The number of people suffering from diabetes is continuously increasing. If you are suffering from diabetes, simple lifestyle changes can help a lot. Taking proper diet will ensure that your blood sugar level remains normal. It is also observed that most of the obese people suffer from this disease. At such, healthy eating habits also help to control the weight which is beneficial for fighting against diabetes. Here are 5 effective tips for diabetes.
1. Choose High- Fiber, Slow Release Carbs
Carbohydrates are more harmful in comparison to proteins and fats for diabetes patients. Thus the diabetes patients should try to avoid food items containing a high amounts of diabetes. The food items like rice, white bread which contain refined carbohydrates should be avoided. This also applies to snack foods and candies. You can consume high fiber, slow-release carbs as they are easy to digest. Thus you should eat brown rice instead of white rice. Consuming slow-release carbohydrates will ensure that you get sufficient energy to perform the daily work.
2. Use Sugar Alternatives and Take Sweets with Caution
The diabetes patients are advised to completely avoid taking sweets but the advice is quite hard to follow practically. In case, you are not able to suppress the desire to consume sweets, you can eat the sweets made up of sugar substitutes. Some of the sugar substitutes that are commonly used include Saccharin, Aspartame and Sucralose. The sweets or other items made up of these substitutes do not have any impact on the sugar level of the body. Some people believe that these chemicals are responsible for causing cancer but it is not yet proved clinically. There are many other precautions to take with sweets. For instance, you should consume sweets along with the meals as it will not result in sudden increase in the sugar level. If you take any sweet, you should try to make up for it by compromising any other carbohydrate containing diet.
3. Choose Fats Properly
People suffering from diabetes are more prone to health disease. Thus these people should avoid consuming fats. The saturated and trans fats are very harmful for the diabetes patients. Products like red meat, dairy products and eggs should be avoided as they contain high amount of saturated fats. You should also avoid partially hydrogenated oils as they contain trans fats. You can consume unsaturated fats which are obtained from plant and fish sources. In order to reduce fat intake, you should use baking instead of frying, eat fish instead of meat and use olive oil instead of butter oil.
4. Have a Regular Eating Pattern
This is a very important practice for diabetes patients. The regular eating pattern provides a constant calorie intake which is good for diabetes patients. Thus you should not skip your breakfast as it disturbs the steady blood sugar levels. You should keep an eye on the daily calorie intake as it will help you to maintain steady sugar levels in the body. Many doctors recommend that diabetes patients to maintain a daily food diary to record their daily calorie intake.
5. Take Advantage of Fiber
Finally, you should consume food products like grains, beans, whole grains and fruits containing fiber as it is helpful for diabetes patients.