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 ‘Meal Plan’
Diabetic Meal Planning Is A Must For All Diabetes Sufferers!
March 4th, 2010Diabetes Quality Of Life: 3 Easy Ways To Alleviate Diabetes
March 1st, 2010
If you are a chronic diabetes patient, you certainly have experienced diabetes fatigue one time or the other. And that is understandable. After all, we are all humans, and after suffering for a long time, when we see that there is no easy way to cure diabetes, we become frustrated and disappointed. However, there is no need to worry because in this article I will tell you how to take control of diabetes and improve your quality of life.
There are actually two types of diabetes: type1 and type2. While type1 diabetes can be managed with insulin injections, diet and exercise, type2 diabetes can be managed simply by diet and exercise. However, it can be difficult to constantly monitor your diet, especially if you are a busy person. For example, when it is time for office launch, buying packaged junk foods that are easily available at an arm’s reach seem to be the fastest and easiest option, although it is not best for your health. Also, if you are a busy person, you may find it difficult to fit in workout times in your busy schedule. Here is what you can do to get over these problems:
1. Add spice and variety to your life. If you are bored of doing the same exercise again and again, try something else. Do a different exercise everyday. This will keep you interested in your workouts. If you are tired of swimming, try cycling. Is there any exercise that you like very much, such as tennis or running? Then do it over and over again. Then when you are bored, try something else.
Being a diabetic doesn’t mean that you have to eat boring foods all your life. You can easily satisfy your cravings for delicious foods without ruining your health. Take a cooking class or read a cooking book, and learn about the different types of tasty, diabetic recipes. Then create a meal plan. In the plan, list the foods that you are going to eat for the week. Have different groups of foods for each day of the week. Then just go to your local grocery and buy all the ingredients you’d need for the week.
2. Motivation will help you get rid of diabetes faster. Do you have a friend who loves to exercise as well as understands your situation? Then ask him to go with you to the gym. Your friend doesn’t need to be a diabetic patient either; he just needs to be someone who is sympathetic to your problem. Watching a friend performing workouts will motivate you to continue with your exercises.
3. Sometimes, you got to get out of monotony and give yourself some fresh air. What I mean is that when feel frustrated or dejected, visit a spa and get a message. This will help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and you will feel an all-new enthusiasm for your life once again!
By: Pauline K
