Nutrition for Diabetes

01 Jul

Posted by admin as diabetes

Nutrition is very important in managing diabetes. Not only what you eat, but how much you eat and when you eat influences your blood sugar. Meals should be at regular times with planned snacks. They should be low fat, high fiber foods with a limited amount of simple carbohydrates. Here are meal plans, recipes and advice on managing nutrition.

Healthy eating and a healthy weight are important to help manage your diabetes. This section will help you to develop a basic understanding of concepts such as carbohydrate counting, reading food labels, and artificial sweeteners. Remember to see your dietitian who can help you to develop or update your personalized meal plan.

Keeping weight in check and being physically active can help prevent most cases of the disease. Choosing a diet rich in whole grains and healthy fats adds even more protection.

Diabetes Meal Plan

What is a healthy diet?

A healthy diet is a way of eating that that reduces risk for complications such as heart disease and stroke. Healthy eating includes eating a wide variety of foods including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, non-fat dairy products, beans, and lean meats, poultry and fish. There is no one perfect food so including a variety of different foods and watching portion sizes is key to a healthy diet.

Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy foods and starchy foods such as breads. Try to have fresh fruits rather than canned fruits (unless they are packed in water or their own juice), fruit juices or dried fruit. You may eat fresh vegetables and frozen or canned vegetables. Condiments such as nonfat mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard are also carbohydrates.

Lifestyle Change

With 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes overweight, and weight loss directly related to improved diabetes control, these guidelines are meant to help people with diabetes or at risk for the disease lose weight and keep it off. To initiate and maintain weight loss, Joslin recommends losing just one pound every one to two weeks by reducing daily calories by 250 to 500 calories.

The Diabetes Food Pyramid

The diabetes food pyramid can help you make wise food choices. It divides foods into groups, based on what they contain. Eat more from the groups at the bottom of the pyramid, and less from the groups at the top. Foods from the starches, fruits, vegetables, and milk groups are highest in carbohydrate. They affect your blood glucose levels the most.

Watch what you drink

A large soda may have hundreds of calories. Shakes and ice-cream drinks often have even more calories, as well as a day’s worth of saturated fat. Instead, order diet soda, water, unsweetened iced tea, sparkling water or mineral water.

A diagnosis of diabetes presents a unique opportunity to shift your diet and lifestyle choices in a positive direction. Whether you’re a regular Emeril-type wiz at the stove or a toast-burning, kitchen klutz, take a stab at preparing some diabetes-friendly dishes, and take the time to learn more about healthy eating. Your body will thank you every which way –– how you look, how you test at home and in the doctor’s office, and how you feel every day.