If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns. How is your diagnosis going to affect you? Will you need to take medication every day for the rest of your life? Are there ways that you can control your blood sugar without the use of medication? Will you need to modify your diet, even if you are taking medicine?
There are so many concerns that arise with a diagnosis of diabetes. That’s because it’s a chronic disease, meaning that it never goes away; once you have it, you have it for life. It also needs to be properly managed, otherwise, it could be life-threatening.
Diabetes affects how the body utilizes glucose (blood sugar.) Glucose is vital for your health because it is a valuable source of energy for all of the cells that make up the muscles and tissues in the body. Additionally, glucose acts as the main source of fuel for the brain. There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 – This type of diabetes typically affects children and young adults, which is why it used to be called juvenile diabetes. It is the rarest form of diabetes, with only 5 percent of the population of people who have any type of diabetes have type 1. With this condition, the body doesn’t produce insulin, the hormone that allows the body to transport glucose from the bloodstream to the cells of the body.
Type 2 – This is the most common form of diabetes. There are an estimated 27 million people in the United States alone who have type 2 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin, but the cells of the body don’t use it as efficiently as it should. This is known as insulin resistance. Initially, the body produces higher amounts of insulin to try and push glucose into the cells; however, over time, it can’t keep up, and the sugar starts to build up in the blood.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic conditions that cannot be cured. A condition known as pre-diabetes involves higher blood sugars than normal, but the levels aren’t high enough to be classified as diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a condition that develops only during pregnancy, but it usually resolves once the baby is born.
Extensive scientific research has found that making some changes to the diet can help to control blood sugar levels, as well as reduce the risk of developing any complications that are related to diabetes. By modifying your diet to include the following 20 foods, you will be able to better handle your diabetes and prevent complications from occurring.
1. Apples
As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and there’s a lot of truth in that statement, especially if you have diabetes. Apples are low in calories, yet because of their high fiber content, they fill you up and make you feel full for a long time.
They also fight high cholesterol, as well as low blood sugar. While all apples are great for diabetics, Granny Smith and Red Delicious are famed for the high levels of antioxidants that they contain.
