Diet is an integral part of managing swings in blood sugar that can come with diabetes. Learn about diabetes and how to develop a meal plan as a diabetic. If you have diabetes, remember that along with eating healthfully, you must carefully monitor blood sugar levels, get regular exercise and sometimes take diabetes medications or receive insulin therapy.
High Blood Sugar
Diabetes causes high blood sugar, or a thickening of sugar in the blood. The medical term for high blood sugar is hyperglycemia. High blood sugar in people with diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, due to type 1 diabetes, or when body cells become resistant to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin, or type 2 diabetes. In the long-term, high blood sugar can lead to blindness, kidney disease and nerve disease.
Symptoms
Sometimes, no symptoms of high blood sugar occur. If blood sugar get too high, it can result in weight loss, increased thirst, excessive urination, fatigue, vaginal infections in women and blurred vision. The body responds to increased glucose levels by flushing it out through urination. This can lead to dehydration and increased thirst. Tiredness may result because the body can't use glucose for energy properly. Weight loss may result because the body breaks down muscle and stored fat for energy because it can't properly use glucose.
Causes
Blood sugar is affected by medicine, exercise and diet. High blood sugar can result from not taking your diabetes medication, not following your doctor-recommended diet plan, not getting enough exercise, having an illness or taking other kinds of medicine that interact with diabetes medications.
Consistency
To prevent high blood sugar, develop a meal plan with your health care provider. You will discuss choosing healthy foods in the right quantities at each meal. The goal is to eat the same amount of carbohydrates and calories each day. You will also plan times to eat scheduled meals. Try to eat all your meals and snacks at the same time each day. The dietitian may explain the "exchange system." The exchange system groups foods into categories, such as starches, fruits, meats and meat substitutes and fats. Each food in a category has about the same effect on your blood sugar. If your meal plan calls for one fruit at a meal, you can choose any food from that group and it will have a similar effect on your blood sugar.
Foods
Carbohydrates convert into sugar during digestion. Focus on the healthful carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils and dairy products. Fiber helps control blood sugar levels. Look for fiber in vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, whole-what flour, wheat bran and nuts. The Mayo Clinic recommends getting no more than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat, and avoiding trans fat completely because diabetes increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Treatment
If you are displaying symptoms of high blood sugar, check your glucose levels. If it is below 70, the National Institutes of Health recommends having one of the following immediately: three or four glucose tablets, one serving of glucose gel, 1/2 cup of fruit juice, 1/2 cup of a regular, not diet, soft drink, one cup of milk, five or six pieces of hard candy or one tablespoon of sugar or honey. If diet is the reason you're experiencing high blood sugar, talk to a dietitian about your meal plan. He can help you make adjustments as needed. Ask your doctor about adjusting your insulin when you eat more or less than what is recommended on your meal plan. The National Institutes of Health warns that you should call your health care provider right away if you experience blood glucose levels above 240 for longer than a day.
