Healthy Carbohydrates are essential for everyone, even for people with diabetes. All they have to keep in mind is their proportions and type of carbs. These healthy carbohydrates will help control the blood glucose levels. Here are top healthy Carbs for Diabetics
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are digested more easily and due to their high fiber content, are considered healthy for people with diabetes. Eating sweet potatoes in moderate amount can help in keeping blood sugar levels in the healthy range even if you have diabetes.
Lentils
Eating protein rich pulses such as lentils and beans is highly beneficial for diabetics. Besides, being rich in proteins, lentils are also loaded with fiber and minerals like potassium which helps in controlling the blood pressure, as diabetics could be at a risk of high blood pressure.
If you are suffering from insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, lentils are full of complex carbohydrates that can be highly beneficial. Top 10 Health Benefits of Lentil
Brown Rice
For Diabetics, Brown rice is healthier than the white rice. It contains all three parts of fiber-rich kernel. The fiber content helps in releasing the glucose from the food into the blood stream at a much slower pace.
Adding this healthy whole grain to a diabetes diet may also help in reducing the risk of complications, such as diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage resulting from high blood sugars)
Freekeh
Freekeh is a great alternative to rice or other grains due to its high fiber content. 1/3 Cup of freekeh can provide you with about 13 percent of a daily requirement of fiber. Besides fiber, it also contains minerals like manganese which is important for blood sugar control.
Blue berries
Blue berries are known as “diabetes superfood”. They are rich in antioxidants which help in controlling the blood glucose levels and managing diabetes. Top 10 Health Benefits of Blueberries
Blueberries have been found to be effective for people with Type 2 Diabetes as they help your body process glucose efficiently and increasing its sensitivity to insulin.
Oatmeal
Eating oats is healthy for diabetics, especially when taken without any added sugar. Oats are rich in fiber, which is vital for regulating blood sugar levels. Oats can lower fasting blood glucose levels.
Diet for diabetes
The benefits of a diabetes diet
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease in which carbohydrate metabolism is impaired. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which is responsible for lowering blood sugar. Insulin deficiency causes a state of hyperglycemia – an increased concentration of glucose in the blood.
The most common form of the disease is type 2 diabetes, most often occurring in people after forty years, mainly in women. The development of the disease contributes to reduced physical activity, obesity, genetic predisposition, menopause and subsequent hormonal disorders. Cells do not respond to insulin and do not absorb glucose from the blood, although the amount of hormone is still normal. Sugar concentration rises, even more is produced in response to insulin. The cell reacts even weaker to an increased dose of the hormone, insulin resistance occurs.
Since the cells do not receive glucose, despite its large amount in the blood, patients often experience hunger and weakness, eat even more carbohydrates, which exacerbates the situation and leads to obesity. Such conditions are well corrected by proper nutrition, that is, a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates consumed, in order to reduce the load on the pancreas and not cause a rise in blood sugar.
Type 1 diabetes occurs in children and young people, and is caused by the pathological state of the pancreas, which practically does not produce insulin. Such patients are forced to introduce this hormone artificially for life.
There is also gestational diabetes in pregnant women. Hormones released during childbearing block insulin, resulting in increased sugar. Usually after childbirth, the condition normalizes on its own.
The main problem with any type of diabetes is the pathologically high level of glucose in the blood and carbohydrate starvation of cells that lack sugar. To reduce sudden surges in sugar, insulin and reduce the load on the pancreas, they reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed, focusing on “slow carbohydrates” that give a feeling of satiety. Fatty foods are also excluded, since they increase the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and lead to the same increased load on the organ.
Cons Diet for Diabetes
The main disadvantage is dietary restrictions. A large number of products are excluded, the method of their preparation becomes the most gentle and dietary, which may seem tasteless to those who are accustomed to another. Also, fractional frequent meals for a uniform intake of carbohydrates cause certain difficulties during the day, when it is difficult to find the right snack that does not contain sugars.
With a serious stage of diabetes, you need to monitor the glycemic index of each food product, excluding everything where the sugar concentration is too high.
Many artificial sweeteners to create a sweet taste without increasing blood glucose are harmful to the body. Natural substitutes are recommended, for example, stevia extract, erythritol. However, natural products can cause sugar rises. According to numerous studies, fructose also contributes to obesity, albeit to a lesser extent than sucrose.
Before and after a meal, sugar is usually measured with special devices.
Diabetes Product Table
Modern approaches to therapy include reducing the carbohydrate load in the diet by 5-7%, and increasing the consumption of vegetable fats. As a result of this correction, the body receives a full range of beneficial micro and macro elements, without a large amount of carbohydrates, thereby reducing the carbohydrate load and the need for the use of insulin preparations. Of course, with type 1 diabetes, it is impossible to completely abandon insulin, but the development of type 2 diabetes can be stopped and even reversed.
Patients are assigned Diet No. 9 or its variants. The amount of carbohydrates is adjusted by the doctor depending on the degree of the disease, the weight of the patient. Easily digestible, fast carbohydrates are eliminated completely. It is important to check the glycemic index of all foods, since hyperglycemia appears when eating foods with high GI, and this causes increased insulin production. In contrast, foods with a GI of up to 55 are broken down gradually and hardly cause an increase in sugar.
What can i eat
Heat treatment increases the GI of foods, so it is advisable to eat raw or not to digest food.
