Prevention & Control of Diabetes

Diabetes can almost completely be brought into control by proper diet. Now why is that so and what is diabetes? Diabetes is the condition of the body not producing enough insulin or the body not responding to the insulin produced. Food that is being consumed is converted into glucose within the body and it is insulin that moves the glucose from the blood into the cells, however if this fails to happen then the glucose/sugar content in the blood stream goes high and the cells do not get the required energy and nutrition. This condition is diagnosed as diabetes. Diabetes can also be formed due to genetic factors however there is also an interesting factor that 90% of people with diabetes are overweight. So it is obvious that most of the diabetes cases are caused due to unhealthy eating habits.

Sugar  is not only the main provider of glucose. Anything that you eat gets converted into glucose. You should be well aware of the amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fibers and fats. Proteins should account to upto 20% of our daily intake and foods containing monounsaturated fats should be chosen more often than foods with poly unsaturated and saturated fats. Examples for foods rich in monounsaturated fats are olives, olive oils, different kinds of nuts and seeds. The most seriously taken into consideration should be the carbs intake which is the most important source of fuel for the body. Carbohydrates are there in breads, diary products, starches and fruits. For an adult women the fiber intake for a day should be around 25 grams and for the adult male it should be around 35 grams. Good sources of fiber are oats, rice bran, cooked beans, fruits and vegetables.

Exercise is another important factor that helps to keep the sugar level down to an extent though exercise alone may not be able to help. Exercise combined with proper diets will prevent the sugar level shooting up. It also prevents the risk of cardiovascular diseases and also aids in weight loss. Try to engage in 150 minutes of  moderate physical activity per week. This 150 minutes can be split and scheduled as per convenience.

This is a diabetes food pyramid that divides basic foods into different levels guiding and showing its value and the correct amount that should be consumed. It is different from the normal food pyramid in the way it groups different foods together focusing on the way in which certain foods affects the blood glucose level.

As per this pyramid 60 to 70% of your daily calories should come from the base level which constitutes of bread,grains,starches, beans and pastas. You can have 6+ servings. The remaining 30 to 40% of calories are to be obtained from the other food groups. The next level in the food pyramid constitutes of fruits and vegetables. Fruits recommended servings are 3-4 and vegetables 3-5. Then comes milk, yoghurt, meat, fish, cheese, egg and other proteins. Recommended serving  2-3. The last in the food pyramid is fats, oils and sweets which are supposed to be used in very small amounts. Example one teaspoon butter or oil and if it is sweets, maybe half a cup of ice cream or two small cookies.

 Diabetes is a complicate disease.The seventh leading cause of death in the US is diabetes.  By proper management of the blood sugar levels, lipid levels and blood pressure levels this can be kept under control and also prevented. Make healthy choices of food, make sure to check out the nutrition values on the packets of food that you purchase, avoid temptations, exercise regularly and follow the food pyramid as a guide and don't forget to eat at regular times.