Diabetic Diet: Guide to Create Your Healthy-eating Plan, Best and Worst Foods to Eat, Physical Activity and Weight Loss Plan
Diabetic diet: how to make a healthy eating plan, the best and worst things to consume, physical exercise and a weight reduction plan.
Control It
Diabetic Diet and Controlling Diabetes
It is your diet that plays a vital role in containing and controlling diabetes, because it is the glucose derived from the foods we eat that affects the insulin production or non-production, which in turn affects the blood glucose levels. If we can manage the foods we eat to the best of our ability, then diabetes can be thwarted day-to-day with a diabetic diet.
How to Plan
Planning Your Diabetic Diet
But it takes commitment and determination when it comes to eating properly even among people who are generally said to be free from any serious health defects.
Bad diets are the cause of many health problems, and yet it is so easy to rectify.
It takes practice and planning for sure, but people with diabetes can easily be put on the right path with diabetic diets, a good balance of the right foods to eat, regular exercise schedules and any prescribed medications that may need to be taken.
Carb Counting
Diabetic Diet and Carb Counting
This is a primary diet planning method for diabetics that involves counting the carbohydrates in foods for it is mainly the foods that contain carbohydrates that cause blood glucose levels to rise.
Consequently, keeping an eye on your carbohydrate intake will help keep blood glucose levels to a safe range.
Carb Guide
Carb Counting Guide for a Diabetic Diet
♥ As a general guideline, the American Diabetic Association suggests that about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal is a level to aim for, although it must be stressed that it is only with the help of an expert nutritionist that each individual diabetic will find out the levels that best suits them. Once you have found a good level, you can start mixing and matching your foods to your taste and health requirements.
♥ Carbohydrate foods include bread, cereal, rice, crackers, sweets, snack foods, juice drinks, cake, cookies, candy, chips, fruit, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, dried beans (such as pinto), and soy items (veggie burgers for instance), as well as vegetables like potatoes, and corn.
Carb counting can be done by checking the labels on foods with the 40-65-gram ratio in mind (or whatever the figure is that is relevant to you).
For foods that don’t have a label, some guess work will have to be factored into your calculations. It is important to bear in mind that the two most important pieces of information you are looking for is serving size and total carbohydrate amount.
Glycemic Index
Using the Glycemic Index for Your Diabetic Diet
Linked to carb counting is the Glycemic Index (GI). This measures how a food containing carbohydrates raises blood glucose. The higher the GI in a food, the higher the outcome is likely that blood glucose will be increased.
♥ Foods with a high GI are to be avoided as much as possible or, at very least, mixed with those foods that are classified as low-GI.
Although in general it would be advisable to keep most foods to the medium-GI, and low-GI categories, there are some foods that are highly nutritious, but which are also high in GI (oats for example).
Again, with the help of an expert nutritionist the right balance for each individual diabetic can be figured out, as it is impossible to come up with one standard plan to fit all diabetics.
♥ The first important step is to consult a specialist and together formulate a diabetic diet plan based on your food preferences in tandem with the amount of carbs that you can comfortably and safely consume. A combination of carb counting with GI fine-tuning will get you on your way.
Best Foods
Best Food for Your Diabetic Diet
A simple way to start eating the right kinds of food if you suffer from diabetes is to follow the American Diabetes Association plate division example.
As we have already suggested here, it is carbohydrate foods that are the main concern for diabetics, but by following this simple step, carb intake can be kept within safe limits quite easily.
Plate Division
Plate Division Diabetic Diet Guide
♥ All you must do is take your dinner plate and draw an imaginary line down the middle. Then divide one half of the plate again into two sections.
♥ The larger half of the plate is where you put the main ingredients of your meals from now on – and these are going to be non-starchy vegetables.
♥ Non-starchy vegetables include: spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra, mushrooms, peppers, turnip, and vegetable juice.
♥ In one of the smaller sections on the other side of the plate you can place starchy foods such as potatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, winter squash, whole grain, high-fiber cereal, whole grain breads, rice, pasta, dal, tortillas, oatmeal, grits, hominy, cooked pinto beans, or black-eyed peas, low-fat crackers, snack chips, pretzels, and fat-free popcorn.
♥ In the second smaller section is where you place some protein such as chicken, beef, turkey, fish, pork, tofu, eggs, or low-fat cheese.
To finish off your meal, add a glass of non-fat or low-fat milk and/or a piece of fruit.
The principle behind this plate division method is two-fold, because by focusing on non-starchy foods you are lowering the chance of raising the glucose in your blood by keeping carbohydrates to a minimum and limiting the portion size of starchy foods will also help combat the carb threat.
If you’re thinking, “Hey, what about breakfast?” don’t worry, the principle is just the same.
Simply halve your breakfast bowl (or plate) and reduce the amount of carbohydrate you put on it. You can divide your bowl or plate up with some fruit if that helps.
The Superfoods
Superfoods on a Diabetic Diet
These are all the rage at the moment for the everyday dieter looking to boost their intake of the vital nutrients: calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E – but people with diabetes can also enjoy the benefits of the foods regarded for their superpowers.
These foods include beans (kidney, pinto, navy, or black beans), spinach, collards, kale, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, sweet potatoes, berries (blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, acai berries), tomatoes, Omega-3 fatty acid fish, whole grains, nuts, fat-free milk, and yogurt.
Get some of that down you, and you will be reaping the benefits of natural food and their rich vein of minerals, antioxidants, and many other nutritious elements.
The Conclusion
It should be clear by now that if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, there are ways to help you live an active life that can still be enjoyed to the fullest – with some guidance and planning when it comes to choosing a suitable diet, combined with a workout of regular exercise.
Our professional team of nutrition and exercise experts at changingshape.com can help provide that guidance, and plan to create an individual schedule for you that is styled to meet your specific personal diabetic diet needs.
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