Obesity and Diabetes: Normal blood sugar levels are possible for diabetics with proper diabetic diet plan

Jan 28 by Joanna

If you are overweight, chances are your blood sugar levels are elevated too – which means pre-diabetes or diabetes.

It is estimated that nearly 21 million Americans, or over 7% of the population, have diabetes, and it is becoming a growing global health crisis. Diabetes is a condition caused by improper diet, and sedentary lifestyle, and – as some doctors indicate (including doctor J. Fuhrman) – is in mostly preventable and even reversible with such simple (although for many not easy and definitely not popular adjustments), as eating a mostly vegetable, fruits, greens, legumes, and whole grains diet, eliminating or drastically reducing fats, meats, diary and processed foods, and increasing physical activity levels.

Basically diabetes means that the level of glucose (or sugar) in your bloodstream is elevated above normal levels. We all have glucose in the blood. We need it to provide energy for all the cells in our body. Having diabetes means you have more than you need – usually WAAAAY TOO MUCH.

So, what are normal blood sugar levels?

What’s normal and what’s not has been changing over the years, as the normal, pre-diabetic, and diabetic blood glucose ranges have been continually revised.

In general, normal blood glucose level depends on when the test was taken, but it should stay in the range of. 70 to 140 mg/dL, when blood sugar is measured randomly at any time of the day. Testing for fasting blood glucose should give a result between 70-100 mg/dL (fasting meaning individual who hasn’t eaten for at least 8-12 hours). Blood sugar levels will spike up after a meal depending on how glycemic the meal is. Two hours after eating a meal should still be less than 140 mg/dL.

How diabetes develops?

Pre-diabetes begins when your body is beginning to lose control of your blood glucose. It used to be called borderline diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, but whatever it’s called, the condition means you are basically progressing to full-blown diabetes.

At this stage, your fasting blood glucose levels may be close to normal when you wake up in the morning and before meals. The cutoff for pre-diabetes is considered 100 mg/dL. However, after eating the same meal, the levels rise higher than normal to almost 200 mg/dL. Because the peak is higher, it also takes longer for it to come down. Then about four or five hours later, they may drop lower than normal – below 70 or even 50 mg/dL, causing symptoms of “low blood sugar” that include shakiness, nervousness, and intense craving for food, especially something sweet.

What this means is that your body is losing control over its blood glucose levels. Your body does not produce sufficient insulin right after a meal to keep the blood glucose level down, and then when it starts producing insulin, you produce WAY TOO MUCH because the blood glucose level is so high by this time causing your blood glucose levels go TOO LOW. This can go on for years before the person is diagnosed with diabetes.

When you become diabetic, even the fasting glucose levels will be higher than normal, over 100 mg/dL. They will skyrocket after eating, and because it is so high it takes hours to go back to the starting level.

The importance of early diagnosis
Understand that the blood glucose level before a meal for a healthy person and a person with pre-diabetes may be very similar. The blood glucose before meals is usually very close to what is called the fasting glucose level, which means the blood glucose level that you have when you wake up in the morning, having fasted all night.

Diagnosis of diabetes is usually based on measuring your fasting level, so a person with pre-diabetes may be told that everything is fine. This will usually mean that such person will continue the unhealthy lifestyle of eating too much food, eating wrong foods (too many trans fats, too many processed foods), and not having enough physical activity in their daily life.

This is a pity, because being diagnosed with prediabetes could be an effective wake-up call for many people to change their ways and adopt healthy habits. Obviously, it is much easier to reverse prediabetes before it progressed to full-blown diabetes.

Diabetes effects on the body
Diabetes is a very serious health condition can have a devastating effect on the entire body and is potentially life-threatening. It affects eyes, kidneys, and heart, possibly leading to blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease and stroke. All people with diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2 is at risk, and even those pre-diabetes can be affected – so it’s never too early to take aggressive preventive measures by changing your lifestyle choices.

What is important for you to remember is that it diabetes is largely influenced by the your lifestyle choices, most importantly dietary choices and physical activity/exercise.

Is there a conspiracy?
I’m usually not the one to believe in conspiracy theories, but considering all the monetary interests of various medical and pharmaceutical companies, and the existing evidence (including medical research), it really makes you wonder why natural ways of preventing and reversing diabetes (and other diseases) are not more publicized and promoted.

Of course, there is also the “human” factor.

We all prefer easy solutions – take a pill and get “cured”.

So much easier than having to eat your veggies and dragging yourself to the gym twice a week.

Anyway, here is what Dr. Joel Fuhrman has to say about obesity and diabetes

Do not wait until it is too late!

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with?

Want to share some weight loss tips with other readers? I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!