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There are no two people with diabetes who are the same and so the one size fits all approach doesn’t work with a health diet plan for diabetes. However, there are certain eating habits, tips and suggestions that can help you be on a diabetic diet to improve your health. Following a diabetic diet can help you manage your blood sugar level. It can also help you keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check. Following a diet plan for diabetes can help you manage your weight and you can avoid diabetes complications such as stroke or heart problems along with certain types of cancers.
For someone who has type 1 diabetes, counting carbs that one is consuming is important to make sure that the blood sugar level is steady. Similarly for someone who has type 2 diabetes and is overweight, losing weight is key to managing diabetes effectively. More importantly, whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and whether or not you need to gain, lose or maintain weight, it is important to make healthy food choices to manage diabetes.
Here are some tips that you can keep in mind to ensure that you’re following a health diet plan that would work best for someone who has diabetes:
1. Choose Healthy Carbs
Carbohydrates have an effect on the glucose levels and thus it is important to keep track of what kind of carbs you are consuming and how much. There are some foods that are a healthier source of carbohydrates and it is advisable for a diabetic patient to consume more of those carbs and include them in their diabetic diet. These healthy sources of carbs include whole grains like whole oats, brown rice, buckwheat, pulses such as chickpeas, beans and lentils, unsweetened yoghurt and milk, along with fruits and vegetables. In your diet plan for diabetes, you should avoid foods that are low in fibre, for example white bread, white rice and cereals that are highly processed.
2. Reduce Your Salt Intake
Consuming too much salt can make you more vulnerable to the risk of high blood pressure, which inturn can lead to heart related diseases and stroke. When you’re diabetic, the risk of these conditions is already higher and it can increase more because of high blood pressure.
Through the day, try to consume only one teaspoon of salt in all. When you buy pre-packaged food, you should also check how much salt those products contain. Cooking at home can help you be more aware of how much salt you’re consuming per day. Reducing salt in your diabetic diet is a small but important step to ensure healthy eating.
3. Consume Less Red & Processed Meat
If you’re reducing the amount of carbs that you are eating, you may start having more meat to fill yourself up. However, going for red and processed meat such as ham, bacon, sausages, lamb and beef may lead to heart related conditions or cancer.
Some alternatives that you can add to your diabetic diet instead include pulses such as beans and lentils, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey and unsalted nuts. Beans and lentils are rich in fibre and do not affect your blood sugar too much. Fish has omega 3 oil which is very good for your heart. Including healthier meat options or other alternatives in your diet plan can help you enjoy your meals and can prevent you from harming your health.
4. Eat Lots Of Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables give you the vitamins, minerals and fibre that you need to stay healthy. In your diabetic diet, you should try to consume lots of vegetables during meals, and you could also choose to have fruits and vegetables as healthy snacks. Instead of going for juices, choose whole fruits because juices might contain added sugar which is not good for your diabetic diet. Fruits contain natural sugar, which is good for everyone, including people who have diabetes.
5. Consume Healthier Fats
Consuming fat is important because it gives us energy. However, it is important to make sure that you are including healthier fats in your diabetic diet. Unsalted nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish, olive oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are foods that have healthier fats. However, some foods contain saturated fats that can increase your cholesterol levels and can lead to heart related diseases. These fats are found in foods such as red and processed meat, ghee, butter, lard, biscuits, cakes, pies and pastries.
Even when you choose healthier fats as a part of your health diet plan, make sure to consume them only in limited amounts. For example, it is always better to grill, bake or steam food items instead of using oil to fry them.
6. Avoid Consuming Added Sugar
Reducing the amount of sugar you consume can control your blood glucose level and can also help you maintain your weight. Avoid consuming sugary drinks, fruits juices and energy drinks since these have a lot of excess sugar in them. Instead, try low or zero-calorie artificial sweeteners that can help you cut back on the amount of sugar that you consume. Reducing your sugar intake as a part of your diabetic diet is crucial for managing diabetes effectively.
7. Snack Healthy
When you feel hungry between meals, go for healthier snack options such as yoghurts, unsalted nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables instead of crisps, chips, biscuits and chocolates. However, do track the portions that you consume to manage your weight better.
8. Be Careful With Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is high in calories. Consuming too much alcohol too often can increase your weight and can increase the risk of several diseases. Also, if you are taking insulin or medication for diabetes, it is not advisable to consume alcohol on an empty stomach. When following a diabetic diet plan, make sure you are not binge drinking.
9. Keep Moving
Even though this is not a tip directly related to a health diet plan for diabetes, it is just as important as the things mentioned above. While you follow a diabetic diet and eat healthy, it is also equally important to ensure that you are physically active. Exercising can help manage your diabetes because it increases the amount of glucose used by your muscles. This inturn can help the body to use up insulin more efficiently.
Diabetes Tests in Dubai | First Response Healthcare
If you or someone in your family is diaebtic or if you are noticing some signs and symptoms of diabetes, it is important to get yourself checked. To make diagnostic and diabetes related testing convenient and easily accessible to you, First Response Healthcare (FRH) offers the service of getting a range of tests done at home. FRH is a leading home healthcare company that offers the services of doctors, nurses, who come to your doorstep to provide their services. For its high quality services, FRH has received the Gold Seal of Approval by Joint Commission International Standards for Home Healthcare. Our services for tests are available 24*7, 365 days a year – even on weekends and public holidays. We can come visit you at your home, hotel or office based on your convenience to collect the test sample. FRH also has a team that is highly qualified and experienced and who are all a call away if you need a consultation or diagnosis and treatment.
Following are the diabetes tests that you can get done through FRH in Dubai:
1. HbA1c Test
Also known as Hemoglobin A1C, this test is a simple blood test that helps measure an individual’s average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. This test helps with diagnosis of pre-diabetes and diabetes and also with management of diabetes. It’s one of the most commonly used tests to find out if someone is diabetic.
2. Fasting Blood Sugar Test
Through this test, it is possible to measure one’s sugar level in the blood. This test also helps with diagnosis of prediabetes, diabetes or gestational diabetes. This test is simple, fast and safe, wherein the nurse will prick your finger or use a needle in your arm for the blood sample. For this test, you are not allowed to drink or eat anything for 8-12 hours, except water.
3. Homocysteine Test
This test is also a blood test but it measures the amount of homocysteine – an amino acid in your body. Through this test, it is possible to diagnose vitamin B6, B9 or B12 deficiencies. If you have elevated homocysteine, then you are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and that’s why getting this test done is important.
4. Lipid Profile
This is a common blood test that is also used in monitoring and screening cardiovascular diseases. In this test, your cholesterol and triglycerides will be measured.
5. Kidney Function Tests
This is a test to find out about how well someone’s kidneys are functioning. This test requires either a blood test or urine sample or both, and will measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR is a parameter to evaluate how efficiently your kidneys are removing waste from the body.
6. Urine Test
This test is also known as Urinalysis. In this test, different aspects of urine are analyzed to find out if you have certain health conditions such as diabetes, liver disease, urinary tract infection and kidney disease.
To get any of these diabetes tests done in Dubai, all you need to do is call 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC. You can also book an appointment online by visiting https://firstresponse.ae/