2 minute read
Preventing Diabetes With A Low Glycemic Index Diet
Except for juvenile onset diabetes, changes to a healthy eating program can make a difference in whether you develop diabetes later in life. For some people the problem begins during pregnancy with gestational diabetes, and those who develop diabetes during pregnancy have a much better chance of developing the disease later in life. The importance of healthy eating needs to be stressed early in life because the sooner you begin the process of eating healthy, well-balanced meals, the easier it will be to continue doing so.
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Diabetes is not a fun disease by any means, and many people don’t understand the real complications that it can cause. Even with insulin injections, it’s important to eat a diet that is low in sugar content, thus the reason for a low glycemic index diet. Simple carbohydrates such as candy, cakes, and even white bread, starches, white rice, and other high glycemic carbohydrates convert into sugar upon digestion, thus raising the blood sugar level in your bloodstream. Although this may not create a problem when you are young, as you get older, and especially if you continue the practice, you increase your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. In addition, if someone in your family has it, there is a greater chance that you will develop diabetes as well.
The switch to a low glycemic index doesn’t mean that you have to change your entire diet, just the foods that have a high glycemic index such as white breads, potatoes, white rice, bleached flour, and of course, the many sweets such as candies and cakes. What you need to do is substitute high glycemic index for lower glycemic carbohydrates. You can accomplish this by reducing the amount of potatoes you eat, using brown rice instead of white rice, using whole grain breads such as sour dough and whole wheat bread instead of white bread, using whole wheat instead of bleached flour, and choosing cereals that contain oats, barley, bran, and other whole grain products. In addition, reducing the amount of simple carbohydrates such as sweetened cereals, cakes, cookies, candies, and the like and replacing them with fruits and vegetables will also help prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes. The more ways you find to eat healthier now means the less your chances are of being plagued with the symptoms of diabetes later in life.
