Diabetic Diet

Diabetes is a disease that affects at least 177 million people in the world population. Diabetes is when the body cannot produce enough insulin or use the insulin properly. Most of the food we eat turns into glucose or sugar and insulin is a hormone used to help the glucose and sugar get into the cells of our body. There are two types of Diabetes: Type 1 is when little or no insulin production is made in the body which means the body is dependent on insulin and this is hereditary; Type 2 usually occurs in people over the age of 45 who are overweight. They too have a lack of insulin production but they are not dependent on insulin. Type 1 is controlled through insulin injections whereas type 2 is controlled by diet and exercise.

Aloe Vera is grown around the world as an after sun lotion, to treat burns and promote healing and is therefore known as a ‘healing herb’. In some parts of the world Aloe vera sap or gel is used to treat diabetes as it is able to lower fasting blood glucose levels as well as HbA1c. A high intake of a quality source of fiber can help to control blood insulin levels.

* Eat regular meals and eat low GI food like Fibre. This can include wholegrain, bran and wheat like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, jacket potatoes, pulses, rye, wholegrain cereals etc. These foods will release energy a lot slower reducing the need for the body to produce insulin.
* Food with high sugar content (Sucrose and Fructose) requires little or no digestion from the body to be absorbed into the blood stream. The body would usually produce a large amount of insulin to deal with this sugar load but this is not possible in diabetics. Therefore it is wise to avoid sugar filled food and highly processed food.
* Reduce the amount of fat in your diet, especially for type 2 diabetics. Being overweight can cause type 2 diabetes and so reducing your fat intake will reduce your calorie intake and help aid in weight loss. Fat has the highest concentration of calories as there is 7 calories in 1 gram of fat.
* Eat your 5 to 9 portions of fruit and vegetables everyday to make sure you are getting an adequate amount of nutrients. However remember if the fruit or veg is more than 3 days old from being picked it has most likely lost it’s nutritional content. Try opt for frozen fruit and veg as the nutrients and locked in. Also look at the GNLD vitality pack which includes Tre-en-en, Omega 3 and Phytodefense for a full dose of nutrients for your body.
* Cut your salt intake by avoiding tinned or processed food and by making your own food instead of take out. Try avoid adding salt to your food.