Diabetic Diet

Diabetic Diet for diabetics is simply a balanced healthy diet which is vital for diabetic treatment, however, a lot of people have the misconception that these diet consist only diabetic foods.  The regulation of blood sugar in the non-diabetic is automatic, adjusting to whatever foods are eaten. But, for the diabetic, extra caution is needed to balance food intake with exercise, insulin injections and any other glucose altering activity (more information on List of food a diabetic can eat). This helps diabetic patient to maintain the desirable weight and control their glucose level in their blood. It also helps to prevent diabetes patient from heart and blood vessel related diseases. Research shows that regardless of the makeup of the diet, eating just enough calories to maintain an ideal weight is the most effective dietary strategy to prevent the onset of diabetic. (more on Diabetic Cook Book)

Recommendations of diabetic diet  differ for person to person, based on their nutritional needs, lifestyle, and the action and timing of medications. For example, diet for Type 1 diabetic,   focus mostly on matching food intake to insulin whereby one needs to know when insulin peaks and how fast the body metabolize different type of foods. In Type 2 diabetic the concern may be more oriented to weight loss in order to improve the body's ability to utilize the insulin it does produce. Thus, learning about the basic of food nutrition will be able to help in adjusting diet to suite the particular condition.

Diabetes Guidelines

Whether it is Type I, Type II diabetes or Gestational diabetes, the goals of achieving control of blood glucose levels are similar: to keep blood glucose as near as possible to that of a person without diabetes.
The following table show the desirable blood sugar level supply by The American Diabetes Association

Blood Glucose Goals - Desirable Blood Sugar Levels

Time of Test    Person without diabetes     Person with diabetes
Before meals           Less than 115 mg/dl                80 to 120 mg/dl 
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Before bedtime        Less than 120 mg/dl               100 to 140 mg/dl

• Recommended daily food portion:

          Daily calories count :    carbohydrates       - 50% to 60%
                                            protein                  - 12% to 20%
                                            fat                        - not more than 30%

• Spacing meal throughout the day, help a person avoid extremely high or low blood glucose levels.

• Diet undertaken with the supervision of a doctor.

• In take of food which help lower blood cholesterol.

• Use Exchange lists in planning diabetic diet.