A gluten-free diet is one that may help people who have diabetes. It depends on your situation and if you're living with other people who are, or are not, gluten-free eaters. But with diets such as this becoming more popular, it may be worth your while checking it out to see if it can help you.
Gluten is a protein found in grains. It hinders the body's ability to absorb vital nutrients and causes damage to the intestines. Symptoms can include:
- headaches,
- bloating,
- abdominal pain,
- diarrhea,
- fatigue and more.
Many people have no symptoms. Studies show Type 2 diabetes can be managed somewhat better on a gluten-free diet in some cases, so it's certainly not a hard and fast rule.
Gluten is found in foods made with these products: wheat germ, durum wheat, white flour, triticale, semolina, kamut, spelt, graham flour, rye, wheat, barley, wheat bran and wheat germ.
Other foods made with wheat that also have to be avoided include: bread, pasta, cakes, cous cous, cookies, pastries, flour tortillas, crackers, muffins, beer, cereal, gravy, sauces, dressings, oats, hot dogs, lunch meats, croutons and breadcrumbs, broth, fake fish, matzo, fried food, most candies and chips, salad dressings, soy sauce, pasta mixes and rice and self-basting turkeys.
However, many of these foods also have gluten-free substitutes you can find in your supermarket or health food shop. Always read food labels if you're on a gluten-free diet so you don't get caught out. Health food shop owners should be able to help you if you ask them for assistance.
People on a prescribed gluten-free diet may have problems such as: autism, celiac disease, anemia, peripheral neuropathy, MS, arthritis, seizures and a loss of balance. People with a sensitivity to gluten are often deficient in zinc, manganese and chlorophyll and may also have weakness in their muscles.
If you have Type 2 diabetes, you're not actually allergic to gluten but it seems it would not hurt to at least try the diet for a week and see what effect it has on your blood sugar. If there are improvements, there's nothing to stop you from even going on a partially gluten-free diet on a more permanent basis. Of course, speak to your doctor, endocrinologist or dietitian before doing anything radical in case there are reasons why it may be unwise for you to follow this type of eating plan.
Many of the foods people with diabetes should be avoiding are the same as the foods that have gluten anyway so, if you look at it like that, you're only doing what you're supposed to but taking it a few steps further.
If your household is to be strictly gluten-free, you need to have all new equipment that has never been used with gluten foods. Items such as:
- a chopping board,
- toaster,
- wooden spoons,
- tongs, etc
all need to be replaced.
Obviously it's up to you but a gluten-free diet seems to have many benefits for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is no longer a condition you must just live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. You can take control of the disease... and take back your health. You can do it!
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.
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