Diabetic Weight Loss Diet - Role of Food in Managing Weight of Diabetics

What you eat plays a major role in your blood sugar levels. This is because the body breaks down various kinds of foods at different rates.

Carbohydrates make take five minutes to three hours to be absorbed by the body. Proteins may take around six hours to be broken down into simple substances. Fats can take more than eight hours to be processed by the body.

Since people with diabetes cannot produce or properly use insulin, regulating the intake of food is crucial to control the symptoms of the disease and to avoid complications. People with type 2 diabetes have to control both their weight and blood sugar levels to avoid these complications. A diabetic diet therefore, plays an important role in diabetes treatment.

A diabetic weight loss diet is no different from what healthy people are eating. It involves healthy food choices, balanced with foods high in fiber and protein, low in fat, and complete with essential nutrients. If you are taking medications, you have to make sure that what you eat is "balanced" with your medicines; if not, your blood sugar level may dramatically rise or drop. You also have to maintain a healthy level of cholesterol and triglycerides in your body to make sure that you have a strong heart.

Here is a guide to some of the common food components that a diabetic should monitor in their food choices:

Proteins - These are safe food choices for people with diabetes since they do not contribute to the increase of blood sugar level like carbohydrates. They are also low in calories unlike fats. According to experts, recommended serving of proteins per day for diabetics should be 12% to 20% of the daily caloric intake. Fish, soy, and lentils are rich sources of proteins.

Carbohydrates - Despite being the highest contributing factor of blood sugar, experts recommend taking 40% to 60% daily caloric intake of carbohydrates, more specifically the complex ones. Carbohydrates can be classified as simple and complex. Simple sugars are usually found in processed foods and table sugar. They can immediately cause rise in your blood glucose level because it only take a few minute to digest them. The complex ones are found in fruits, vegetable, starches, and whole grains. Diabetics should eat more vegetables and whole grains because they take more time to break down and contain fiber, which helps promote weight loss.

Fats - Stick with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to make up the 30% to 35% of your daily caloric need. While there are other sources of fats, like saturated fats found in animal products and trans fats found in fried and processed foods, diabetics should carefully choose which fats to take because unhealthy fats are a major source of cholesterol.

The treatment of diabetes is a holistic process that involves several aspects: striving to obtain and maintain ideal body weight; following a diabetic weight loss diet; regular physical activity; and diabetic medication, if required. A healthier weight and lifestyle can help them manage this disease.

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By Jose Felipe Abrigo - Contributing writer for Diabetic diet plan center - diabeticdietplancenter.com/1800-Diabetic-Diet-Tips.php 1800 Diabetic Diet