Diabetes diagnosed: your questions, answered!
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Sometimes diabetes can seem a little confusing. But you can lead a healthy, active and successful life while living with this condition. We've answered some of the most common diabetes questions.
HOW DO I CONTROL MY BLOOD GLUCLOSE LEVELS?
Various factors assist in blood glucose control. Understanding carbohydrates, which foods contain carbohydrate, how much you should have and which ones assist in better blood glucose control is essential. If your blood glucose is more than 11.1 mmol/L after a 2 hour plasma glucose tolerance test or if it's more than 7 mmol/L after a fasting plasma glucose test, then you will be diagnosed as diabetic.
WHAT IS THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX (GI)?
The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a ranking of foods based on their effect on blood glucose levels. It determines how fast, and to what extent, a carbohydrate food affects blood glucose levels. Lower GI carbohydrates lead to a slower rise in blood glucose, while higher GI carbohydrates lead to a rapid rise and fall in blood glucose levels. The GI is best used in combination with other dietary strategies (see point 5 below) such as portion control and a healthy balanced diet.SO THEN WHAT IS THE GLYCAEMIC LOAD?
The GL gives us a better indication of the glycaemic response of a food because it takes portion size into account. GL gives you an indication of how much that serving of food is likely to increase your blood-sugar levels. As a rule of thumb, most nutritional experts consider GLs below 10 to be “low,” and GLs above 20 to be “high.” Read more about food labelling here.
WHAT GI VALUE SHOULD I LOOK FOR?
Foods are grouped as low, intermediate or high GI foods and should be assessed using these groupings rather than focusing on the actual numerical GI value. The Glycaemic Index value is not the same as the ‘glycaemic carbohydrate’ value found on packaging in nutritional information tables. Don't look for numbers, look for the ‘low GI’ – either in the product name or as a logo.WHAT LIFESTYLE STRATEGIES SHOULD I USE?
These simple lifestyle tweaks can help to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
1. The types of carbohydrates you should be eating
2. How to read your food labels, properly!
3. Plating up healthy balanced mealsDO I NEED TO EXERCISE, REALLY?!?
Being active is an important component of managing your diabetes. Besides improving your overall fitness level, exercise can help improve your blood glucose control and reduce your risk of heart disease and nerve damage. Be careful to keep a record of your blood glucose levels before, during and after exercise and make adjustments to diet and medication if necessary, as exercise can potentially result in dangerous blood glucose fluctuations.WHAT'S THE IDEAL DIET STRATEGY?
Dietitians and nutrition experts support a balanced dietary approach that does not favour fat or carbohydrate, but rather focuses on wholegrain and high-fibre sources of carbohydrate, promotes dietary fats rich in omega-3 and mono-unsaturated fatty acids; and encourages moderate intake of low fat protein sources.