Normal Blood Sugar Levels and Diabetes

Type-2 Diabetes is a serious disease in which the sugars that occur in the body after eating food are not properly processed in the way normal to the human body and, as a result, accumulate in the bloodstream to higher than normal levels, an unhealthy condition that can lead to health complications if not properly treated.

The major concern for every person who is diagnosed as having diabetes is blood sugar control and for many that is a problem difficult to deal with.

For most diabetics, the three primary pillars of diabetes treatment to control higher than normal blood sugar levels involve diet, exercise, and weight loss for those who are overweight. And it is estimated that most diabetics and pre-diabetics are overweight.

Diet and the need to avoid foods that contribute too much sugar too fast

For most non-diabetic people, a diet is usually thought of as a means to lose weight and is often a temporary pattern of eating until their goal of weight loss is achieved.

But for the diabetic person, a diet is something quite different and is not a temporary situation but involves a more tailored dietary eating plan that often requires a change in the types of foods that are eaten in order to control blood sugar levels and to also maintain a healthy body weight. But that does not require drastic measures or eating special foods, in fact, most common “every day” foods are perfectly appropriate, and it becomes an exercise in eliminating or minimizing the foods that cause the greatest rise in blood sugar levels above the normal range.

Sugar, essential fuel for the body’s cells
Sugar is required by the cells of the body to use as a source of energy to fuel their respective metabolic activities and food supplies the needed sugars. Some foods contribute more sugars to the body than others and the sugars in foods can exist in several forms, some with a simpler molecular structure than others. It is the simpler sugars, those with the a simpler molecular structure, that can most easily and quickly raise a person’s blood sugars to above normal levels.

Because the person with diabetes has difficulty in processing the sugars, it is preferable to avoid simple and high sugar content foods and replace them with foods of lower more complex sugar content.

Foods provide the essential nutrients that sustain life and are classified into six categories as follows, in no special order:

♦ Carbohydrates

♦ Proteins

♦ Fats, including oils

♦ Vitamins

♦ Minerals

♦ Water

Carbohydrate content of foods
While some sugars can be obtained from proteins and fats, it is the carbohydrate portion of foods that is the usual and by far largest source of sugars for the body and the carbohydrates are the foods that are usually focused on when looking for ways to lower blood sugars.

For assistance in choosing the appropriate foods for a diabetic menu, it is helpful to check out this link that explain the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load tables,  useful aids to help determine the carbohydrate content of foods.

Follow an appropriate diabetic food plan
The major objective in all methods of diabetes treatment is to bring the higher than normal blood sugars down to within an acceptable range. Making a modification to an existing diet or a change to a more suitable diet may well play the greatest role in accomplishing that objective.

A suitable diabetic diet or diabetic food plan will provide a nutritious and balanced range of foods tailored to the tastes and preferences of the individual person with diabetes. Factors involved in formulating a diabetic menu and diabetic menu planning have been discussed in our companion websites, Diabetic Menu Guide and Diabetic Food List.

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