What Should Diabetics Eat? Food Choices For Type 2 Diabetics

Learning what to eat and what not to eat is requisite for someone suffering from diabetes. A Type 2 diabetic should be able to operate his glucose level at near-normal blood sugar levels with diet and an oral anti-diabetic medication. If diabetes is not controlled, the risk for infection and other complications increases.

Diabetes mellitus is a persisting disease that has devastating complications such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, increased risk of infections, and complications such as coronary artery disease and stroke. Diabetes is the major cause of blindness and also the important cause of lower-extremity amputation and renal disease.

The Food Pyramid

If you consult a doctor, he will first resolve either you are a type 1 or type 2 diabetic. Patients with type 1 diabetes are treated with insulin and continuous source of carbohydrates for survival. Patients with Type 2 diabetes are treated initially with curative cusine therapy (a diet therapy) and medication of metformin.

To know what Type 2 diabetics should eat, use the diabetes food pyramid. This will help you make wise food choices by eating more from the groups at the lowest of the pyramid and less from the groups at the top. Foods for diabetics are divided into groups based on their composition. At the lowest of the pyramid are starches. The next level is fruits and vegetables. The next level is meat and meat substitutes and milk. At the top is fats and sweets.

Diabetes should eat some starches in each meal because it is healthy. The American Diabetes connection emphasizes on intake of starches for diabetics such as eating 6 to 11 portions of bread, pasta etc. In a day. Starches contain bread, grains, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes which provide carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Vegetables and fruits are on the next level because they provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and itsybitsy carbohydrates.

Plan what to eat to operate your diabetes. Use of a diabetic meal plan will be very helpful to keep your blood glucose level at normal range. I have studied various meal plans and have thought about the most productive meal plans for diabetics. For breakfast, for example, I suggest eating bread made of whole wheat with a teaspoon of margarine or ¼ cup bungalow cheese. You can also have half a cup of oatmeal with half a cup of double toned skimmed milk and a small banana.

What Should Diabetics Eat? Food Choices For Type 2 Diabetics