Guidelines For the Diabetes Diet
Diabetes is appearing to be among the most frightening diseases I’ve ever had but easy to handle so far. Over the past 6 years I’ve done extremely well managing my Type 2 Diabetes with a healthy diet and exercise, the absence of which having been the cause of my problem in the first place. I’m not a physician and do not play one on the net so do not do anything in this write-up without checking with yours. But, because it seems so tough at first, I would like to share to you some things I’ve found which simplified the entire diet thing for me.
Diabetes Diet programs are everywhere, but many are so severe or so complicated we can’t follow them. When my physician diagnosed me, he gave me a duplicate of a typed diet sheet that really had taken all the delight out of my life…no sugar, bread, rice, cake, ice cream…and so on. Fortunately, he sent me to some diabetes diet class which taught me you do not need to quit sugar or any other carbohydrates…all you’ve to do is manage them. That’s made all the big difference! Actually, to manage Type 2 Diabetes, all we have to do is consume the balanced diet we should have already been eating all along.
The American Diabetes Diet recommends we get 50-60% of our calories from carbohydrates, 12-20% from proteins, and much less than 30% from fats. In my individual diet, I lean toward 50-30-20% in those groups. As you can see, 50-60% carbohydrates is not precisely eating none…is it? We’ll get into simple ways to mange this balance later. I found the largest dietary adjustment I had to make was taking 3 big meals each day and turning them into 3 little meals and 2-3 snacks. This really is essential to keep a balanced level of blood sugar (glucose). The funny thing was, after about a week, I observed I had much more energy and never felt hungry. Needles to say, I began getting excited.
Eat Generally Healthier: The smallest adjustment was to eat healthier…you realize the drill: More fresh fruits and vegetables, much more fresh meat, fish and poultry (lean cuts) and less fruit juices and processed meals. Much more crackers and less chips. More whole grain breads and pasta and less white, processed flours. More brown rice and much less white. Low or non fat milk, cheese, yogurt, salad dressings. Eat cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, sodas, and so on. less often and preferably low fat, sugar free varieties if possible. The incredible thing if you ask me was, there was clearly literally nothing I could not eat…I just needed to control the way in which I ate. This isn’t as hard as individuals think. Food Exchanges from the American Diabetes Association make it fairly easy to classify your foods and understand how much of each you must be consuming.
Here are a few common categories to get you started. Fats consist of butter, margarine, oils and nuts. Proteins include meats, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and cheese (milk and cheese are substantial in fat). Carbohydrates include bread, cereal, beans, grains and potatoes. Sugars are refined carbohydrates and should be taken in very little amounts. Nearly all fresh veggies are “free” simply because they are high in fiber and nutrients with out being high in fats, carbs, and so on. All packaged meals have labels that tell you how big a serving is and how many carbs, sugars, proteins, fats, calories are in a serving This is much more important to read than the cost.
Portion Size is simple to figure for meals. If you learn the exchanges and part measurements for given foods you never have to count carbs, calories, etc. Just take a look at what you’re eating. Here’s a little chart to get you started:
Portions From American Diabetes Association:A serving of… Measures… And is about as large as… Cheese – 1 ounce – 4 dice. Rice – cup – Half a baseball. Bagel – 4 ounces – A hockey puck. Meat – 3 ounces – A deck of cards. Peanut butter – 2 Tablespoons – A ping-pong ball. Pasta – 1 cup – A tennis ball.
A basic Diabetes Diet Guideline: I manage my diet using exchanges and portion control without measuring something. I’ve discovered every day I can balance my diet and maintain my blood glucose normal by managing my portions as follows: 5-6 Carbs, 5-6 Proteins, 5-6 vegetables and fruit (mostly vegetables), less than 3 fats, and 2-3 quarts water.
Be sure to includehigh fiber foods in your vegetables and fruit to help maintain good blood fat and sugar levels. I misplaced about fifty pounds in a yr and maintained it for 5 years since the onset of my illness. I am now beginning to lose the final 40 pounds toward my objective of 180.
That’s really about it! Obviously, you’ll want to study as much as you can and ask you physician to completely manage your diabetes, but I hope this article has eliminated some of the mystery and offered you a good starting point to take control of your diet. You can do this!
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