How to Cure Type 2 Diabetes - Part1 Improving Your Diet

How to Cure Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot control its increased blood glucose levels. The condition occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells in the body decline to respond to the insulin that is produced. If left untreated, diabetes can damage nearly every organ in the body, including the kidneys, eyes, heart, and even the nervous system. In today's day and age, however, it's a totally manageable condition. Though it's not technically "curable," with insulin therapy and a healthy lifestyle, diabetes does not have to affect your quality of life. Start with Step 1 below to keep your condition convenient, easy to manage, and complication free.

Part1 Improving Your Diet

1 Eat more vegetables and beans. In general, foods high in fiber cannot be digested or absorbed by the body easily and therefore help in reducing blood sugar levels. Beans in particular contain high concentrations of fibers, potassium, magnesium, and, of course, plant proteins. This fulfills your protein needs without having to eat red meat with its harmful fats.

·         Green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, and kale, give you many vitamins with few calories; non-starchy vegetables are also healthy, such as asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes. All are good source of fibers and vitamin E.

2 Include fish as a regular part of your diet. Fish should be a mainstay in your diet now due to its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon and tuna, in particular, are very rich in them and are very light, healthy choices, too. However, most fish are safe and good to eat. Mackerel, herring, lake trout, and sardines are good as well.^[1]

·         Nuts also are a good source of omega acids, especially walnuts and flaxseeds. Adding them in your diet (try on your salad) is a great way to increase your omega acid intake. What's more, increasing your fish intake reduces your intake of red meat, lowering your fat and caloric consumption.

3 Choose fat free dairy products. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are all good choices if they're fat free – you can still get all their nutrition, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins without the harmful fats by choosing these varieties.

·         This isn't to say that all fats are bad. Your body needs some good fats in the form of natural, unsaturated fats like the ones found in olive, sunflower, and sesame oils.

4 Cut out the white carbohydrates. Substitute your carbohydrate intake of white flour, bread, pasta or rice with whole grains. They contain much higher amounts of magnesium, chromium and fiber. Even white potatoes can be switched out for sweet potatoes.

·         This also means that you'll need to stay away from fried food, as the battered coating is often mainly white flour. Instead, learn more recipes for grilled or baked food. You’ll be amazed to find the same foods more delicious and juicier, too.

5 Minimize your sugar intake as much as possible. You can find sugar in many sources: fruits, sweetened drinks, ice creams, desserts, and sweet breads. Instead, use products with artificial sweeteners such as saccharin or sucralose as they provide you the sweet taste you want without glucose breaking up in your body and elevating your sugar levels.

·         Sweeteners like Splenda can easily be added to your food or drinks. What's more, plenty of products now advertise that they're "sweetened with Splenda" (or a similar sugar substitute). Read the labels while you're at the store to see what options you have.

·         You can eat some fruits like apples, pears, berries and peaches, once in a while. Avoid other fruits that contain high amounts of sugars such as watermelon and mangoes.

6 Get the right amount of calories. It's important that you not only get the right amount of calories, but that you get the right kind of calories too. Every person is different – your doctor should recommend a diet that will be determined depending on your insulin dose, your overall health, and the progression of your diabetes.

·         General recommendations for dietary therapy are 36 calories/kg (79 calories/lb) for males and 34 calories/kg (75 calories/lb) for females. A normal diet should generally consist of about 50-60% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 30% fat, and a restriction of salt intake.

·         For patients with type 2 diabetes, the main goal is weight loss of about 5-10% of body weight. Calories should not necessarily be limited, but carbohydrate and fat intake should be reduced.