(raises hand) T2 diabetic. I've done a lot of research myself, and to tell you the truth as I see it, the interweb is full of hooie. There is some good advice, but it's hard to find under all the junk. There are even a few "respectable" instituions that get it all wrong in my humble opinion. Look at thier funding, don't necessarily believe in government advice (remember politics and political contributions/funding play even in this arena).
Good diabetic control makes PTSD more managable. PTSD is hard enough as it is to manage, fighting the rages and depression that can result in poor blood sugar control only makes it harder.
1. Choose
low glycemic foods, foods where the sugars are absorbed slowly by the body to avoid a sugar spike (quick google search).
Wiki - Glycemic index < --- Link. Sample Glycemic index <--- link (may require several google searches, as each one may vary on the GI they list and the foods and beverages they cover. Some are more reliable than others, some are more complete than others).
2. The more processed the food is, and/or the more ingredients it has, the worse it is for you generaly. One of the best guides I ever found suggested no foods with more than 5 ingredients (ya I know almost impossible, but it's a target to shoot for).
3. The words healty, healty choice, low fat, natural, etc are to be aproached with extreme caution. Often it is mislableing, misinformative and can be dangerous to a diabetic. The "health food isle" in stores often have the worst food for diabetics. :eek:
4. Learn to read the nutrition lable and ingredients on EVERYTHING.
5. Use caution with white flower in all it's forms noodles, bread, cake, etc.
6. It is ok (depending on tolerance) to have portion controled fresh fruit. Experiment with different fruits to find some that are tolerable. Use glycemic food index.
7. Portion control is a must.
8. Eat small meals often. Usually around 2-3 hours apart.
Small meals is the kicker here. Count the calories if you can, you may be suprised that small meal has a full meals calories. Include butter, dressing, etc in the calorie count. You can pack on the pounds fast otherwise and throw your diabetes really off course.
9. Body weight control really effects diabetes control. The lower the excess body fat, the easier diabetes managment is
for most people. Don't get down on yourself if you are overweight. It took a long time to put on the weight, it may take a long time to take off the extra weight. Expect some victories, some losses in the battle.
10. Find out all the ways sugars can be named to mislead the consumer. The following website has tons of names for sugar. I was going to type out the ones off the top of my head, but... you'll see. [DLMURL="http://www.fitsugar.com/Other-Names-Sugar-Appear-Labels-810571"]Hidden names for sugars[/DLMURL]. <--- link.
11. Personal opinion - artificial sweeteners are bad. I suggest using honey when the sweet tooth hits and learning to use it in recipies instead of sugar. Use caution when baking using yeast. as honey can kill fungus (yeast) if the concentration is too high and is slower to be metabalized by the yeast (slower growth). Don't add the honey and yeast on top of each other, mix in one, then add the other.
12. Use common sense when first adopting the diabetic lifestyle. There are many guides that almost dictate an extremely harsh diet and exercise regime on all sides of the issue. Your still alive doing what you have been doing. Slowly modify what you are doing,
test, test, test, and see what works for you, then go from there.
13. The more dramatic the "new diabetic lifestyle" change is, the more likely the average person will fail at maintianing it. That is why it is important to change at a moderate sustainable pace,
test, test, test, and move on from there.
14. Mark on a calander that u actually use, review periods of for example every month to three months. Are you still maintaining your diabetic freindly lifestyle or have you backslid to a unhealthy diet lifestyle?
