| Diet plays a key role in controlling your blood | | | | equivalent to 1 slice of bread, ¼ of a bagel, |
| sugar. A healthy-eating plan tailored to your needs | | | | or ½ of an English muffin or pita bread. |
| will do that and more. Majority of people affected | | | | Use this Diabetes Food Pyramid only as a guide in |
| with diabetes are overweight or obese. In fact, | | | | planning your meals. If you want a more |
| your risk of getting diabetes increases the more | | | | individualized option, consult your dietician. |
| weight you put on. | | | | Tip #3: Draw Lines on Your Plate |
| So controlling your diet can be the key to | | | | Another good way to ensure that you are eating |
| reducing the risk of diabetes as well as improving | | | | a balanced diet is to draw a line across your plate. |
| your symptoms if you are already affected by | | | | It could only be an imaginary line. As you sit there |
| this disease people often refer to as "the silent | | | | for a meal, the exercise might even prove to be |
| killer." | | | | fun. |
| Everybody knows that maintaining a good diet is | | | | The first step, of course, is to imagine that you |
| a healthy choice for every person. But for | | | | are drawing a line through the center of your |
| diabetes patients, this statement means | | | | plate. Then, divide one of the halves into two. |
| something more significant than the recent fad | | | | Then, fill this section with grains or starchy foods, |
| over healthy living. | | | | such as rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, or peas. |
| For diabetes patients, having a healthy diet means | | | | The other section should comprise your meat and |
| eating in a way that reduces the risk for | | | | meat substitute group - meat, fish, poultry, or |
| complications that are commonly associated with | | | | tofu. |
| their conditions, including heart disease and stroke. | | | | Next, fill half of your plate with non-starchy |
| For them, a healthy diet could mean the | | | | vegetables. You can place there broccoli, carrots, |
| difference between die-abetes and live-abetes. | | | | cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower. |
| Eating healthy involves eating a wide variety of | | | | Last, add a glass of milk and a small piece of roll, |
| foods that encompasses the whole diet spectrum | | | | and eh voila! You are ready to eat. |
| of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, non-fat dairy | | | | Tip #4: Reading Food Labels |
| products, beans, lean meats, poultry, and fish. | | | | With food labels, it all comes down to the Nutrition |
| No, you do not have to eat all of that, but a little | | | | Facts. It's that list of nutrition information found on |
| bit of this and that enough to balance the three | | | | the package of foods sold in the grocery store. |
| basic food groups (Go, Grow, and Glow) is what | | | | Reading food labels can help you make wise |
| you should aim for. | | | | choices about the foods you buy. The labels will |
| Tip #1: Preparing a Meal Plan | | | | tell you what ingredients were used, the amount |
| When you go on a diabetes diet, the first things | | | | of calories, and other pertinent information |
| you need to do is to prepare a meal plan. This will | | | | essential to a diabetes patient. |
| serve as your guide to how much and what kinds | | | | For instance, a typical food label would contain the |
| of food you can choose to eat at meals, and | | | | total amounts per serving for the following |
| even at snack times if you wish to include that. | | | | nutrients: |
| Now, be sure that your meal plan fits in with your | | | | - Calories |
| schedule and eating habits. That way you will not | | | | - Total fat |
| be likely to ruin your diet simply because your | | | | - Saturated fat |
| work schedule conflicts with your meal schedule. | | | | - Cholesterol |
| Keep in mind your end-goal: To keep your blood | | | | - Sodium |
| glucose in levels that are easy enough to maintain. | | | | - Total carbohydrate |
| In addition to that somewhat myopic diet goal for | | | | - Fiber |
| diabetes, you also want to follow a meal plan that | | | | Use the nutrition facts found in food labels to |
| will help you improve your blood pressure and | | | | compare similar types of foods and buy the one |
| cholesterol levels as well as keep your weight on | | | | that contains fewer calories, lower fats, |
| track. | | | | cholesterol, etc. |
| All these - blood pressure, cholesterol and weight - | | | | Pay close attention to free foods like sugar-free |
| are factors that contribute to the worsening of | | | | gelatin desert, sugar-free ice pops, sugarless gum, |
| your diabetes symptoms, so controlling them | | | | diet soft drinks, and sugar-free syrups. Just |
| could very well mean controlling your diabetes. | | | | because they are called "free" does not mean |
| When preparing a meal plan, be sure to balance | | | | they are entirely free of calories so don't be |
