Type 2 Diabetic Diet

Type-2 diabetes is an acquired condition wherein the pancreas either produces insufficient insulin and in some cases the insulin is secreted in optimum concentrations but the body tissues would have become insulin resistant that they cannot utilize the insulin. In US alone, diabetes had achieved the dubious distinction of being major cause of blindness, kidney failure and even amputations. This is spreading very fast in the East lately.

As you consume a meal that is rich in carbohydrates, it is broken down to the simplest absorbable form called glucose at the end of digestion. This glucose will race through your blood stream and will be supplied to all organs of the body, which will burn it and derive the energy. At this point, as the glucose concentration increases in the blood, the beta cells of the pancreas start secreting insulin. This insulin is a hormone and is needed by any cell to convert the aforesaid glucose to energy. When there is insufficient insulin production (hypoactive pancreas) no matter how much you eat or how much glucose runs in the blood, the cells simply starve of energy as they cannot burn the glucose. It is the same situation even if there is sufficient insulin production but if the tissues are insulin resistant (hyperactive pancreas).

In great majority of us blood sugar shoots up after a big meal; however, it comes back to the normal range after sometime. It is only in the people who are diagnosed with type-2 diabetes when not treated that the blood glucose remains high for most of the time. World over, it is now accepted that high blood glucose after a meal in a normal person too isn’t desirable and harmful even if it doesn’t result in diabetes.

For long though doctors believed and treated people with type-2 diabetes with oral hypoglycemic medications. But with time they are rarely given a med but their blood glucose was mostly managed by food and lifestyle changes.

Type 2 Diabetes Food And Diet Guide

There are some foods to help you feel good even after being diagnosed with diabetes type 2. The beneficial side effect of these foods is that they also help you shed those kilos. But you must remember that food with your daily dose of exercise to key to successful life post-diabetes diagnosis.

1) Take moderate amounts of carbs that are having low GI (glycemic index) values: Including carbs with low GI values imply that they are slow acting and can keep blood glucose values low and constant. Furthermore, whatever be the carbs eat in moderation. Foods including nuts, legumes and vegetables (barring sweet potatoes, beets) and green leaf vegetables and fruits (jamoons, oranges, apples, pears and plums) have low GI values and perfect to be added into your diet.

2) Serve wholegrain carbs which increase your fiber intake and does whole lot of good to your heart.

3) Include protein in every meal. Proteins actually lower the total GI of the meal and thus help curbing the hunger. Skinless poultry, fish, lean meat, diary products, soy milk, pulses, nuts and legumes are all protein-rich foods you can include in your meal.

4) Choose to include unsaturated fats over saturated fats. The saturated fats hamper in regulating blood glucose. Unsaturated fats include almonds, walnuts, low-fat milk etc. The unsaturated fats also reduce overall GI of the meal.

5) Eat smaller meals than binging on heavy meals. Calories do count even when you are eating the low GI foods, so trim down calorie intake.

6) Acidic foods are a must in the diet. Adding vinegar to foods and pickles can actually do a lot of good by blunting the shoot up of blood glucose. Adding wine while cooking also helps. Adding lime juice to certain foods and eating oranges can slow down carbohydrate metabolism.