Type 2 Diabetic Diet

When diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, you can manage it with a well-planned and nutritious type 2 diabetic diet, physical activity, and if needed, medications in order to maintain your healthy lifestyle.

Type 2 Diabetes Basics

If you’re looking for a type 2 diabetic diet, it’s a good bet you already know a little something (or a whole lot) about type 2 diabetes. Just to summarize; type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance and often people with this disease end up taking insulin injections. If you’re new to type 2 diabetes and need to know more then take a look at the following resources:

• The University of Maryland’s guide to Diabetes
• American Diabetes Association
• The Diabetic Exchange System

The Best Type 2 Diabetic Diet

The very best diet for an individual with diabetes consists of a well balanced variety of foods. Normally, a diet that is great for someone with diabetes is one and the same with a diet that is well-suited to healthy weight control and supports physical activity.

The best diet for someone with type 2 diabetes includes the following key points:

• Provides adequate nutrients all around. Deficiencies in certain areas of the diet (like trace minerals) can lead to a quicker advancement of type 2 diabetes.
• Lower in protein. This doesn’t mean protein should be cut; rather that too much protein won’t protect the kidneys as well as a low protein diet.
• Offers a controlled amount of carbohydrates in order to regulate blood glucose levels.
• Provides fiber in sufficient quantities. Fiber helps to maintain whole body health and thus is essential to someone who is dealing with diabetes.
• Concentrated sugars are planned according to an individual’s blood glucose response. Technically the diet should be moderate in concentrated sugars but each individual’s body handles diabetes differently so moderate is at different levels for people.
• Low in saturated fat. Saturated fats aren’t healthy for anyone in large amounts but are particularly bad for people with type 2 diabetes because it can worsen insulin response.

There are also a few points that need more research but are somewhat supported and suggested as part of a good type 2 diabetic diet. These points include:

• Plenty of antioxidant rich veggies and fruits – the theory behind this is that some of the body damage sustained by people with diabetes; such as eye, skin, and nerve damage may be the cause of oxidation present with glucose elevation. Therefore some newer research says that eating the antioxidant rich foods may help prevent damage.
• Lots of fresh water to keep the kidneys in good working order.

Helpful Resources for Diabetic Diet Planning

A wealth of helpful diet planning resources exist. Your first stop for diet planning should be your doctor and hopefully your nutritionist. If your doctor has not already referred you to a certified nutritionist ask to be referred. A nutrition expert can be one of your best allies in the fight against diabetes.

Following are some other helpful resources and tips on planning your diet.

• The Diabetes Food Pyramid: This pyramid caters to the needs of individuals with diabetes. Unlike the traditional food pyramid, this diabetes pyramid groups foods together based on carbohydrate content instead of food type. Portion sizes vary as well. The pyramid can help remind you of what you should eat and is especially useful for daily diet planning.
• Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy: This book breaks down the food pyramid above and helps to plan meals. The book includes nutrition recommendations from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), details how to personalize your meals, provides vitamin and supplement information, and explains how to read food labels and more. This is an invaluable resource for planning the perfect type 2 diabetes diet.
• Learn about the best diabetic cookbooks
• Diabetic Diet Plan
• Diabetic Diet Menus
• Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes: A booklet from Harvard Health Publications that focuses on how diabetic diets are similar to regular healthy diets. This book is nice because it’s available in download form – so you can have it right away if you need it..

• Summer Snacks
• Diabetic Snacks
• 10 Healthiest Foods
• Fast Food Statistics
• Healthy Food Myths Quiz

• The Lemonade Diet
• Weight Watchers Points Calculators
• Weight Watchers Points
• 1200 Calorie Menus
• Weight Watchers Restaurant Points

• Diabetic Ketoacidosis
• American Diabetic Diet
• Diabetic Diet Menus
• Basics of the Diabetic Diet
• Diabetic Diet Plan