Diabetes Food

Diabetes can strike anyone, from any walk of life.

When you eat, your body turns food into sugars, or glucose. At that point, your pancreas is supposed to release insulin. Insulin serves as a “key” to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter -- and allow you to use the glucose for energy. But with diabetes, this system does not work. Several major things can go wrong – causing the onset of diabetes. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the most common forms of the disease, but there are also other kinds, such as gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, as well as other forms.

There are two major types of diabetes:

1. Type 1

This is popularly known as Juvenile Onset Diabetes.

Here, the body produces little or no insulin. It occurs most often in childhood or in the teens and could be inherited.

People with this type of diabetes need daily injections of insulin. They must balance their daily intake of food and activities carefully with their insulin shots to stay alive.

2. Type 2

Also known as Adult Onset Diabetes, this occurs around 35 to 40 years. The more common of the two types, it accounts for about 80 per cent of the diabetics.

Here, though the pancreas produce adequate insulin, body cells show reduced sensitivity towards it.

Type 2 diabetes is usually triggered by obesity. The best way to fight it is by weight loss, exercise and dietary control.

Sometimes, oral medication or insulin injections are also needed.

Few Symptoms of diabetes are:

• Extreme thirst and hunger

• Frequent urination

• Sores or bruises that heal slowly

• Dry, itchy skin

• Unexplained weight loss

• Unusual tiredness or drowsiness

• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet

Whether Type 1 or 2, diabetics need a balance of diet and exercise.

A person disgnosed with Diabetes should take a proper diet and have a regular exercise and should know how to channelize the stress management which is very very essential.

Diet:

Diet should be broken down in to regular intervals of 4 atleast instead of three large meals, making sure of including the raw vegetables once in a day.

Foods that should be included are -

1. Bitter gourd (karela).

2. Fenugreek (methi).

3. Indian blackberry (jamun).

4. Garlic.

5. Onion.

6. Flaxseed.

7. Fiber.

8. Cinnamon solution.

9. Antioxidants.

Healthy tips for diabetics

1. Eat food at fixed hours.

2. Do not eat immediately after a workout.

3. Do not overeat.

4. If you are on insulin, make sure you have three proper meals with light snacks in between.

5. Do not eat fast; masticate and munch your food well before you swallow.

6. Drink a lot of water that will help flush the toxins off your system.

7. Make sure the gaps between your meals are short.

8. Avoid fried foods and sweetmeats.

9. Include fresh vegetable salad in every meal.

10. Have at least 20 to 25 grams of raw onion daily.

11. Add wheat bran to your wheatflour (50% wheatflour + 50% wheat bran). This helps increase fibre in your diet.

You can also make diabetic flour by mixing wholegrain cereal, soyabean, blackgram (urad dal), jowar, bajra, Bengal gram (kala chana), wheat bran and barley.

You can also add flaxseed and methi seeds into the wheatflour.

12. Include sprouts in the diet. Sprouts are a fountain of nutrients.