Following a Diabetic Diet

Getting a diagnosis of Diabetes can be frightening, confusing and depressing. You may have questions long after leaving your doctor’s office, and you may wonder about your long-term health. But as important as these questions are, ironically, it’s the change in diet that really drives home the point for many people that their lives have changed forever.

As if it’s not enough that you now have to think about insulin (now or as a possibility in the future) and health complications associated with your diabetes, you now have to live with changes to your diet on an everyday basis.

But a Diabetic diet doesn’t have to be confusing, boring or tasteless. In fact, many of the recommendations for a diabetic diet fall in line with what physicians and health professionals recommend for anyone wanting to live a healthier lifestyle.

Attitude Counts!

Yeah, I know. It might sound cliché. But it’s true!

The bottom line is that you have Diabetes. And you’re going to have to change the way you eat in order to avoid complications associated with Diabetes and possibly to avoid an advance of the disease.

Since these are change you have to make, you have two choices – hate every minute and fight it every step of the way, or look at it as an opportunity to jump start an overall, healthier lifestyle.

And the truth is, you’re going to enjoy it a lot more if you pick the latter!

So don’t look at it as something you have to do (even though you kinda do!). Instead, look at the change in diet as a chance to start over, a chance to become healthier and to live a more vibrant, energetic life so that you can continue doing the things that matter for many years to come.

The Basics

If you haven’t been following a healthy diet up until now, making such a drastic change so quickly can be intimidating and overwhelming. Instead of making the change all at once, start by making a few small changes the first couple of weeks.

These simple changes are easy to incorporate and include the following:

• Eat more complex carbohydrates - carbohydrates are broken down into usable glucose early in the digestive cycle, which means they have a more immediate impact on your blood glucose levels.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables – fruits and vegetables are two of the healthiest sources of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber delays sugar absorption, giving your body more consistent levels of glucose throughout the day.
   
• Limit simple sugars and desserts – sugar-laden foods can cause a sharp rise in blood glucose levels, followed by an equally sharp decline later. You’ll feel better if you eat foods that keep your blood glucose, and your energy levels, on an even keel.

Nothing Radical!

Do these recommendations look familiar?

They should! They closely resemble the dietary recommendations made by virtually every health-related organization worldwide.

Nothing fancy or trendy here! By focusing on overall healthy eating and making a few simple changes, you’ll be one step closer to controlling your diabetes – and one step closer to better health.