Diabetics

All diabetics should eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other seeds, and deep water fish. They should restrict meat, chicken, whole milk dairy products, bakery products, pastas, all sugar added products and all food with partially hydrogenated fats. Fruits and root vegetables should be eaten only with other foods.

Soon after you eat, your blood sugar level rises. If it rises above the normal of 160, sugar sticks to cells membranes and it can never detach. It is converted to a poison called sorbitol that damages the cells to cause all the side effects of diabetes such as blindness, deafness, burning foot syndrome, heart attacks, strokes or kidney damage.

Diabetes is treated by keeping blood sugar levels from rising too high after meals. A diabetic should avoid refined carbohydrates such as bakery products, pastas, sugar-added products and fruit juices. They should also avoid saturated fats and partially hydrogenated fats, which bind to insulin receptors and prevent your body from responding to insulin, causing blood sugar levels rise too high.

Most diabetics also need to lose weight, and fats are the most concentrated sources of calories. Meat, chicken and whole milk dairy products are high in saturated fat, and partially hydrogenated fats are found in many packaged foods, fried foods, fast foods and solid margarines, so diabetics should avoid these foods as well as the refined carbohydrates.

Many diabetics need medication to get their diabetes under control, but you may be able to get off all medication once you lose weight and make a permanent change in your eating habits. For information on the most effective medications, the latest research and tips for getting diabetes under control, visit the Diabetes section of drmirkin.com.