Diabetic Diet

All diets usually have a list of what you can do, and what you should not do. A diabetic diet is no different. Here is a list of “DOs and DON’Ts” for a diabetic food plan that should help you make meal planning a little easier while managing your diabetes.

The “DOs” on a Diabetic Diet:
DO drink plenty of water each day. DO eat at least 3 servings of fresh vegetables daily. DO eat at the same times everyday. DO switch to low fat milk. DO eat 20 – 25 grams of raw onion everyday. DO ingest cinnamon daily. DO eat a daily allotment of fresh fruit. DO try to switch to herbal tea rather than caffeinated tea

You may notice a few odd things on this “DO” list. If you are wondering why you should be eating raw onion daily, you should understand that onions contain properties that actually fight against diabetes.

Onions also aid digestion, as well as serving as a diuretic. Cinnamon is a spice found to help control blood sugar. It has been suggested that boiling a few cinnamon sticks in water, then drinking this “cinnamon tea” will lower your blood sugar.

Here are the DON’TS for a Diabetic Diet:

DON’T overeat at any time. DON’T eat or drink anything containing a lot of sugar. DON’T overdo it when adding salt to your food. DON’T eat fried or fatty foods. DON’T have more than 2 cups of regular coffee or tea daily. DON’T drink whole milk. DON’T eat cheese high in fat. DON’T eat lots of rice, potatoes, bananas or carrots. These can raise your blood sugar.

The above DOs and DON’Ts for a diabetic diet food plan seem to be pretty self-explanatory. You can replace sugar with things like honey, and artificial sweeteners that are on the market today. If you are trying to find another way to replace fried foods you may love, try baking or broiling instead.

Use the above DOs and DON’Ts for diabetic diet when planning your daily meals. It might just make things a little less complicated, as well as keeping your diabetes under control.

By: Michelle Dixon

Diabetes is a serious disease that can be traced back to problems with the body’s ability to produce or use insulin properly. Specifically, people with Type 1 diabetes are not able to produce insulin, while people with Type 2 diabetes are unable to properly use their own insulin. If untreated, the disease results in the person having high blood sugar levels that are unhealthy.

In addition to controlling the disease through insulin injections (as needed), diabetics also need to strive to use their diet to maintain as near to normal blood sugar levels as possible. Other important factors for health in a diabetic are keeping blood pressure and cholesterol at healthy levels, as well.

If you are looking for a diabetic diet sample, here are 5 ways to control your blood sugar:

1. Go light on the alcohol:

Make sure to go very light in terms of your consumption of alcohol. The reason for this is that it is processed within the body in a way very similar to how fat is processed. It contains almost as many calories as does fat. Be sure to avoid drinking at times when your blood sugar level is normal.

2. Have a colorful plate:

Having a color plate, of course, refers to eating a wide variety of foods. This means fruits, vegetables, meats and other forms of protein such nuts, fish or fish oils, dairy products and whole grains.

3. Eat high-fiber foods:

Fiber is a strong ally of diabetics. Make sure that your daily diet includes high-fiber foods like whole grain breads, cereal, fruits, oats, barley, psyllium, and beans. You should aim for about 30 grams of fiber each day. Especially if you have Type 2 diabetes, a high-in-fiber diet can improve your blood sugar and your cholesterol levels.

4. Go light on the sugary foods:

Both sugar and its cousin, carbohydrates, in excess are not conducive to a smart diet when you have diabetes. And, if you do eat something sugary like a piece of cake, make sure that you then avoid (or substitute) eating something else from the carbohydrate category that would have eaten. In other words, sugars and carbohydrates should be substituted for each other when you are planning your daily diet, and both count toward your daily carbohydrate budget. Also, be sure to adjust your insulin dosage if you have eaten extra carbohydrates that day.

5. Try the TLC diet:

Diabetics who also have abnormally-high cholesterol levels should get to know the TLC diet. It was designed to reduce your consumption of nutrients that raise cholesterol levels. To follow this diet:

* maintain your fat consumption at 25-35% of your total daily calories

* eat few or no saturated fats

* polyunsaturated fats (such as liquid vegetable oils) should make up about 10% of your total daily calories consumed

* monounsaturated fats, such as those found in veggies like plant oils and nuts, should make up 20% of your total caloric intake

* carbohydrates should make up about 50% of your daily calories

* consume about 30 grams of fiber each day (see above)

* protein should make up about 15-20% of your total daily calories

* take in less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol each day

Consider this diabetic diet sample as 5 ways to control your blood sugar and remain healthy.

