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Do you know anyone who has diabetes? If you answered yes, you are like most people. There are 20.8 million people in the United States who have diabetes.

Does the person who has diabetes watch their diet? Are they aware that the number one factor in controlling diabetes is controlling their diet?

There is absolutely no doubt that diet is the cornerstone of diabetes care says Mary Dan Eades MD medical director of the Arkansas Center for Health and Weight Control.

Hopefully they do understand the importance of a good diet, but what is the best way to control diet? We’ll get to that in a moment, but before we do there is one thing you need to understand about diabetes.

There are 2 types:

Type I, the more serious type where there is not enough insulin in the bloodstream. Insulin allows the cells to take up the sugar in the blood and use it for energy.

Type II where the blood has plenty of insulin, but the cells have a problem getting the sugar inside them to produce energy. The one thing that both types has in common is both leave to much sugar in the blood. It’s this excess sugar that causes heart disease, kidney, eye and nerve damage just to name a few.

Although, you should always consult your doctor when it comes to any medical condition, it would also be a good idea to ask your doctor for a referral to a good dietitian. Together they can give to the information that you need.

Such as, diabetics need is a meal plan. The right meal plan is extremely important in controlling the person’s glucose level as well as cholesterol and blood pressure. And, the first step in having the right meal plan includes making sure to read the labels on ALL foods, to see what they contain. When reading the labels keep in mind that it is also very important for a diabetic to get the right amount of vitamins daily. Vitamins are needed to get the body to function properly.

People with diabetes tend to be low in B complex vitamins. B vitamins are essential for your body to convert sugar and starches into energy

Here are a few examples of how a diabetic uses vitamins along with their minimum recommended daily allowance.

B6 1,800 milligrams Has been linked to glucose intolerance which is an abnormally high rise in blood sugar after eating. Shortages of B6 vitamins can also lead to nerve damage in the hands and feet. They experience neuropathy which is a numbness usually in the legs. Vitamin B6 has been shown to also help diabetics with neuropathy. B6 also improves glucose tolerance in women with diabetes caused by pregnancy

Vitamin B12 1500 mcg Also is helpful in treating diabetic neuropathy.

Vitamin C 1 to 3 grams In type I diabetes vitamin C helps prevent the sugar inside the cells from converting to Sorbitola. Sorbitola is a sugar alcohol that cells can neither burn nor get rid of yet to much will cause damage.

Type II diabetics also find improved glucose tolerance with additional Vitamin C supplements.

Biotin 15,000 micro grams & Calcium 1,000 milligrams Helps lower blood sugars and reduce the risk of type II diabetes

As you can see diabetics need to take vitamins, but don’t think if you are not a diabetic that they are not necessary. Everyone needs to take vitamins so don’t forget to get your FREE sample of Body Balance, a great tasting multi vitamin supplement. You can get yours simply by filling in the information on the right.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 5:14 am and is filed under Diabetes, Nutrition | . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.