Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan Your diabetes diet is simply a healthy-eating plan that will help

you control your blood sugar. Here's help getting started, from meal planning to exchange lists and counting carbohydrates. A diabetes diet medically known as medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for diabetes simply translates into eating a variety of nutritious foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes. Rather than a restrictive diet, a diabetes diet or MNT is a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories, with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In fact, a diabetes diet is the best eating plan for most everyone. Purpose If you have diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor will likely recommend that you see a dietitian to guide you on dietary changes that can help you control your blood sugar (glucose) level and manage your weight. When you eat excess calories and fat, your body responds by creating an undesirable rise in blood glucose. If blood glucose isn't kept in check, it can lead to serious problems, such as a dangerously high blood glucose level hyperglycaemia and chronic complications, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage. Making healthy food choices and tracking your eating habits can help you manage your blood glucose level and keep it within a safe range. For most people with type 2 diabetes, losing pounds also can make it easier to control blood glucose and offers a host of other health benefits. If you need to lose weight, a diabetes diet provides a wellorganized, nutritious way to reach your goal safely. Diet details A registered die titian can help you put together a diet based on your health goals, tastes and lifestyle and can provide valuable information on how to change your eating habits. Recommended foods With MNT, quality is much more important than quantity. Make your calories count with these nutritious foods:
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Healthy carbohydrates. During digestion, sugars (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood glucose. Focus on the healthiest carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas and lentils) and low-fat dairy products.

Fiber-rich foods. Dietary fiber includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Fiber can decrease the risk of heart disease and help control blood sugar levels. Foods high in fiber include vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes (beans, peas and lentils), whole-wheat flour and wheat bran.

Heart-healthy fish. Eat heart-healthy fish at least twice a week. Fish can be a good alternative to high-fat meats. Cod, tuna and halibut, for example, have less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat and poultry. Fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promote heart health by lowering blood fats called triglycerides. However, avoid fried fish and fish with high levels of mercury, such as tilefish, swordfish and king mackerel.

'Good' fats. Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as avocados, almonds, pecans, walnuts, olives, and canola, olive and peanut oils can help lower your cholesterol levels. Eat them sparingly, however, as all fats are high in calories. Foods to avoid Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease and stroke by accelerating the development of clogged and hardened arteries. Foods containing the following can work against your goal of a heart-healthy diet.

Saturated fats. High-fat dairy products and animal proteins such as beef, hot dogs, sausage and bacon contain saturated fats. Get no more than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat.

Trans fats. These types of fats are found in processed snacks, baked goods, shortening and stick margarines and should be avoided completely.

Cholesterol. Sources of cholesterol include high-fat dairy products and high-fat animal proteins, egg yolks, shellfish, liver and other organ meats. Aim for no more than 200 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day.

Sodium. Aim for less than 2,000 mg of sodium a day. Putting it all together: Creating a plan There are a few different approaches to creating a diabetes diet that keeps your blood glucose level within a normal range. With a dieticians help, you may find one or a combination of methods that works for you.

Counting carbohydrates. Because carbohydrates break down into glucose, they have the greatest impact on your blood glucose level. It's important to make sure your timing and amount of carbohydrates are the same each day, especially if you take diabetes medications or insulin. Otherwise, your blood glucose level may fluctuate more. A dietitian can teach you how to measure food portions and become an educated reader of food labels, paying special attention to serving size and carbohydrate content. If you're taking insulin, he or she

can teach you how to count the amount of carbohydrates in each meal or snack and adjust your insulin dose accordingly.
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The exchange system. A dietician may recommend using the exchange system, which groups foods into categories such as carbohydrates, meats and meat substitutes, and fats. One serving in a group is called an "exchange." An exchange has about the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories and the same effect on your blood glucose as a serving of every other food in that same group. So, for example, you could exchange or trade one small apple for 1/3 cup of cooked pasta, for one carbohydrate serving.

Glycemic index. Some people who have diabetes use the glycemic index to select foods, especially carbohydrates. Foods with a high glycemic index are associated with greater increases in blood sugar than are foods with a low glycemic index. But low-index foods aren't necessarily healthier, as foods that are high in fat tend to have lower glycemic index values than do some healthier options. A sample menu Your daily meal plan should take into account your size as well as your physical activity level. The following menu is tailored for someone who needs 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.

