Cooking For Diabetics By Lisa Paterson At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Diabetes is something that is becoming more common. When you are first diagnosed with Diabetes you may be confused by all the strict rules and guidelines that you must follow. Here are some ways to make cooking for Diabetics easier.

Cooking for diabetics can be easier if you understand this disease. Diabetes is having an imbalance of sugar in the blood also known as high blood sugar and the body's inability to use sugar, glucose normally. When your body is unable to balance the levels of glucose in the blood, you become diabetic. Glucose builds up in the blood because the body is slow in breaking down or using glucose and some of this build up of glucose is discharged through the kidneys. Fats and proteins cannot be used by the body in a normal manner when the diabetes becomes severe. Diabetes can have a harmful affect on the heart, kidneys, eye sight, and nerves. Diabetes is an incurable disease but can be controlled with medication, diet, exercise, lifestyle and daily monitoring. It is manageable if you follow the advice of your physician and have regular checkups to stay in control of Diabetes.

Food Exchange System

The best way to cook for the diabetic is to follow the food exchange system which was developed in 1950 to help those suffering from diabetes to control their sugar intake and lower the amount of glucose in the blood.

The food exchange system has 3 main groups or categories of food and simply by exchanging one food for another, you will be able to eat the nutrients your body needs while balancing the glucose in your blood. These 3 groups are: fats, carbohydrates and protein like meat or protein substitutes like cheese and eggs. When you first begin using this food exchange system, it can be confusing but as you use it to maintain balanced blood sugar levels you will be more familiar of how it works and you shouldn't be hungry.

The carbohydrates are broken down into starches, breads, fruits, vegetables, milk and sweets. A meal plan may say you can have 2 1/2 servings of carbohydrates to eat at your meal, you choose 2 full servings of 2 different foods and 1/2 of another. These are measured proportions of a serving or grams. For example: 1 bread or 1 starch food, 1 small fruit, and 1/2 cup of milk or you may choose 1 cup of milk, 1/2 slice bread or 1/2 serving of potatoes and 1 small fruit. The thing to remember is to exchange one for the other. Total grams you should consume at a meal is 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat.

After using and becoming familiar with the grams or servings of the food exchange system, you will be able to choose foods that you enjoy eating, balance your sugar intake, maintain your weight and receive the proper nutrients to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. If you have any questions about diet or your diabetes, your family care physician is the best one to give you the advice needed to stay healthy and in control of diabetes.

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