Your diabetes diet is simply a healthy-eating plan that will help you control your blood sugar. Here's help getting started, from meal planning to exchange lists and counting carbohydrates. Having diabetes doesn't mean that you have to start eating special foods or follow a complicated diabetes diet plan. For most people, a diabetes diet simply translates into eating a variety of foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes.
This means choosing a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Consistency also is key, because your body responds to excess calories and fat by creating an undesirable rise in blood sugar. Rather than a restrictive diet, a diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. In fact, it's the best eating plan for everyone.
Planning your meals
Your meal plan is an eating guide that helps you:
Establish a routine for eating meals
Choose the healthiest foods in the right amounts at each meal
If you stick to your meal plan and watch your serving sizes, you'll eat about the same amount of carbohydrates and calories every day. This helps control your blood sugar and your weight. On the flip side, the more you vary what you eat — especially the amount of carbohydrates — the harder it is to control your blood sugar.
If you're already eating a variety of healthy foods, you may simply need to adjust portion sizes to keep your blood sugar (glucose) under control.
A dietitian can help
Ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian. A visit with a registered dietitian can provide you valuable information on how to change your eating habits and help you meet goals such as:
Controlling overeating
Making better food choices
Losing weight
A dietitian can help tailor your diet based on your health goals, tastes and lifestyle. You may need to follow a more deliberate plan — eating only a recommended number of servings from each food group every day.
Using exchange lists
A dietitian may recommend using the exchange system, which groups foods into categories — such as starches, fruits, meats and meat substitutes, and fats.
One serving in a group is called an "exchange." An exchange has about the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories — and the same effect on your blood sugar — as a serving of every other food in the same group. So, for example, you could exchange — or trade — either of the following for one carbohydrate serving:
1 small apple
1/3 cup of cooked pasta
Counting carbohydrates
Carbohydrate counting can also be a helpful meal-planning tool — making sure your timing and amount of carbohydrates are the same each day — especially if you take diabetes medications or insulin. If you eat more or less carbohydrates than usual at a given meal or from day to day, your blood sugar level may fluctuate more.
If you're counting carbohydrates, work with a dietitian to learn how to do it properly. If you're taking insulin, he or she can teach you how to count the amount of carbohydrates in each meal or snack and adjust your insulin dose accordingly.
Glycemic index
Some people who have diabetes use the glycemic index to select foods, especially carbohydrates. Foods with a high glycemic index are associated with greater increases in blood sugar than are foods with a low glycemic index. But low-index foods aren't necessarily healthier. Foods that are high in fat tend to have lower glycemic index values than do some healthier options.
Being consistent and adding variety
Consistent eating habits can help you control your blood sugar level. Every day try to eat about the same amount of food at about the same time. Include a variety of foods to help meet your nutritional goals.
Eat healthy carbohydrates
During digestion, sugars (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood sugar. Focus on the healthiest carbohydrates:
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains
Legumes (beans, peas and lentils)
Low-fat dairy products
Choose fiber-rich foods
Dietary fiber includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Fiber can decrease the risk of heart disease and help control blood sugar levels. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day. Foods high in fiber include:
Vegetables
Fruits
Legumes (beans, peas and lentils)
Whole-wheat flour
Wheat bran
Nuts
Limit saturated and trans fats
Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease and stroke by accelerating the development of clogged and hardened arteries. That's why heart-healthy eating becomes part of your diabetes diet. Get no more than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat, and try to avoid trans fat completely. The best way to reduce the amount of saturated and trans fats you eat is to:
Limit solid fats. Reduce the amount of butter, margarine and shortening you eat.
Use low-fat substitutions. For example, top your baked potato with salsa or low-fat yogurt rather than butter. Try sugar-free fruit spread on toast instead of margarine.
Choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Aim for monounsaturated fats — such as olive oil or canola oil. Polyunsaturated fats, found in nuts and seeds, are a healthier choice as well. But moderation is essential. All fat is high in calories.
Curb dietary cholesterol
When there's too much cholesterol in your blood, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits make it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. To help keep your cholesterol under control, consume no more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day.
To reduce how much cholesterol you eat:
Use lean cuts of meat instead of organ meats
Choose egg substitutes over egg yolks
Opt for skim milk over whole milk products
Eat heart-healthy fish at least twice a week
Fish can be a good alternative to high-fat meats. Cod, tuna and halibut, for example, have less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat and poultry. Fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promote heart health by lowering blood fats called triglycerides.
The caveat? Avoid fried fish and fish with high levels of mercury, such as tilefish, swordfish and king mackerel.
Keeping your eyes on the prize
Embracing your healthy-eating plan is the best way to keep your blood sugar under control and prevent diabetes complications. For greater variety, work in your favorite foods and foods you haven't tried before. Get creative within the guidelines of your healthy-eating plan. Look for inspiration from others who are following a plan — and enjoying the benefits.
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Showing posts with label type 2 diabetes diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label type 2 diabetes diet. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Healthy Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet is important for everyone, but it is especially important for people with diabetes. A type 2 diabetes diet and following the right meal plan can make all the difference to a person struggling to keep their blood sugar under control. But, what is the right meal plan? How much of which food group should you eat?
