Diabetes: The Role of Good Nutrition- Guest post by Leslie Vandever

 Eating healthy is smart for anyone, no
matter their age, gender, or lifestyle. But if you have diabetes, choosing
healthy foods over those that aren’t so healthy becomes a choice between being
well or becoming sick—and maybe even dying.

Diabetes—a chronic, often life-long disease
of dangerously high blood sugar (glucose)—takes three forms: gestational, type
1, type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is also known as
juvenile diabetes, since it often starts in childhood. It can, however, appear
at any age. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it’s thought to be an
autoimmune disease (“auto” means “self”). The immune system, which protects the
body from outside invaders like harmful bacteria, viruses, or other substances,
in this case attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas,
mistaking them as foreign.

Insulin is a vital substance that
carries sugar (glucose) to muscle, fat and liver cells so it can be converted
into energy. Without it, glucose builds up in the blood and can cause serious
damage all over the body. Too little glucose can also cause serious problems.
Both can be fatal.

Type 2 diabetes, or adult onset diabetes,
usually develops over time. The body becomes more and more insulin-resistant, again
causing glucose to build up in the blood.The pancreas may also stop making
insulin. Anyone can get type 2 diabetes, but the disease mainly occurs in middle-aged,
sedentary adults who are overweight or obese,and who don’t follow a careful diet
that controls the intake of all forms of sugar.

Gestational diabetes occurs only in
pregnant women, usually late in the pregnancy. It generally goes away following
the birth of the baby.

No matter which form it takes, diabetes
is a deadly serious disease. Left uncontrolled and untreated, it can severely damage
the heart, the eyes, and the nerves. Diabetes weighs in as the 7th
most common cause of death in the United States.

There are three ways to keep your blood
glucose under control if you have diabetes:

Carbohydrates found in food convert
directly into glucose and are used by the body as fuel. Carbohydrate-rich foods
include breads, pastas, cereals and grains, beans, legumes, fruits and
vegetables. But some carbs—the “good” carbs—convert slowly and enter the
bloodstream gradually, allowing the body to burn them more efficiently.

Foods that contain “bad” carbs include
breads, pastries, crackers and pastas made with grains that have had the hull
and germ removed before being milled into flour. This is done with white rice,
as well. High carb vegetables include potatoes and corn (because of its very
high sugar content). And some fruits, such as grapes, are also considered “bad”
carbs. They’re all converted quickly into glucose and hit the bloodstream fast,
requiring a matching insulin surge.

“Good” carbs include foods made with
whole-grain flour, like breads, crackers and pastas, beans and legumes, and
most other vegetables, and, to a lesser degree, fruits. The big difference is
fiber. Whole grain flour still contains the tough outer hull and germ, which digest
much more slowly or not at all. Brown rice also still has its hull. And beans,
legumes and vegetables are not only high in vitamins and minerals—nutrients the
body needs—they’re are also high in fiber. What can’t be digested is passed out
of the body as waste.

A good, nutritious diet best for diabetes
consists of lots of vegetables (limiting corn and potatoes), some beans or
legumes, limited meat and dairy products, and a limited amount of whole grain
breads, pastas and cereals.Click
here
for a delicious diabetes-friendly dinner recipe.

Of course, everyone needs a treat now
and then. Sugary desserts, snacks, and fruits aren’t a total no-no, but eat
them in small amounts and save them for special occasions. You’ll appreciate
them more that way.

Leslie Vandever—known as “Wren” to the readers of RheumaBlog, her
personal blog about living well with rheumatoid arthritis—is a professional
journalist and freelance writer with more than 25 years of experience. She
lives in the foothills of Northern California.

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