So before I start discussing diet or what to eat.. we need to all be aware of what diabetes is and what causes it. Don't worry, I don't plan on getting overly technically and will try not to use excessively large words.
Diabetes is a type of metabolic disorder. Metabolism is the way our bodies digests food to use it for energy, growth, or even repair. Most of what we eat is digested into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is a form of sugar present in our blood and serves as a primary source of fuel for our bodies. In order for glucose to enter our bodies cells, it needs insulin. Insulin couples with glucose and makes it possible to enter into a cell and be used for energy. Insulin is a type of hormone and is produced by the pancreas. After eating, the pancreas is signaled automatically to release adequate insulin so glucose in the blood can enter the cells. With the aid of insulin, blood glucose is lowed as glucose enters the cells. A person with diabetes has a condition that creates an increase in blood glucose. This can be related to not enough insulin produced, no insulin produced, or has cells that do not properly respond to the insulin produced from the pancreas. This creates too much glucose that can build up in the blood. As a result it can not be correctly used as fuel for the body cells. This excess glucose that is not being used for energy has no good place to go now and can reek havoc on other areas of the body. We will discuss some of this havoc in another posting.
I hope this provides you with a good, working understanding of diabetes so far. Feel free to leave any questions or comments on this topic. I also was planning to share some diabetic friendly recipes so let me know if you have any preferences! All ideas are welcomed and appreciated :)
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