If you have diabetes, you already know what an important role that food plays in your life. Because you need to keep tight control on your sugar levels, you know that you need to watch how much sugar you eat, whether it is in the form of fresh fruit, sweets, or even unexpected sources of sugar such as nice glass of fresh milk.
As a diabetic, you also know that you need to keep an eye on your overall diet and nutrition in general. This is so that you are getting the proper combination of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients which your body needs every day. By having a well balanced diet, you are ensuring that your body can thrive and be in an optimal state of health and wellness, despite also having a diagnosis of diabetes.
If you are a person who has food allergies, then you already know that you face special dietary challenges. For a person who has food allergies but who does not have diabetes, having food allergies means basically that they need to avoid exposure to the allergen. If a person is allergic to peanuts, then they should not eat peanuts, or food which contains peanuts, and based upon the severity of the allergy, they should avoid processed foods which share factory or kitchen space with peanut-included products. If they are very sensitive, they can be exposed due to cross contamination and become ill, even in tiny amounts from shared production space.
For a person who has diabetes and food allergies, the same criteria apply, except they also have to find a way to get the nutrients and vitamins from the allergenic food into their diet. You may think that non diabetics have to do the same thing, and you’d be right. The distinction is that diabetics with food allergies must be careful to choose replacement sources of nutrition which don’t interfere with their blood sugar too much. They don’t want to eat something which will cause a sharp spike in blood sugar, because after a sharp spike in blood sugar comes a steep drop and the person generally feels awful until they can get their blood sugar back on a stable bearing. Diabetics with food allergies must take care to avoid their allergen as well as to choose their substitute foods with their blood sugar stability in mind.
For people with diabetes, there is another aspect of food allergies which can be considered. There have been some studies in people with type 1 diabetes which show that it is genetically similar to Celiac disease. Both Celiac disease and type 1 diabetes are autoimmune health conditions, and Celiac disease is an allergy to wheat gluten. Because of these facts the scientists, doctors, and researchers are trying to determine if food intolerance (or a food allergy) also plays a role in the development of type 1 diabetes.
Research continues and the answers are not all in yet, but tests have been done on the genes of people with type 1 diabetes and the genes of people with Celiac. Even though the diseases are different, the genes of the people had similarities which were not seen in the genes of healthy people. The educated guess is that since they look similar genetically and since one is caused by a food intolerance, then it might be that the other one is also caused by food intolerance. f you want to learn more, make your appointment today.