The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which tells muscle, fat and liver cells to pull glucose out of the blood. People with diabetes have chronically high blood glucose levels because they either do not make enough insulin or their bodies have become resistant to its effects. You can make it easier to treat your diabetes by adopting a carefully planned diet.
Diet and Weight Loss
One of the main goals of a diabetic diet regimen is to help the patient achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Many people with diabetes are overweight, which can cause the body to respond poorly to insulin. If you are overweight and have diabetes, losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help lower your blood glucose levels, UpToDate reports. By adopting a lower calorie diet, you can make it easier to shed excess pounds.
Blood Glucose and Lipid Control
Diabetes diets are also designed to help you keep your blood glucose and lipid levels under control. One way of keeping your blood glucose levels from rising too much is to limit your carbohydrate intake, as carbohydrates are rapidly converted into blood glucose. The American Diabetes Association recommends aiming for between 45 and 60 grams of carbohydrates with each meal. Diabetes diets are also designed to improve your lipid profile, which will help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Guidelines
If you have diabetes, you should try to include healthy carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, the Mayo Clinic's website explains. You should also consume foods which are high in fiber and have mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats, such as those found in egg yolks, high-fat dairy products and red meats, should be limited. You should also avoid trans fats, as these can increase your risk of developing atherosclerosis. Cholesterol and sodium intake should be limited to 200 and 2,000 mg, respectively.
Exchange Diets
Exchange diets can be helpful for people with diabetes because they make it easier to plan a diet each day. In an exchange diet, foods are divided into categories, such as starches, fruits, vegetables and milks. Depending on the number of calories you consume each day, you have a different number of allotted servings from each group. For example, if your goal is between 1,600 and 2,000 calories each day, you should eat three fruits, four vegetables, eight starches, two milks, four to six oz. of meat and up to three fats, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders explains.
Considerations
By following a careful diabetes diet regimen, you can make it easier to control your blood glucose levels. This can reduce your risk of developing complications from diabetes, such as heart disease, and may also permit you to reduce the dose of any medications you are taking for diabetes. Diet should not be considered as an alternative to a physician's care, however.
