For Diabetics: Proper Diet and Blood Sugar Levels

Food choices for diabetics may seem complicated at first, but the basic fact is that eating whole, fresh foods is the key. Not only is this true for diabetics, but also for most people. The nutritional value of processed foods is altered, during processing. Unnatural ingredients are added, to extend shelf life and avoid contamination. Many natural vitamins and minerals in the foods are destroyed by heating. Though the food may sustain life, it has little nutritional value.

Deciding on the proper foods to buy is easy, if you follow the “natural” food rule. Here is a list of foods prescribed for diabetics, in order of importance:

Starches: includes brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals and potatoes.

Fruits & Vegetables: Fresh, not canned. Frozen can also be used, if the desired fruit or vegetable is out of season, but fresh is best.

Protein Foods: fish fillet, skinned chicken, lamb, dairy products. (These should be baked or broiled. Portions should be 4 – 6 oz, daily. Dairy products should all be low-fat.)

Refrain from eating cake, cookies and other processed sweets, unless they are made with whole grains and are very low in sugar. Above all, keep your meals as close to raw as possible. Cook, only when absolutely necessary (such as with chicken or fish or vegetables such as potatoes and beans), and never use hydrogenated oil to prepare your meals. Stay away from fried foods and monitor your weight, to be sure that you’re in the correct weight range.

And now, on to blood sugar levels...

Normal blood sugar levels range from 70 – 105 mg/dl when the body is in a fasting state. But blood sugar levels vary, throughout the day. The reading will be different when you wake up and different after you have eaten a meal or have had a hardy snack. It would be at its peak, shortly after either of these two actions, but should stabilize after a few hours.

According to a study done by the AACE (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) of 25,000 diabetics, a safe blood sugar level, one hour after eating a meal, should be no more than 140 mg/dl; after 2 hours, it should be 120 mg/dl. Unfortunately, this is not what most doctors tell their patients.

Many physicians have stated that 180 mg/dl, two hours after a meal, is considered normal. But in reality, a continuous blood sugar level that high can cause blindness, kidney failure and blood related complications such as heart attacks and even death.

If you are diabetic, it is important to take a blood sugar test daily, at different times of the day. If you eat the proper foods, you should be able to stabilize your blood sugar level. A proper diet is vital to diabetics and helps the body to normalize its natural functions.

Sometimes, insulin is needed to help do that, and one should follow that treatment, as well. But ultimately, what you put into your body determines how it will react. In this case, stabilizing natural blood sugar levels can be accomplished by following a prescribed, natural diet, coupled with a daily exercise routine. Keeping the blood sugar level under 120 mg/dl, two hours after a meal, is favored.