Type 2 Diabetes - Which Fruits Are Best For Diabetics and Their Blood Sugar Levels?

Making sound food choices is an integral part of living with diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. But while many choices are obvious to most, some may raise questions as to the affect they have on blood sugar levels. Fruits are one of those categories.

While it isn't necessary to avoid fruit altogether, it is a food group that has to be looked at closely. Like many other foods, fruit can be used in a healthy manner to promote health and well-being. At the same time, over-consumption can lead to more complications which would outnumber the benefits being derived from it. A good balance is what will allow you to enjoy your favorite fruits without causing undue problems.

Diabetics, like others, enjoy fruit because it helps to satisfy their sweet tooth. The nutritional benefits are just an added bonus. But which fruits are okay? The best way to make that determination is to look past the sweet effect and consider what else is in it.

There are plenty of choices of fruit that also contain a diabetic's ally - fiber. Foods with high levels of fiber also rate low on the glycemic index (GI), which means they do not spike blood sugar levels. Now you have a food that covers these important aspects without creating any additional problems: high fiber, low-glycemic index and slow release of sugar into your bloodstream.

A few fruits that fit this criterion are:


•apples,
•kiwi fruit,
•blueberries,
•pears,
•apricots, and
•pomegranates.


Eating these choices means satisfying the sweet craving, adding important fiber to your diet while remaining low on the glycemic measure. The higher the fiber content, the less effect they will have on your blood sugar level.

However this is not an open invitation to consume large quantities of these foods. Just like all other foods, there are safe limits depending on your weight, your other eating patterns and your sugar levels. Your doctor, or dietitian, can help to decipher what would be an adequate amount for you to eat without overdoing it.

Another category of fruits to consider are those high in fructose. Since fructose does not require the presence of insulin in order to be metabolized in the body, it can be burned efficiently without creating controversy with blood sugar. Besides choices you have already made, this new category opens up mangoes and guavas for consumption. Although research is at an early stage, mango has been recently identified as a particularly useful food when it comes to the fight against Type 2 diabetes. Although more research is needed, eating a mango a day could protect people against high levels of cholesterol as well as diabetes. Guavas, as well as being high in vitamins A and C, contain high amounts of dietary fiber. Research has shown though it is best to peel guava before eating, as the skin has been found to raise blood sugar levels.

The culprits in the fruit family are those high in sugar. You need not tell a diabetic how dangerous and counter-productive that can be. Watermelon, grapes, oranges, and surprisingly bananas, all qualify. These particular fruits mean high in sugar... bad for your blood sugar.

Does Having Type 2 Diabetes Affect Your Sleep?

Do you have Type 2 diabetes and find yourself not sleeping well at night? When was the last time you slept like a baby for more than six hours straight?

Sleeping problems are one of the most often neglected problems in Type 2 diabetes. However, as stated in an article published by Medscape Education Internal Medicine, sleep disturbances are one of the most common symptoms seen in people with this form of diabetes. In fact, as mentioned in a study conducted in the St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and published by Sleep Medicine in September 2001, adults with Type 2 diabetes had a higher chance of developing insomnia, morning sleepiness and drowsiness, compared to adults with a normal blood sugar level.

What are the reasons for sleep issues and disturbances in Type 2 diabetics?

1. Peripheral neuropathy: Peripheral neuropathy is the most common form of diabetes-related nerve damage. Your peripheral nerves allow you to feel something as rough or smooth, cold or hot, sharp or dull. If you have peripheral neuropathy, those feelings are diminished. Damage to the nerve endings in both your upper and lower extremities, is a common disorder in people with Type 2 diabetes according to the study published by Sleep Disorder. Who could possibly sleep in the face of nagging pain and discomfort in their legs? Peripheral neuropathy can be so disturbing it can really affect your sleep.

2. Having Type 2 diabetes can increase your chances of developing sleep apnea: According to a study conducted in the MedStar Research Institute, Hyattsville, Maryland, the results of which were published in the 2003 issue of Diabetes Care, obesity-related Type 2 diabetes is a large risk factor in the development of sleep apnea. If you wake up feeling tired, snore and are overweight, you could have undiagnosed sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is seen as abnormal breathing pauses and abnormal low breathing during sleep. As analyzed by the researchers of this particular study, this type of sleeping disorder in the case of Type 2 diabetes may be a centrally located problem, meaning inside the brain, instead of an obstructive symptom caused by obesity. However, further investigation is warranted to establish this fact.

3. Unstable blood sugar levels can cause sleep disturbances: A study conducted in the Rambam Medical Center and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel and published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2003 states unstable blood sugar levels can play a role in sleep pattern disturbance in diabetics. Also, a rapid increase in blood sugar levels usually results in waking up from a restful sleep. However, further research and clinical studies are necessary to further prove this finding.

