Diabetes and Managing Your Diet Plan
When you are looking at controlling diabetes, proper management of your diet plan is of the highest importance. It’s only when you stick to the correct diet plan then the other measures to keep diabetes under control can be of help to you. An improper diet leads to an abnormal increase in the levels of blood glucose. That makes you more vulnerable to serious health conditions, regardless of the other health-promoting guidelines you might be following.
An appropriate diabetes diet consists of foods that have balanced nutrients of carbohydrates, proteins and, fats. Here, it won’t be out of place to elaborate upon how diabetics/pre-diabetics need to manage their diet plans.
- The first precaution that diabetics should take is to avoid the consumption of regular sugar. As an alternative, you can choose artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame.
- It is recommended to have three or four smaller meals uniformly spread across throughout the day, rather than going for two big meals. If you adhere to this aspect, insulin is going to be appropriately used by your body. This is very crucial for diabetics.
- To prevent/control diabetes, it has to be ensured that your staple diet comprises foods containing fibrous carbohydrates that are good for health. Here, fibrous vegetables and fruits, whole grains to cite a few, will be immensely helpful.
- One of the best ways to control/prevent diabetes is to consume fiber-rich foods like wholegrain bread and brown rice. These foods make sure that there are no sudden blood glucose spikes in your body.
- Drastically cut down the intake of snacks that have high levels of sugar like chocolate, ice- cream, and cake. Also, avoid sugary and starchy carbohydrates as they get digested and converted to sugar.
- When the priority is to consume a diet that helps in combating diabetes, it also makes sense to take other precautions. Moderating the consumption of red meat, instead of having lean meat is a good choice. Skinless chicken can be present in your diet and fish can also be a part of your diet.
- Beverages such as energy drinks, soda, and canned fruit juices should be removed from the dietary schedule, from the perspective of diabetes control.
- Likewise, stay away from foods that come loaded with plenty of trans fat/saturated fat. The same applies to fried foods as well.
- The aspect of alcohol consumption must be carefully dealt with when emphasizing a diabetes diet plan. If your blood glucose is within the accepted limits, alcohol intake moderately should be okay. But, if the glucose levels are alarmingly high, or if the diabetic has any ailment of the heart or kidney, alcohol has to be eliminated.
Diabetes diet plan – benefits of self-discipline with diet
If you are serious about chalking out the diet plan that is most suitable for you, it’s better that you take the guidance of a certified dietician. They are the best people for the purpose at hand! A dietician will take into account the person’s blood glucose levels, daily physical activity, health issues, and other key parameters. It’s only after that that they carefully prepare the best diet plan for the person.
Never underestimate the pivotal role that a good diet plan plays! If one sticks to the diet plan with good self-discipline, over some time the individual will be successful in controlling diabetes and lead a better quality of life.
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Diet plans for Indian geographical regions:
South Indian Diabetic Diet Plan
North Indian Diabetic Diet Plan
Diabetic Diet Plan for People of Maharashtra and Gujarat (West India)
Diabetic Diet Plan for People of Odisha and West Bengal (East India)
You may also like to read:
What is Diabetes?
Causes and symptoms of diabetes
Impact of Diabetes on Person’s Health
How to Manage Diabetes