The food you eat is one of the things that can get you into trouble with diabetes. If you are pre-diabetic or have diabetes, one of the ways to cure, control or prevent diabetes is to focus on foods that can help cure or reduce your risk of developing this chronic condition. It may seem like a monumental task to try to change your eating habits because let's face it, many bad foods are quite delicious. Despite this, you can make a change. Some of the best foods for diabetics are delicious too.

1. By Terry Robbins

2.  The food you eat is one of the
things that can get you into trouble
with diabetes. If you are pre-
diabetic or have diabetes, one of
the ways to cure, control or
prevent diabetes is to focus on
foods that can help cure or reduce
your risk of developing this chronic
condition. It may seem like a
monumental task to try to change
your eating habits because let's
face it, many bad foods are quite
delicious. Despite this, you can
make a change. Some of the best
foods for diabetics are delicious
too.

3.  Before considering the best foods
for diabetics, you need to consider
what type of diabetes you have as
well as what goals you are aiming
for when making dietary changes.
 Type I diabetes is not preventable
and cannot be cured and requires
daily insulin injections. Using diet
to control type 1 diabetes is done
in order to ensure that
complications both long and short
term are minimized by blood
glucose levels normalization with
the help of diet.

4.  Type II diabetes on the other hand
can not only be prevented but in
some cases can be cured or the
reliance on medications or insulin
injections by the patient can be
significantly reduced.
 Making dietary changes for type II
diabetes (and increasing daily
physical activity levels) is with the
aim of helping with weight
reduction and help the patient
maintain normal body weight.
While the causes of type II
diabetes are varied, one significant
area that increases the risk of
developing type 2 diabetes is being
overweight or obese.

5. 1. Carbohydrates
 The body needs carbohydrates that
it turns into glucose which is the
source of the energy or fuel
required by the cells in the body.
Carbohydrates are present in most
foods except for meat, poultry and
fish.
 The two types of carbohydrates
used by the body are derived from
complex carbs (starches) such as
beans, pasta, rice, etc. The second
type of carbohydrates are known
as simple carbohydrates which
refer to sugars derived from fruits,
vegetables, honey, white table
sugar, etc.

6.  If you are a diabetic, you should
become well versed in
carbohydrates. Diabetics should
eat a diet that is higher in
carbohydrates and complex
carbohydrates in particular than
any other type of food. Simple
carbohydrates raise blood sugar
levels much more quickly than
complex carbohydrates (grains,
beans, peas, peanuts, soybeans,
potatoes, etc) which raise blood
sugar levels very slowly.
 Simple carbohydrates may not be
entirely off limits for diabetics but
this is something for you to discuss
with your doctor as many
"forbidden foods" such as white
table sugar many not be
completely off limits.

7.  Carbohydrate counting is probably
prudent for each diabetic. After a
discussion with your doctor on
how many carbs you need in a day,
you can then decide what your
daily mix of carbs will include. You
may then be able to enjoy a candy
bar here and there as long as you
consider how much the candy bar
will affect your daily allowable
carbohydrate requirements in
much the same way you would
consider a cup of beans, cup of
pasta, etc.

8. 2. Fiber
 The reason that complex carbs and whole
grains are crucial for a diabetic is mainly
because of the fiber content which is why
refined "foods" are usually forbidden for a
diabetic because they do are usually
stripped of fiber and raise blood sugar
levels very fast because foods are digested
very quickly when they do not contain
fiber.
 Fiber has many health benefits including
relieving constipation, reducing the risk of
heart disease, lowering cholesterol, it can
help with weight reduction, etc. Fiber rich
foods are one of the best foods for
diabetics because fiber can help to control
blood sugar levels, so adopting a fiber rich
diet is a must for anyone wanting to
overcome or prevent diabetes.
 There are two types of fiber and each of
them is very important. The first type is
known as soluble fiber and the second is
known as insoluble fiber.