Type 2 Diabetes - Can I Still Have Sugar As A Diabetic?

Diabetes is a disease of high blood sugar, so people often think it's caused by eating too much sugar. In the case of Type 1 diabetes this is not true as Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. It's not so straight forward in the case of Type 2 diabetes. Sugar may not directly cause the disease but sugar may play a role. People who indulge in drinking sodas and sweetened drinks are more likely to be overweight or obese... this is a trigger of Type 2 diabetes.

Everyone knows though foods that send glucose or sugar into the bloodstream quickly, foods such as sodas, candy, potatoes, white bread and foods made with refined flour, and diabetes do not go together. Although it's really about your body's response to sugar and its inability to process it correctly, it's a little like adding gasoline to a fire. You start out with an explosive beginning and then soon find yourself in the middle of a rapid descent into nothing. But it is not reasonable to expect diabetics to completely give up the white stuff. There are ways around this dilemma as long as you use the term that all diabetics have grown accustomed to: moderation.

Sugar does not have to be completely avoided as long as the person with Type 2 diabetes uses good judgment when making their decisions. The key here is counting everything. No matter whether you are talking about calories, sugar or other carbs, it is not only important, but it is vital to make sure that everything is to account.

This is especially good news for diabetics since it is unreasonable to ask them to totally give up sugar altogether. Human nature dictates if you take something away, the body craves it... it only tends to intensify the cravings. This can be a dangerous scenario as it will often lead to engulfing huge quantities of sugar or carbs once the "go-ahead" has been issued.

Allowing reasonable treats here and there will not cause irreparable harm, as long as the person with diabetes considers their intake when they make their other food choices. After all, sweet tea with white potatoes, macaroni and cheese, bread and meat is not balancing things out.

It is important to understand that sugar, while it has its effects on blood sugar, also comes with an additional concern. Since it holds very little nutritional value a little goes a long way. Consuming carbs that have a much higher nutritional rating will allow you to eat more without going overboard. Plus, it will halt those sweet cravings at the same time.

The best course of action is to talk it over with your doctor to determine what is a safe and responsible amount of sugar to have. Your doctor may even recommend you sit down with a dietitian to go over how much carbs or sugar is hidden in your favorite foods. This is often misleading and results in unknowingly ingesting more carbs than we should. Pinpointing all the areas where sugar can be derived will allow you to eat what you want without causing undue damage. At the same time, it tends to help you not to overeat.

Type 2 Diabetes - The Importance Of Smart Snacking

For Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, the importance of healthy snacking is something that cannot be emphasized enough. Since maintaining a constant and appropriate blood sugar level is a key component in maintaining their condition, eating healthy snacks is one of the most efficient ways to accomplish this.

But there is also a fine line between snacking and abusing it. Too often, diabetics use it as a way to justify squeezing in additional meals. Snacking begins to mean more and more food until it resembles a whole other meal in itself. That's why its important to stay within the recommended guidelines, so that something meant to assist doesn't end up sabotaging you instead.

An appropriate amount of food to consume is approximately 100 to 200 calories (420 to 840 kilojoules), of smart food choices. You can make smarter snack choices by choosing foods that are higher in fiber and various important nutrients, contain carbohydrates with a low-GI, and that are balanced with some protein and heart helpful fats. This is a good balance that gives you something for fuel, without counteracting the intent of the food.

You never want to go with a sugary food, as this will create the exact opposite effect that you are looking for. In this instance you will create two new problems. First, you will have spiked your blood sugar, which will inevitably crash soon sending you into a hypoglycemic episode. Second, you have overloaded your sugar, which will result in possible weight gain.

Having access to the right snack won't work if you don't exercise a little restriction with the portion size. A food with adequate amounts of carbs, protein and fat are okay until you consume enough to qualify for a meal. Now, instead of eating three meals a day and two snacks, you have crossed over into five meals a day. Weight gain will surely ensue, causing a new avalanche of health issues.

In order to limit snacking to just that, a snack, it is best to never eat your snack out of an original container. For example, if you want a few nuts, don't get in the habit of eating them right out of the jar. Your judgment becomes overwhelmed by the food and soon your perception of how much you have consumed becomes skewed.

A better plan of action is to plan out your snacks ahead of time. Pick a day and portion out snacks into individual snack bags. Now, you are guaranteed to always have your snacks readily available and there is no danger of eating too much since they are pre-measured. Taking out the guesswork eliminates several problems that a Type 2 diabetic doesn't need to contend with.