Diabetes Control, Can You Control Diabetes Once It's Been Diagnosed?

As someone diagnosed as diabetic, I know how scary it can be when you are first told you are diabetic. When I was informed some six months ago I had no idea how it would change my life. What I did know was that I was going to find out as much as I could about this illness and beat it.

Of course, I have found out since that you cannot beat it, you can only control it by exercise, diet and a change in lifestyle. However, don't despair, this is very doable. Since being diagnosed I have lost 18lb that I have been trying to shift for years, good news after all.

So, exercise is one topic, food is the other. Below is a short description of what food you can eat to help control both your weight and your diabetes.

Diabetes and diets, what can we eat:

What about meat, fish, nuts, pulses and eggs
These are usually known as protein foods and are needed for the growth and repair of body tissues. Some of them also contain a lot of fat. To get the nutrients you need without too much fat, try to:

• Make meat and fish the smaller part of your meals. Fill up on starchy foods and vegetables instead.
• Buy the leanest meat you can afford and trim off any excess fat before cooking. The valuable nutrients are found in the lean part of the meat.
• Cook your meat without adding fat by grilling, roasting, or braising. Drain or skim casseroles, stews or mince.
• Cut down on meat or make a meal go further by adding more pulses and vegetables. Lentils, a tin of kidney beans or butter beans can be added to casseroles, pasta and rice meals.
• Remove the skin from chicken, as this is high in fat.
• Scramble, boil or poach eggs instead of frying.
• Eat fish frequently, especially the oily varieties. Salmon, herring, trout, kippers, mackerel, pilchards. Fish oil supplements are not recommended.
• Use tinned fish in water, tomato sauce or brine rather than oil.
• Do not eat nuts as snacks or nibbles, especially if you are overweight, they are high in fat and calories.
• Avoid meat products such as sausages and burgers as they are high in fat.
• Do not eat luncheon meat, pate and salami as they are very high in fat.
• Look out for the lower fat ready meals and cook in sauces if you use convenience foods.

What about dairy products:
Milk, cheese and other dairy products contain protein and calcium. However, they can contain a lot of fat, so try to:
• Choose low fat plain yoghurt or fromage frails instead of cream
• Remember, cheese is high in fat. Use cottage and low fat curd cheese or low fat soft cheese.

Of course this is just a brief explanation or description of foods you can eat, there are lots more and some very interesting recipes out there that can make life so much more interesting. Did you know you can still drink alcohol? Look out for more articles with interesting ways to control this illness together.