The disease of diabetes is characterized by having excessive amounts of sugar, or glucose, in one’s blood. This is caused by many different things : your body’s resistance to insulin, or a pancreas that doesn’t generate the proper amount of insulin for you to function properly. Insulin is a hormone that the body uses to convert glucose into energy. In either case, it is important to maintain positive control over the level of blood sugar to prevent some major health problems, including the possibility of entering a diabetic coma. Figuring out the best diet for diabetics has been a topic of strong debate for quite some time.
For a very long time, it was held that diabetics needed to avoid sugar and other carbohydrates, period. Sugar was considered to be the worst offender because it is more easily broken down into glucose, therefore it gets into the bloodstream faster than other carbohydrates. Now, many diabetics replace sugar in their diet with the various artificial sweeteners that have been developed.
Today, doctors accept the fact that diabetics are going to be exposed to sugar and other carbohydrates no matter how carefully they try to avoid them. While it is true that there are artificial sweeteners out there that have zero calories and no carbohydrates, that does not mean that diabetics can safely use them.
Ultimately, the diet for diabetics that should be followed is identical to a healthy diet for anyone. It’s entirely possible for diabetics to eat anything they like within reason. The difference is that extra care should be taken to monitor and limit the number of carbohydrates consumed in each day. You have to look out for potatoes and pasta as much as sugary, sweet foods, as carbohydrates have sugars and starches in them as well.
The best decision is to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to one’s diet. Vegetables and fruits do contain natural sugars, though these differ from glucose. Because of this, they don’t affect the sugar levels in the bloodstream. The fiber that you’ll get from the fruits and vegetables are sufficient to let their body more efficiently eliminate waste, leaving the person feeling more full.
The old myth that families should prepare separate meals for the diabetic member(s) has been busted. As we said, the most effective diet for diabetic patients is the exact same foods that your whole family should be eating anyhow. All you really need are plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein and starch, and a limited amount of fatty food.
