| Lifestyle is important in causing and even preventing | | | | Misleading terms for refined flour include: |
| type 2 diabetes. This is why type 2 diabetics should | | | | - unbleached flour |
| look at food as an important tool that can be used to | | | | - enriched wheat flour |
| control their blood sugar levels and their overall health. | | | | - wheat flour |
| There are certain foods that it is wise to avoid in order | | | | - white flour |
| to prevent: | | | | Always chose whole grain goods over "fortified" |
| - "spikes" in your blood sugar levels | | | | products. |
| - weight gain ... certain foods contribute to | | | | 4. Alcohol: Drinking alcohol in large quantities leads to a |
| complications such as obesity and heart disease | | | | number of problems including: |
| Avoiding or limiting these foods will help stabilize your | | | | - weight gain |
| blood sugar levels and improve your health: | | | | - high triglyceride levels and elevated blood pressure |
| 1. Sweets: Sweets usually contain sugars which will act | | | | - nerve damage |
| dramatically on blood sugar levels ... you can prove this | | | | - liver disease |
| yourself with a few experiments with your blood sugar | | | | In addition, alcohol makes it more difficult to control your |
| measurements. Sugars are found in a wide range of | | | | blood sugar causing it to be too high or too low ... |
| food and diabetics are advised to avoid: | | | | depending on whether you eat or not, whilst drinking. |
| - white sugar | | | | Type 2 diabetics are advised to have one or two |
| - artificial sweeteners (other than stevia) | | | | standard drinks per day only. |
| - jelly | | | | 5. Foods high in sodium: Limiting high sodium foods aids |
| - honey and fructose | | | | in the control of blood pressure. Sodium is often added |
| - ice cream and chocolates | | | | during the processing of pre-packaged foods and |
| - pastries, cookies, pies and dough-nuts | | | | include: |
| - canned juice | | | | - meats such as ham, bacon, corned beef |
| - foods containing, as a significant ingredient, products | | | | - hot dogs and sausages |
| whose names end in -ol or -ose (dextrose, glucose, | | | | - canned and smoked fish |
| xylitol) | | | | - canned vegetables |
| - corn syrup | | | | - snack items such as potato chips and salted |
| 2. Saturated fats and trans fats: These should be | | | | crackers |
| avoided because they increase your cholesterol levels | | | | - soy and steak sauces |
| and blood pressure. They are also known to cause | | | | - commercially prepared salad dressings |
| heart disease and include: | | | | - cheeses |
| - most commercially baked goods | | | | When buying food products, always check their |
| - animal products, | | | | nutrition information. The symbol "Na" indicates that the |
| - processed goods and various fast food items | | | | food Increase your awareness of food contents ... |
| - commercially prepared soups | | | | virtually all packaged foods bear labels that reveal |
| It is to your advantage to check all food labels to see | | | | something about the contents. The FDA requires that |
| if they contain trans fats. | | | | packaged foods list the amount of carbohydrate, |
| 3. Refined flours: The actual refining process strips | | | | protein, fat and fiber in a serving. Also be aware of the |
| away the valuable nutrients in wheat germ and bran. | | | | serving size as maybe the serving size is so small it |
| Foods made with refined flour should not be included in | | | | wouldn't be worth eating. |
| your diet as they promote weight gain as well as | | | | Learn all you can about which foods affect your blood |
| lacking vitamins and minerals. Refined flours contain | | | | sugar levels ... this is how you will be in control of your |
| simple carbohydrates which really put undue strain on | | | | type 2 diabetes. No matter what you do, a healthy |
| your pancreas and quickly increase blood sugar levels. | | | | eating plan is "the key"!contains sodium. |