Type 1 Diabetes Diet

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 the doctor diagnoses you as a patient of type 1 diabetes, which is also known as diabetes mellitus, then be sure that you will have to undergo a change in your life style. You can combat this health condition by acquiring professional advice, diabetes treatment and adopting a diabetic diet. The following short note covers the topic of type 1 diabetes diet.

Diet for Type 1 Diabetes

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 blood glucose into energy. Mounting blood glucose levels can lead to hyperglycemia and or hypertension, which you can avoid by adopting a type 1 diabetes diet, exercises and injections of insulin.

The food that we all eat contains fats, proteins and carbohydrates. During the process of digestion, fats are converted into fatty acids and glycerols, proteins into amino acids and carbohydrates into glucose. Simple carbohydrates are digested and absorbed and are used by the body quickly which rapidly increase the blood glucose level. The complex carbohydrates, such as starch and fibers are digested and are absorbed slowly. This causes a very slow rise in blood glucose levels, which never equals the ideal glucose level due to the absorption of simple carbohydrates, in the blood stream.

For a type 1 diabetes patient, type 1 diabetes diet which includes complex carbohydrates is essential. But, "How to plan it?", and "How and where to acquire the information about which foods contain simple or complex carbohydrates?". Besides this one might ask oneself, "How to get the information about carbohydrates which can raise the blood glucose level faster than others? Well, the last question is easy to answer. The glycemic index of a carbohydrate tells us information about how fast it can increase the level of blood glucose, after it is consumed. The carbohydrates are assigned values from 1-100. The value 1 is assigned to the slowest acting carbohydrate. A dietitian can help you in planning a suitable diet program. The dietitian can calculate your calorie requirement by analyzing your work habits, pressure and your age, weight and height.

List of diabetes foods that you can include in your diet which can help control the blood glucose level:

1. Fresh fruit
2. Eating fish 3-4 times per week can be beneficial as it contains omega 3 fatty acid.
3. Grains contain starch which is in the form of a complex carbohydrate.
4. Green vegetables in the form of salad green can be eaten as often as you want.
5. Dairy products like low fat milk can be consumed 2 to 3 times per day.
6. You can include meat, eggs, beans and cheese in your diet.

The proteins and fats in your diet doesn't affect the blood sugar levels, but if you overdo your protein consumption, the liver converts it to blood glucose which can raise the blood glucose level. On the other hand, large amounts of fat in the food slows down the absorption of glucose in the blood stream. However, eating food too rich in fats for this reason is not recommended because fatty food can lead to complications such as obesity, heart attack etc.

Plan your insulin injections and dosage according to your meals to tackle the post-meal rise in the blood sugar level. Be careful about the insulin dosage. If the amount of insulin injected is higher than required, it may cause the blood sugar level to drop causing hypolycemia and a too low amount of insulin than required may cause hyperglycemia.

Self control and strict discipline in following the advice of the doctor and the dietitian can enable you to lead a normal life. You can deal with diabetes mellitus, using the three pronged attack exercises, insulin and following the constituents of a type 1 diabetes diet such as, the glycemic index diet plan or a vegetarian diet. Keep yourself well and healthy because that is essentially the path to living a well and satisfying life.