The American diabetic diet and diabetes

While the entire population is busy in following diet plans to lose weight and popping in weight loss pills, life for a diabetes patient revolves around following a diet that can keep a check on their sugar levels, more than their weight issues.

Diabetes is a disease in which the levels of insulin produced by the body fluctuates and in turn affects the level of glucose in the blood. This glucose is derived by the body from the foods that we eat.

Many dieticians believe that by regulating one’s diet and by exercising, diabetes can be controlled. Here is how:

Count The Carbs

Carbohydrates are the source of glucose for the body. By monitoring the amount that a person consumes everyday, he or she can easily regulate the glucose levels of the body.

As per the American association for diabetes, 45-55 grams of carbohydrate must be consumed in every meal to maintain the equilibrium of your body. This amount may vary from person to person.

You will require advice of an experienced nutritionist. Most foods nowadays carry the information on the carbohydrates they contain or you can make a calculated guess while eating foods without any notification of content. Food such as cereals, sweets, juice, cookies, chips, yogurt, drinks, bread, crackers, corn, beans and potato are said to have high content of carbohydrates in them.

Keep Track of the Glycemic Index – The Glycemic Interest?

You might wonder what would be the glycemic interest as stated in the subheading. It is actually glycemic index, which must interest and attract attention of each diabetic. This index actually works by measuring the effect of carbohydrate containing food on blood sugar level.

Glycemic index is directly proportional to the level of blood sugar. Hence, diabetics are advised to consume food having low or medium glycemic index, which any nutritionist can help the patient identify.

As an individual suffering from diabetes, you will be required to initially consult a diet specialist and take help in formulating an ideal diet plan for yourself in accordance with your preference of food.

Follow the Plate Division Strategy

The American Association for Diabetes has come up with an effective method of initiating consumption of right kind of food in patients of diabetes. Confused? Read on.

Plate division strategy requires you to divide your plate into an imaginary half and then further divide it into two more halves.

The largest portion must be filled with intake of non-starchy vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, turnips, and spinach.

In the smaller section, you must place vegetables like potatoes, rice, oatmeal, beans and pretzels which are starchy in nature. In the last section put protein containing food like beef, eggs, fish, chicken and turkey.

Following this strategy, any diabetic patient will reduce consumption of carbohydrates by limiting starchy food and increase intake of non-starchy vegetables which will not affect glucose levels.

To Sum Up

You must always remember diabetes doesn’t mean that you cannot eat or enjoy food like others; it just means that you have to be more conscious of what you put in the mouth and calculate its effects on your body.

Author Bio: Brenda Lyttle is a health expert who began writing for publications in her community in 2005 and now commands an authority in writing on healthy living, weight loss pills, anti-aging, and HGH related topics.