9.  Soluble fiber which is found mainly in
beans, oats, certain fruits and vegetables,
etc, dissolves in water and turns into a gel
in the stomach. The gummy consistency of
insoluble fiber helps to slow down the
digestion process. This slowing down
helps to prevent spikes in blood sugar
which is a very powerful role for diabetes
cure or management as it helps to
stabilize blood sugar levels by preventing
glucose from being absorbed too quickly
into the blood.
 Spikes in blood sugar levels means that
there will be excess amounts of glucose in
the blood which the body may have
trouble transferring to the various cells in
the body or storing which could lead to
complications and even death if very
severe.
 Another benefit of soluble fiber is that if
you are dealing with insulin resistance
which is a common feature of type 2
diabetes development, soluble fiber can
help to increase the sensitivity of the
body's cells to insulin so that the insulin is
able to remove more glucose from the
blood and distribute it to the various cells
in the body.

10.  Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water
and passes through the body intact and
helps to speed up the movement of food
through the intestines which helps
prevent constipation.
 The insoluble fiber that is derived mostly
from whole wheat as well as certain fruits
and vegetables has been linked to a lower
risk of diabetes.
 Various studies have shown that those
who consumed fiber rich ( or complex
carbohydrate rich) diets were able to
achieve and maintain normal blood sugar
levels by as much as 90 percent for those
with type 2 diabetes and 30 percent for
those with type 1 diabetes.
 An important feature of a high fiber diet is
to ensure that you increase your water
intake. Fiber needs a significant amount of
water to move through the body and do
what it needs to do. Increasing your water
intake will also keep you well hydrated
which is important for general health and
wellbeing.
 Consuming more fiber is also a great way
to prevent developing diabetes if you have
been diagnosed as being pre-diabetic.

11. 3. Healthy fats
 No two diabetic diets are ever the same.
While one person with diabetes may be
advised to consume less fat, another may
be required to eat more fats (the healthy
kind).
 The amount of healthy fat content is
something to discuss with your doctor but
it has been discovered that some who ate
less healthy fats and more carbohydrates
may have unwittingly increased the levels
of triglycerides in their bodies which has
been linked to a greater risk of heart
disease in diabetics. This is because fat
and protein when compared to carbs, do
not raise blood sugar levels quite as fast as
the latter and this helps to reduce the
levels of triglycerides.
 If this is a risk for you, increasing your
intake of healthy fats such as olive oil will
not only lower blood sugar levels but will
also reduce your heart disease risk.
Healthy fats like those found in olive oil,
avocados and various nuts, are also
loaded with antioxidants which are also
important for diabetes management as
discussed below.

12. 4. Vitamins and minerals
 There are many complications that can
arise from diabetes that can affect the
nerves, eyes, blood vessels, etc, and
certain vitamins can help promote
healthier eyes, blood vessels, nerves, etc.
 Foods containing vitamins C and E as well
as the mineral zinc are some of the best
foods for diabetics as these vitamins and
minerals are known as antioxidants which
help to prevent free radical damage to the
cells in the body. Damage to the cells from
free radicals can increase the risk of
developing diabetes related complication
such as nerve damage and heart disease.
Antioxidants help to protect the cells from
free radicals.
 Many diabetics have also been found to
be deficient in the mineral magnesium
and this deficiency can increase the risk of
diabetes related eye problems as well as
heart disease. Magnesium deficiency has
been linked to retina damage so
increasing your intake of magnesium can
help protect your eyes and your heart
from any complications.

13.  Chromium is another mineral that
many people with diabetes are
deficient in. Chromium is important
because it can help the body better
manage blood sugar levels. This
mineral is found in broccoli, fortified
breakfast cereals, grapefruit, etc.
 Vitamins and mineral deficiencies are
a common issue with people with
diabetes so if you are not getting
enough of these nutrients from your
diet, a good supplement may work.
 An important aspect of using food to
cure, manage or prevent diabetes
naturally is about finding a meal plan
that works for you which combines
these various elements - fiber,
vitamins, minerals, fats, etc - in order
to help control blood sugar levels
either directly or indirectly.

14.  Another aspect of trying to find
and incorporate the best foods for
diabetics into your diet is to ensure
that instead of eating a few large
meals a day, you need to instead
eat several small meals each day in
order to make it easier for your
body to manage the glucose in
your blood. Shoot for three small
meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner
- as well as two or three healthy
snacks between these small meals.
This will not only help with
diabetes management but also
weight control. For more on
fighting diabetes naturally, visit
http://diabetestype1and2info.com
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