Facts About Foods Diabetic People Can Eat

By Max Peykar | August 3, 2008

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by Max Peykar

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.

While Type I Diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, now we know that it does not affect only them. Type I diabetes, unlike Type II diabetes, is an autoimmune disease. When the beta cells, which produce insulin, in the pancreas, are damaged, the individual suffers from Type I diabetes. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, the patient suffers from Type II diabetes. Both can be combated through proper eating, which includes a varied diet consisting of foods like fat-free, sugar-free and fibrous food items.

Diabetes is mostly seen in people who are overweight and physically inactive. But, despite the stereotypical patient categorization, there are people who get the disease because of heredity. The lifestyle is almost always responsible for the onset of diabetes, because even if you are susceptible to it due to genes, you can still avoid it by following a proper diet and exercise regime. While diabetes can be kept at bay by using external medication to give enough insulin to the body, the first treatment method recommended by physicians is a practical daily diet consisting of various healthy food options.

You also have to make sure that you stay active - some kind of activity that you enjoy, whether it is walking, or dancing, or jogging - should be taken up and stuck to, for at least half an hour each day. You should also make sure that your diet is designed with healthy alternatives to your regular eating habits, and avoids things like sweets, high-fat foods and alcohol.

There are plenty of foods for the diabetic person and these must be included in their daily diet. The nutritional requirements of the body must be met - proteins, minerals, vitamins, fibrous carbohydrates and lots of water are essential. The fibrous carbs can come from excellent sources like wholemeal bread, whole grains and oats. Lean meat, legumes, seeds, nuts and fish are great sources of protein, and minerals and vitamins are both taken care of by fresh fruits and green, leafy vegetables. Plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day, is also necessary.

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.

Other items that most emphatically are not foods diabetic people can eat are red meat, cheese, butter, carbonated drinks, eggs and mayonnaise. Unsaturated fats and unsweetened foods must be opted for, instead. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, you have a responsibility to yourself and to those who care for you to stay healthy. It is essential to talk to a nutritionist or to your doctor, understand the foods you can eat, and design a diet you can follow as a long-term plan.

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Topics: Nutrition |

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