Diabetic Diet – Varying Approaches

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Article by Liat Nachman

Individuals who suffer from diabetes are unable to produce insulin in the way a “normal” individual’s body can. The result of this inability to produce insulin is an increase in blood-glucose levels. For these individuals, it may be beneficial to consider a change in diet and nutrition as a way of controlling and managing the body’s blood-glucose levels.

For most diabetics, making intelligent choices about the foods they eat, and about eating habits in general, are two important factors in the successful management of their condition. Simply put, a well-planned and beneficial diabetic diet plan is one that limits sweets and sugars, eliminates frequent eating and overeating, and places a strong emphasis on the consumption of carbohydrates, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, while avoiding other foods that are high in fat.

Diabetic Diet

Having diabetes does not mean that an individual has to resort to an extreme diet plan. Most diabetic cooking secrets center on the idea of making smart choices, and developing a well-planned course of attack.

Most of the time, the real secret lies with changing the types of foods that a diabetic eats, as well as the eating lifestyle, which often means portion control and planned mealtimes.

There is really no need for a diabetic to follow a strict diet plan. For the most part, developing a diet that consists of high amounts of beneficial nutrients, is low-calorie and also low-fat, is the best approach that a diabetic can take. Besides food choices, the other important factors that any diabetic must consider include regularly scheduled meals, as well as meals that are portioned and stay close to the suggested serving size.

One approach to changing a diet is the concept of counting carbohydrates, which can be beneficial for individuals taking insulin. Although keeping track of fats and proteins is not as high a priority as counting carbs is, individuals with diabetes should still carefully monitor their consumption of both fats and proteins.

Sweets Consumption

Having diabetes does mean the end of sweets. Although most people often worn diabetics to avoid sweets, most experts agree that the occasional sweet does not hurt. The main concern here is in making sure that sweets are consumed in controlled amounts,and that they do not upset the overall carbohydrate count for all of a day’s meals. There is room it seems, for a little sweetness in a diabetic’s life.

Vegetarian Diet

Some individuals strongly support the idea of a vegetarian diet as an approach to curing or controlling diabetes. Unfortunately, this is more of a misconception than anything else. Adding vegetables to a diabetic’s diet is important, especially since eating a few vegetables a day has more benefits than not eating any at all.

There are no rules or diabetic cooking secrets that address a diet plan that includes vegetables. Most advice is based on common sense. In general, a vegetarian diet by nature, is high in fiber, low in fat, and low in terms of calories. Since a vegetarian diet typically contains less calories and less fat than a non-vegetarian diet, it makes sense to include some form of a vegetarian diet in any diabetic diet plan.

Although a vegetarian diet cannot cure diabetes, it can help. With proper food selection, a vegetarian-type diet can help a diabetic lose weight, which is especially important for those with type II diabetes.

An individual with diabetes who is considering changing his or her diet to a more vegetarian-type of diet should not go about the process alone. A visit to a doctor, dietician, or a nutrition expert can be an important first-step in developing the diet plan that will provide them with the most benefits, be it vegetarian or otherwise.