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Two Important Tips For Diabetes Diet |
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Tip #1: Preparing a Meal Plan
When you go on a
diabetes diet, the first things you need to do is to prepare a meal
plan. This will serve as your guide to how much and what kinds of food
you can choose to eat at meals, and even at snack times if you wish to
include that.
Now, be sure that your meal plan fits in with your
schedule and eating habits. That way you will not be likely to ruin your
diet simply because your work schedule conflicts with your meal schedule.
Keep in mind your end-goal: To keep your blood glucose in levels
that are easy enough to maintain.
In addition to that somewhat
myopic diet goal for diabetes, you also want to follow a meal plan that
will help you improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well
as keep your weight on track.
All these – blood pressure,
cholesterol and weight – are factors that contribute to the worsening of
your diabetes symptoms, so controlling them could very well mean
controlling your diabetes.
When preparing a meal plan, be sure to
balance uptake and down take – that is, food and exercise, respectively.
Additionally, your doctor may have prescribed you with insulin or oral
medications to help you manage your condition.
Take those
medications into account as well when you plan your meal plan, making
sure that the food is balanced with the drugs. The whole thing sounds
like it’s a lot of work but with a few suggestions from your physician
and/or dietician you can start building a meal plan that is best for you
and your condition.
Tip #2: Use the Diabetes Food Pyramid
The
Diabetes Food Pyramid, released by the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is composed of six food groups (arranged according to
how much you should eat from the least to the most and based on
carbohydrate and protein content):
1) Fats, sweets, and alcohol
2) Milk
3) Meat, meat substitutes, and other proteins
4) Fruits
5) Vegetables
6) Grains,
beans, and starchy vegetables
7) Fats, sweets, and alcohol are the
one food group that diabetes patients should avoid.
The problem
with diabetes involves a certain malfunction in the way our bodies make
use of glucose in the blood. It is either there is too much glucose in
our blood because we ate too much food rich in sugar so that the hormone
responsible for regulating glucose – insulin – is unable to cope. Or,
our cells are defective so that even though we have enough insulin to
handle the job, our cells do not respond.
In order to control the
levels of glucose in the blood stream, controlling diabetes diet is
important. The intake of fats, sweets, and alcohol and other generally
“unhealthy” foods should be minimized and only for special treats.
As
for the rest of the food groups, here are the serving sizes recommended
by the American Diabetes Association:
a) Meat and Meat Substitutes:
4-6 oz. per day and divided between meals. This is equivalent to ¼ cup
cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 tbsp peanut butter, or ½ cup tofu.
b) Milk:
2-3 servings per day
c) Fruit: 2-4 servings per day
d) Vegetables:
3-5 servings per day
e) Grains and Starches: 6-11 servings per day,
equivalent to 1 slice of bread, ¼ of a bagel, or ½ of an English muffin
or pita bread.
Use this Diabetes Food Pyramid only as a guide in
planning your meals. If you want a more individualized option, consult
your dietician.
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