Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, results in dangerously high levels of blood sugar. There are many ways for a diabetic to lower their blood sugar, including dietary changes. Eating a low-carb diabetic diet, excluding foods that increase blood sugar levels, allows the diabetic to manage their blood sugar levels with less medication. Maintaining normal blood sugar readings is important for a diabetic, due to the health risks that are associated with high blood sugar levels.
Try these ideas for a low-carb diabetic diet. Diabetics can eat to lower dependence on insulin injections, improve overall health and maintain a normal blood sugar range.
Carbohydrate Intake in Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, due to the fact that it starts in childhood. In this condition, the pancreas is completely unable to produce insulin, the hormone that transports sugar into the body's cells for energy. Without insulin, the sugar in the bloodstream provides no energy for the body, which results in slow starvation for the type 1 diabetic. Carbohydrates cause the blood sugar to go up, but without insulin, the diabetic's blood sugar does not go down easily.
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Carbohydrates
Type 2 diabetes is commonly called adult-onset diabetes, since it typically develops later in life. Type 2 diabetes starts with a condition called insulin resistance. An individual with insulin resistance produces insulin, but the cells of his body become resistant to the insulin, requiring increasing amounts of insulin to allow energy into the cell. Over time, the pancreas is required to produce more and more insulin, and eventually loses the ability to produce enough insulin to meet the body's needs, resulting in type 2 diabetes. Eating carbohydrates increases blood sugar levels in a type 2 diabetic, and aggravates insulin resistance as well.
Diabetics Can Treat High Blood Sugar by Lowering Carbs
High blood sugar is the result of two factors. One, an inadequate supply of insulin, is the result of diabetes. The second factor, however, is the consumption of refined carbohydrates, which cause high blood sugar levels.
Reduced-Carb Diet Reduces Blood Sugar Levels
Eating a low-carb diabetic diet that eliminates refined flour, sugar, and other high glycemic foods, results in more normal blood sugar readings. When carbohydrates are consumed, blood sugar goes up. The more refined, or processed, the carbohydrate, the faster and higher the blood sugar goes up. A diabetic eating plan that consists of complex carbohydrates, combined with fat and protein, can provide a more normal blood sugar range.
Eating for Normal Blood Sugar Levels
Achieving normal blood sugar levels is not as simple as just removing foods that contain sugar and white flour. There are other dietary changes that can improve blood glucose readings for a diabetic as well. Eating plenty of complex carbohydrates that are low-glycemic, instead of simple carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, will help to keep blood sugar levels down. Including healthy fats in the diet, such as avocados, olive oil, and nuts, will slow the absorption of carbohydrates, which will help the diabetic maintain a normal blood sugar range.
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