Diabetes Diet and Healthy Food Tips
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into your cells to be stored or used for energy. With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it does make.
Cause
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, occurs when your immune system, the body’s system for fighting infection, attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
Symptoms
• Increased thirst.
• Frequent urination.
• Extreme hunger.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Presence of ketones in the urine (ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there’s not enough available insulin)
• Fatigue.
• Irritability.
• Slow healing of wound
Treatment & Management
Controlling blood sugar through diet, oral medication or insulin along with Regular screening for complications is the main treatment.
1. Diet
- Living with diabetes does not have to mean feeling deprived. People can learn to balance meals and make healthful food choices while still including the foods they enjoy.
- A healthy diet is essential to reversing pre diabetes. There are no foods, herbs, drinks, or supplements that lower blood sugar. Only medication and exercise can. But there are things you can eat and drink that have a low Glycemic Index (GI).
- This means these foods won’t raise your blood sugar and may help you avoid a blood sugar spike.
For people who have diabetes, the key to a beneficial diet, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), is as follows:
• Include fruits, green leafy vegetables & whole grains.
• Eat lean protein.
• Choose foods with less added sugar.
• Avoid Trans fats.
2. In addition to diet changes, staying or becoming active is also important.