Type 2 Diabetes Diet: Limit Saturated Fats
Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes are the three fundamental forms of diabetes. There are many risk factors for type two diabetes. These include age - being over the age of 45, a family history of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, elevated blood pressure, atypical cholesterol levels, a history of gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary disease, not exercising on a regular basis, or a history of vascular disease.
Several studies have found that coffee drinkers, especially those who drink a lot of coffee have a lower risk of diabetes than do other people. Coffee has a positive effect on diabetes. But it is becoming increasingly clear it is not the caffeine that is beneficial. The picture is now evolving where we see that some other components of coffee besides caffeine may be beneficial in long-term in reduction of diabetes risk.
Researchers speculate that decaffeinated coffee may play a role to keep blood sugar levels manageable, and regular coffee may be counter-productive to that aim. Straight caffeine without all the other ingredients of coffee many be even worse for blood sugars. Anti-diabetes compounds in coffee don't trump the ill effects of caffeine.
Some of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes include excessive thirst or hunger, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, general fatigue and irritability. A few additional symptoms to watch for include wounds and bruises that are slow to heal, blurry vision, numbness in the extremities, and infections of parts of the body such as the skin, gums, and the bladder. Women may experience vaginal yeast infections.
Most people with diabetes have questions about the foods they can eat and the type 2 diabetes diet. As you may know, diabetes is a metabolic disorder, and therefore affects how your body processes food into energy. There are many misconceptions regarding diabetes and food. A common misconception is that a diet prohibiting sugar and other types of foods exists for diabetics.
The recommended type 2 diabetes diet includes eating a balanced variety of healthy foods, staying physically active, and keeping an eye on total calorie consumption. This advice applies to the general population as well, but for those with diabetes extra emphasis is placed of controlling weight, blood sugar, and heart disease risk factors.
The Institute of Medicine recommends that people obtain about 20%-35% of daily calories from fat, although the American Diabetes Association has backed away from giving this type of specific guideline. What all experts agree on is that type 2 diabetes diets should contain some fat every day, but when doing so, should choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats whenever possible. In particular, the people with this kind of diabetes should limit consumption of unhealthy fats and saturated fats.
One of the three main types of diabetes, type two diabetes affects mainly those suffering from certain risk factors such as age, overweight, sedentary lifestyles, high blood pressure and family history. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include increased hunger and thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, irritability and unexplained weight loss. At root a metabolic disorder, diabetes affects the way your body derives energy from food. As such, diabetes can largely be controlled through diet and exercise. Coffee has been shown to be beneficial for diabetics, as have healthy fats. A type 2 diabetes diet is not simply about prohibiting sugar; rather, it should be well-balanced, avoid saturated fats, and watch total caloric content.
Published January 29th, 2008
Filed in Family
