Diabetes Diet

Diabetes Symptoms  │    Diabetes Causes  │   Diabetes Cure   │   Diabetes Diet   │   Diabetes Food  │   Gestational Diabetes │   Gestational Diabetes Diet │   Diabetes Test

Diabetes Diet Tips to Help Manage Diabetes Nerve Pain Complication

If you have diabetes, you already know the drill. What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat can send your blood sugar skyrocketing - or make it plummet. For better or worse, "diet and diabetes" go together like salt and pepper.

One of most complication attack diabetes people are damage nerve systems, diabetes people at high risk of the nerve pain and damage called diabetic neuropathy. What can start as a little tingling or numbness in your feet can turn into major problems with walking, working, and leading an active lifestyle. Diabetic neuropathy can also wreak havoc with your digestion, your sexual response, and make it hard to feel normal body sensations - like the signs of high blood sugar or a heart attack. Fortunately, a balanced diet that helps treat nerve pain.

Good glucose control can protect the health of your nerves - and may even help prevent diabetic neuropathy. Following the rules of diabetes diet tips below :

Tip 1. Eat a Balanced Diet.

Learn more diabetes food pyramidal, A balanced diet includes a variety of foods: carbohydrates (starches), fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy, meat, poultry, fish, and healthy fats. Eating a balanced diet helps you keep your glucose within target levels, control your weight, and reduce the risk of complications like neuropathy, heart disease, and stroke.
The shape of your diet will depend on how active you are, whether you're a man or a woman, and whether you're trying to lose weight. The American Diabetes Association offers these general guidelines, but check with your doctor to fine-tune your specific plan:

6 - 10 servings of complex carbohydrates a day

2 servings of non-fat or low-fat milk or yogurt

3 - 4 servings of vegetables

2 - 4 servings of fruits

3 - 5 servings of fats and oils

4 - 7 ounces of meat, poultry, fish, or other proteins like eggs and cheese

Tip 2. Spread Your Meals Throughout the Day.

Skipping meals and overeating can send your blood sugar plunging - and then through the roof. Since diabetic nerve damage and pain can decrease appetite and make it harder to digest food, several smaller meals may work better for you. Plus, some diabetes medications work their best when you're taking them in concert with regularly scheduled meals.
The goal. Find a workable schedule for meals and snacks that fits your real lifestyle - not one you wish you had. Be realistic about planning your diabetes diet around your work, driving time, feeding kids, and other commitments.

Tip 3. Go for Complex "Carbs."

Carbohydrates digest more slowly and don't "spike" your blood sugar the way sugars do. They also fill you up faster, so you're less likely to overeat, and they give you more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
The goal. Most of what you eat should be healthy carbohydrates. Include whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and low fat milk. Whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, beans, lentils, potatoes, and corn tortillas are good choices.

Tip 4. Forget "Super-Sizing"

Most people are shocked to realize how small "official" serving sizes are. A serving of carbs? Only 1 slice of whole-grain bread or 1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal. A serving of dry cereal? Only 3/4 of a cup - that's smaller than your average cup of coffee. Meat, fish, or poultry? A mere 3 ounces is a serving - that's about the size of a cassette tape - once it's cooked. Go for that 16-ounce porterhouse and you've just eaten nearly 6 dinners-worth of protein.

Split entrees or dinner-size salads when you eat out, or have a small salad and appetizer instead of an entree. Keep a good diabetes diet book on hand to find portion sizes for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. Buy a new set of measuring cups and spoons and keep them out on the counter, so you're more motivated to measure servings.

Tip 5. Jump on the Wagon.

Alcohol is toxic to nerves, says the ADA. Your liver has two main jobs: to clear toxins like alcohol from your body, and to convert carbohydrate into blood glucose your body can use. But drinking sidetracks your liver; it won't start working to level out blood sugar until it "sweeps" the alcohol from your bloodstream, so blood sugar swings can result. And if you have diabetic neuropathy, drinking may spur on pain, tingling, and other symptoms, says the ADA.
 

Try a variety of mineral waters with a fresh slice of lemon, lime, or orange for flavor. Make a "Virgin Mary": spice up tomato juice with a splash of hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, dried herbs, and a stalk of fresh celery - but hold the liquor.

Tip 6. Eat Less Fat.

Nearly 9 out of 10 adults with type 2 diabetes are overweight, says the ADA. Losing weight can lower blood glucose, give you more energy, lighten the load on feet already sore from nerve pain, and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
These days, "low-fat" is everywhere. But read food labels carefully. "Lite" doesn't always mean "low-fat." Find out how many grams of fat are in each serving of the foods you enjoy.