Diet plays a key role in
controlling your blood sugar. A healthy-eating plan tailored to your needs will
do that and more. The majority of people affected with diabetes are overweight
or obese. In fact, your risk of getting diabetes increases the more weight you
put on. So controlling your diet can be the key to reducing the risk of diabetes
as well as improving your symptoms if you are already affected by this disease
people often refer to as "the silent killer." Everybody knows that
maintaining a good diet is a healthy choice for every person. But for diabetes
patients, this statement means something more significant than the recent fad
over healthy living. For diabetes patients, having a healthy diet means eating
in a way that reduces the risk for complications that are commonly associated with
their conditions, including heart disease and stroke. For them, a healthy diet
could mean the difference between die-abetes and liveabetes. Eating healthy
involves eating a wide variety of foods that encompasses the whole diet spectrum
of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, non-fat dairy products, beans, lean meats,
poultry, and fish. No, you do not have to eat all of that, but a little bit of
this and that enough to balance the three basic food groups (Go, Grow, and
Glow) is what you should aim for.
Tip number 1:
Preparing a Meal Plan
When you go on a diabetes diet,
the first things you need to do is to prepare a meal plan. This will serve as
your guide to how much and what kinds of food you can choose to eat at meals,
and even at snack times if you wish to include that. Now, be sure that your
meal plan fits in with your schedule and eating habits. That way you will not
be likely to ruin your diet simply because your work schedule conflicts with
your meal schedule. Keep in mind your end-goal: To keep your blood glucose in
levels that are easy enough to maintain. In
addition to that somewhat myopic diet goal for diabetes, you also want to
follow a meal plan that will help you improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels
as well as keep your weight on track. All these - blood pressure, cholesterol
and weight - are factors that contribute to the worsening of your diabetes
symptoms, so controlling them could very well mean controlling your diabetes. When preparing a meal plan, be sure
to balance uptake and down take - that is, food and exercise, respectively.
Additionally, your doctor may have prescribed you with insulin or oral medications
to help you manage your condition. Take those medications into account as well
when you plan your meal plan, making sure that the food is balanced with the
drugs. The whole thing sounds like it's a lot of work but with a few
suggestions from your physician and/or dietician you can start building a meal
plan that is best for you and your
condition.
Tip number 2:
Use the Diabetes Food Pyramid
The Diabetes Food Pyramid, released
by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is composed of six food
groups (arranged according to how much you should eat from the least to the
most and based on carbohydrate and protein content):
• Fats, sweets, and alcohol
• Milk
• Meat, meat substitutes, and
other proteins
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Grains, beans, and starchy
vegetables
Fats, sweets, and alcohol are the
one food group that diabetes patients should avoid. The problem with diabetes
involves a certain malfunction in the way our bodies make use of glucose in the
blood. It is either there is too much glucose in our blood because we ate too
much food rich in sugar so that the hormone responsible for regulating glucose –
insulin- is unable to cope. Or, our cells are defective so that even though we have
enough insulin to handle the job, our cells do not respond. In order to control
the levels of glucose in the blood stream, controlling diabetes diet is
important. The intake of fats, sweets, and alcohol and other generally
"unhealthy" foods should be minimized and only for special treats. As
for the rest of the food groups, here are the serving sizes recommended by the American
Diabetes Association:
• Meat and Meat Substitutes: 4-6
oz. per day and divided between meals. This is equivalent to 1/4 cup cottage
cheese, 1 egg, 1 tbsp peanut butter, or 1/2 cup tofu.
• Milk: 2-3 servings per day.
• Fruit: 2-4 servings per day.
• Vegetables: 3-5 servings per
day.
• Grains and Starches: 6-11
servings per day, equivalent to 1 slice of bread, 1/4 of a bagel, or . of an
English muffin or pita bread. Use this Diabetes Food Pyramid only as a guide in
planning your meals. If you want a more individualized option, consult your dietician.
Tip number 3:
Draw Lines on Your Plate
Another good way to ensure that
you are eating a balanced diet is to draw a line across your plate. It could
only be an imaginary line. As you sit there for a meal, the exercise might even
prove to be fun. The first step, of course, is to imagine that you are drawing
a line through the center of your plate. Then, divide one of the halves into two.
Then, fill this section with grains or starchy foods, such as rice, pasta,
potatoes, corn, or peas.
The other section should comprise
your meat and meat substitute group - meat, fish, poultry, or tofu. Next, fill
half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. You can place there broccoli,
carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower. Last, add a glass of milk
and a small piece of roll, and eh voila! You are ready to eat.
Tip number 4:
Reading Food Labels
With food labels, it all comes
down to the Nutrition Facts. It's that list of nutrition information found on
the package of foods sold in the grocery store. Reading food labels can help
you make wise choices about the foods you buy. The labels will tell you what
ingredients were used, the amount of calories, and other pertinent information essential to a diabetes patient. For
instance, a typical food label would contain the total amounts per serving for
the following nutrients:
• Calories
• Total fat
• Saturated fat
• Cholesterol
• Sodium
• Total carbohydrate
• Fiber
Use the nutrition facts found in
food labels to compare similar types of foods and buy the one that contains
fewer calories, lower fats, cholesterol, etc. Pay close attention to free foods
like sugar-free gelatin desert, sugarfree ice pops, sugarless gum, diet soft
drinks, and sugar-free syrups. Just because they are called "free" does
not mean they are entirely free of calories so don't be overconfident. Instead,
read the label. Most free foods should have less than 20 calories and 5 grams
of carbohydrates per serving. Another thing, "no-sugar
added" means no sugar was added during the manufacture and packaging of the
foods. The ingredients do not include sugar. However, the food may be high in
carbohydrates still so be sure to read the label carefully. Fat-free foods could
still mean that they contain lots of carbohydrates. Often, they contain almost
the same amount of calories as the foods they replace so be sure to pay
attention to the label. Buying fat-free foods instead of regular foods does not
necessarily mean that you are making a wise choice.
Tip
number 5:
A Word about Sweets Now, you know that sweets are generally discouraged among
diabetes patients. However, having diabetes does not necessarily mean that you
cannot have sweets. Imagine how bad life can be for the sweet tooth with
diabetes. But as long as you keep your intake of sweets in moderation, there is
no reason you have to eschew sugar
from your life forever. After all, glucose (sugar) is still the most basic
source of energy that the body needs.
So sweeten your foods with these
following options:
• Sugar and other sweeteners with
calories: honey, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, cane sugar, and confectioners
sugar
• Reduced calorie sweeteners: erythritol,
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol,
sorbitol, and xylitol
• Low calories sweeteners: ascelfume
potassium, aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose
Research has overturned the long
standing belief that sugar caused diabetes. The new studies show us that sugar
has in fact the same effect on blood glucose levels as other carbohydrates like
bread and potatoes. Based on this discovery, experts agree that a diabetic can now
consume sugar as long as they incorporate it into their meal plan the way they
would with any ordinary carbohydrate-containing foods.
Now that you have been pointed to
the right direction with these tips to improve your diabetes diet, you can go
ahead and live a healthier, fuller life where nothing - no carb nor sweets - is
denied you, as long as you keep it all in moderation.
Summary
If you've never attempted to eat
a healthy, well-balanced diet before your diabetes diagnosis, it can be
difficult to know where to get started. Try these diabetes tips, as the right
food choices will help you control your blood sugar level.
