The Healthy Solution

You have been suffering for some time now with diabetes and are wondering just what you can eat and how much. There is much confusion about the things you can eat with diabetes and how you can maintain sugar levels without feeling guilty about the food you consume. In the second part of our series, we tell you what diabetic diets you can follow and still keep up your energy levels, while also controlling your blood sugar levels. Read on to know more.

Diet is a vital part of treatment for diabetes. The tricky thing here is that there is nothing like a "standard, ideal diet" for all diabetic patients. However, there are certain general guidelines you can follow to keep healthy in spite of your diabetes.

Once you discover the best kind of diet for you, it is advisable to stick to that diet and maintain regular food habits as well. Your body develops the disorder because it is not able to absorb or generate the insulin needed for it to maintain its energy levels. So you need first and foremost to supply it that energy through your diet. Of course, having your medication as per the doctor's advice is very good, but a healthy diet should also go hand-in-hand with it.

Your diabetic diet comes under two categories, namely, measured and unmeasured diet. In the former case, you have to consume a measured diet, whereas in the latter, you just have to follow the prescribed diet schedule without having to measure it.

The following are the food types you should include in your diet:

1. Proteins give you invaluable amino acids, which can repair your damaged tissues and also maintain glucose levels in the body. Besides, proteins also contain lesser calories. 15-20% of your diet should comprise proteins.

2. Carbohydrates help keep up energy levels and can prevent ketosis. About 60% of your daily diet should contain carbohydrates. In order to maintain energy levels all day, you could break up your carb consumption into 4-5 small portions throughout the day.

3. Fats need to be avoided, especially the high-density, saturated variety. You can include up to 20% fat in your daily diet. Only, use unsaturated fats and exercise enough to burn it up.

4. Fibers control a rise in blood sugar levels by reducing the glucose absorption rate in the body and by throwing out extra glucose by way of excretion. Fibrous foods work great for you with diabetes! It is recommended that you take about 25g of fiber per 1000 calories you consume. This is also useful to you for controlling your diabetes in the long run.

5. You could do well to avoid foods such as sweet potato, white sugar, glucose, jams and marmalade, honey, fried foods, mango, custard apple and such other food items that are too sweet or too loaded with calories. Instead, include more raw foods, salads and green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Follow the diabetic diets given above and you are completely assured of a healthy, happy life ahead!