Diabetes Diet Recipes

Diabetes and Diabetes Diet Tips

Diabetes is a result of high blood sugar levels in the body. Sugar levels are determined by the amount of glucose in the body. Glucose is derived from the individual’s diet and is responsible for providing the body with an energy boost. The body produces a hormone called insulin to help absorb and breakdown glucose. When the body doesn’t make any insulin or makes inadequate amounts of insulin, the glucose remains in the blood increasing blood sugar levels and general health.

Diabetes Diet Menu

Contrary to popular belief, diabetes diet foods don’t mean a lifetime of boring, bland meal. In fact much like any food plan,  the diabetes diet menu is all about providing a balanced meal, but with a lookout for certain types of food that need to be consumed in controlled quantities. It is also about making smarter food choices to ensure healthy being.

Given the condition, the goal of diabetes healthy food plan is to ensure the body’s sugar levels aren’t spiked with every meal. Again this doesn’t mean never eating sweet foods again; it just means controlling sweet and making the right dessert choices.

Most diabetes diet menus emphasize on a simple food plan:

• Eating at least five small meals a day. It is very important to start with breakfast and not keep a long gap between meals if you want to keep your sugar levels in check.
• Avoid foods that are rich in sugar content. This includes carbohydrates as well as processed foods. A simple way to make this transition is to replace simple carbohydrates with small portions of complex carbohydrates and candy and cakes with fresh fruit.
• Keep the body active with some form of exercise. The body requires at least a minimum of twenty minutes of exercise – this can be anything from a walk in the park, a dance class, yoga, to a gym session.

Diabetes Healthy Recipes

It is best to consult your doctor or nutritionist when planning to chart a healthy diabetes meal plan. This plan is dependent on a number of issues. These include current health status and type of diabetes.

When choosing diabetes healthy food, there are certain foods that you should focus on more than others. For example fiber rich foods work better for a diabetes diet. Fiber rich foods help aid digestion and also control sugar levels in the body. These foods include whole grains, bran cereal, oats, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits. Fibers can easily be added to your meal plan as they complement other food groups perfectly, making the meal healthier and diabetes friendly – for example oats or cereal with fruits as breakfast; fruits, vegetable sticks and nuts as snacks through the day; fruit and vegetable salads as accompaniments to meals; fruits for dessert. You also need to limit intake of saturated fats, processed foods, and foods rich in cholesterol. In addition remember that you can continue eating most of your favorite foods with clever (and healthier) substitutions. For example use margarine instead of butter; opt for skimmed milk; brown rice and bread; whole wheat pasta, and so on.