By: Larry Donaldson

The basic principle behind a calorie controlled diabetic diet is of course controlling your daily calorie intake. A 1200-1600 calorie diet is based around consuming no more than those calories per day. The benefits of these diabetic diets is that they give you the opportunity to control your sugar levels in your blood stream, this in turn will give you better control over your weight and reduce any heart complaints. The 1200-1600 daily calorie diets are aimed at small women who exercise, small or medium-sized women who want to lose weight, and medium women who do not exercise much. A major factor when starting these diet plans is to make sure you are taking on a complete and balanced diet that will pack in your recommend daily nutritional intake.

The key to any calorie controlled diabetic diet is Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates is the main source of Glucose or sugar, this is also your body’s main source of energy. A 1200-1600 calorie diabetic diet works on controlling your intake of fat, protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

You will have to ensure you only consume the right amount of calories per day. This will mean getting an understanding on the calorie values in each food type and portions. One gram of carbohydrates equals four calories.

There is no big secret to these diabetic diet plans other than eating a healthy balanced diet. A diabetic controlled diet is all to do with maintaining a balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein that you consume in your 1200 – 1600 calorie plan. For diabetics it is advised to break your meals into 4 to 6 small snacks and meals.

6 serving of starches

2 servings of milk and yoghurt

3 servings of vegetables

2 servings of meat or meat substitute

2 servings of fruit

Up to 3 servings of fats

The above gives you a guide for portioning suggested from each food grouping. Sticking to your 1200-1600 calorie diet plan is essential because any excess calorie intake may increase your body fat.

To aid your success you could pack your foods the night before – ensuring you have your fresh foods maid already. Keep your food simple to start, just start by calorie counting and progress from there. Try eating you foods a little slower and avoid foods that have a high calorie and fat content.

By: Adds S Barton

A diabetic diet menu is not a rigid diet where all you can eat are fruits or vegetables, although including plenty of these foods in your diet is beneficial but that applies for everyone and not just for diabetics. Below are some suggestions for a good diabetic diet menu:

- Include a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to your diabetic diet menu. Include apples, oranges, bananas, red cabbage, beans and carrots. Eat vegetables that are high in fiber and low on starch like broccoli and spinach. Additional fiber helps digestion and improves health.

- As much as possible try to eat whole grains instead of processed foods. Grains are at the base of the diabetic food pyramid which means that you should make it a central part of your diabetic diet menu. Choose whole wheat spaghetti and brown rice.

- Eat food at regular intervals. Don’t have large gaps or too low gaps between successive meals such as lunch and evening snacks.

- Pick non-fat dairy goods like skimmed milk, non-fat yogurt and cheese. If the taste of these products does not suit you, you can go for the low-fat instead of non-fat dairy products. Today a lot of flavors are available in market such as strawberry, blueberry, peach etc. Include these in your Diabetic Diet Menu.

- One of the Diabetic cooking tips you can use is to abstain from high-calorie drinks like sodas. It is better to just drink water and fresh, natural fruit juices. Cut down on coffee and tea as much as possible. If not, try to reduce the sugar you use or opt for an artificial sweetener instead.

- Cut down on desserts. Sorry to say!! We all love to eat cakes, cookies and ice cream but cutting down on them can make a big difference on having a healthy body. It is alright to eat at once a week rather than every day. This change you need to make in the Diabetic Diet.

To stay in health, try to implement above food tips as much as you can. A diabetic diet menu emphasizes eating the right foods and the right amount. Remember, it is all about control and discipline.

By: Rahul G

It’s easy to say what a diabetic shouldn’t eat: sugars, simple carbohydrates, alcoholic beverages. Sometimes it seems that all the tasty foods are forbidden – pizza, donuts, cake, ice cream, brownies, etc.

Is a diabetic doomed to a diet of broccoli and broiled fish?

Not at all. For the most part, people can eat normal foods – but wisely.

The biggest problem diabetics have is consuming too many calories. Simply limiting caloric intake to 1500-1800 calories would stabilize blood sugars for many patients. Not only that, but body weight and serum cholesterol would drop as well. If you are diabetic and make only one change in your diet, choose to eat less.

Problem foods for diabetics are those that raise the blood glucose level rapidly. Sugar does, of course, but so do simple carbohydrates and alcohol. It doesn’t mean you cannot have even a bite of these foods, but that you need to use discretion, and limit portion size to only 100-200 calories a day. Avoiding the “white” foods is a good idea: white flour, white rice, white potatoes, white pasta. All of these turn to glucose in your blood stream nearly as quickly as sugar itself.

Beyond that, what should a diabetic eat? And why?

Some of the best foods for diabetics are fruits and vegetables, which are high in soluble fiber. These promote a feeling of fullness, help the bowels eliminate properly, add potassium, vitamins, and anti-oxidants to the diet, and generally are low in calories. Aim for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Among the fruits, those that are less sweet are desirable, such as apples, berries, and cantaloupe. The very sweet fruits such as watermelon and pineapple may be eaten, but in limited amounts. A cup full of watermelon has nearly the same number of calories as a cup of 7-up, and may raise your blood sugar equally. A large slice of watermelon may have as many calories as a hot fudge sundae.

