What Can I Eat as a Diabetic?

After being diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing you’re more likely instructed on is what you can and can’t eat. So much stress is placed on what you can’t eat, and if you had a diet mostly consisting of those food items, you’d be left a bit lost on what’s left for you

For diabetics, the best rule of thumb is to stay away from foods that are heavily processed and sugar-heavy. This much is fairly common knowledge, especially among the diabetic community.

This means you shouldn’t load up on things like cereal, fries, sweets, white bread, soda, and more. For many people, though, some of these items are major parts of their diets, unhealthy as they may be.

This makes getting used to diabetes really difficult for those people because on top of the new lifestyle changes of exercise and keeping track of blood sugar levels, they now have to completely change their eating habits.

Foods that are safe for diabetics aren’t as hard to come by as they may seem at first. One great option is certain fruits and vegetables. These two food groups have a ton of variety, so you’re sure to find at least one thing that you like among them.

However, be sure you’re getting the right kinds of fruits and veggies. You want your fruits and vegetables to be fresh, ideally. This doesn’t mean that they have to have been picked within the last 24 hours, but just don’t get anything canned or processed with heavy syrup.

Also, don’t assume that things are okay for diabetics just because they contain fruit. Things like fruit punch, juice, and jellies are all very poor choices for a diabetic because they contain high levels of sugar.

The other food group that will be your main source of food as a diabetic will be grains. Many of us are already familiar with this category in the form of foods like rice, bread, and more.

Much like fruit, not all grains are healthy for diabetics. Try to stay away from white, or processed grains. You instead want products that are whole grain, like brown rice, whole grain bread, and oatmeal.

These two food groups alone give you a pretty decent selection of options to work with. In the morning, you might be able to have oatmeal with berries for breakfast. In the afternoon, you could have a sandwich made from whole wheat bread, some meat, and some vegetables, and in the evening for dinner, some brown rice, and vegetables




Diabetes Will Wear Down Your Immune System

Diabetics are less resistant than others when it comes to certain diseases. This is because diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning it causes your body’s cells to go against themselves.

While this doesn’t present too many issues directly when it comes to your immune system, there are side effects which can severely affect your immune system. For example, diabetics are particularly at risk for a foot infection.

This is primarily due to the fact that diabetes causes nerve damage, also known as neuropathy, all over your body. However, the neuropathy is especially prevalent in your feet and legs.

Once the nerves are damaged, it becomes harder for your body to detect and fight infections once they’ve started. It’s also more difficult for your body to get infection-fighting cells to those parts of your body due to poor blood flow.

If left unchecked, these infections can, in severe cases, lead to amputation. It’s not just your feet that are at risk as a diabetic. Additionally, you may be at greater risk for yeast and urinary tract infections.

This can lead to even greater complications, in that your body will be unable to use white blood cells to adequately fight off other diseases. There are a few ways that you can boost your immune system so that you’re not so prone to infection.

One important thing to note is that you have to continue eating healthy. A good diet and proper nutrient intake is the key to maintaining a healthy and functioning immune system.

For example, you need to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin C, which has been found to be very effective when it comes to combating infection. While you can’t really overdose on it, too much of it can make you feel sick.

The recommended limit of it is around 2,000 mg per day, but you can take much less and still get the full immune system boosting effect. If you’re worried about getting a foot infection, then there are a few things that you can do to make sure you don’t get one.

For example, be sure to always wear socks and shoes if possible, as to avoid any chance of getting cuts or scrapes. Additionally, be sure to check your feet each night and make sure there are no open wounds on them before you go to bed. If you discover any open wounds, be sure to sanitize them and contact your doctor