Diabetes

Healthy routine helps to minimize the risk of developing complications of diabetes. One can keep blood glucose levels normal by a healthy diet and maintaining physical fitness. Eating right, controlling your weight and exercising regularly will help you to control sugar level. 

Excess consumption of alcohol is harmful as it may lower blood glucose levels and cause weight gain. Smoking is very harmful to diabetes patients, because it increases the risk of long-term complications. Foot care is important because diabetes can increase the risk of skin infections and ulcers on the feet. You must clean your feet daily and if a sore develop on your feet, consult the doctor promptly. Diabetes patients have an increased risk of high blood pressure, so regular monitoring is important.

Low-fat, vegetarian diets are ideal for diabetics. In most cases, diabetics can manage their disease much better with a food plan that gets most of its calories from complex carbohydrates while minimizing fats.

Diet for Diabetes: 
With a near-vegetarian diet and exercise program, one can maintain their sugar levels with out taking any medications. Ideal diet program for a diabetic is a low fat vegetarian diet, reducing meats, high-fat dairy products, and oils. At the same time increasing grains, legumes, and vegetables.  

• Have your meals at regular timings and limit your overall intake.
• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Soluble fibers mainly found in fruits, vegetables and some seeds are good for diabetics. They reduce or slow down the absorption of glucose from the intestines.
  Diabetes patients should include leafy vegetables, vegetable soups and juices in their diet. Vegetables like tomato, cucumber, bitter gourd, carrot, cooked kidney beans, pumpkin, snake gourd, beans,  cabbage, lady finger, brinjal, onion, spinach, inner part of banana stem, drum sticks etc. are good for diabetes.   Fruits and fruit juices of  apple, guava, lemon etc. are good. Avoid fruits like banana, mango, grapes, papaya, jack fruit etc. and vegetables like potato, tapioca, sweet potato etc. containing lot of carbohydrates.
• Eat more starches such as bread, cereal, and starchy vegetables. Aim for six servings a day or more.
• Eat sugars, sweets and fat and fat-fried items in moderation. 
  It is better to avoid cakes, jaggery, honey, ghee, butter, cool drinks, biscuits, dried fruits like badam and excess use of oil while cooking.