Diabetes Resource Association

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you know that you will have to fight this disease for the rest of your life. This sounds pretty bleak for most people and very depressing at the same time. I have known people who loved food and life, totally shutting themselves from the joys of life after they found that they were diabetic.

Diet is the best tool to control diabetes

The best and most powerful tool you have against this disease is indeed the diet. But in a negative way; it is actually a blessing in disguise for many. Diabetes will require that you move away from sugar based foods to a high fiber and protein based diet.  The non-vegetarians are encouraged to turn vegetarians, though not strictly necessary. 

The lifestyle of a diabetic person will be more focused, disciplined, and full of exercise. He or she will be more diet conscious, eat healthier food, exercise more, and be overall more careful about his or her weight and medical care. This does not sound too bad, after all.

So what do you mean by an American diabetes diet?

As the phrase implies, the American diabetes diet is actually a diet that is typically oriented for Americans. It has been observed that Americans love fatty foods and consume a high amount of sugary snacks such as candy and chocolate among others.  The American diabetes diet actually takes into consideration the preference of the American people while working out a middle path for the diabetes.

It has been proved beyond any doubt that the diabetes diet should not be one of abstinence but one of moderation of intake of the dangerous foods. Hence, the American diabetes diet is actually that diet which indicates how much is just right even when it is meat, fat, and chocolate cake.  Being diabetic or pre-diabetic should not force you off your favorite foods. On the contrary, you should be able to eat whatever you want whenever you want.

The only thing to keep in mind is that your body is not equipped to fight any excess intake or abuse of foods. Hence, it is upto you to be on the lookout not to overload the system. Until and unless you do not over indulge in any particular food, the body will be able to stay healthy. It is upto you to choose health or diabetes.

Not long ago, an independent filmmaker named Morgan Spurlock made a film that shocked America. It’s name, Super Size Me. In this film, Mr. Spurlock submitted himself to a diet composed only of food sold by McDonald’s. And, every time someone asked him if he wanted to super size his meal, he had to accept it.

In the film we watch how his body is affected and a series of interviews around the US. One of the most shocking ones is of a diabetic man who still ingested junk food and didn’t do any exercise, even though he was at the risk of death. Unfortunately, that isn’t an isolated case. Almost 18 million people in the US suffer from diabetes. And, what is worse, 3 million don’t even know they have it.

Reasons of American Diabetes

American diet isn’t something to be proud of. Although diabetes is considered a genetic disease, the probabilities of acquiring it increase as the individual increases its weight. The sad thing is that Americans don’t fight this weight gain. As a matter of fact, the average American doesn’t even exercise the recommended minimum. Sedentary life and

Eating too much are the reasons why diabetes is soaring in developed countries.

Consequences of American Diabetes

In the year 2002, the cost of American diabetes to the US economy was of $132 billion. This is divided into: $91.8 billion for direct medical expenditures, $23.2 billion for diabetes care, $24.6 billion for complications caused by diabetes and, finally, $44.1 billion for medical conditions related to diabetes. Half of the direct medical expenditures, approximately $50 billion, were for people with an age of 65, or more.

As it can be seen, American diabetes is a huge problem in the US. In the 2002 it was the sixth leading cause of death in America. And this is taking its toll to the country’s health system. In case a cure is found, as much as $6 trillion can be saved in the following 30 years. But if it isn’t found, alternatives should be looked for.

For example, patients must be educated. They only need to make some exercise and change their diet. These two small factors could help reduce the huge amounts of money that the American government has to invest in its population health. Although there is a national movement for eating better, it may take some years until we see the results.