauces like sweet and sour, barbecue and teriyaki are not among the foods diabetics are allowed to eat - restaurant prepared and store-bought creams and sauces must also be avoided.
There are other favorites that you will have to steer clear of now - eggs, mayonnaise, red meat, butter, cheese, carbonated drinks - and foods that you must accept as staple, such as those with unsaturated fat and are unsweetened. Since it is your responsibility to stay healthy, to understand more about foods diabetic people can eat, you must talk to your nutritionist or your doctor, and come up with a diet plan you will be comfortable with for the rest of your life.