Nutritional supplements for type 2 diabetes has moved from a controversial status in the 1980's to a reasonably respectable status in the 2000's. Everyone knows that vitamins and minerals play an important part in a healthy eating plan. You no doubt have heard you should be able to get the vitamins and minerals you need each day from your food choices but, for most of us, this is more of a "hit and miss" technique than a sure one.
People who have type 2 diabetes especially need the right combination of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin And Supplement
High Potency Multi-vitamins: This means that a high potency multi-vitamin should be part of the nutrition plan of most type 2 diabetics. If you are getting all the nutrients you need from food, then congratulations! But be honest about it... and there's no harm done in taking a vitamin every day.
Today the supplement market has gone crazy with supplements for every condition you can possibly have. You don't need 99% of the supplements out there but you may need a few... chances are a multi-vitamin is one of them. Make sure it contains adequate amounts of vitamins C, D, E, and B-complex vitamins.
You still need to get as many vitamins and minerals as you can from the food you eat. While food is always the best source, there are a few other minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, etc. which you might want to consider getting in supplement form.
Let's take a closer look at a few of them:
Whey Protein: Whey protein is the highest quality protein available. Bodybuilders often use it to maximize muscle building and repair muscle tissue after intense workouts. Not only does it improve muscle mass, it heightens your immune system. It's one of the best forms of protein available.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Some fats are healthy for you and if you are not getting enough omega-3s from fish, you may want to try a supplement. Some people simply do not like the taste of fish. You can actually get non-fishy smelling omega-3 supplements. These fats actually help to reduce fat in your blood vessels, improve the amounts of good cholesterol you have in your body, and reduce apoproteins, considered to be sensitive indicators of diabetes management.
Chromium: Chromium is known by many people as the diabetes mineral. That's because it helps glucose enter your cells. Even with this heightened awareness, many people who have type 2 diabetes are deficient in chromium. In fact, when chromium is added to your diet during pre-diabetes, you might never be diagnosed with full-blown type 2 diabetes. That is the extent to which it can lower blood sugar levels in some individuals. A lack of chromium has also been discovered in people who are obese.
Chromium helps to not only regulate fasting blood sugars and reduce glycosylated hemoglobin and insulin values, it also helps to reduce your cholesterol levels.
It appears supplements are extremely safe for type 2 diabetics, especially when compared to the outcome of developing various diabetic complications because they lack one or some of the nutrients.