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What can I eat now that I have diabetes?
There is no special diet for children or young adults with diabetes. The food you eat should be based on healthy eating principles that can be enjoyed by all your family and friends. There is no need to buy any special diabetic products. The following information will explain why food is important in managing your diabetes. Your dietitian will be able to answer any other questions you might have. Why is food important? Just like a car needs petrol before it will drive anywhere, food is important to give us energy, so that we are able to do everyday activities like thinking, walking, running, playing, and to grow properly. When people are first diagnosed with diabetes, they often feel very tired, weak and may have lost some weight. this is because their body wasn't able to use the energy that they were eating. How does my body use energy? Some of the food that we eat is broken down into sugar (glucose) by our body. This sugar goes into the blood stream and travels around. Insulin is a hormone, produced by tiny cells in the pancreas, which lets the glucose into cells, muscles and the liver so it can be used for energy. In diabetes the tiny cells in the pancreas stop producing insulin, so the sugar in the blood cannot be used. This causes high blood glucose levels(hyperglycaemia) which can make you feel tired, thirsty and unwell. This is why insulin injections are needed, and you also need to think carefully about what you eat. Blood sugar Carbohydrate foods are broken down by the body into sugar (glucose). There are two type of carbohydrate
Starchy Carbohydrate This is found in the following foods: - Bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, chapatti, naan bread, plantain, breakfast cereals etc The glucose in these foods is joined together in long chains which causes a steady rise in blood sugar over a long period of time. Every link must be broken before the glucose is released into the blood. Every food is broken down into glucose at different rates, however, some foods are known to be broken down more slowly than others, (e.g. beans, peas, lentils, yoghurt and milk). These are known as foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) and cause a slower rise in blood glucose. This is discussed in more detail later on. Starchy carbohydrate foods are low in fat and help to fill you up. They should be included as part of every meal and snack (if you need them). This is important to help keep your blood glucose within ideal levels. |