| uptake and down take - that is, food and | | | | overconfident. Instead, read the label. Most free |
| exercise, respectively. Additionally, your doctor | | | | foods should have less than 20 calories and 5 |
| may have prescribed you with insulin or oral | | | | grams of carbohydrates per serving. |
| medications to help you manage your condition. | | | | Another thing, "no-sugar added" means no sugar |
| Take those medications into account as well when | | | | was added during the manufacture and packaging |
| you plan your meal plan, making sure that the | | | | of the foods. The ingredients do not include sugar. |
| food is balanced with the drugs. The whole thing | | | | However, the food may be high in carbohydrates |
| sounds like it's a lot of work but with a few | | | | still so be sure to read the label carefully. |
| suggestions from your physician and/or dietician | | | | Fat-free foods could still mean that they contain |
| you can start building a meal plan that is best for | | | | lots of carbohydrates. Often, they contain almost |
| you and your condition. | | | | the same amount of calories as the foods they |
| Tip #2: Use the Diabetes Food Pyramid | | | | replace so be sure to pay attention to the label. |
| The Diabetes Food Pyramid, released by the | | | | Buying fat-free foods instead of regular foods |
| United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | | | | does not necessarily mean that you are making a |
| is composed of six food groups (arranged | | | | wise choice. |
| according to how much you should eat from the | | | | Tip #5: A Word about Sweets |
| least to the most and based on carbohydrate and | | | | Now, you know that sweets are generally |
| protein content): | | | | discouraged among diabetes patients. However, |
| - Fats, sweets, and alcohol | | | | having diabetes does not necessarily mean that |
| - Milk | | | | you cannot have sweets. Imagine how bad life |
| - Meat, meat substitutes, and other proteins | | | | can be for the sweet tooth with diabetes. But as |
| - Fruits | | | | long as you keep your intake of sweets in |
| - Vegetables | | | | moderation, there is no reason you have to |
| - Grains, beans, and starchy vegetables | | | | eschew sugar from your life forever. After all, |
| Fats, sweets, and alcohol are the one food group | | | | glucose (sugar) is still the most basic source of |
| that diabetes patients should avoid. | | | | energy that the body needs. |
| The problem with diabetes involves a certain | | | | So sweeten your foods with these following |
| malfunction in the way our bodies make use of | | | | options: |
| glucose in the blood. It is either there is too much | | | | - Sugar and other sweeteners with calories: |
| glucose in our blood because we ate too much | | | | honey, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, cane |
| food rich in sugar so that the hormone responsible | | | | sugar, and confectioners sugar |
| for regulating glucose - insulin - is unable to cope. | | | | - Reduced calorie sweeteners: erythritol, |
| Or, our cells are defective so that even though | | | | hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, isomalt, lactitol, |
| we have enough insulin to handle the job, our cells | | | | maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol |
| do not respond. | | | | - Low calories sweeteners: ascelfume potassium, |
| In order to control the levels of glucose in the | | | | aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose |
| blood stream, controlling diabetes diet is important. | | | | Research has overturned the long standing belief |
| The intake of fats, sweets, and alcohol and other | | | | that sugar caused diabetes. The new studies |
| generally "unhealthy" foods should be minimized | | | | show us that sugar has in fact the same effect |
| and only for special treats. | | | | on blood glucose levels as other carbohydrates |
| As for the rest of the food groups, here are the | | | | like bread and potatoes. Based on this discovery, |
| serving sizes recommended by the American | | | | experts agree that a diabetic can now consume |
| Diabetes Association: | | | | sugar as long as they incorporate it into their meal |
| - Meat and Meat Substitutes: 4-6 oz. per day and | | | | plan the way they would with any ordinary |
| divided between meals. This is equivalent to | | | | carbohydrate-containing foods. |
| ¼ cup cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 tbsp peanut | | | | Now that you have been pointed to the right |
| butter, or ½ cup tofu. | | | | direction with these tips to improve your diabetes |
| - Milk: 2-3 servings per day | | | | diet, you can go ahead and live a healthier, fuller |
| - Fruit: 2-4 servings per day | | | | life where nothing - no carb nor sweets - is |
| - Vegetables: 3-5 servings per day | | | | denied you, as long as you keep it all in |
| - Grains and Starches: 6-11 servings per day, | | | | moderation. |