Diabetic disease is a growing concern around the world, and early detection and diagnosis of these pathologies are critical in not only raising awareness among those at risk for disease, but also for developing treatments to help prevent the onset and progression of disease. Some times if this disease is severe enough and it can require aggressive intervention to treat the complications that it can bring about.

Diabetes mellitus is currently developing into one of the main threats of human health with an explosive increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes worldwide. Approximately 29 million Americans age 20 or older have diabetes. But many, almost one-third, don't know they have the disease and are at risk for vision loss, kidney failure, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

This degenerative disease can damage many of the body systems leading to such serious medical complications as heart disease (heart attack, stroke) blindness (due to retinopathy) kidney damage, impotence in men, amputations from gangrene and/or from damage to nerves (neuropathy). In fact diabetics spend more time in the hospital for foot complications than for all other aspects of their disease combined. Foot gangrene is typically caused by a combination of limb ischemia (tissue death) as the result of arterial occlusive disease, most commonly atherosclerosis, injury and poor healing, usually combined with a superimposed infection.

Strong diabetic control, namely, stable blood sugars and tight low insulin, is most important in avoiding the terrible complications and end-stage processes of diabetes such as coronary heart disease, massive obesity, or renal disease requiring dialysis. By self monitoring blood sugar levels and by using multiple insulin injections or using an insulin pump, you can slow the development of diabetic retinopathy and other complications of diabetes.

The diabetic's disease is the failure of the body to produce sufficient insulin; the disease is not the individual's failure to stay on a diabetic diet. Although for diabetes (and all of us) the goal is still excellent glucose control, much more important is strict insulin control. With insulin levels, the lower the better. A normal fasting insulin level is less than 10 mIU/ml.

Diabetic disease is a condition that cannot be cured but with proper diet, exercise, and medical management its symptoms and complications can be controlled, allowing those who suffer its affects to live long and healthy lives.

A diabetic diet is a balanced healthy diet with appropriate mixture of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at each meal so as to both provide essential nutrients as well as create an even release of glucose into the blood from meal to meal on a daily basis. A diet for diabetes, however, needs to be adjusted to suit each diabetic's requirement as there are tend to be differences in everyone's level of physical activities, injections of insulin (if taking) and intake of oral diabetic drugs, and the action and timing of the medications taken.

The exchange lists, which are dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association, are the basis of a meal planning system designed by a committee of the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. There are differing philosophies on what is the best diet but below is a guideline with some general principles. Patients with Type 1 diabetes should have a diet that has approximately 35 calories per kg of body weight per day (or 16 calories per pound of body weight per day). Patients with Type 2 diabetes generally are put on a 1500-1800 calorie diet per day to promote weight loss and then the maintenance of ideal body weight.

Most people with diabetes find that it is quite helpful to sit down with a dietician or nutritionist for a consult about what is the best diet for them and how many daily calories they need. It is quite important for diabetics to understand the principles of carbohydrate counting and how to help control blood sugar levels through proper diet.

To keep blood sugar levels under control, a diabetic diet strikes a balance among the carbohydrates, fats, and protein you take in.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are the source of energy that starts with glucose, the sugar in your bloodstream, and includes substances containing many sugar molecules called complex carbohydrates, starches, cellulose, and gums. Carbohydrates comprise the highest source of blood sugar and are the primary fuel for your body and brain. Carbohydrates are any food that can be broken down into sugar and the more of these you eat the higher your blood sugar will rise.

Fat:

Fats should contain no more than the 30% of the daily basis calorie count. Fats are the most important concern for diabetics because the management of cholesterol is done according to the amount of fat taken into the body. The dietary key to managing cholesterol, then, lies in understanding fats and oils.

Reducing the consumption of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids is the number one step in managing weight and cholesterol. To manage these fats it is important to understand both saturated fats and trans fatty acids. Saturated fats are found in animal products and dairy products. Trans-fatty acids are created through a process called hydrogenation. These fats can be found in stick margarine and in fast foods, baked goods and white breads.

Protein:

Protein is another element that is important to take account of in the diabetic diet. Protein foods do not raise your blood sugar, so you can add more fish, eggs, meat, etc with your meals. Protein is limited to 15-20% of the total calorie requirement of the body. Whenever you eat a meal or snack, it should always include a small amount of protein that has its own natural fat. The protein food with its own natural fat tends to hold onto the food longer so that your blood sugar doesn't spike and then drop immediately.

A diabetic diet can be customized to suit each patient's preferences, and a nutritionist can help with this. This type of diet should also take into consideration the medical condition, lifestyle and eating habits of the diabetic patient.