For a person with diabetes, diet is a very important part of controlling blood sugars and avoiding healthy complications.
How Does Diabetes Affect the Body?
There are different types of diabetes. Type 1: the pancreas has stopped producing insulin. Type 2: individuals either do not produce enough insulin and/or they are insulin resistant. Gestational diabetes: A woman comes resistant during pregnancy.
Without the right amount of properly working insulin, glucose cannot get into the cells and stays in the blood stream. This causes an increase in blood sugar (glucose).
An uncontrolled blood sugar can cause damage to the body. Uncontrolled diabetes injures nerves, causing numbness and loss of feeling in the hands and feet. Scarring can occur on the inside of blood vessels blocking blood flow to vital organs. Uncontrolled blood sugar can also cause eye disease, kidney disease and sexual dysfunction.
By following a diabetic diet, monitoring blood glucose, proper medication use and maintaining a healthy weight a person with diabetes can prevent complication and live a long healthy life.
How Does Carbohydrates Affect a Person with Diabetes?
When a person with diabetes eats carbohydrates (foods that turn into glucose) the blood sugar rises. Because diabetics do not have insulin that works correctly, the blood sugar remains elevated. If a person avoids carbohydrates completely the blood sugar can fall very low causing a feeling of sudden shakiness, weakness, excessive sweatiness, confusion and even unconsciousness.
It is important that a person avoids high and lows in their blood sugar by eating a consistent amount of carbohydrates throughout the day.
Monitoring Blood Sugars (Glucose)
Blood glucose control is an important part of maintaining good diabetes control.
It is recommended that your blood sugars should range between 90-130.
It is recommended that blood sugar is tested 2 hours after one is finished eating. If the blood sugar is higher than 130, this reflects that too many carbohydrates were eaten at the last meal. If the blood sugar is less than 90, too few carbohydrates were eaten.
Monitoring blood sugars is a good way to determine how well you are following a diabetic diet. Uncontrolled blood sugars are also indicator for an increased risk of complications.
The Basic Principles of a Diabetic Diet
- Become familiar with foods that contain carbohydrates (starches, fruits, dairy, sweets and desserts)
- Don’t skip meals. Eat meals and snacks at the same time each day.
- Eat 3-4 serving of carbohydrates at each meal.
- Choose foods that are high in fiber
- Exercise regularly
Learning carbohydrate counting can help you maintain a tight control on your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrate counting teaches you to actually count the number of carbohydrates that you eat. It can also help those on insulin to accurately dose their injections. For more information on carbohydrate counting and sample menus go to Carbohydrate Counting
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