Diabetes Explanation

Diabetes is a disease that affects about 21 million people in the United States. It is a disease that affects a person’s metabolism and how food is digested in the body, along with how it is used for energy. Diabetes is a disease that lasts for life once a person is diagnosed with it.

When food is digested in the body, it is turned into glucose, which is a type of sugar in the blood. Glucose is what helps produce energy for the body, but in order for it to get into the blood stream insulin must play a part. It is produced from the pancreas and when the right amount of insulin is in the body it helps transport glucose from the blood to cells. People with diabetes do not have enough (or in some cases no) insulin in their bodies. This causes glucose to overflow from the blood to urine and then it is lost and so is energy from the body.

What Food Does to Diabetics

For people who are diabetic, certain foods can make their blood glucose levels increase, therefore causing blood sugar levels to get out of control. This can cause immediate problems, such as decrease in energy and extreme fatigue. Those who have had their blood sugar out of control for long periods of time are at risk for many complications.

Watch What You Eat

It is extremely important for diabetics to monitor their diets and eat foods that are not throwing off their levels of blood sugar. It is important to have variety in one’s diet and to learn what affects your body. A variety of colors is important when eating fruits and vegetables because each provides different vitamins and nutrients important to a healthy diet.

Go Green

An extremely significant color of foods is dark green. Dark green vegetables are non-starchy and include such vegetables as spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, chard and kale. These types of vegetables are packed with fiber and can help blood glucose levels. They are also rich in vitamin K.

This is especially important because people with diabetes are much more likely to contract other sicknesses and complications. This is due to weakened immune systems and fighting off diseases takes more energy to fight, meanwhile the body is trying to produce enough insulin.

Eating foods that are full of soluble fiber are great for diabetics because they help to slow down or reduce the absorption of glucose from the intestine and help keep blood sugar levels under control. Foods that have soluble fiber are fruits, vegetables and some types of seeds. Although, also monitor your food consumption because even if you eat healthy foods, overeating can still do some harm.

Managing Diabetes

Managing diabetes can be done by monitoring food intake along with getting a healthy amount of exercise. It is recommended by doctors that people with diabetes eat about five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. By following a doctor’s recommendations and eating naturally good foods that can make a difference in living healthy while having diabetes.

Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-prevention/DA00127
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminK/