Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, a type of sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. A hormone released by the pancreas called insulin helps glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your pancreas either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin well.
When high amounts of sugar stay in your blood for too long, problems can happen throughout your body. These problems are called complications of Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes is when you have too much sugar (also called glucose) in your blood. Normally,
our bodies manage glucose with a hormone called Insulin.
Focus on total carbohydrates. Sugars are part of carbohydrates. In this example, there are 31 grams of total carbohydrates and 5 grams of those are sugar. Remember, as soon as you eat carbohydrates, your body turns them into sugar.
There is no single diet or eating pattern that is ideal for everyone with diabetes. Use this food portion guide to estimate your recommended serving sizes.
Medications help control how much sugar is in your blood and can help prevent serious health problems caused by diabetes such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage.
Preparing your own meals will make healthy eating decisions easier, but having diabetes shouldn’t stop you from dining out and enjoying a meal with family and friends.
