Diabetes
What is diabetes?
Diabetes refers to a group of conditions that are associated with an increase in the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. Type I diabetes is caused by the lack of insulin, a protein that lets in the sugar from your blood and into the cells of your muscles and organs. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a resistance in your body to insulin. Thus, your body needs to produce more insulin for blood sugar levels to decrease.
Is diabetes reversible?
Type 1 diabetes is not reversible, but research is ongoing to find a cure. Individuals with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin very diligently for the rest of their lives. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the inability of your body to create insulin.
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with medication, exercise, and a healthy diet. Medication alone cannot reverse type 2 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes can develop into type 1 diabetes if blood sugar levels stay high for a long time.
What can I do to reverse type 2 diabetes?
Eat healthy, exercise, and take your medication! Medication, exercise, or diet alone are usually not enough to reverse your symptoms. Go to your doctor if your blood sugar levels remain high or if you feel your medication is not working. It is important to always seek guidance from your healthcare provider. Nutrition and exercise are very powerful tools to improve your health, but it is important to ensure that your medication is also doing its job.
Why is my diet so important?
A healthy diet is crucial for improving your outcome with type 2 diabetes and preventing the development of type 1 diabetes. Eating a high sugar diet puts a lot of stress on your body, as the sugar is rapidly absorbed and causes a sudden increase in your blood sugar. The blood sugar stays high until your pancreas, the organ that produces insulin, goes into overdrive produces a lot more insulin than normal. This process places a lot of stress on your pancreas and increases the risk of damage that causes type 1 diabetes. Thus, it is important to be watchful of the amount and source of sugar being consumed. It is also important to consume a nutritious and balanced diet rich in nutrients, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber.
Nutrition
Why Is My Nutrition Important?
Eating a variety of different foods and limiting some unhealthy options will help improve your overall nutrition. A diet that has a lot of vegetables, proteins, and fruits will considerably help control your diabetes.
Creating a meal plan will help you manage your food options and control blood sugar. A healthy diet consists of six main food groups: Grains, Fruits, Meat, Vegetables, Dairy, and Fats. Half of your diet should be vegetables and fruits because fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that are important for your diet. Grains is the base for your food options and picking the healthy choice such as oats or brown rice, is important for reducing blood sugar. Proteins and dairy are a big chunk of the daily portion size and provide the body with protein which makes up your muscles and bones.
Choosing healthy carbohydrates and foods high in fiber and good fats are important for a diabetic diet. Foods with high salts and drinks with high sugar can increase your blood sugar and blood pressure. Fruits, leafy-green vegetables, and fish are just some examples of recommended foods.
What types of changes can I make to improve my nutrition?
Changing your entire diet can be hard to small healthy alternatives can substantially improve your nutrition. For example, making your sandwich with whole wheat instead of white bread will decrease blood sugar. In addition, picking lean meat instead of red meat is the key to reducing cholesterol and bad fats in the body.
Physical activity also is important to your lifestyle, at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day. Decreasing smoking and drinking habits will also help improve your overall nutrition.
What types of foods are considered unhealthy?
Foods that are considered unhealthy cause changes in the body by increasing your blood sugar or fats. One tool that can categorize how much a certain food can increase your blood sugar is the Glycemic Index. Some foods, such as refined sugars or white bread, can cause your blood sugar to increase very quickly. These types of sugars are easily converted into glucose to be used by the body, and increase your blood sugar rapidly. Using the Glycemic Index can help differentiate between slower "Good Carbs" and faster "Bad Carbs".
Many packaged foods have labels showing the Glycemic Index which can be found in your local grocery store. If the number is 55 or lower, it would represent a low amount of spike in blood sugar while 70 and higher would mean a rapid change in the body.
While fats are many times considered unhealthy, in moderation, some foods may be part of a nutritious diet. Making heart healthy choices can help prevent diabetes or help manage the illness. Eating an unhealthy amount of any type of fat is not good for the body but some food choices are good in contrast to bad fats. Saturated and Trans fat are bad fats and found in foods such as meats and butter. Unsaturated fats in some moderation are healthy and found in sunflower oil and avocados.
