Diabetes: Popular Myths And Misconceptions

10 of the most popular beliefs and the facts about diabetes

To comprehend what goes on when you’ve got diabetes, keep these things in your mind: The body reduces most of the foods we eat into glucose, a form of sugar required to power your cells.

A hormone called insulin is created inside the pancreas which helps cells in your body use glucose for fuel.

Listed below are the most frequent kinds of diabetes and what researchers know about:

  • Type 1 diabetes happens when the pancreas cannot make insulin.
  • Diabetes type 2 happens when the pancreas won’t make enough insulin, the insulin cannot work properly, or both.
  • Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnancy in certain women.

Misconception 1: Overeating sugar causes diabetes.

What makes diabetes happen? The reasons are certainly not totally understood. What exactly is known is that simply overeating sugar is not likely to cause diabetes. Instead, diabetes begins when something disrupts your own body’s capacity to turn foods into energy.

Misconception 2: You’ll find a lot of rules inside a diabetes diet.

When you have diabetes, you simply must plan meals. Though the general principal is not hard: Following a “diabetes diet” means choosing food that can work together with your activities and any medications to maintain your glucose levels as near to normalcy as it can be.

Misconception 3: Carbohydrates can be harmful for diabetes

In reality, carbohydrates are great for diabetes. They make up the foundation of a normal diabetes diet.

Carbohydrates possess the greatest impact on blood glucose levels, which is the reason you are required to watch the amount of carbohydrates you consume when following a diabetes diet.

Misconception 4: Protein is preferable to carbohydrates for diabetes.

The major problem is always that many foods abundant with protein, for example meat, are often stuffed with saturated fats. Overeating those fats increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

In the diabetes diet, protein should account for about 15% to 20% of the total calories you consume on a daily basis.

Misconception 5: It is possible to adjust your diabetes drugs to “cover” anything you eat.

If you are using insulin for your diabetes, you might discover ways to adjust the quantity and type you take to check the quantity of what you eat.

But it doesn’t mean you can eat just as much as you desire, then just use more drugs to stabilize your blood sugar levels level.

Misconception 6: You will have to stop eating your preferred foods.

There isn’t a reason to stop your preferred foods on the diabetes diet.

Misconception 7: You must quit desserts when you have diabetes.

Not the case! It is possible to develop many techniques for including desserts inside a diabetes diet. For example:

  • Use sugar substitutes in desserts.
  • Minimize the quantity of dessert. By way of example, as opposed to two scoops of frozen goodies, have one. Or share a dessert with a friend.

Misconception 8: Low calorie sweeteners are dangerous if you have diabetes.

Sugar substitutes tend to be sweeter compared to the equivalent volume of sugar, therefore it takes a reduced amount of them to obtain the same sweetness present in sugar. This will lead to eating fewer calories than when you use sugar.

Misconception 9: You should eat special diabetic meals.

The gap from a diabetes diet to your family’s “normal” weight loss program is this: For those who have diabetes, you have to monitor everything you eat a little more closely. This consists of the total of calories you eat and the amounts and kinds of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you take in.

Misconception 10: Diet foods are the most useful options for diabetes.

Just because a meal is defined as a “diet” food doesn’t imply it is just a better option for those who have diabetes. The truth is, “diet” foods might be expensive and no better than foods found in the “regular” parts of the supermarket or foods you prepare yourself.

And you? Still looking over this article? Move out and enjoy what you eat!

About the writer:
Dorothy B. Kato publishes articles for the Menus for Diabetics website, her personal hobby blog that shares ideas to help website visitors to prevent/manage diabetes and help spread the consciousness on healthy eating.