Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries and many other fruits have a lot of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and relatively small amounts of sugars and starches. Why not include these in your diabetic eating plan?

There is a wealth of misconceptions surrounding whether or not type 2 diabetics should eat fruit. Fruit is actually a great way to get vital nutrients into your body, and if the right fruits are eaten in the context of a balanced meal, there is no reason to exclude them from your diet.

The main objection to fruits being part of a diabetic diet is that they generally contain high amounts of fructose, or fruit sugar. This can hit the bloodstream quickly, causing a sharp spike in your blood sugar levels. If there is nothing present to buffer this action, the blood glucose will rise rapidly, then fall sharply.

The secret to successfully including fruits in your diet lies in the art of selection and combination. Choose fruits that are high in fiber to delay absorption by your body, and combine fruit with one or more other foods to provide steady release of sugar as each food breaks down at its own pace.

Great fruits to add to your diet include apples and pears (with skins on), berries, bananas, apricots, grapefruit and kiwifruit. All of these have high fiber content and a balance of fructose and glucose that is easy for your system to assimilate.

Fruit Juices: Processed fruit juices are high in sugar and low in fiber. A fruit and vegetable blend that is high in fiber is a better choice. Alternately, you can buy a juicer and juice whole fruits, or throw berries, bananas and unsweetened yogurt or milk in the blender for a smooth refreshing beverage.

Dried Fruits: Avoid dried fruits as the sugar content has been concentrated.

Canned Fruits: Canned fruits should also be used sparingly as the skin is usually removed from the fruit and the fruit itself is often packaged in corn syrup.

As you cut back on high sugar items in your diet, you can use fruits to curb sugar cravings… as long as you eat them in moderation and in combination with other foods. Fruit makes a great afternoon energy snack, but you should preface it with a portion of cheese or some whole wheat crackers to provide a buffer. Otherwise your sugar will skyrocket then crash… leaving you feeling worse than before.

Fruit can be an important part of any balanced diabetic diet, as long as it is eaten responsibly with an eye to the effect it can have on your blood sugar levels. Learning what your body will tolerate in the way of fruit may require some trial and error, but over time you will figure out what combinations work best to keep your blood sugar levels under control.

One of the control measures used in any diabetes treatment plan is proper diet. Eating the right foods is essential to losing weight and reducing blood sugar levels.

Some people are of the notion that one has to drastically change his or her eating habits, including going for bland and tasteless foods in this case, but that shouldn’t be that way at all. Yes, you may have to limit some sweet treats but you can still make wise food choices and make every meal time enjoyable.

Meats are very important as these provide essential proteins that your body requires. You must have a serving of beef, chicken, fish or pork in every meal.

Vegetables especially the green ones are highly recommended, too, and you can eat these in abundance. Spinach, pepper, tomatoes as well as anything and everything that is green are good for you.

Fruits, especially the fresh ones, are also good, but you can’t have too many of them in a day. Fruits contain sugars, too, which may aggravate your condition. Avoid fruit juices and concentrates.

You also need natural fat in your daily diet. A lot of issues about fat are exaggerated. Your body does need fat in the natural form.

Dairy products, except cheese, may be kept at a minimum. Rice is loaded with sugar and can cause sugar spikes if you have Type 2 Diabetes.

Whole grains are fine, but not the other types, least of all rice and corn. You can eat bread from time to time but don’t do it on a daily basis and certainly you can’t eat a whole loaf of bread in one sitting!

Sweet treats and pastries must be avoided whenever possible, although of course you can have a bite or two of your favorite dessert special once in a while. Just don’t gobble up a gallon of ice cream in one day.

There are so many alarming stories about type 2 diabetes. Yes, it is a condition that definitely requires your attention and the wise choice is to start now. Let’s get back to basics: it is the result of lifestyle choices. That doesn’t mean you are bad or did anything wrong. What it does mean is you need to make up your mind to take action and undo some of the damage that may have already taken place in your body.

So what are these choices that are mentioned:

1. It had to start somewhere so let’s start with the food we choose:

• so many of us lead busy lives and don’t feel like preparing food at the end of the day … so we eat out or buy takeaway or carry out. These foods contain high fat, salt and sugar
• we often overeat at restaurants; food on the menu sounds too good to resist
• when we eat in company we often allow their choices to influence ours
• missing breakfast sets us up to make poor food choices all through the day, eg. buying sugary snacks on the way to work

2. Reduced physical activity is the next step towards being overweight:

• we jump in the car to go to the local shops, or drive to the station to catch the train. Certainly housing is further away from these conveniences than it used to be, but what do we do to compensate for this lack of activity
• we are tired at the end of the day and relax in front of the television

It’s very basic but if we take in more energy than we use, the result is an increasing waistline.

Type 2 diabetes is the result of lifestyle choices; make a start to reverse this condition by looking at some of your habits:

Step 1:

• keep a list of everything you eat and drink for seven days, write it down
• take note of the type of drinks you have, eg. fruit juices or soda (fruit juices are high in natural-sugar and are equivalent to eating 2-3 pieces of fruit, soda is high in sugar)
• become familiar with your eating style, then you will have a better idea of what you need to change

Step 2:

• increase your physical activity. No need to be a gym junkie, walk for ten minutes after each meal. That’s thirty minutes a day, three and a half hours each week
• park your car further away from the train station, walk that extra five or ten minutes
• get up and walk around the office a couple of times during the day

Step 3:

• learn the basics about type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar levels. Keep it simple. There is no need for it to rule your life

Changing your food choices, increasing your physical activity and losing 5-10% of your body weight is far more effective in preventing diabetes than drugs like Metformin.