There is not a single or fixed diabetic nutrition plan but you will need to be very careful with what you eat, especially paying attention to carbohydrates...
Diabetes occurs when your body can not make enough insulin or can't use it the way it should. The glucose accumulates in your blood and this may cause serious health complications like heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease and even blindness and amputations.
Your diet directly influences your blood sugar and you will have to choose the right type of foods, but a big percentage of the population is not used to eating healthy on a regular basis and they may find it difficult how to go about having a balanced diet.
Diabetic nutrition plan starts with simply choosing to eat healthy. This way you will control your blood sugar, fats and blood pressure. You will lose weight and learn to maintain your ideal weight. Your best option will be getting help from health professionals, getting them a diet plan designed for you.
Diabetic Nutrition Tips:
Follow a low fat diet and cut down fats, particularly saturated fats. Choose canola oil or olive oil over margarine and butter. Switch to lean and white meats, use low fat dairy products- yogurt, milk and cheeses. Choose whole grain breads and cereals. Try mustard instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich. Choose small servings of fruit over fruit juice as fruit tends to have more fiber than juice. Eat plenty of vegetables and avoid fatty or sweet sauces while cooking and serving them. Alcohol on an empty stomach can make your blood sugar level too low and can also raise your blood fats. Please check with a health professional about how much to drink. Eat sweets in moderation - once or twice a week at most. Cut down salt intake by not adding salt to meals while cooking or serving and switching to low sodium or reduced salt options.
Diabetic Glycemic Index:
The Glycemic Index- GI was developed as a research tool to examine how blood sugar is affected by foods that contain carbohydrates. Eating foods with low GI may help you to lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
Low GI foods move into the blood stream much slower which avoids unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels and they are usually high in nutrients and fiber.
But some very low glycemic foods also have high fat content and it is best to choose low glycemic index foods that do not contain large amounts of saturated fat. It may be a good idea to go for lower fat white meat without skin and fish rather than red meat, and also lower fat alternatives of dairy products and skim milk.
All fruits and vegetables are lower on the glycemic index list when they are raw. Cooking breaks down the cell walls and allows the food to be digested faster, raising the index level.
GI ranking should not be confused with how nutritious a certain food is, although most low to medium GI carbohydrates tend to be high in fiber and nutritional value. The score is ranked mainly for how quick it raises blood sugar levels.