Along with a visit to a dietician, this guide should help answer questions you may have about diabetes and nutrition.
Carbohydrates and Fiber in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Carbohydrates are one of the major food categories (the others include proteins and fats) in a type 2 diabetes diet. They provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose. Glucose is a sugar that is the primary means of energy for all of the body's cells.
There are two ways to classify carbohydrates -- simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars -- like glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose. They are found in refined sugar and in fruits. Complex carbohydrates are the starches, which are the simple sugars bonded together chemically -- they are found in beans, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates are considered healthier mostly because they are digested by the body slowly, providing a steady source of energy. They also contain valuable amounts of fiber.
Carbohydrates, rather than fats or proteins, have the most immediate effect on your blood sugar since carbohydrates are broken down directly into sugar early during digestion. It is important to eat the suggested amount of carbohydrate at each meal, along with some protein and fat.
Carbohydrates are mainly found in the following food groups:
Fruit
Milk and yogurt
Bread, cereal, rice, pasta
Starchy vegetables like potatoes
What Is Carbohydrate Counting?
Carbohydrate counting is a method of meal planning that is a simple way to keep track of the amount of total carbohydrates you eat each day. It helps allow you to eat what you want. Counting grams of carbohydrate and evenly distributing them at meals will help you control your blood sugar.
Instead of following an exchange list, with carbohydrate counting you monitor how much carbohydrates (sugar and starch) you eat daily. One carbohydrate serving is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrates.
With carbohydrate counting, you plan your carbohydrate intake based on what your pre-meal sugar is and your intake or insulin dose can be adjusted. Carbohydrate counting can be used by anyone and not just by people with diabetes that are taking insulin. If you eat more carbohydrates than your insulin supply can handle, your blood sugar level goes up. If you eat too little, your blood sugar level may fall too low. These fluctuations can be managed by knowing how to count your carbohydrate intake.
A registered dietitian will help you figure out a carbohydrate counting plan that meets your specific needs. For adults, a typical plan generally includes three to four carbohydrates at each meal, and one to two carbohydrate servings as snacks.
With carbohydrate counting, you can pick almost any food product off the shelf, read the label, and use the information about grams of carbohydrates to fit the food into your type 2 diabetes meal plan.
Carbohydrate counting is most useful for people who take multiple daily injections of insulin, use the insulin pump, or who want more flexibility and variety in their food choices. However, it may not be for everyone, and the traditional method of following food exchange lists may be used instead.
How Much Fiber Should I Eat?
Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods. It plays an important role in the digestive process as it helps move foods along the digestive tract, adding bulk to stool to help it pass through the bowel. In addition, diets high in fiber are associated with lower risks of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes.
Fiber also:
Delays sugar absorption, helping to better control blood sugar levels.
Binds with cholesterol and may reduce the level of 'bad' LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
Helps prevent constipation and reduces the risk of certain intestinal disorders.
Promotes weight loss by helping to decrease caloric intake. (It adds bulk to the food we eat, making you feel fuller.)
The goal for all Americans is to consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. The best way to increase fiber intake as part of your type 2 diabetes diet is to eat more of these fiber-rich foods:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Cooked dried beans and peas
Whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers
Brown rice
Bran products
Fat in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Since diabetes increases your risk of developing heart disease, eating foods lower in fat -- especially saturated fat -- is particularly important to keep that risk as low as possible. In addition, limiting calories from fat can help you lose any extra weight, especially when combined with an exercise program.
The major contributors of saturated fats in our diet come from cheese, beef, milk, and baked items. Trans fats also contribute to the increase risk of heart disease. These fats are vegetables oils that are harder; we recognize these as solid oils. Many of these are used in baking and frying.
Here are some general guidelines for selecting and preparing low-fat foods for your type 2 diabetes diet:
Select lean meats including poultry, fish, and lean red meats. When preparing these foods, don't fry them. Instead, you can bake, broil, grill, roast, or boil.
Select low-fat dairy products such as low-fat cheese, skim milk, and products made from skim milk such as nonfat yogurt, nonfat frozen yogurt, evaporated skim milk, and buttermilk. Remember to include dairy products in your daily carbohydrate count.
Use low-fat vegetable cooking spray when preparing foods or consider using cholesterol lowering margarine containing stanols or sterols. Examples include "Take Control" and "Benecol."
Use liquid vegetable oils that contain poly- or monounsaturated fats which can help lower your 'bad' LDL cholesterol.
Select lower fat margarines, gravies, and salad dressings and remember to watch the carbohydrate count on condiments and dressings.
All fruits and vegetables are good low-fat choices. Remember to include fruit and starchy vegetables in your daily carbohydrate count.
A registered dietitian can provide more information on how to prepare and select low-fat foods.