Vegetables tend to have more fiber and fewer calories. Lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumbers, cabbage,radishes,onions, leeks,kale, and other greens may be eaten as desired. Carrots have a higher glycemic index, but it’s difficult to eat too many carrots. Green beans and pea pods are good since they include the low-calorie pod. Beans and peas are high in fiber, a good source of protein, but higher in calories than the salad-type vegetables. Corn is actually a grain, not a vegetable, but is preferable to a processed grain such as white flour or cereal.

If not for toppings, a diabetic could eat an unlimited amount of salad. Dressing may add hundreds of calories, as may other toppings such as eggs, croutons, seeds, and bacon bits. Tasty low-calorie dressings are an option, or using a small amount of regular dressing. Again, portion size is vital. A restaurant portion of regular dressing for a large salad is easily 500 calories, whereas a large portion of diet dressing may be under 100.

Most diabetics love carbohydrates, but limiting these to whole grains is a good idea. And although oatmeal has been touted as a health food, processed oatmeal is metabolize nearly as quickly as sugar-coated cereal. If you like oatmeal, choose unprocessed steel-cut oats (but note, these take much longer to cook).

Everyone needs protein in the diet, to keep muscles strong and healthy. While it’s possible to consume sufficient protein from a vegetarian diet, most people prefer to add animal products such as fish, chicken, eggs, or meat. Many diabetics have high cholesterol levels, and therefore should avoid red meat and excess eggs. Lean meat such as chicken, fish, or turkey is preferable, but watch out for salted lunch meat, which may raise your blood pressure.

Five daily servings of calcium foods should be included in the diet (1500 mg) in the form of green leafy vegetables or dairy products. Skim milk, low-fat cheese, and artificially sweetened yogurt are good choices.

Lastly, what about dessert? Nowadays many desserts are available in no-sugar-added varieties, including ice cream, cookies, and pies. These are sweetened with alcohol sugars, which do not raise the blood glucose as quickly as regular sugar, but are equally high in calories. A bowl of berries with a little sugar-free ice cream is a reasonable choice.

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, M.D.

By: Cynthia Koelker

Diabetics and their families are probably the most familiar with the diabetic diet exchange method of meal planning. The diabetic diet exchange method assigns foods to certain groups based on their effects on blood glucose levels. Using an allotted number of exchanges, diabetics build recipes and meals that meet their own individual diabetic needs.

The diabetic diet exchange method was developed as a joint effort between the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. The method has been used for several decades and has recently been reformatted to include a wider variety of commonly consumed foods including fast foods, which reflects the changes in foods that are marketed specifically to diabetics and the need for variety in today’s busy lifestyles. Additionally, many individuals, not just diabetics, are making more thoughtful food choices. Decades of poor food choices have infected the nation with several food-related disorders. Because of this, several health organizations have launched campaigns to educate consumers. Consumers have responded by demanding that food manufacturers provide healthy foods. Several major food manufactures have met the challenge resulting in the need for an updated diabetic diet exchange listing that includes more low fat and reduced sugar foods as well as fast foods. The new diabetic diet exchange includes more listings for lean meats, carbohydrate controlled foods, and foods for vegetarian diets.

The diabetic diet exchange method works by assigning foods to six different categories – starch/bread, cereals, and grains group; meat and proteins group, vegetable group, fruit group, milk group, and the fat group. Each food is assigned a quantity that makes it equal to one exchange. Review the following examples from each group…

One half of a medium bagel is equal to one starch/bread exchange. Three egg whites are equal to one meat/protein exchange One half cup of mushrooms is equal to one vegetable exchange One half cup of unsweetened applesauce is equal to one fruit exchange One eight-ounce cup of 1% milk is equal to one milk exchange Two teaspoons of diet margarine are equal to one fat exchange.

Using one exchange from each of the six diabetic diet exchange groups, you have just made built a breakfast that consists of an egg white omelet with mushrooms, a bagel slathered in applesauce, and a glass of milk – probably more filling than the egg mcmuffin you usually eat.

The diabetic diet exchange lists will enable you to build filling and nutritious meals and snacks. They are called exchanges because you may exchange foods within each group. You may not, however, trade a fruit exchange for a meat exchange regardless of the calorie count. Fruits and meats affect blood glucose levels differently and that is why they are housed in different groups. The diabetic diet exchange method takes great care in keeping your blood glucose level as consistent as possible.

