As discussed by MayoClinic, diabetes is a disease in which your body is unable to utilize glucose properly. When you eat a food that is broken down into sugar, your body is unable to get the glucose into the cells and as a result, your blood glucose is high. Obesity and overweight are risk factors for diabetes, and controlling your weight can help control your blood glucose.
Background
As stated by the American Diabetes Association, losing 10 to 15 pounds can help to lower your blood glucose, blood pressure and blood cholesterol. These changes decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. Your physician may use the body mass index, or BMI, which uses your height and weight to determine whether you fall into the healthy weight, overweight or obese category. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal, while a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI over 30 is considered obese.
Types of Food
Six servings of grains, beans and starchy vegetables is the typical recommended daily allotment for a person with diabetes. Because these foods are carbohydrates and easily converted to sugar, your physician may instruct you to count the number that you eat at each meal and limit yourself to a certain amount. You may eat three to five servings of nonstarchy vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers and lettuce, and two to four servings of fruit daily. Two to three servings of low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheese, may be consumed daily, as well as two to three servings of lean meats. Red meat, baked goods, desserts and sweets that are high in saturated fat and sugar should be consumed sparingly.
Portion Control
One of the most difficult parts of controlling your weight is determining how much of a food is reasonable to consume in one sitting. Serving sizes can be confusing because foods are rarely packaged per serving. One serving of a grain product is a slice of bread, 1/2 cup of corn or 3/4 cup of dry cereal. A cup of milk or yogurt makes up one serving of a dairy product, and 3 oz. of meat constitutes a serving. It can be helpful to separate your food into individual serving sizes so you know how much you are eating at any given meal.
Exercise
While a nutritious, well-balanced meal plan often helps with weight management, most people will need to also increase physical activity to lose weight. Physical activity also helps move glucose into body cells and can decrease your blood glucose. You should discuss the type of exercise that may be appropriate for you with your physician, but in general, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week is recommended. Additionally, if you continue to have difficulty with weight management, a nutritionist may be able to help you lose weight and keep it off.
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