Type 2 Diabetes Diet: Essential Insights and Tips for a Healthy Life
An estimated 37.3 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is over 10% of the population. With rates of diabetes increasing, it is crucial to raise awareness and combat the abundance of misinformation about this disease. Misinformation about treatment and lifestyle recommendations not only prevents people from receiving the care they need but also increases their risk for complications. Most forms of diabetes are manageable with proper medical care and maintainable lifestyle changes, making it vital to know the facts and seek trusted advice.
What is Diabetes?
There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells. Type 2 diabetes, often preventable, occurs when the body produces insulin but cannot use it effectively, leading to high blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, accounting for 90-95% of all diabetes cases, primarily affecting adults.
Several factors can increase your risk of diabetes, including family history, race or ethnicity, body size, and lifestyle factors such as a sedentary lifestyle or unhealthy diet.
Recognizing early symptoms can lead to timely intervention:
- Increased fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst and dry mouth
- Mood changes
- Blurry vision
- Recurrent infections
- Tingling or numbness in extremities
- Unintentional weight loss
- Slow-healing sores
Discovering you have diabetes or are at risk can be overwhelming. Living Healthy with diabetes means starting a diabetic diet, understanding healthcare recommendations, understanding healthy meal preparation, and managing life stressors. For this reason, a trustworthy healthcare team is essential for providing support and guidance tailored to your needs, ensuring you're not navigating this journey alone.
During diabetes awareness month, there is a national focus on education and goal setting. Be sure to manage your health long-term. Sustainable changes are key to preventing the return of unhealthy habits. Goals should encompass overall health, considering risks like heart disease, vision loss, and nerve damage.
Healthy Weight and Diabetes Weight Loss
Losing 7-10% of your current weight if overweight can significantly reduce diabetes risk and/or reduce complications from diabetes. Diabetes weight loss can help normalize blood sugars and reduce medication needs. Aim for safe, balanced approaches to avoid drastic or unsustainable measures. Fad diets often do more harm than good when it comes to losing weight permanently.
What to Drink with Diabetes
Staying hydrated is crucial but choosing the best beverages for diabetes is equally important. Water is the best option, but other good choices include unsweetened tea, coffee in moderation, and herbal teas. Avoid sugary drinks to maintain stable blood sugar levels. While alcohol and diabetes can often be managed safely together, there are some risks of drinking alcohol with a diagnosis of diabetes that diabetics should be aware of.
Diabetes Diet Tips
Getting a diagnosis of diabetes can be overwhelming! Familiarizing yourself with an easy diabetic diet for beginners is a good place to start. Foods we eat are broken down into glucose, which insulin transfers into our cells to provide energy. While avoiding glucose-rich foods, the body will find ways to obtain glucose needed for survival. Therefore, the goal is not to eliminate carbohydrates but to control their intake and choose healthier sources. Smart carbs like whole grains, beans, and vegetables can provide essential nutrients without causing blood sugar spikes. Other important diabetes diet tips include balancing meals with healthy, lean proteins, choosing fats wisely, and eating at regular intervals.
Well-Balanced Diet and Smart Carbs
A healthy diet is essential for managing blood sugar levels. Focus on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. These foods, while containing carbohydrates, provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help control blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications.
Heart-Healthy Foods
Given that diabetes nearly doubles the risk of heart disease, it’s important to choose heart-healthy foods. Opt for lean proteins, low-fat dairy, and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, and nuts. Reducing salt intake and increasing potassium-rich foods can also help manage blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in Children
Adopting a healthy lifestyle is crucial for reversing prediabetes or diabetes in children. If children are at risk due to a family history of diabetes, it is cricital to encourage regular physical activity and a balanced diet from a young age is critical to instill healthy habits in children. This can help lower insulin resistance and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Regular Physical Activity
Daily physical activity helps lower insulin resistance and strengthens cardiovascular health. Simple activities like a 30-minute walk after dinner can significantly reduce diabetes risk, support weight management, and enhance overall health.
Monitoring Health and Well-Being
Keep a detailed log of your blood sugar levels, dietary intake, physical activity, and any changes in medications or stress levels. Share this information with your healthcare team to identify patterns such as high blood sugar in the morning, or high blood sugars after certain types of meals, so that you and your healthcare team can make informed adjustments to your management plan. Reducing stress and improving sleep are also key to better diabetes management.
How We Can Help
Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating has supported many customers with diabetes and those at risk of developing the condition. Our meal plans, founded by a Registered Nurse and now managed by a Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Expert, are calorie and portion-controlled to aid healthy weight loss and maintenance. Our approach aligns with guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association, ensuring balanced, nutritious meals that help you reach your health goals.
By doing the calorie and carb counting for you, portioning of your meals, reducing the stress of meal planning and prepping for you-- we simplify the journey to better health. If you have any questions, our Diabetes Care Team and our Registered Dietitians are here to help.
