What exactly is a diabetic diet? I am not diabetic, but I know people who are.
They often talk about their dietary restrictions, but I have honestly never stopped to ask what exactly they are trying to accomplish with a diabetic diet. I looked into it and found that there are a number of goals for and benefits to a diabetic diet.
First of all, one of the main goals for a diabetic diet is to lower your weight and maintain it.
In addition, the diet is designed to help maintain regular glucose levels in your body. Diabetes prevents your body from processing glucose the way it should, so a diabetic diet has to, to some degree, perform that maintenance. In addition, the hope is that a diabetic diet will also help you to maintain healthy lipid levels and keep your blood pressure under control.
Second, a diabetic diet will vary some from person to person. The benefits and assistance to your body from the diabetic diet will depend on what type of diabetes you are trying to treat.
Each type has its own challenges and level of restriction on the diet.
The important thing to remember, though, is that studies show the effectiveness of a diabetic diet is dependent, not so much on the diet itself, but on how well the patient follows the diet. Given that information, there are still some specifics to keep in mind.
If, for example, you have type 2 diabetes, your dietary restrictions may not be quite as high.
For many of those with type 2, their diabetic diet is really just a simple heart healthy diet.
You will likely be advised to avoid excessive fat and to maintain a high fiber diet among other things, but it will be a fairly easy diet to stay with.
If you have type 1 diabetes, though, you will likely have more restrictions.
For those with type 1, it will likely be a more individualized diabetic diet.
Type 1 is individualized and so after tests are done and medications are prescribed, your diabetic diet will likely be custom designed by your physician or a nutritionist.
A diabetic diet, it turns out, is not just one thing. There area number of dietary methods available to doctors and nutritionists that can help control blood sugar levels for those with diabetes.
If one works for you, then there is no reason for you to switch unless something changes.
Regulating diabetes is individual, so if you find you are diabetic it is important to talk to your physician about your individual diabetic diet and stick with it.
So what is a diabetic diet? Well, it turns out that there is not one answer. Instead, a diabetic diet is whatever works to regular the blood sugar of the specific patient.
Each one is different, but the most important thing to know about a diabetic diet is that it only works if you stick with it and stay focused on your health.
