Best Diet For Diabetes

First of all, any food or diet that you choose should have 2 goals

#1 Control Your Blood Sugars

Keeping your blood sugars under control is vital to avoiding the long term complications that diabetes can bring.

Diabetes can be scary, especially when you start reading about all the awful complications that can happen to you. But it doesn't have to be that way - you are not a victim and you do have some control over the matter. Experts now think that long term diabetic complications are mainly caused by high blood sugars.

So if you want to avoid diabetic complications - keep your blood sugars are close to normal as possible.

A great way to do this is with what you eat. Most foods make your blood sugar go up. However some foods are worse than others. Sugars, simple carbohydrates and even high glycemic fruits can raise your blood sugar fast.

Lower carbohydrate foods like meat and vegetables, nuts or seeds on the other hand do not raise your blood sugar as much and can make it much easier for your body to keep blood sugars stable.

While it's probably not the best idea to go on a zero carbohydrate diet, keeping your carbs down can help control your blood sugars. The carbs you do eat should be complex carbs that raise the blood sugar slowly like oatmeal, beans or brown rice.

#2 Lose Weight

The first thing most doctors will tell a type 2 diabetic to do is to lose weight. Why? Because losing weight will help lessen the strain on your pancreas. It will help your body work better in many things - including helping your insulin to work.

In fact, my father and an uncle of mine both avoided diabetic medication for years, just by losing weight when they were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

While this isn't the case for everyone, losing weight can certainly help - plus it also will help you keep your blood sugars under control (see #1 above).

So what's the best diet for diabetes?

Welll, the best diet for a diabetic will keep these 2 goals above in mind. A good nutritionist can go a long way in helping you design a diet to meet these goals.

But the bottom line is you should educate yourself, test your blood sugar before and after you eat and learn what foods work best to help you lose weight and keep blood sugars in a normal range.

If you need some help with losing weight or eating lower carb foods, you can also try a specific diet for diabetics like those found on our diabetic diet plan page

Remember also to consult your doctor before trying any new diet - especially since once you do cut your carbs or lose weight, your blood sugars may start to fall too low and you should adjust your medication accordingly.