After being diagnosed with diabetes it is important to start on a diabetic diet plan. This is because a good diabetic diet plan is essential to preventing complications connected to diabetes whether type 1 or type 2. Complications such as eye, kidney and nerve diseases that often arise after being diagnosed with diabetes can all be prevented with a healthy diet plan and regular exercise. Following on such a diet does not mean you have to totally abstain from sugars. This type of diet plan is more about regulation and is not restrictive at all, but you will have to make changes to your normal diet.

What To Eat

First let’s look at what you  should have your diet. A very important component of your diet is fiber. Increasing fiber in a diabetic diet plan will help to slow down digestion and help in absorbing nutrients. This is very important in a diabetic diet plan because it steadies the stream of glucose being released into the blood stream. Fiber also absorbs bile acids that when left alone is converted into blood cholesterol.

Another important thing to include in your new diabetic diet plan is lots of water. Drinking more than the usual prescribed amount of eight glasses is a good idea. Dehydration will increase blood sugar levels so avoiding dehydration is very important.

The Bad

A diabetic diet plan should have reduced amounts of salt. This is because diabetics face developing hypertension and reducing sodium intake can help with preventing this. Research has led to the idea that caffeine reduces insulin sensitivity, because of this it is a good idea to reduce the amount of coffee and soft drinks that contain caffeine to better manage the disease. Especially for those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Timing And Portions

Timing and portion size also play an important part in implementing a diabetic diet plan. Rather than having three main meals that are big in size with no snack in between it is preferable to space out several small meals throughout the day. It is also important to keep the time of your meals regular. If you have a big breakfast one day and a small one the next day your blood sugar levels fluctuate too much.

You should also never skip meals or snacks, you risk letting your blood sugar levels dipping, which is to be avoided. As much as it may seem like a pain to have to continually watch when and what you eat the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages you may find to this new way of eating. You should talk to your physician for a more detailed understanding of what makes a good diabetic diet plan. 

Share This Page: