A Wake-up Call for a Healthier Lifestyle: Diabetes and the Role of Proper Nutrition

“I will start eating healthy,” is probably the most overused New Year’s resolution – ever. But for over 2 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, ‘eating healthy’ is not an option – it’s a commitment.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed or have a genetic predisposition to it (i.e. family has diabetes history), take heart. Science now knows how to control, head off, and even – some believe – reverse diabetes. We have modern medication aimed at improving insulin sensitivity, you can do beneficial exercises, and of course, the primary weapon of every diabetic: proper diet and nutrition.
The first – and best thing you can do is to visit a dietitian with experience advising diabetics and map out a nutrition plan. You can’t just stop eating certain foods or eliminating all sugars from your life. You should actually broaden your gastronomic horizon (in a safe and moderated way). Your new diet should take into account your lifestyle, medication, weight, age, and other medical conditions you may have. Going on a diabetic-friendly diet doesn’t mean depriving yourself, it simply means eating well in a way that will prevent the complications of diabetes and improve your overall health while allowing you the pleasure of good healthy food.
Diabetics should change their diet to achieve specific goals – maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood glucose levels, and getting proper overall nutrition.
One way to do this is to follow the ADA’s Diabetes Food Pyramid guide. This guide can be found online and has an extensive list of examples. The ADA guide groups foods according to their carbohydrate and protein content, often guiding you regarding what you can eat, when to eat it, and serving size. The ADA’s guide contains and extensive list of grains and starches, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and meat substitutes.
Another diet option is the Glycemic Index Diet, which ranks foods according to the rate at which they break down in the body to form glucose. High GI foods break down rapidly, while low GI foods break down more slowly. The Glycemic Index diet focuses on low GI foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products.
Another option is a low-fat vegan diet. Switching to a vegan diet seems like an abrupt change to some, however a study by Dr. Neal Barnard and chronicled in his book Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugsclaims a low-fat vegan diet and foods with low glycemic index can help reduce or do away with medication, and even reverse the diabetes’ progression.
Following a diabetic-friendly diet can be both fulfilling and nutritious, as long as you are willing to change your lifestyle. Before settling on a diet, remember to consult your doctor and dietician and stick with it. If you’re a diabetic, now is the time to forget eating without abandon, it’s probably what got you here in the first place. Remember, the keys to a great life despite diabetes are proper medication, exercise, and a good nutritious diet.
Resources of interest:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabeticdiet.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

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