If you are diabetic and overweight, you need a good diabetic weight loss diet to not only control your weight but also deal with leveling off your blood sugar. Keeping your weight and blood sugar under control is imperative to reducing the likelihood you will suffer the very serious complications that are known to be associated with diabetes.

Obviously the key to losing weight is to choose healthy foods to eat. Foods that also help control insulin production and release are a plus, too. Learning to eat a balanced diet for some can be a little tricky. An important part of keeping you blood sugar levels under control is learning to balance protein, fats, and carbohydrates of every meal you eat.

Keeping carbohydrates under control is key because some carbohydrates convert almost immediately into simple sugars and cause the pancreas to dump insulin into your system to counteract the meteoric rise in blood sugar. If this is not brought under control, you will find yourself with more problems than just diabetes.

Who knows, maybe if you lose the weight you will not have to prick your finger all the time and inject all of that insulin into your body everyday. Maybe your diabetes will even disappear if you become fit and healthy.

Nutritionists and doctors have changed their thinking that all diabetics are the same and all can follow the same general diet. They can’t. A good diabetic weight loss diet today is tailored to the specific patient and promotes optimum nutrition for optimum health. Simple carbohydrates are kept to a minimum and protein that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids are encouraged. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in abundance in fish with the highest concentration found in salmon.

Diets low in fat and cholesterol and high in green leafy vegetables and high fiber foods like whole grain is very important in controlling diabetes. Fruits should only be eaten in moderation due to their high natural sugar content which can make blood sugar levels spike then fall rapidly due to insulin overload.

Blood sugar levels should be checked regularly before and after meals and before bedtime to get an accurate idea of how the food you eat affects your levels especially when trying to lose weight. Diabetes is no laughing matter and when you are trying to lose weight on top of the diabetes you need to be extra careful. Take things slowly, keep careful, accurate records of each blood sugar check and keep a food journal, too.

Get some ideas for planning your meals and snacks by going to the American Diabetes Association’s website and studying the diabetic food pyramid. You should be able to get some good information about diabetes and diet while on the site and learn to put what you learn into practice.

With Type II diabetes now in epidemic proportions in the United States because of the obesity epidemic following a good diabetic weight loss diet is as vital as the insulin you have been prescribed.

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