If I was diagnosed with diabetes would this mean I could not eat sweeties and chocolate?

Question

I would like an answer to this question as it might aid me in losing the x-mas gain. Some tips on avoiding this condition welcomed too

Answer 1

I remember reading a paper that said that if we all lived for ever we would all eventually become diabetic. As you get older you increase the likely hood of getting/ developing this condition, solution; lead a healthy life style - there is plenty of info on how to do that easily available. Maybe your craving for the sweet stuff will pass if you exercise and eat clever and in moderation.

Answer 2

Ok - firstly, there is more than one kind of diabetes. It really anoys me when people who don't even know me try to stop me from eating sweets because they know I've got diabetes - once I'd just started a new job and had a hypo - my manager wouldn't let anyone sell me a bar of chocolate because I have diabetes (not eating it could have made me seriously ill) - I ended up just eating it and saying it was up to them if I paid for it or not!!! Please don't assume that someone with diabetes can't ever eat any sweets or chocolate.

Anyway, sorry - that doesn't answer your question. You are asking about type 2 diabetes - the kind that is largely caused by lifestyle - esp. eating too much sugar and being over weight. So you are right that losing the x-mas gain will help to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Once you get this kind of diabetes it doesn't go away and is degenerative so it would mean carefully watching your diet and greatly limiting sweets and chocolate for the rest of your life and despite that you would have a chance of needing insulin injections at some point as you got older. Not only that but you would be at increased risk of heart desease, kidney failure, limb amputation, blindness ... and much more! You really don't want diabetes!

So there's some motivation for you! A small amount of effort now means you can sustain your chocolate habit into your retirement!

Good luck with the diet xx

Answer 3

With diabetes it isn't that you have to give up foods, just eat in moderation, with limits on sweets. I am a diabetic and I am able to enjoy sweets with my family on occasions, like birthdays stuff like that. I am type 1, there are 2 main types (type 1 and type 2) People can reduce their risk for type 2 (the more common type brought on mostly by unhealthly eating habits) If you want to learn more on this I would check out diabetic web sites.

Answer 4

Having had diabetes for some 14years, and being a sugar/chocolate-o-oholic, my biggest problem was giving up my sweet things. I was told by various diabtic nurses, and my doctor, that I can eat sweets and chocolates but I must binge, i.e. buy a bar of chocolate or a bag of sweets and eat the lot in one sitting. Blood sugar goes sky high for a short while and then returns to normal. If you eat it over a period, you keep your sugar levels high, and that is when the damage occurs. Othe than eating healthily and keeping fit, there is no way of avoiding diabetes. If you are going to get, you will get it.

Answer 5

You can eat chocolates and sweeties if you aare diabetic they just have to be part of a well controlled diet. You can also get diabetic sweets. If you want to avoid this condition keep your weight in check and don't eat too many sugary things. Lots of fruit and veg

Answer 6

If you were to develop diabetes you would not have to stop having sweets and chocolates however, it would be better for you to have them at meal times. If you have these sweet foods with meals then due to the savoury meal the sugar in them will be released into the bloodstream more slowly.

You mention weight gain relating to daibetes. There are two types of diabetes and the one which has weight gain as one of its risk factors is Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is either caused by cells no longer being able to absorb insulin which is produced or it is caused when the insulin which is produced is not sufficient to cope with the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.

All foods which contain carbohydrate are broken down to glucose and require insulin to be present for it to be taken into cells and stored as energy to be used later by the body.

If your waist is over 31.5" for women and 35" for men that is an indicator that you are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is related to central obesity where fat is stored around the vital organs. Central obesity also increases a persons risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Also people with diabetes are at higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and having a heart attack.

If you have high blood pressure you are have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

If you are over 40yrs old your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is higher.

If you have a relative with Type 2 diabetes you are at an increased risk.

There are ways to prevent or at least delay developing Type 2 diabetes and these include having a normal weight for your height (see link for Body Mass Index or BMI caculator below) and taking regular exercise. The government recommendation is 5 x 30minutes of moderate level exercise per week.

Symptoms of Diabetes include an excessive thirst, a dry mouth, tiredness, frequent urination and visual disturbances. There are more but see Diabetes UK link. If you have any of these see your GP for an oral glucose tolerance test.

Answer 7

Being diabetic does NOT mean you cant eat things you want, it means you have to limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates raise your blood sugar, it doesnt matter haw you get them: sugar, bread, rice, noodles or chocolate, it all digests the same. For diabetics usually you get three meals (ie breakfast, luch, dinner) which consist of meat, veggies and between 45-60gms of carbohydrates and one or two 15 carbohydrate snacks. Just because things are sugar free, DOES NOT mean they are low carbohydrate. Many "sugar free" cookies or icecreams etc. have the same carbohydrates as regular. You need to get a book that tells the carbohydrates of different things, or just look on the labels. Ill list a few for you:
3c. popcorn -about 15gm carbs
1 square from hershey chocolate bar- 10gm. carbs
1 -3" cookie- 20-30gm carbs
1 personal pizza- about 120gm carbs (WOW!)
1c. white rice- 45gm. carbs
1c. noodles- 45gm carbs
1 flor tortilla- 25gm carbs
4" sandwich roll- 50gm carbs
1 bagel- 60-75gm carbs (WOW!)
2x2" piece birthday cake- about 20gm carbs
8 raisins- 15gm carbs
Counting carbs is the key to managing blood sugar. It doesnt matter how you get them, it just matters how many you eat. 15 Chocolate carbs digest the same as 15 Rice carbs. Follow the 45-60gm carbs per meal and you will do fine and loose weight too. People (like me before I was diabetic ) have no idea how many carbs they eat. One more little fact. 1 Taco Dell Mar burrito has 150-200gm of carbohydrates (a huge tortilla, beans, rice.) An entire meal should have about 45! They sneak in there, you have to be careful!

Answer 8

Diabetes doesn't mean you need to restrict yourself to a drab diet. If you were diagnosed you should be referred to a dietitian who would discuss with you what to eat and what to avoid. Mine told me a little of what you fancy now and then doesn't do any harm at all - it's just a question of common sense.
One major tip to help avoiding the disease is to get the weight down anyway - perhaps that'll give you the excuse you're seeking!

Answer 9

People with diabetes should avoid sweets, but you can still have a sweetie once in a while. Avoid being overweight, no exercise and smoking this will partially help you avoid it. Having good genes helps a lot too.

Answer 10

tips on avoiding diabetes, keep good weight control, don't eat Lot's of sweet things on a regular basis, Try to stay as healthy as you can but don't worry diabetes is controllable and a normal life can be led with proper support from your g.p