Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by higher than normal levels of glucose circulating in the bloodstream of a person due to an impairment of their body’s normally efficient system to control and regulate the blood sugar levels.
Type-2 is the most prevalent form of diabetes accounting for about 90 percent of all cases and is being diagnosed increasingly in North America. Type-2 is closely linked to the parallel growth of obesity and overweight in our citizens, both adults and children. It is a disease that is increasing because of what we eat, how much we eat, and how little we exercise. It seems too simple to think that the onset of diabetes can be avoided by an alteration of eating habits and by becoming more physically active, but that is the case. And for those who already have been diagnosed as having diabetes, the same change in lifestyle can moderate the ultimately serious effects of higher blood sugar levels.
How can diet be changed?
The diet can be changed most obviously in three ways for sure. One way is to cut out or cut down on the bad foods we eat, another is to incorporate better food items into the daily dietary routines and the third is to avoid eating more than is needed to provide the body with enough calories to sustain the energy output of the day’s activities and physical exertions.
A key component in a diet for diabetics is the amounts and types of carbohydrates (carbs for short). Carbs are the main source of the sugars in the blood and some carbs deliver far more sugar than others and some foods are dense in the amount of carbs they contain while others are less so. So again, it is fairly obvious where the choices should lie if we can find out which food items are nutritious without delivering too quickly a sugar boost.
Carbs are basically chains of sugar molecules that can include simple sugars, starches and fiber. The simple sugars breakdown more swiftly than the more complex starches, the fiber is indigestible but provides roughage.
To explain the process in very simplistic terms, the food that is eaten descends to the stomach where it is digested and broken down into its nutrient constituents. Those are the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, water, vitamins and minerals that then passes through the walls of the intestines into the bloodstream for delivery throughout the body to various needy cells that use the nutrients. The speed at which the nutrient molecules can enter the blood stream depends on the complexity of their chemical structures, the more complex, the longer it takes. Carbohydrates can be simple or complex in that regard, so the preferred carbs are the complex carbs that take longer to break down than the simple carbs.
For people with diabetes, a nutritious diet that emphasizes the inclusion of low carb foods can have a positive impact on their blood sugar levels. Low carb foods, as their name suggests, do not deliver too much sugar too quickly to the blood stream.
Some quality foods for the diabetic diet that have few or no carbs include fish, lean meats and poultry, cheese, fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Include foods that rank low on the glycemic index
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a listing of everyday carb containing foods that are numerically ranked for their speed in entering the bloodstream after being digested. Glucose is ranked at 100. By checking with the glycemic index we can soon become familiar with the foods that release glucose more slowly, some that take several hours, enabling a closer to normal blood sugar level.
Glycemic rankings are a valuable guide to choosing the right food items. Without needing to buy the book listing thousands of food items, try to obtain a partial copy of the glycemic index and its companion, the glycemic load, or perhaps make note of index values that appear in newspaper and magazine articles or check out the local public library. And the internet has hundreds of sources listed relating to the glycemic index and glycemic load.
Foods with rankings up to 55 are considered low
Foods that are ranked from 56 to 70 are high
Foods that are ranked over 70 are high.
Healthy eating is not always easy but when possible, avoid the high glycemic index ranked foods. For instance, instead of white breads (GI = 70), choose whole grain breads (GI = 50), avoid the sugary cereals and go for the whole grain cereals. And eliminate from your beverage list the soft drinks and colas that have lots of sugars in them.
Where possible look for the low carb foods. Learn to read the contents labels that are on most packaged foods. Be wary if the first few ingredients listed are sugar, sucrose, or fructose corn syrup, they will contribute to spikes in blood sugar.
For more information on this topic, including more detailed explanation of the glycemic index, please check out the following links: Diabetic Food List Plus and Low Carb Foods.