Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common forms of chronic diseases that is affecting almost every society in the world. The disease results from your body being unable to produce insulin, or if it does, it does not work effectively. It is an essential hormone that controls the blood glucose level. Type 2 diabetes has adverse effects on various organs, including the eyes, kidneys, feet, and heart. Diet and nutrition played an essential role in controlling the disease. This article will discuss diet and nutrition for type 2 diabetes.

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

The presence of high blood sugar is the first symptom of Type 2 diabetes. It creates other classical symptoms that include polyurea(frequent urination), polydypsia(increased thirst), and polyphagia(increased hunger). Alongside these primary symptoms, patients with type 2 diabetes often develop other medical conditions such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular problems.

There is a good connection between diet, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Diets high in processed food, sugar, and unhealthy fats, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, result in obesity. obesity is believed to change the body's metabolism. This change involves the body's fat tissue in releasing free fatty acids and glucose into the blood.

The release of these two agents(free fatty acids and glucose) affects insulin-responsive cells, making them resistant to insulin. When your body's cells become insulin-resistant, they become less responsive to insulin signals, which delays the process of moving glucose from the blood into the cells. This results in glucose remaining in the blood for longer than it should, causing the blood glucose level to rise.

The Importance of Diet in Managing Blood Sugar

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy, making them an essential part of the human diet. A diet rich in carbohydrates directly affects blood glucose levels. When we eat carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks them down into glucose. Insulin controls blood glucose levels. If insulin, due to some underlying reasons, fails to control blood glucose levels, eating a diet full of carbohydrates will result in a rise in blood glucose levels.

Carbohydrate monitoring in diet is an essential part of managing diabetes. It helps to adjust the insulin doses for patients on intensive insulin therapy. It also helps patients avoid physical complications. Failure to control carbohydrate intake in the diet for diabetic patients will increase the blood glucose levels, which would result in several short-term and long-term complications.

Stabilizing blood sugar levels depends on the presence of protein, fat, and fiber in your diet. A healthy diet refers to the presence of these three macronutrients. Fat and protein, for example, slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. Of the two types of fiber, the soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that also slows down glucose absorption in the blood

Recommended Foods for Diabetics

There is no specific diet or meal plan that works for every diabetic patient. Foods that can help people prevent and manage diabetes are whole grains, vegetables, lean proteins, legumes, and fruits. Maintaining a balanced ratio of these foods in the diet keeps the blood sugar levels stable. White bread, refined foods, and sweets should be restricted in the diet of diabetic patients because these foods are responsible for spiking blood sugar levels.

Glycemic index is a scale that diabetic patients use to identify foods that don't increase blood sugar levels. Foods in the glycemic index scale are ranked 0 to 100. Foods with a low glycemic index value are digested and absorbed slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar level. The slow digestion process has several health benefits, including better sugar level management, weight management, and reduced risk of certain chronic diseases.

Staying hydrated is simple, yet the well-being of your overall health depends on it. Several important health benefits of adequate hydration include improved brain function, enhanced energy, better weight loss and management, decreased joint pain, prevention of kidney stone development, and a healthier heart. Maintaining a healthy portion size in your meals is another important habit to control diabetes. A portion is how much food you want to choose to eat at one time. Maintaining a healthy portion size in your meals offers many health benefits, including improved weight management, improved digestion, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Foods to Limit or Avoid

Refined carbs, sugary drinks, trans fats, and processed snacks have negative health impacts on everyone. Diabetic patients need to control the consumption of these foods. These foods are not beneficial for health because they are high in calories, low in nutrients, and promote weight gain. type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Although no food is completely off-limits, however, diabetic patients need to replace unhealthy foods with healthy foods.

When people talk about sugary foods, they explicitly refer to candy, ice cream, and baked goods. But sugar can be hidden in many everyday foods that only a few consumers care about. The list of common packaged foods loaded with hidden sugar is quite extensive. Reading the ingredient list on the nutrition label will help you understand how much added sugar is present in a particular food.

Meal Planning Tips and Strategies

For Type 2 diabetes patients, meal planning is essential to control the disease. A balanced plate method is a meal planning process that ensures patients consume a balanced diet. The method involves an imaginative plate with three unequal sections of food. Among these three sections, the largest section is filled with non-starchy vegetables and fruits. The remaining two equal sections are for lean protein and healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains.

Besides consuming a balanced diet, a person's good health and well-being also depend on eating food at regular meal times. Finding your regular meal time has a huge impact on your physical and mental well-being. Your body follows circadian rhythm, a 24-hour biological cycle that controls your psychology, metabolism, and behaviour. The challenge is finding meal times that align with your appetite and metabolic needs.

Type 2 diabetes has become a global epidemic affecting approximately 420 million people worldwide. Treatment of this disease is expensive, especially for those who have complications and need newer medications. The chronic disease affects patients' kidneys, eyes, feet, and heart. However, Type 2 diabetes is preventable and manageable.

Monitoring and controlling blood sugar levels are the main strategies in the management of type 2 diabetes. Controlling and managing blood sugar levels is possible by eating a balanced, healthy diet, avoiding sugar-rich foods, and maintaining regular meal times. The concluding line is that diet is the main player in type 2 diabetes management.