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Reducing sugar intake is an important topic that is often mentioned for people with diabetes. But there is a lot of misunderstanding and half-understood information on this issue.
Today, let's talk about whether diabetics really need to quit sugar completely and how to make informed choices in their daily diet in a relaxed way, from the perspective of a doctor.
We need to understand what diabetes is all about. In simple terms, diabetes is a metabolic disease that involves blood sugar control, and the patient's body cannot use insulin effectively, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels.
For people with diabetes, the core focus of management is to keep blood glucose in a stable and healthy range, which is key in the treatment process.
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Do diabetics need absolute sugar abstinence? The answer is not an absolute "yes". The focus is on balancing the overall intake of carbohydrates, rather than absolutely banning sugar intake.
People with diabetes need to choose foods carefully, especially those with high glycemic potential (i.e., high GI), as they can rapidly raise blood glucose levels and pose a challenge to disease control.
Let's take the example of a hypothetical diabetic patient who used to have high blood sugar levels due to his frequent consumption of high-sugar drinks and desserts.
After learning of the diagnosis of diabetes, he began to optimize and adjust his diet according to the doctor's advice. This change is not just a simple pursuit of sugar-free, but requires intelligent selection and reasonable allocation of carbohydrate intake to achieve effective blood sugar control and health management.
In fact, it is not realistic or necessary to completely cut out sugar. It's all about choosing the right source of sugars wisely. For example, instead of white sugar and desserts, fruits that are low in sugar and high in fiber, such as blueberries and strawberries.
From this example, we can deeply understand that the dietary regulation of diabetic patients is far more complex and detailed than simply quitting sugar. It's more important to learn how to balance your diet, choose the right carbohydrates, and pay attention to total calorie control.
Such a dietary strategy can help diabetics maintain blood sugar stability and avoid sharp fluctuations in blood sugar, so as to better manage their disease state.
For diabetic patients, quitting sugar is an issue worth understanding deeply. The right way is not to completely abstain from sugar, but to control blood sugar through a reasonable diet plan and lifestyle modifications to achieve better health results.
Such a lifestyle change, while it may be challenging at first, is well worth the investment for long-term health.
For people with diabetes, dietary management is one of the core aspects of disease control strategies. In particular, certain foods should be avoided to avoid abnormally high blood sugar.
In this section, we'll talk in detail about the three foods that diabetics should "don't stick" to, and illustrate with concrete examples why these foods are a potential threat to diabetics.
"Don't stick" to high-sugar foods. This may sound like common sense, but in real life, many people with diabetes do not have a clear definition of high-sugar foods.
We can imagine a middle-aged diabetic who usually likes to drink cola and juice, and he may not be aware of the effect of these drinks on blood sugar. When he stopped consuming these drinks as advised by his doctor, his blood sugar control improved significantly and he lost weight.
"Don't stick" to high-fat junk food. Suppose a diabetic has a daily diet that frequently includes fast food and fried foods, and although he may have realized and started to try to control his carbohydrate intake, this alone may not be enough to stabilize his blood sugar levels or achieve the desired state of control.
His blood sugar control may improve when he reduces his intake of these foods. It is also extremely important to "stick" to refined carbohydrates.
For example, a diabetic who is accustomed to eating white rice at every meal will find that his blood sugar is more stable and he feels fuller when he switches to brown rice or whole-wheat bread, which helps to control the total amount of food he eats.
Through the above three "no-stick" principles, people with diabetes can manage their diet more effectively, thereby controlling their blood sugar and reducing the risk of complications.
While these changes may require some adaptation, the health benefits are clear from a long-term perspective.
The management of diabetes is a multi-dimensional and comprehensive process, the core of which is not only limited to the fine regulation of diet, but also needs to be supplemented by a scientific and reasonable exercise program, which is interdependent and mutually supportive, and together constitute an indispensable and important cornerstone of diabetes management.
Today, we're going to take a look at some exercise patterns that may not be so common but can be very helpful for blood sugar control that you may not have noticed before.
When people think of the link between diabetes and exercise, the first thing that comes to mind is typical forms of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling.
However, strength training, such as using dumbbells or doing stretch band exercises, is also extremely important for people with diabetes. Strength training enhances the function of muscles as major glucose consumers by promoting the growth of muscle mass, which can help significantly reduce blood sugar levels.
Imagine a middle-aged diabetic who notices a significant improvement in his blood sugar control by adding two or three weekly strength training sessions as his body becomes more efficient in using his blood sugar.
Swimming as a sport is particularly beneficial for people with diabetes and is another recommended form of exercise. Swimming is a low-impact exercise that is joint-friendly, especially for people with diabetes who are unable to do high-intensity exercise due to weight, joint problems, or other health problems.
For example, a diabetic patient who often experiences knee pain not only experienced a reduction in pain but also improved blood sugar control after starting a regular swimming training session due to an increase in his overall physical activity.
For people with diabetes, reducing stress is an important part of controlling blood sugar, as stress can cause blood sugar to rise. Yoga helps not only the body but also the mind, which indirectly helps blood sugar control.
Let's say a diabetic with a lot of stress at work, and by practicing yoga regularly, he notices that his overall stress levels have decreased, and at the same time, his blood sugar has become more stable.
From the introduction of the above exercise methods, we can see that an exercise program tailored to the needs of diabetics can not only help them better control their blood sugar, but also improve their overall health.
Under the guidance of a doctor, every diabetic patient should find the most suitable exercise method for themselves and develop an exercise plan that is both safe and effective.
In this way, they not only have better control of their diabetes, but also improve their quality of life and enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle.
What do you think about diabetes? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
Resources
[1] Wu Shuang, Research Progress on Type 2 Diabetes Complicated with Liver Injury and Its Exercise Intervention, Abstract Collection of Papers of the 2nd Shaanxi Provincial Sports Science Conference (Topic 9), 2024-06-18