Diabetes is a disease that results from too much sugar (glucose) in the blood, which means that your body does not have sufficient insulin available to convert food into energy. Insulin is a hormone that helps sugar enter the body's cells and maintains the level of sugar in the blood.

The main concern while monitoring diabetes is to watch that the sugar level does not cross the normal range. This means that one requires cutting down on many types of food and consuming regularly those foods, which are fine at regulating diabetes.

People with diabetes should try to manage a healthy weight and consume a diabetic food that is:

1. Low in fat quantity
2. Low in sugar quantity
3. Low in salt quantity
4. High in fruit and vegetables
5. High in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice.

There is no such diabetic food that diabetes patients should never eat. In addition, there is no requirement to cut out all sugar. But, people with diabetes should aim and eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar, fat.

What foods to eat in Diabetes?

1. People with Diabetes must take lots of fruits and vegetables in which fiber content is very high. Such type of food lessens the need for insulin, the reason being it releases energy into the body cells slowly. A high fiber diet means more chromium, which is very cooperative in the treatment of diabetes.
2. As for vegetables, onion, garlic, ginger, radish, spinach, kale, cucumber, carrot, tomato, cabbage and cucumber are outstanding in the diabetes treatment. Mooing, kidney beans which have been sprouted, and unripe banana which is cooked, are also advisable.
3. Fenugreek seeds which have been soaked in water are almost fine for diabetic patients and should be included in diabetic food plan.
4. In fruits diet, you can take guava, Indian blackberry (also called jamun), fig, kiwi fruit, apples, citrus fruits and pomegranate juice. As, fruit juice is high in fructose (fruit sugar) and can cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly, it’s excellent for diabetics to drink fruit juice with a meal and avoid having more than one small glass a day.
5. Substitute white sugar with palm sugar, dates and honey, if you desire to have something sweet.
6. Fats like olive oil and peanut oil should be included in diabetes food plan.
7. Eat non-fat dairy foodstuffs such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese, plain yoghurt.
8. Some herbs and vegetables are specially prescribed for diabetes, like Bitter Gourd and bitter melon juice.

What to avoid?

1. Processed foods, white sugar, white flour and junk food, must be completely avoided. Avoid sweets, glucose, fruit sugar, cakes, ice cream, chocolates and soft drinks.
2. Avoid smoking and alcohol as far as achievable.
3. Try to give up from sweets, ice-creams and chocolates, including the so-called sugar-free kinds.
4. Foods made from white flour, rye, corn, polished rice, bread, cakes, biscuits, pies.
5. Cottage cheese
6. Avoid commercially package foods such as fast foods, chips, ready-to-eat foods, snack foods and "health foods."

Some useful tips you should remember while eating out

• You should give preference to water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit mock tails, sweet tea and sugar-sweetened drinks
• You must avoid creamy toppings like mayonnaise as far as possible.
• Try to eat high-fat topping salads, dressings, cheeses, and croutons.
• Choose a thin-crust pizza with more vegetable toppings but limit yourself to one or two slices. Left the extra cheese, which add calories, fat, and sodium.
• Finish your meal with sugar-free, fat-free frozen simple yogurt or a little cone of fat-free yogurt.

Diabetes Foods and Nutritional Requirements for Diabetics
Diet plays an important role in managing diabetes. This article will help you know about the diabetes foods and nutritional requirements for diabetics.

Diabetes Foods
• Foods that can be eaten as much as one wants – Green leafy vegetables, fruits except banana, lemon; clear soups, onion, salads, mint, spices, plain coffee or tea, skimmed and butter milk.
• Foods that can be eaten in moderation – Fats, meat, egg, cereals and pulses
• Foods to be avoided – Simple sugars (glucose, syrup, sweets and honey), dried fruits, cake, fried foods, candy, alcohol and nuts


Nutritional Requirements for Diabetics

• Carbohydrates – High carbohydrate and high fiber diet improve insulin binding and increase in monocyte insulin receptor binding. High carbohydrate diet is likely to elevate serum triglyceride levels (endogenous cholesterol). Hence carbohydrate is maintained to about 50% of total calories. Most carbohydrates should be in form of polysaccharides such as bread, cereals, beans, etc. Rapidly absorbed mono and disaccharides such as sweets, chocolates and sweetened drink should be avoided.
• Proteins – A diet high in protein is good for the health of diabetics because it supplies the essential amino acids needed for tissue repair. In patients with NIDDM, consumption of protein along with carbohydrate will lower the blood glucose concentration due to amino acid stimulation of insulin secretion; this help to compensate for the defect in glucose mediated insulin secretion seen in so many of these patients. Protein also promotes satiety and helps both types of diabetic patients to adhere to the carbohydrate allowance.
• Fats – Low fat diet increases insulin binding and also reduces LDL and VLDL levels and lowers the incidence of atherosclerosis which is more common in diabetics. Fat content in the diet should be 15-25% of total calories and higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Dietary Fiber – Diets high in carbohydrate and fiber improve glucose metabolism without increasing insulin secretion. They lower fasting serum and peripheral insulin concentrations in response to oral glucose administration in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Fenugreek seeds which contain high fiber are useful to diabetics.
• Artificial Sweeteners - High content of sugar consumption is undesirable for diabetics and for obese individuals. Non-caloric and high intense sweeteners are available as sugar substitute. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.