Healthy eating through diabetic meal planning is an important aspect of diabetes management. In most cases, your doctor is likely to recommend a dietitian or a diabetes educator to help you with your diabetic meal planning. A meal plan will be developed according to your specific needs such as the kinds of foods that you enjoy and current lifestyle. In addition, your meal plan will also focus on controlling calories to help you lose excess weight if you are facing obesity issues.
When you have type 2 diabetes, the type and amount of food you eat and when you eat affects your blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels go up after eating. You should try to eat about the same amount of food at about the same time each day to keep you blood glucose near normal levels. If you eat a big dinner one day and a small dinner the next, your blood glucose levels may fluctuate too much.
You should note that there is no single diabetes diet that is right for everyone. However, there are a few points that you should remember during your diabetic meal planning. Firstly, carbohydrates are especially important because they have the largest influence on blood glucose. You should eat about the same amount of carbohydrate-rich foods at about the same time each day. For instance, you can consume foods such as fruits, milk, starches (whole-grain bread, cereal or rice) and starchy vegetables (corn or potatoes) during your meal times. In addition, ensure that your starches come from whole grains because they contain fiber and many other nutrients and are digested and absorbed by the body more slowly than refined starches. This can help to maintain a steady glucose level in your body.
Another important aspect of diabetic meal planning involves the appropriate ratio of total calories to nutrients such as proteins and healthy fats. Depending on you circumstances, your dietitian may recommend slightly different percentages for you. The typical recommendations for the ratio of total calories to nutrients are as follows:
1. 45 to 65 percent consisting of carbohydrates
2. 12 to 20 percent consisting of proteins
3. 10 to 30 percent consisting of fats
In addition, you should limit your intake of foods that are high in cholesterol, such as egg yolks. Avoid high-fat foods and sweets because they provide a lot of calories but few nutrients. Keeping track of your calories intake can help you keep your blood sugar at as steady level and help you make adjustments for reaching weight goals.
By following the above guidelines, you should be able to easily develop an appropriate meal program to control your glucose level. Most important of all, you really have to diligently follow the plan for effective results to be seen from diabetic meal planning!
By: Sky Joe
Posts Tagged ‘Carbohydrate’
Diabetic Meal Planning Is A Must For All Diabetes Sufferers!
March 4th, 2010Natural Cures For Diabetes – How to Cure Diabetes Naturally
February 16th, 2010
Diabetes is a serious disorder, common among people who are old and obese, which is usually caused by an abnormality in one’s blood glucose levels. These levels are so high that results to a lacking amount of insulin in the blood that affects carbohydrate, protein, and even fat metabolism in the human body. A lot of people turn to doctors and medications for help in curing diabetes, but some doctors have discovered natural cures for diabetes, which can be done even at one’s very own home. Some of these cures may involve changes in the diet and maybe even for the person’s daily routine, so let’s take each one by one.
In order to cure diabetes naturally, one has to also know what the symptoms and causes are. Diabetes is usually caused by overeating, obesity, and from stress as well. Emotions such as worry, depression, and anxiety also contribute to diabetes, which could lead to people feeling easily tired mentally and physically, hungry and thirsty often, and would develop health problems like anemia and palpitations. Some of the cures may involve activities that tackle these problems, so be ready for some changes in your diet and everyday activities.
Since those suffering from diabetes primarily have blood sugar problems, some of the natural cures for diabetes include omitting and changing some foods in the normal diet. For example, scientists have discovered that adding onions and garlic to the diet may help increase the production of insulin and significantly reduce levels of blood sugar for a long period of time. You can also take in natural juices such as carrots, cabbage, coconut, spinach, and other vegetables to lower blood sugar as well as vitamins manufactured specifically for curing diabetes.
When it comes to food intake, try as much as possible to maintain a natural food diet that has no traces of cooking oil and other processes. Cooked foods for example have already gone through the heating process, killing the vitamins and minerals that can control blood sugar levels inside the body. Eating fruits, vegetables that are rich in fiber, and drinking at least 8 glasses of water everyday are measures that are sure to cure diabetes and help regulate your sugar levels everyday. Some of the fruits that you might want to include in your diet are grape fruit, banana, cranberries, kiwi, and pomegranate juice. For vegetables, you can take cucumber, lettuce, onions, garlic, carrots, and lots more.
Lastly, keep your body in shape by doing regular exercises everyday. This helps you maintain a healthy and fit body, which helps a lot in regulating your body weight and sugar levels in blood as well. Waking up around 6 AM in the morning can do wonders for your health, just as it does for any other diseases as well. Diabetes isn’t something one should accept without a fight; natural cures are available for all types of diabetics, from the kinds of foods to the everyday activities that you do, that can contribute to your getting a whole lot better.
By: Dr. Eswararamanan VR
