The Proper Diet for Diet Controlled Diabetes

By Andy Rowde

A diet-controlled diabetes is one that does not make use of medications to lower blood sugar. Medications called oral hypoglycemics are usually prescribed in conjunction with diet and lifestyle change for those who are diabetic. In a diet-controlled diabetes, oral hypoglycemics are not yet used.

However, there are still some physicians who continue to recommend taking oral hypoglycemic even if diet modification lowers the blood sugar. This is because there is not much clinical evidence to support it.

A diabetic diet is the ideal type of diet for people with diabetes. It is usually one of the first and most important prescribed treatments in bringing down the blood sugar.

There are many specifications within this type of diet that may be a challenge for the diabetic at first. However, compliance is very important in the case of diet controlled diabetes, particularly in the area of blood sugar management.

The following are basic rules and necessities as to what a good diabetic diet must consist:

-Cut down on fatty meat, skin of poultry, ice cream, fatty oils, and dairy products because they are rich in saturated fat. -Choose instead products with little or no fat. -Lean meat is recommended. -2-3 portions of fruits should be eaten daily. -3-5 servings of vegetables are ideally ingested every day. -Avoid high-fat meat, poultry and dairy because they are full of cholesterol. -There are, however, healthier oils like olive and canola; these can be used instead. -4-5 times a week, fish should be eaten. Salmon and tuna are some types of fish that have healthy fat. -Your style of cooking matters. Roasting, steaming, baking and grilling are more advisable than frying. If you simply must do so, use olive oil. -Food that contains high dietary fiber like fruits and bitter vegetables, oatmeal, and wheat, are good for the diabetic. They decrease the blood sugar level quite efficiently, especially the bitter greens. -Too much salt is a no-no. -You can not stop eating energy-bringing foods like rice, cereals, pasta or potatoes, but you can moderate them to 6-11 servings daily because they easily transform into glucose.

How the diet modifications affect the individual differs from person to person. A professional dietitian can help the diabetic come up with a meal plan appropriate to his specific needs. Being compliant with medications and treatment, exercising regularly, as well as sticking to the lifestyle and diet modification plan, are always good ways to prevent and manage the illness. Even if it is true that modifying the diet is a big help in diet controlled diabetes, it should not be the only way that the diabetic relies on. - 29887

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