Title: The Truth About Food as friend and enemy of diabetes Food as friend and enemy of diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high. It develops when your pancreas doesn’t make enough a hormone, called insulin or when your body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly. Glucose (sugar) mainly comes from carbohydrates in your food and drinks. It’s your body’s source of energy. Your blood carries glucose to all your body’s cells to use for energy. When glucose is in your bloodstream, it needs help to reach its final destination. This key is insulin. If your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or your body doesn’t use it properly, glucose builds up in your bloodstream, causing high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Over time, having high blood glucose can cause health problems.The main of them is diabetes.
There are several types of diabetes. The most common, especially in people over 45, is Type 2 diabetes. The illness starts from Prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition that occurs when glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. Your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes is higher if you have risk factors such as overweight or obesity, an inactive lifestyle, a family history of diabetes. But even for people with Prediabetes there are ways to prevent or, at least, delay the disease. These include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and lifestyle (especially your diet) changes that may help reduce your risk.
Symptoms of diabetes may include: feeling tired, increased hunger or thirst, losing weight without evident reason, urinating often, numbness or tingling in hands or feet. You may also get blurred vision and skin infections, and your body may heal more slowly from cuts and bruises. In people with Type 2 diabetes, symptoms often develop slowly and may go unnoticed for a long time. Some people with Type 2 diabetes have no evident symptoms, and they only find out that they have the condition when other diabetes-related health problems develop.
How may your diet assist you fight diabetes? First of all let us understand which vitamins and minerals are our weapons in this fight? It was found that vitamin C may improve glycemic (an index measuring the level of blood glucose) control and insulin sensitivity. Therefore vitamin C could play a protective role in preventing the development of Type 2 diabetes. Adults with prediabetes or diabetes have a greater vitamin C requirement. Also we know that vitamin C may counteract low grade inflammation and oxidative stress (an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body) that play a key role in the development of diabetes. Also vitamin E has a beneficial role in improving your blood glucose (sugar) level and insulin resistance. Several studies have shown a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the onset of diabetes. It was found that taking a vitamin D could reduce insulin resistance and improve glucose management. Now let us look at minerals. Chromium is a trace mineral that helps the body use glucose efficiently and may be beneficial for insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control. Magnesium appears to help manage blood sugar levels among people with diabetes. Also, those who tend to consume less magnesium typically have poorer blood sugar regulation and a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
List of products with big vitamin C content includes: red and green pepper, orange and grapefruit, kiwifruit, strawberries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, potato. Vitamin E can be found in numerous foods, but especially in seeds, nuts, cooking oils (sunflower and canola oils), fish (salmon, trout). Vegetables high in vitamin E include red sweet peppers, pumpkin, beet greens, spinach. Fruit with lots of vitamin E includes avocado, and mango. Egg yolks contain good amounts of vitamin E (but not the egg white). Our bodies produce vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight, and it can also be obtained through diet. Vitamin D is found in foods such as fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, herring), egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified products (cow’s milk, orange juice, cereals). Chromium is abundantly found in a rich array of natural food sources such as green beans, potatoes, apples, bananas, whole grains, peas, broccoli, corn, grapes and meat. Many types of foods contain magnesium. These include leafy green vegetables (spinach, Swiss chard), bananas, potato (with skin), broccoli, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fish (salmon, halibut, mackerel).
Briefly we may say that everyone looking for protection against diabetes should focus on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Carbs from whole grains that it does absorb enter the bloodstream more slowly than processed carbs. For this reason, these carbs are less likely to cause blood sugar levels to spike. They lead to the person feeling fuller for longer. Fruits contain high-quality carbohydrates and fiber, as do nuts and legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils. The absorption of glucose from these products is slow. Though fruits may cause blood sugar levels to rise, this increase is less severe than it would be after eating a sugary snack. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk are the best sources of carbs. This is because foods high in fiber slow down the transport and absorption of glucose.
Now let us talk about food contributing to the diabetes development. Glucose (sugar) mainly comes from carbohydrates in your food and drinks. There are three main types of carbohydrates in food: starch, sugar, and fiber. Starches and sugars pose the biggest problems for people with diabetes because the body breaks these down into glucose. Although fiber is technically a carbohydrate, it does not break down into glucose in the body and does not add calories. Fiber is a healthy carb. But pay attention on refined starches which our body quickly absorbs and converts them into glucose. This increases blood sugar, and it means that a person may feel hungry again soon after a meal. We talk about such products as white bread, white rice, white pasta, many backed goods. Sugary foods mostly contain sugar and low-quality carbohydrates. They often have little or no nutritional value and can cause sharp spikes in blood glucose. People should take care when consuming dried fruit and premade juices or fruit salad, as these often contain added sugar.
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