The diabetic diet exchange lists closely mimic the United Stated Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food pyramid with just a few exceptions. Diabetic diet exchanges move a few foods into different categories based on their effect on blood glucose. For instance, potatoes are part of the bread group on the diabetic food pyramid because they affect blood glucose in the same manner as breads since they are a starchy vegetable. The diabetic diet exchange method has been melded into plans that encompass calorie needs of 1200, 1500, 1800, 2000, and 2200 calories per day. For example, a 1200-calorie per day diet includes five bread exchanges, four meat exchanges, two vegetable exchanges, three fruit exchanges, two milk exchanges, and three fat exchanges. A 2200-calorie per day diet includes thirteen bread exchanges, eight meat exchanges, four vegetable exchanges, three fruit exchanges, two milk exchanges, and five fat exchanges. The exchanges are combined into recipes to create meals like the breakfast above.

By: Rebecca Stigall

On average, you will probably be eating between 40 to 55 percent of your total daily calories in the form of carbohydrates. A 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan gets 50% of its calories from carbohydrates, 30% from fat and 20% from protein; so it would contain 600 calories from carbohydrates. That translates to 150 grams of carbohydrates, where 1 gram equals 4 calories, or just about 10 carbohydrate exchanges or choices for the day.

Keep in mind that this is an average. Some people with diabetes may find that a lower percentage of carbohydrates offers them better control.

With regards to the 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan, many people find this program constructive and effective. However, it is still recommended that you talk to your registered dietitian first before you start on any type of diet plan. A registered dietitian will work with you and help you understand the meaning and concept behind carbohydrate counting or carb counting and the diabetic exchange system. These two methods are commonly used to obtain the 1200-calorie objective.

Carb Counting

Even if you follow your meal plan to the letter, you are still going to find that certain foods will give you a bigger spike in glucose levels than expected. You may also find that other foods you expected to pump up your readings barely bump the meter. That is the individual nature of diabetes.

For this reason, carb counting is an invaluable tool in figuring out the amount of carbohydrates given in every meal and eventually helps you understand the possible effects of such amount in your blood glucose levels.

Carb counting involves calculating the grams of carbohydrate eaten in a given meal. In theory, regulating carb intake means controlling your blood glucose levels.

Match Your Diet To Your Needs How many carbohydrates you eat in a given day depends on your unique caloric, medical, and lifestyle needs. An active teenager will have a greater carbohydrate requirement than an inactive adult.

So for instance, if you want to use 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan, be sure that you fit into one of the following categories: (a) your body build is medium and you do not exercise much, (b) you are a small or medium person who wants to lose weight, or (c) you are a small person who exercises a lot.

Again, the first step in establishing a carb-counting plan to achieve your 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan is sitting down with a registered dietitian who will discuss your medical history, eating habits, lifestyle, and medication routines, and come up with a plan for how much carbohydrates you should be eating and when they should be consumed.

Choices versus Grams

There are a couple of different variations on the carb-counting theme to achieve 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan. Basic carb gram counting is simply calculating the actual grams of carbohydrates consumed and ensuring they do not exceed a pre-established limit. Another popular method is carb choice.

Since a dietary exchange of starch or fruit carbohydrates is equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrates, many dietitians use the “15 grams per serving” value as a “rule of thumb” in teaching carb counting, especially to those patients who are already familiar with exchange lists. Each 15-gram serving is called a “carb choice,” and instead of establishing a total number of carbohydrate grams for the day, you will work with your dietitian to determine a total number of carb choices.

This method works well with 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan. For example, for those who want to achieve 1200-calorie diet, it is recommended that you take 10 servings of carbohydrates in a day. These servings will be subdivided into different meals of the day.

For example, you may take 2 servings of carbohydrates at breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner provided that you do not take any carbohydrates for the evening snack. When applying carb counting, keep in mind that 1 carb choice or 1 serving is equivalent to approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates.

The choice method may not be as exact as calculating carbs strictly by the label, since it involves a certain degree of estimation, but it is close enough for most people. Talk to your dietitian about the method that works best for you.

Dietary Exchanges

Dietary exchange system has three food group types represented in the exchange lists: the carbohydrate group, the meat and meat substitutes group, and the fat group. Each list within each group contains food with a similar carbohydrate, protein, fat, and calorie content.

When you sit down with your dietitian, she will work with you to specify a certain number of each type of exchanges for your meals based on your 1200-calorie goal. Hence, you can think of dietary exchanges like trading cards. Any food on a particular list can be swapped with another on the same list.

Indeed, this 1200-calorie diabetic diet plan has soared in popularity thanks to medical media icons who have painstakingly demonstrated and explained the good effects of such diet programs. However, the jury is still out on their long-term safety. If you would want to try this type of diabetic diet plan, talk with your registered dietitian and your doctor about a safe approach that is right for you.

By: Flor Serquina