A healthy diet is so important to maintain the weight and blood sugar level (especially for people with diabetes). And as well we know that type 2 diabetes is the more common than type-1 and gestational diabetes (only in pregnancy) -- read also the related previous posts about “type 2 diabetes symptoms and risk factors”!
A proper type 2 diabetes is not only useful for people with diabetes but also will be helpful for anyone to promote good overall health. Like mentioned before, this diet is healthy diet that more purposed to control the level of blood sugar level.
A proper type 2 diabetes is not only useful for people with diabetes but also will be helpful for anyone to promote good overall health. Like mentioned before, this diet is healthy diet that more purposed to control the level of blood sugar level.
So, what you should know about type 2 diabetes diet (particularly in fiber and carbohydrate counting)? Here are pieces of helpful information about this issue!
Carbohydrate counting in type-2 diabetes diet
Fats and proteins are some of the major food categories in type-2 diabetes. But don’t forget also ‘carbohydrates’, they are also one of the major food categories that should be concerned as well in type 2 diabetes diet!
Carbohydrates are divided into two major types; ‘complex’ and ‘simple’:
- Complex type is relatively healthier than simple type, because it can be digested slowly by the body which eventually will help to provide a steady-level source of energy. Moreover, it also contains some useful amounts of fiber.
- Then for simple carbohydrates are like fructose, sucrose, lactose and glucose (generally they are sugars)! And as the name ‘simple’ implies, they are digested by your body quickly, therefore they cannot work well to provide a steady source of energy!
In the form of glucose, carbohydrates have a significant contribution (even most important) to provide the energy for your body. In other words we can say that sugar (glucose) is the primary source of the fuel for all cells of the body, but also has the most immediate effect on the level of blood sugar. So, it’s so reasonable why the carbohydrate counting is one of the most important points in type 2 diabetes diet.
Carbohydrate counting in type 2 diabetes diet is a meal-planning method that purposed to maintain the amount of total carbohydrates we eat every day, and keep it on the track.
For some people, counting carbohydrates is not easy because it may involve some instructions, but once you clearly know how many grams of total carbohydrates/ day are best for you then you can enjoy your type-2 diabetes diet not too difficultly!
To understand the best value of how many grams of carbohydrates per day that you need, contact your doctor or a registered dietitian for more detailed information! After clearly understanding the best total amount of carbohydrates that you should eat each day, then there are generally available two popular ways of carbohydrate counting: counting based on servings of carbohydrate and counting based on grams of carbohydrate.
Fiber in type-2 diabetes diet
As well we know that fiber has an important role for your digestive system. It can help to move foods that you eat along the digestive tract! Moreover, high-fiber diet is often associated and related with lower risk chance of strokes, high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.
Overall, there are many important functions of fiber for your body, such as: (a) helpful to control better the levels of blood sugar because fiber can delay the sugar absorption, (b) rich source of minerals and vitamins, (c) helpful to reduce the caloric intake (welcome idea to promote weight loss), (d) helpful to against bad cholesterol, and (e) also useful to decrease the risk of certain intestinal disorders and prevent constipation!
High intake of fiber is so recommended, especially for people with type 2 diabetes should consume at least about 25-35 grams of fiber /day! Some high sources of fiber that are so recommended to increase fiber intake are: bran products, whole grain breads, fresh vegetables & fruits, brown rice, and cooked dried peas & beans!
The last, talk with your registered dietitian to get more advices & more detailed information about type-2 diabetes diet!
-- Image credit to ‘shutterstock’ for illustration
