Judith Wills - Healthy Cooking for Diabetics: Delicious & Natural Recipes for a Diabetic Diet

If you have been diagnosed with diabetesor someone close to you hasit can be particularly upsetting. However, major advances in our understanding of this condition and in its treatment and management mean that today everything is possible in life, even if you are diabetic. While it is important to keep a careful watch on your food intakeespecially for people with type 1 diabetes and others who need to use insulinthere truly is still a whole world of delicious food out there for you to enjoy.

In recent years, health professionals have realized that it is not necessary for diabetics to eat as restricted a diet as once thought, nor is it necessary for them to forego eating the same meals as the rest of their family and friends. The diet suitable for the majority of diabetics is one that everyone can enjoya healthy, nutritious diet with no food groups excluded and with no obscure, hard-to-find ingredients. The diabetic diet is, in fact, a great way to eat for anyone who values their healthand their taste buds! Just a glance through these pages will give you a taste of the fantastic recipes that you, your friends, and your family can feast on.

Type 1 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed in childhood (and used to be known as juvenile diabetes for that reason) but it can actually begin at any age. It is also called insulin-dependent diabetes because, for those with type 1 diabetes, insulin is vital in its management.

Insulin is a hormone that helps your body use the glucose your body gets through the food you eat, providing you with energy. In type 1 diabetes, the body is unable to produce any insulin, so glucose builds up in the blood. Meanwhile, your body begins to look for sources of energy elsewhere and breaks down its fat stores or the proteins in your muscleswhich is why people with the disease can lose weight.

The causes are still being researched, but type 1 diabetes may be triggered by viruses or bacterial infections. Apart from weight loss, other usual symptoms include having to urinate more frequently (because the body is trying to flush out the unused, surplus glucose) and extreme tiredness. Currently, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, but it can be treated and managed using insulin injections or an insulin pump in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Accounting for 90 percent of diabetes cases, type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. It develops when the body doesnt produce enough insulin, or when the insulin that is produced doesnt work properly (called insulin resistance).

Type 2 diabetes used to be called mid-life onset diabetes, because it does, indeed, affect a large number of people in mid-life, but there are growing numbers of younger people with the condition. Many experts link this surge to an increase in obesity and inactivity. High blood pressure and a large waist circumference (because fat stored around the midriff, known as visceral fat, appears to decrease insulin sensitivity and increase insulin resistance) are two risk factors.

Type 2 diabetes can cause serious long-term health problems, so it is important to be diagnosed early and control your blood glucose levels to prevent these complications. Blood sugar levels may be controlled with a healthy diet, weight loss, if necessary, and increased physical activity, although sometimes treatment with medication and/or insulin is also needed.

This type of diabetes occurs for the first time in women during pregnancy and, in most cases, disappears after pregnancy is over. The cause is usually that the pregnant woman has a much higher than normal level of glucose in her blood and cant produce enough insulin to make her body able to use it all. It can be managed and treated in a similar way to type 2 diabetes.