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Diet and Diabetes
If there is anything that
people dread, it is the diagnosis of diabetes and the reinforcement
of a strict diet to keep the blood sugar levels under control...
Date : February 2, 2006
If there is anything that people
dread, it is the diagnosis of diabetes and the reinforcement
of a strict diet to keep the blood sugar levels under control.
Today the word diet has taken on a new longer means total
abstinence but a controlled, yet friendly procedure, which
heals and strengthens as much as it caters palates.
For every diabetic, diet is
of paramount importance. Neither insulin nor tablets mean
that diet can be given up. Do not get scared of the word 'diet'.
This does not mean starvation but healthy, balanced and varied
nutrition which is necessary for you as a diabetic. It helps
you maintain normal weight, appropriate for your height, age
and sex; maintain blood sugar levels as close to normal as
possible; and gives a feeling of well being and satisfaction.
A diabetic nutrition plan would most likely permit you to
eat almost any normal food of your choice, except those contain
sugar, jaggery and honey.
Our diet mainly consists of
carbohydrates. Diabetics need not restrict the carbohydrate
intake but may alter the type of carbohydrate in the diet.
The carbohydrates in cereal and pulses contain complex carbohydrates,
which are broken into simple sugars which are directly absorbed.
Dietary fiber also prevents constipation and helps to keep
the blood cholesterol levels lower. A diabetic should eat
only familiar food rather than going for new or unknown foods.
It is observed that different
carbohydrates raise the blood sugar to a variable extent.
It is therefore important to know, while recommending a diet
for a diabetic, what is the extent of rise in blood sugar
with different foods. Use of artificial sweeteners is acceptable
in the diet can be substituted for sugar. A diabetic can have
sweets made with artificial sweeteners in place of sugar.
Sweeteners that contain aspartame are preferable to saccharin
based sweeteners.
In addition to eating the right
food, physical exercise plays an important role in the treatment
of diabetes. Physical exercise lowers the blood sugar
level. Exercise tone up the body, improves the circulation,
helps blood stamina and provides a sense of well-being.
A diabetic should be educated
on the nature of the disease he has and the possibility of
development of acute and long term complication of the disease,
if the blood sugar is not kept under control. In addition,
the patient should be counseled about the importance of following
the dietician's diet and also the importance of exercise and
drugs.
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