Dieting and Diabetes

By Julia Hanf in Diabetes on May 20th, 2008

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by Julia Hanf

Which came first, diabetes or being overweight? Does it really matter once you’ve been diagnosed? Almost 90% of people diagnosed with Type II diabetes are overweight. Many don’t realize how much being soft can cost. Type II diabetes, once known as adult onset diabetes, is the most common form of affecting millions of people in the United States alone. According to the American Diabetes Association, over 20 million people have been diagnosed. Type II refers to insulin resistance. The body’s cells simply ignore the insulin released by the pancreas. Sometimes the pancreas doesn’t produce enough. Either way, blood glucose levels aren’t effectively reduced and the result is damage.

Overindulging in high-processed, high-fat foods or simple carbs can lead to an increase in weight. So can eating too much. Portion sizes have been blown up over the past twenty years or so. Many people would be astonished at the actual portion size recommended for healthy weight maintenance. Being overweight opens the door to many serious diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. For example, when a person eats too much, or eats “bad” foods, his blood sugar level shoots up. In response, the pancreas (insulin producer) releases large amounts of insulin to combat the sudden spike. The large dose of insulin causes the glucose level to drop sharply. That signals adrenaline to be released to restore balance.

There are some things you can do to help yourself out if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or labeled at risk for this devastating condition. First of all, take off the pounds. I know this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and rarely fun for the average person. However, if you do not begin to take drastic steps toward procuring the best possible health for yourself you may not be able to enjoy the quality of life you had planned for your golden years. Let your condition be your motivation and make plans to enjoy watching your grandchildren and great grandchildren graduate college.

So what is the answer? Lose weight. Although it’s easier said than done, there has to be a break in the cycle. Many people struggle with weight issues. Unfortunately there is no quick fix or magical serum that takes the effort out of weight loss. There is, however, nutrition and exercise. Good old fashioned work. This doesn’t have to translate into hours of painful, resented exercise and carrot sticks. That was the old way of thinking. Try, instead, to see the new perspective on taking control of your health: living. Diabetes is a disease that will damage a body as quickly as a person allows it to. Taking control of your health, losing weight and making healthy lifestyle changes can mean the difference between being diabetes’ dog or its master. Making the conscious decision to live better, eat better and exercise regularly will mean you may see your children have children. It’s worth making little changes to witness that, right?

Nutrition doesn’t have to be resented. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing event either. Education and moderation are the key to understanding nutrition, weight loss and maintenance. By learning how different foods are used in the body, we can actually transform them into efficient fuel burning machines. Eating the right portion size may be hard at first. Cutting just of the typical serving means eating less. Over time, all of the little changes add up.

Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren’t around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so.

About the Author:

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win from a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit www.yourdiabetescure.com and find out more about your solution for diabetes