Diabetes - Which Foods To Eat And Avoid

One of the biggest disadvantages of being a diabetic is having to watch
everything you eat. However, when you know what you can and can’t eat, you can modify your diet accordingly and make choices that will fit your taste and lifestyle. In this article, I will give you some pointers on which foods diabetics can enjoy and which foods they should avoid.

First of all, let’s talk about bad foods for diabetics. It’s very important that you keep an eye on anything that is made of refined or simple carbs. These carbs can be found in everything that has been transformed and refined for taste purposes. While these foods can be tasty, they can also be very dangerous for a diabetic person.

Anything that is made with white flour and white sugar should be avoided like the plague. It’s also very important that you refrain from eating starchy foods such as peas, parsnips and carrots. White pasta, rice and corn are also very high in sugar and should only be taken in moderation.

Now let’s talk about good foods for diabetics. Anything that is made of complex carbohydrates is recommended for people with diabetes. Anything that is made of whole wheat bran is a great source of complex carbs. Legumes are also a great source of complex carbohydrates.

High fiber carbohydrates sources can help you control your blood sugar more easily. Complex carbs, especially those coming from high fiber foods, take longer to be digested by your body. This will cause your body to feel full longer and will stabilize your blood sugar level. When you have diabetes, the last thing you want is sudden ups and downs in your blood sugar level, so high fiber complex carbs should be a major part of your diet if you’re a diabetic.

Fruits and vegetables can get tricky when you’re a diabetic. We are taught from a young age that fruits and vegetables are good for you and that you should eat as many as you can, but the fact is that a lot of fruits and vegetables can actually be harmful for a diabetic person. Pineapples per example are very high in sugar and should only be eaten on occasions. Mangoes are also and example of a fruit that can be dangerous to a diabetic.

Before you do your grocery list, it’s very important that you stay aware of
which foods you should and shouldn’t eat. Make sure that you do your grocer shopping on a full stomach so that you make sound decisions. Ask your professional for an extensive list of good and bad foods for you condition and you’ll be able to enjoy the foods you love risk free.

Diabetes - Not A Disease?

I need to vent a bit here. I had someone post a comment to one of my recent posts and in that comment, she said "Diabetic (I think she meant to say Diabetes) is not a disease, it is a metabolic disorder, where your blood sugar level can be easily maintained with dietary and lifestyle modifications."

Now I appreciate that I by creating this blog I am opening myself up to the rest of the world and have enabled people to post their comments on what I have to say. Most of the time, I welcome these comments. It definitely helps me to not feel so alone in all the stuff that I have to go through. And I believe that she started out her comment by telling me she had read my other posts on the blog. Well if that is in fact the case, then I guess she missed the fact that I have Type 1 Diabetes and REQUIRE medication to live my life, dietary and lifestyle modifications can not easily maintain my blood sugar levels. Why would someone say something like that to someone who is a Type 1 Diabetic? I don't get it!

Now I know I am splitting hairs here, and that Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, but come on. Isn't that just a fine point between disease and disorder. I may be overly sensitive but that comment and actually the entire tone of the comment, just made me angry. And happily enough I have this blog to post about my anger! Yipee for me! And this disorder that I live with everyday!

So, please feel free to continue to post comments on what I might write, but please think about what are saying before you hit the send button. That's all I am asking here!

Common Myths About Insulin

There are 3 common myths about insulin. The first is that insulin raises blood pressure and causes dyslipidemia, and, as a consequence, may increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The second is that insulin aggravates insulin resistance. The third is that insulin therapy inevitably results in weight gain.

How did these myths come about? The history of these myths is interesting. Let’s talk first about the myth that insulin is atherogenic. A number of epidemiological studies going back to the 1970s and continuing even now demonstrated that the higher the circulating insulin levels, the higher the likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD). Most of these studies were done in nondiabetic populations. There is no question that there is an association between insulin levels and CAD. But that’s because insulin is easy to measure, and so epidemiologists measure insulin, not insulin resistance, and may conclude erroneously that insulin is responsible for the increased CAD. One has to appreciate that the reason the insulin levels are high is that there is insulin resistance. The body’s compensatory mechanism to overcome the insulin resistance is to raise the circulating insulin level.

In healthy people who can compensate for the insulin resistance, you can have a higher insulin level and still have a normal glucose level. Hyperinsulinemia is a compensatory mechanism that is not itself responsible for the increased CAD. The culprit is the insulin resistance, not hyperinsulinemia. Insulin resistance leads to both high blood pressure and dyslipidemia. If you look at the mechanisms, the sequence of events becomes clear.

Welcome To One Diabetic

Welcome to the One Diabetic blog. Your Type 1 Diabetes resource.