Overview
Good diabetes control means keeping your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. If you have diabetes that doesn't mean that you have to start eating special foods or follow a complicated diabetes meal plan. The diet helps to keep the level of sugar in the blood stable. You need to have balance between the insulin you produce or receive and the sugar your body makes out of the food you eat. You should have meal plan that would be good for anyone. The best meal plan to keep your diabetes under control it%26rsquo;s good for anyone who wants to manage his or her weight and adopt healthier eating habits. The main differences are that your diet contains limited or no added sugar that could raise blood sugar levels too high. You must intake specific amount of food. You must have specific times to eat for regulatory purposes. You should also have a proper weight. If you have diabetes, you may have a lot of lifestyle changes to make.
Diet
If you have diabetes you should pay careful attention to nutrition and diet as part of your treatment program. People with diabetes should follow the nutrition guidelines. The meal plan usually limits sugar or simple carbohydrates. It increases proteins, complex carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats. Many persons with Type II diabetes can control their disease by diet alone and need not take insulin.
You should eat food from the six main food groups. Those groups include: milk, meat, vegetables, breads, fats, and fruits.
Every day try to eat about the same amount of food at about the same time. You should include a variety of foods. Your doctor can recommend some dietitian who will help you plan a program that meets these guidelines: carbohydrates 45% to 65% of daily calories, protein 15% to 20% of daily calories and fats 20% to 35% of daily calories.
You should know that the most diabetic meal plans list foods in terms of exchanges. Exchanges are units of measure that help you keep calories and types of foods controlled. You may need to eat only a recommended number of servings from each food group every day. You probably will need professional help. The dietitian will maintain your diet based on your health goals, tastes and lifestyle. You probably should learn about carbohydrate counting or exchange lists. Your dietitian may recommend using the exchange system, which groups foods into categories.
The dietitian can help you use an exchange list to figure out your daily meal plan. He or she will recommend a certain number of servings from each food group based on your individual needs.
One serving in a group is called an exchange. That allows variety by letting you trade one exchange for another food in the same group. The serving sizes are adjusted to provide about the same amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. An exchange has the same effect on your blood sugar, as a serving of every other food in the same group.
Carbohydrate counting can be a helpful for you, especially if you take diabetes medications or insulin.
Eating the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal will keep your blood sugar under control. If you're taking insulin, your dietitian can teach you how to count the amount of carbohydrates in each meal and adjust your insulin dose accordingly.
Some tips for you
Your diet should include vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Your meal plan should be naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. Too much fat can be harmful for you because it increases the risk of heart disease and hardening of the arteries. You should avoid %26quot;hidden%26quot; fat, fried foods, creamy pasta sauces, gravies, , and high-fat salad dressings. You should eat more fish and skinned poultry, always choose lean meats. You should drink low fat or nonfat milk and use diet margarine instead of butter. Limit intake of eggs to 2 or 3 a week.
If you have diabetes you should eat less sugar. Depending on your individualized meal plan, you should eat some fruits. Fruits provide fiber and carbohydrates for energy. Some patient with diabetes uses the glycemic index to select foods, especially carbohydrates. If foods have high glycemic index that is associated with greater increases in blood sugar than foods with a low glycemic index. You should know that doesn%26rsquo;t mean that food with low glycemic index is healthier. Foods rich in fat have lower glycemic index values than do some healthy foods.
You may need to restrict your intake of salt too. You should avoid most cakes, candy, jam, sweet pickles, syrup, pies and pastries, condensed milk regular soda, and candy.
If you and some member of your family have diabetes you should learn more about food, what contains and how some food affect on sugar level in blood. You must learn to read and understand food labels. Labels list food ingredients in the order of relative quantity. A dietetic label does not necessarily mean that the product is intended for diabetics. Always check food labels of all products. The hidden sugars are: sucrose, mannitol, glucose, sorbitol, fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, invert sugar, and lactose. Those hidden sugars can raise your blood sugar level. Consult your doctor or nutritionist before buying foods that are labeled fat free. Ask your doctor for advices to help you change your eating habits.
If you have diabetes that doesn%26rsquo;t mean that you can%26rsquo;t eat in restaurant. You should only choose the healthiest foods in the right amounts at each meal.
There are a few ideas to keep your blood sugar under control, even when you in restaurant. Make sure your meat or fish course is broiled, baked, and roasted. You shouldn%26rsquo;t eat fried meat. Ask for your salad dressing on the side. Don%26rsquo;t order foods that may have unknown ingredients. Ask how your food will be prepared. It is all right to cook with alcohol. When alcohol is heated, most of the alcohol evaporates. This leaves few calories but adds flavor to the food in which it is cooked.
Talk to your doctor before drinking alcohol. If your doctor says you may drink some alcohol, you will most likely only be able to have one or two alcoholic drinks, 1 or 2 times a week. If you have type I diabetes you should eat before you drink any alcohol. On this way you will avoid low blood sugar and hypoglycemia. Even if you eat, hypoglycemia can still occur several hours later, so follow your meal plan and check your blood sugar. Alcohol interferes with glucose production in the liver, which is the glucose used by the body during an episode of hypoglycemia. You should know that alcohol does have calories.
If you drink you should avoid drinks containing sugars or starches, such as beer and sweet wines.
Before you start drinking, decide how much you will eat and drink. You should put less alcohol in your mixed drinks. Drink slowly, but best for you if you don%26rsquo;t drink alcohol at all.
Conclusion
Dietary control and maintain stable body weight. People with diabetes should also eat about the same amount of food at the same time each day to keep blood sugar levels stable. You should avoid highfat, high-sugar foods. You should have regular monitoring of blood sugar. You need to have education about disease, complications, medications and diet. The counseling, support for adaptation to long-term disease is also important.
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