Since most of us have a strong attachment to our favorite foods, making changes in our diet is naturally difficult. Changing your diet is something that must be done slowly, lovingly, and with tremendous persistence and patience. But for your health’s sake, it should be done right away!

How can we do it? Just be easy on yourself while you make your diet plan. Start with not having sugary foods at home. You may reward yourself with little treats everyday, like a walk at sunset, or a bubble bath or calling a friend.

So, how should a diabetic proceed with this important diet change? Perhaps two of the most useful tools are blood glucose self-monitoring and a detailed diet diary.

Glucose meter readings indicate the body’s response to meals, snacks, exercise, stress, illness and daily habits. Upon careful examination of multiple meter readings and diet notations, you and your physician can devise a diet suited to your lifestyle.

The eating rules to control diabetes mellitus (DM) usually include: no refined products like white sugar and flour; low fat, high complex carbohydrates, high fiber. Refined sugar means any carbohydrate that has been processed or otherwise chemically altered. Thus, no mouth-watering cookies, cake, candy, ice-cream, pastries, pizza, boxed cereals, all soda drinks, alcohol, honey – all the good stuff.

One of the stumbling blocks to good health is the popularity of fast foods which are not only convenient but also irresistible.

Besides good food, made from healthier ingredients, usually take a little more time to prepare than the standard fare of soda and burger joints.

So, one adjustment to make is not eating junk food and giving priority to shopping for the right food. Better eat at home more often. Avoid fats in dairy desserts as well as in animal meat. Opt for steamed or broiled food rather than fried. Avoid carbonated beverages. Limit the use of prepared sauces such as mustard, ketchup, salad dressings and packaged foods high in salt. Get together with others who are into healthful lifestyle. Eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day and never let yourself get hungry to avoid eating on the binge.

Shift to the positive remedy by eating only the therapeutic foods that can help the diabetics enjoy life longer, such as the following:

• Onions and garlic. Use them liberally in your recipes, from simple to gourmet.

• Parsley. It is high in inulin which is an analog to insulin.

• Chromium-rich foods such as whole wheat bread, oysters and potatoes. Chromium is needed to allow insulin do its job of getting sugar into the cells where it can be used as fuel for the entire system.

• Zinc-rich foods such as oysters, ginger root, and brazil nuts.

• Foods rich in iodine, phosphorous and silicon such as egg yolks, turnips, tofu and fish.

• Foods high in water-soluble fiber such as oat meal.

• Veggies like pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, string beans, cucumber, celery, spinach, peas, cabbage, and radish.

• Fruits like apples, cherries, peaches and blueberries. But avoid fruit juices or dried fruits that contain concentrated fruit sugars. It is best to avoid really sweet fruits like pears and bananas.

• Lean meats, especially white poultry meat with the skin removed.

• Fish. Best replacement for meats; but avoid smoked fish and the dark fatty sections of some fish.

• Low-fat or skim milk and dairy products.

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Good for the heart, too, these are found in sardines, mackerel, salmon, walnuts and vegetable oils.

• Recipes using spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, bay leaf, and cloves.

Making these diet changes, you would be safe from “diabetic coma” which could be fatal because of a critical shortage of fuel to the brain. Conventionally, the treatment for diabetic coma is insulin. But that is a choice with grave implications, one of which is becoming dependent on insulin injections. Improving your diet is a much more pleasant alternative than having insulin before every meal.

Filed under: Diet by Don