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Breakfast. Whole-wheat pancakes or waffles, one piece of fruit, 1 cup of low-fat milk. Lunch. Chicken kabob, 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1/2 cup of juice. Dinner. Pasta primavera prepared with broccoli, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of low-fat milk.

Snacks. Six homemade crispy corn tortilla chips, 1/2 cup fresh vegetables with a seasoned garlic sauce. Types of Diabetes Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that results from the destruction of beta cells due to the aggressive natures of the cells present in the body. Some of the risk factors that can trigger type 1 diabetes include genetic factors, poor diet/malnutrition, and environmental factors such as a virus that attacks the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of diabetes and it is also known as non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. This form occurs when the body produces enough insulin but cannot use it effectively. It is more common in people that are older, are obese, have a family history of diabetes, or have had gestational diabetes. Diabetes and the Diet The diet is one of the most important factors when it comes to diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, as it is a condition in which the blood sugar levels increase. Any diet that contains carbohydrates or

sugars is directly responsible for increasing the blood sugar level. The following foods are responsible for the development and aggravation of type 2 diabetes so they should be avoided:
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all foods that contain sugar such as jam, jelly, marmalade, chocolate, desserts, ice cream, confectionery, and so forth honey soft drinks and other artificially sweetened cold drinks milk and milk products such as cheese and butter fruits and fruit juices that have a high sugar content oily foods alcoholic beverages

Lifestyle and Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease, and people that lead a sedentary lifestyle are more prone to suffering from it. This is because they have unexercised muscles and tissues, which can affect the overall action of insulin and reduce its capacity in the utilisation of glucose. Stress is another important cause of type 2 diabetes as it can cause malfunctioning of the pancreas and thus affect the secretion of insulin. Some common stress factors include injury, surgery, infections, pregnancy, and mental tensions or worries. Obesity and Diabetes Obesity is a major cause of type 2 diabetes. This is because being overweight is linked to insulin resistance. If your body fat levels are higher than thirty percent, you have a BMI over 25, or a waist size more than 90cm for women and 100cm for men, you are at high risk. Environmental and External Factors and Diabetes Diabetes can be caused from outside the body by things such as:
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taking steroids or other drugs that alter the hormonal balance within the body the chemicals in certain vegetables such as beans infections some microbes can infect the pancreas and reduce its functioning

Hereditary Factors and Diabetes There is a very strong hereditary connection with diabetes. People that have the human leukocyte antigen in their blood, which is obtained from the parents, have a higher chance of contracting type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is also hereditary but the chance of getting it is increased by other factors such as high blood pressure, hypertension, and obesity. Age and Diabetes While diabetes can occur at any age, it usually occurs in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes mostly shows up in middle age or later up to eighty percent of cases. As a person becomes older, they are less active and tend to gain weight, and this can lead to pancreatic dysfunction. Definition of Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs in non-diabetic women during pregnancy. Diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin or use the insulin it produces in the proper way. Gestational diabetes affects about 3 to 6 percent of all pregnant women. It usually

begins in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy (weeks 24 and 28) and usually disappears shortly after delivery. Description of Gestational diabetes After a meal, a portion of the food a person eats is broken down into sugar (glucose). The sugar then passes into the bloodstream and the cells via a hormone called insulin, produced by the pancreas. Normally, the pancreas produces the right amount of insulin to accommodate the quantity of sugar. However, if the person has diabetes, either the pancreas produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond normally to the insulin. In gestational diabetes, the woman is producing the right amount of insulin, however, the effect of insulin is partially blocked by a variety of other hormones (such as progesterone, prolactin, estrogen, cortisol and human placental lactogen) made in the placenta (the organ that provides nourishment to the baby while developing inside the mother). This process is called insulin resistance, and begins about 20 to 28 weeks into pregnancy. As the placenta grows, more of these hormones are produced and the greater the insulin resistance becomes. In most women, the pancreas is able to make additional insulin to overcome insulin resistance. When the pancreas makes all the insulin it can and there still is not enough to overcome the effect of these hormones, gestational diabetes results.