Diabetic diet guidelines can be described as an in-depth report on how diabetics should plan their diet and what they are allowed to eat to manage their blood glucose level. Diet plays a crucial role in managing the blood glucose level and adhering to strict diabetic diet guidelines is the first step of keeping yourself out of harm’s way, meaning when you follow a healthy diet you can easily prevent the chronic conditions associated with diabetes. However, here is an interesting fact, contrary to popular beliefs there is no particular diet for diabetics. A proper meal plan is a necessity though.
The key is in the understanding of the food components and ones guilty of blood glucose spikes. It is this understanding that helped the diabetic diet guidelines evolve over the years and now what you have is the result of years of rigorous research. The main purpose of a diabetic diet is to check on your carbohydrate intake, which is the main culprit behind high blood sugar. However, diabetics should also monitor their fat and protein intake as well in order to maintain their body weight. Besides that a little bit of exercise and regular doses of diabetic medication antd insulin is also important for diabetics. It’s the combination of all these stuff that helps a diabetic maintain good health.
However in order to follow diabetic diet guidelines properly, you must first learn about the ABCs of diabetic diet. Let’s look at this in the next section.
Learning about the three pillars of diabetic diet: ABCs
Let’s begin with what ABCs of diabetics stand for. A refers to the hemoglobin A1c test, showing the average glucose count for the three months in a row prior to the test, B stands for blood pressure and C typically refers to cholesterol. People with diabetics must always keep their blood sugar blood pressure and cholesterol close to normal level and diabetic diet guidelines are the key to do just that. However before moving on with the general diabetic diet guidelines there is one more thing that should be taken into account , the glycemic index .
Glycemic index
Well glycemic index is nothing but the ranking the measures the influence of every food on blood sugar level. Usually it has been seen that every time you consume a meal your glucose level soars high if you are diabetic in particular. The main culprits for that have been identified as carbs, sugar and starches. So what glycemic index does is it takes into account which type of carbohydrate is in your food and how it influences your blood glucose level. Usually foods which are low on glycemic index are good for diabetics as they would have lesser impact on blood sugar after every meal. Besides, it would also help you lower your body fat at the same time. On the other hand foods with higher glycemic index will not only help your blood sugar go up but would also affect your BMI or body mass index and you would gain fat. If you still have any confusion, your health care provider or dietician will certainly be your best friend and explain the various aspects for glycemic index and its relationship with body mass index to you. Now let’s focus on the general diabetic diet guidelines.
General diabetic diet guidelines
For a diabetic, monitoring blood sugar level and following a strict diet plan is always considered a first step towards managing high blood sugar and a healthy life. However, as said earlier there is no particular diet for diabetics, the foods recommended to diabetics is also good for everyone else as they are healthy and low in calorie. However, one interesting fact is that diabetes is one such condition which is different for different individuals meaning its impact is always varies from person to person and so are the associated complications. Thus diabetic diet guidelines should also vary accordingly keeping in mind individual health conditions. However, there are some general guidelines that each and every diabetic should follow in order to retain good health for longer. Here they are:
- For every diabetic the amount and type of carbohydrate is truly crucial. Usually carbs high is fiber should be ideal choice for a diabetic meal as they are healthy and low in calorie. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals are probably the best choice of carbs for diabetics. However monitoring the amount of carb intake is advisable here. You can simply do it by carb counting or meal exchange lists. You should also spread the amount of carbohydrates equally amongst the meals of everyday.
- High fiber foods are also recommended as they help you keep the blood sugar level in control, and if that’s not enough they also keep you at bay of heart diseases.
- When it comes to fat, avoid saturated fats like butter and red meat. You should also limit Tran’s fats and junk foods at the same time. Switch to olive oil, canola oil, fish, walnuts etc as they are excellent choices for fat content.
- As far as protein choices are concerned switch to fish and poultry instead of high fat meat. Fishes like salmon and herring are rich in protein and also high in omega fatty acid, which is excellent for keeping your heart healthy. Besides they are low on calorie as well.
- Stop skipping meals as this will only worsen the situation. Always eat small meals at regular intervals as this will keep your body glucose level steady and prevent you from overeating. It that’s not enough, it will also provide you sufficient energy to sustain for the day, which is truly necessary for diabetics as they suffer from fatigue and weakness.
- Avoid alcohols at any cost, because they are processed in the body as fats. However, only drink when your blood sugar is controlled.
Conclusion
When you follow diabetic diet guidelines, you feel healthy and more energetic and if you combine diet with exercise with regular doses of diabetic medication, you are not only out of harm’s way, you are surly to lead a longer and happy life.
