Diabetes Care and Healthy Eating

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas can’t make enough insulin or when the insulin that is produced doesn’t work effectively. With diabetes, the level of glucose in the blood is too high. Some risk factors that increase your chances of getting diabetes are increasing age, obesity and physical inactivity. There are other rarer causes of diabetes, which are certain medications, pregnancy or any illness that damages the pancreas and affects its ability to produce insulin.

The main goal of treatment is to keep glucose levels down and diet plays an important role in that. When you eat, your body changes food into glucose and your meal plan will help keep your levels from going too high or too low. The best diet for a person with diabetes is low in fat, has only moderate amounts of protein and is high in complex carbohydrates. To make your diet healthier, try eating a variety of food from all of the food groups, which should include the following:

• Whole wheat, pumpernickel or rye bread instead of white
• Oatmeal or sugar-free cereal instead of sugary cereals
• Sugar-free frozen fruit instead of frozen or canned fruit with sugar
• Brown rice or barley instead of white rice
• Egg whites or egg substitutes instead of whole eggs
• Low-fat cheese instead of regular
• Skinless white meat of chicken or turkey instead of dark meat or meat with skins
• Game, lean pork, or lean beef (round, sirloin, flank steak) instead of fatty meats like ribs or luncheon meats
• Fresh or frozen vegetables instead of vegetables with cream sauces
• Olive oil, canola oil, or squeezable margarine instead of butter, regular margarine, lard or shortening
• Skim milk instead of whole or 2 percent milk
• Nonfat yogurt instead of regular yogurt
• Juice instead of juice drinks with sugar
• Fruit instead of fruit juice
• Fruit for dessert instead of pastries, cakes, pies, cookies or ice cream
• Sugar-free soft drinks instead of regular

Most people with good diabetes control can safely have a drink every so often. Before you drink alcohol, consult your physician or dietitian and if they determine you can have alcohol, they will help you work it into your meal plan. If you do drink alcohol, try not to drink on an empty stomach, as this causes a low blood sugar reaction. Choose drinks that are low in sugar and alcohol and stay away from wine coolers and dessert wines like ports and liqueurs, which are high in sugar. Always test your blood glucose levels before, during and after you drink.

If you have diabetes, losing weight may be a big part of your diabetes treatment and will help your body use insulin better. It can also help lower blood pressure and cut your risk of heart disease. The best way to do this, is to adopt a healthy eating plan where you are taking in fewer calories by filling up on good, healthy foods, not fatty foods. Losing up to 10 to 20 pounds may even be enough to bring your Type II diabetes under control. You should strive to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, since slow weight loss is healthier and easier. Some tips for loosing weight are cutting down portion sizes, eating less fat, eating more fruits and vegetables and physical activity. Know your health goals and talk with your doctor about how often you should test your blood glucose at home, making sure to keep track of your results.