Diabetic Diet from Delia Online

Diabetes develops when the body can’t use glucose properly. As a result, people with diabetes have abnormally high levels of glucose in their blood. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in people under 40 when cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the levels of glucose in the blood. This type of diabetes is treated with insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes is usually found in people over 40. It can be treated with diet and exercise alone, although people with Type 2 diabetes often need medication and sometimes insulin.

It’s extremely important that diabetics control their blood sugar levels and blood pressure, to prevent any long-term complications. There is no guaranteed way of preventing diabetes. However, eating a healthy, balanced diet, taking regular physical exercise, and losing weight if you are overweight can delay the onset of the condition.

The Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK (formerly the British Diabetic Association) don’t recommend buying special diabetic products. In their view, foods that are labelled ‘diabetic’ aren’t necessarily healthier or more suitable for diabetics than other foods – they also tend to be more expensive than other products. In addition, many of the products that are labelled ‘diabetic’ are sweets, chocolates and biscuits and we should all avoid eating lots of these types of foods.

People with diabetes should try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a diet that is:
*low in fat (particularly saturated fat)
*low in sugar
*low in salt
*high in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day)
*high in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice, pasta and yams (these should form the base of meals)

There are no foods that people with diabetes should never eat. And there is no need to cut out all sugar. But, like everyone, people with diabetes should try to eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar or fat, or both. If you have diabetes, you can eat cakes and biscuits sparingly, as part of a balanced diet.

We have no recipes specifically aimed at those with diabetes. If you need more information we recommend getting in touch with Diabetes UK (formerly the British Diabetic Association) 020 7323 1531. The careline on 020 7424 1030 offers information and support on any aspect of managing diabetes.
<a href=" mailto: info@diabetes.org.uk " class="btn-link" target="_self"> e-mail: info@diabetes.org.uk </a>
www.diabetes.org.uk
This organisation was set up to help people with diabetes and support diabetes research. It acts as an advisory body and has a wide range of literature and videos. Diabetes UK believes that a healthy diet for people with diabetes is the same healthy diet recommended for everyone – based on starchy foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereals, low in fat and sugar and with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is possible to search online for recipes or meal ideas that fulfil these criteria.