Nutrition
Guide For Diabetics
Your Food Plan
Diabetes doesn't change the kinds of foods you can eat. Basically, what's
healthy for you is what's healthy for anyone who wants to eat well. Like
everyone, you should focus on eating less fat, fewer sugary foods, and a
variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish.
Your food plan should give you enough calories to stay at a healthy weight
for you. This is a weight you can achieve and stay with and one that you
and your doctor agree on. It may not be the ideal body weight found on the
height/weight charts.
Your food choices can help you prevent or delay side effects of diabetes
such as kidney disease, gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying), high blood
pressure, and heart disease by helping you control blood glucose levels.
For people with type 1 diabetes.
Food is one tool you can use to treat your diabetes. Your food plan should
help you keep your blood glucose level as near to normal as possible. Plan
your meals at consistent times so that you eat when your insulin is
working the hardest. It's especially important for you to monitor your
blood glucose levels. This will help you change your insulin dose to match
the amount of food you usually eat.
Your meal plan should also help you prevent or treat very low blood
glucose, even when you exercise. You also need food ideas for days when
you're ill or don't eat normally. Even when you're sick, you still need to
take insulin.
For people with type 2 diabetes. You seek
several health goals: good control of your blood glucose levels, better
blood fat levels, more normal blood pressure, and a healthy weight. You
may be able to reach both of these goals with a healthy eating plan and
regular exercise. If you also need insulin or diabetes pills, sticking
with healthy food choices and portion sizes will help the medications work
better.
Focus on cutting the fat in your diet, especially saturated fat and
cholesterol. This objective works better than simply trying to lose
weight. Space meals over the course of the day rather than eating a few
large meals. Aim for a modest weight loss. For many people, losing only
10--20 pounds can mean improved blood glucose and blood fat levels and
lower blood pressure.
The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your
activity level. Minor changes can help. For example, cutting out 250
calories per day and walking briskly for 20 minutes three times a week may
be all you need to do to control weight and blood glucose levels.
Checking your blood glucose level at home is a great way to keep tabs on
your progress.
Daily Guidelines
What are the basics of a nutritious diet for someone with diabetes?
Nutrition means getting nutrients protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins,
and minerals from what you eat and drink. The amounts of carbohydrate,
fat, and protein in your daily meal plan depend on your individual needs
and tastes. They also depend on your overall health and your treatment
goals (blood glucose, blood fat levels, and weight goals). Your nutrition
needs change throughout life as your body changes. As your needs change,
so should your food choices.
Protein. For most people, a healthy diet
includes 10-20 percent of daily calories from protein (poultry, fish,
dairy, and vegetable sources).
Fat. A healthy intake of fat is 30
percent or less of your daily calories. Less than 10 percent should come
from saturated fats (fats that are solid at room temperature), and up to
10 percent should come from polyunsaturated fats (fats from fish and other
seafood). Daily cholesterol intake should be 300 milligrams or less.
Cholesterol is found in dairy products, eggs, and meats.
Carbohydrates. The rest of your daily
calories will come from carbohydrates, which are found in fruits,
vegetables, beans, dairy foods, and starchy foods such as breads.
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. For the past 100 years, people with
diabetes were told to avoid sugar. It was assumed that sugar, which
quickly changes into glucose, would raise blood glucose levels more. But
research has shown that this is not true.
Of course, there are still reasons why sugar is not a smart food choice.
Your body depends on the nutrients supplied in the foods you eat. Sugary
foods often contain empty calories that provide no nutrients. Your
dietitian can help work foods with sugar into your meal plan. But sugary
foods can't take the place of foods that supply vitamins and minerals.
There is no reason to avoid table sugar in favor of other sweeteners, such
as fructose (the sugar found in fruit), corn sweeteners, corn syrup, fruit
juice or fruit juice concentrate, honey, molasses, dextrose, and maltose.
On the other hand, there is no reason for people with diabetes to avoid
foods that naturally contain sweeteners, such as fructose (fruits and
vegetables) or lactose (dairy products).
Success With Food
Staying healthy with diabetes will always be a challenge. When you work
with your health-care team on your meal plan, you are working on one of
the most important tools for feeling your best. Although you need to
follow a healthy eating plan, it's a blueprint that includes many choices.
It's up to you to help shape a plan that you can live with.
Check
out our recipes for Diabetics…
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