BASIC DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS

Diabetes is a medical condition that is caused by lack of INSULIN, which makes the patient to produce a lot of URINE and as such become very thirsty. Diabetes is characterized by the excessive secretion of sugary urine. According to research, this disease is thought to affect between 2% to 4% of the population all over the world. CAUSES When there is insufficiency of insulin- the hormone which helps glucose to penetrate the cell, it result in cell starvation that, though the human body is surrounded by sugar, they are yet incapable to metabolize it. However, when you are faced with excessive amount of glucose in the blood (that is more than 12mg per 100ml), the kidney releases it into the urine thus the amount of urinary excretion increases. In order to compensate for the loss of water in the system, the affected person will then feel thirsty which raises the hunger for water. DIETARY GUIDELINES Diet is of critical importance in a diabetic, and prognosis will to a larger extent depend on the ability to follow the guidelines. These guidelines are useful for both type 1 and type 11 diabetes. TYPE 1 DIABETES 1. When planning your diet, take into consideration the amount of exercise you are doing. 2. Reduce the amount of time taken between meals. 3. Eat regular meals. 4. Avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates. 5. Control the amount of calories and protein required for growth. 6. In case of illness, adapt the diet as necessary. 7. Eat food that is rich in vegetable fiber such as wholegrain cereals TYPE 11 DIABETES 1. In case of obesity, lose weight and stay within the recommended range for your sex and height. 2. Eat nutritional and balanced diet. 3. Control the amount of sugar and simple carbohydrates in your diet. 4. Eat fiber rich food to better reduce the dose of insulin.