The first thing to realise about diabetes diet guidelines are that there won’t be one set of guidelines suitable for everyone. Each and every diet plan should be designed around the individual. Somebody who is overweight and has type 2 diabetes will have a completely different dietary requirement to that of an underweight person with type 1 diabetes. It is a common misconception that there is such a thing as a diabetes diet, there isn’t as people with diabetes should eat exactly the same amount of calories as a non diabetic person. Having said that a diabetic needs to make sure that they monitor and control their carbohydrate intake on a daily basis.

Everybody’s diet is made up of fats, proteins and carbohydrates of these carbohydrates have the most effect on blood sugar levels. It is important to monitor what carbohydrates you are eating and when you are eating them. Diabetics need to try to keep their blood sugar levels as balanced as possible avoiding both high blood sugar levels and low blood sugar levels. Both eating and stress will raise the levels of sugar in the blood while exercise and the time between meals will allow the levels to drop again. Maintaining the right balance is like trying to balance on a seesaw. One way of helping to maintain this balance is to eat regular meals at regular times with small healthy snacks in between and avoid skipping meals.

Due to problems caused by diabetes to the blood vessels it is wise to try to avoid lots of saturated fat in your diet. People with diabetes are more prone to heart attacks and strokes than normal people so a healthy diet is necessary. You should also try to avoid too many sweet things as these will increase your blood sugar level leading to spikes in your glucose levels. You must make sure you speak to a fully qualified dietitian who has lots of experience of dealing with diabetics. They will be able to provide you with a diet plan tailored to your needs. Adding a regular exercise program into your daily routine will also help keep your diabetes manageable.

Diabetes is not curable but with the right diet and regular exercise it is manageable. Learn as much as you can about the disease and learn all about nutrition and health. By following a few general diabetes diet guidelines and a diet plan written by your dietitian you can start to live a normal life. The important thing is to eat regularly and often and stay away from too many sweet things.