Being diagnosed with diabetes can be a shock to the emotions. The first thought that comes to mind is not actually the fear of the diabetes itself, but that you can no longer eat the foods that you crave, especially ice cream. New research has revealed that ice cream and sweets do not really add to the sugar in the body as much as what was traditionally thought. There is still life after diabetes, and with the proper nutrition and diet; you may not have to give up on the foods that you love.

Good nutrition is a must when you have diabetes. The inability to process insulin properly in your body was not caused by wrong or right nutrition. This is a purely pathological disorder that affects the pancreas.

There are two types:

• Type 1 diabetes happens when the pancreas cannot produce the insulin for the body and
• the Type 2, where there is not enough insulin that is produced. Most people who have diabetes are diagnosed as Type 2.

The build up of too much sugar in the blood cells can cause considerable damage to every organ in the body. There is just no getting around it. Insulin given artificially helps in the process of breaking down the sugar and insulin can only do its work when the body is healthy.

Having to eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, meat and fish is essential in the nutrition of even the healthiest individual. It is also just as important if there is diabetes. There should be no foods that are avoided; the secret to healthy nutrition is to have the food in quantities that are just right for the body to process. Some foods convert to sugar faster than others, so it is best to make sure that there is minimum intake of those.

Usually, when diagnosed, the best way to good nutrition is to ask the dietician on what and what not to do. There is no need to overreact and immediately stop taking anything that may convert to sugar. Remember, sugar is still essential; it is just hard to process in a diabetic. But completely eliminating sugar from the system can shock the body and the opposite may happen, hypoglycaemia.

In diabetic nutrition, good health and diet should be well balanced. Listen to the doctor and the dietician. A little sacrifice on your part will ensure a happy life. And yes, you can still have ice cream, even if you are diabetic. So live a good nutrition-rich life even with diabetes.