There are special diet plans for the type 1 diabetic patients. These individuals can control the blood sugar levels, to some extent, by strictly following their special diet and prevent this health problem from taking charge of their life.
If you are experiencing constant thirst and frequent urination, extreme hunger, tiredness, blurred vision or loss of weight, then you must undergo the fasting glucose blood test, because, these are classic type 1 diabetes symptoms.
If your doctor diagnoses you as a type 1 diabetic or diabetes mellitus, then be sure that you will have to undergo a change in your lifestyle. You can combat this health condition by acquiring professional advice, proper treatment and adopting a diet.
The Need of Diet Plan
Diabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar or glucose level keeps on increasing because the body cells and tissues, due to lack of insulin, are unable convert this glucose into energy. Mounting blood glucose levels, over a period, can lead to hyperglycemia and or hypertension, so taking precautionary measures becomes essential.
Problem
The food that we all eat contain fats, proteins and carbohydrates. During the process of digestion, fats are converted into fatty acids and glycerol, proteins into amino acids and the carbohydrates into glucose.
Simple carbohydrates are digested, absorbed and used by the body quickly which increases blood glucose level. The complex carbohydrates, such as starch and fibers are digested and absorbed slowly, leading to a very slow rise in the blood glucose levels. In general, these levels rarely equals the ideal glucose level due to the fast absorption of simple carbs.
Solution
For these patients, the diet which includes complex carbohydrates is a solution. But, "How to plan it?", and "How and where to acquire the information about which foods contain complex carbohydrates?".
Besides this you might ask, "How to get the information about carbohydrates that raise the blood glucose level faster? Well, the last question is easy to answer. The glycemic index of a food item (carbohydrate) tells us information about how fast it can increase the level of blood glucose after consumption. The carbohydrates are assigned values from 1-100.
The value 1 is assigned to the slowest acting carbohydrate. Your dietitian can help you in planning a suitable diet program. He can calculate your calorie requirements by analyzing your work habits and your age, weight and height.
A few diabetic food stuff that you can include in your diet to control the amount of glucose in blood are listed here:
Eating fish 3-4 times per week is beneficial as it contain omega 3 fatty acid.
Grains contain starch which is a form of complex carbohydrate.
Green vegetables in the form of salad green and fresh fruits are good for a diabetic and can be included as often as you want.
Dairy products like low-fat milk are all right to consume 2 or 3 times a day.
You can also include meat, eggs, beans and cheese in your diet.
The proteins and fats in your diet do not affect the blood sugar levels, but if you overdo your protein consumption, the liver converts it to blood glucose which can raise its levels in blood. On the other hand, large amounts of fat in the food slows down absorption of glucose in the blood.
However, eating food too rich in fats for this reason is not recommended because this food can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart attack etc.
Plan your insulin injections and dosage according to your meals to successfully tackle the post-meal rise in the blood sugar level. Be careful, though, about the insulin dosage. If the amount of insulin injected is higher than required, it may cause the blood sugar level to drop drastically causing hypoglycemia and a too low amount of insulin than required may precipitate into hyperglycemia.
Self control and strict discipline in following the advice of your doctor and dietitian can enable you to lead a normal life. You can deal with diabetes mellitus using the three-pronged attack: exercises, regular insulin shots and following type 1 diabetes diet plan such as, the glycemic index diet plan or a vegetarian diet.