Salt in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Diabetes increases your risk for high blood pressure. High levels of salt (sodium) in your diet can further increase that risk. Your health care provider or dietitian may ask you to limit or avoid these high-salt foods:
Salt and seasoned salt (or salt seasonings)
Boxed mixes of potatoes, rice, or pasta
Canned meats
Canned soups and vegetables (with salt)
Cured or processed foods
Ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, other spreads and canned sauces
Packaged soups, gravies, or sauces
Pickled foods
Processed meats: lunch meat, sausage, bacon, and ham
Olives
Salty snack foods
Monosodium glutamate or MSG (often added to Chinese food)
Soy and steak sauces
Low-Salt Cooking Tips
Use fresh ingredients and/or foods with no salt added.
For favorite recipes, you may need to use other ingredients and eliminate or decrease the salt you would normally add.
Try orange or pineapple juice as a base for meat marinades.
Avoid convenience foods such as canned soups, entrées, and vegetables; pasta and rice mixes; frozen dinners; instant cereal; and pudding, gravy, and sauce mixes.
Select frozen entrées that contain 600 milligrams or less of salt. However, limit yourself to one of these frozen entrées per day. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package for sodium content.
Use fresh, frozen, no-added-salt canned vegetables, or canned vegetables that have been rinsed before they are prepared.
Low-salt canned soups may be used.
Avoid mixed seasonings and spice blends that include salt, such as garlic salt.
What Seasonings Can Replace Salt?
Herbs and spices are the answer to improving the natural flavors in food without using salt. Below are some mixtures to use for meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, soups, and salads.
diets weight loss news
social bookmarking : share diet plans and weight loss tips
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on mybloglog
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Along with a visit to a dietician, this guide should help answer questions you may have about diabetes and nutrition.
Carbohydrates and Fiber in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Carbohydrates are one of the major food categories (the others include proteins and fats) in a type 2 diabetes diet. They provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose. Glucose is a sugar that is the primary means of energy for all of the body's cells.
There are two ways to classify carbohydrates -- simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars -- like glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose. They are found in refined sugar and in fruits. Complex carbohydrates are the starches, which are the simple sugars bonded together chemically -- they are found in beans, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates are considered healthier mostly because they are digested by the body slowly, providing a steady source of energy. They also contain valuable amounts of fiber.
Carbohydrates, rather than fats or proteins, have the most immediate effect on your blood sugar since carbohydrates are broken down directly into sugar early during digestion. It is important to eat the suggested amount of carbohydrate at each meal, along with some protein and fat.
Carbohydrates are mainly found in the following food groups:
Fruit
Milk and yogurt
Bread, cereal, rice, pasta
Starchy vegetables like potatoes
What Is Carbohydrate Counting?
Carbohydrate counting is a method of meal planning that is a simple way to keep track of the amount of total carbohydrates you eat each day. It helps allow you to eat what you want. Counting grams of carbohydrate and evenly distributing them at meals will help you control your blood sugar.
Instead of following an exchange list, with carbohydrate counting you monitor how much carbohydrates (sugar and starch) you eat daily. One carbohydrate serving is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrates.
With carbohydrate counting, you plan your carbohydrate intake based on what your pre-meal sugar is and your intake or insulin dose can be adjusted. Carbohydrate counting can be used by anyone and not just by people with diabetes that are taking insulin. If you eat more carbohydrates than your insulin supply can handle, your blood sugar level goes up. If you eat too little, your blood sugar level may fall too low. These fluctuations can be managed by knowing how to count your carbohydrate intake.
A registered dietitian will help you figure out a carbohydrate counting plan that meets your specific needs. For adults, a typical plan generally includes three to four carbohydrates at each meal, and one to two carbohydrate servings as snacks.
With carbohydrate counting, you can pick almost any food product off the shelf, read the label, and use the information about grams of carbohydrates to fit the food into your type 2 diabetes meal plan.
Carbohydrate counting is most useful for people who take multiple daily injections of insulin, use the insulin pump, or who want more flexibility and variety in their food choices. However, it may not be for everyone, and the traditional method of following food exchange lists may be used instead.
How Much Fiber Should I Eat?
Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods. It plays an important role in the digestive process as it helps move foods along the digestive tract, adding bulk to stool to help it pass through the bowel. In addition, diets high in fiber are associated with lower risks of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes.
Fiber also:
Delays sugar absorption, helping to better control blood sugar levels.
Binds with cholesterol and may reduce the level of 'bad' LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
Helps prevent constipation and reduces the risk of certain intestinal disorders.
Promotes weight loss by helping to decrease caloric intake. (It adds bulk to the food we eat, making you feel fuller.)
The goal for all Americans is to consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. The best way to increase fiber intake as part of your type 2 diabetes diet is to eat more of these fiber-rich foods:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Cooked dried beans and peas
Whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers
Brown rice
Bran products
Fat in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Since diabetes increases your risk of developing heart disease, eating foods lower in fat -- especially saturated fat -- is particularly important to keep that risk as low as possible. In addition, limiting calories from fat can help you lose any extra weight, especially when combined with an exercise program.
The major contributors of saturated fats in our diet come from cheese, beef, milk, and baked items. Trans fats also contribute to the increase risk of heart disease. These fats are vegetables oils that are harder; we recognize these as solid oils. Many of these are used in baking and frying.
Here are some general guidelines for selecting and preparing low-fat foods for your type 2 diabetes diet:
Select lean meats including poultry, fish, and lean red meats. When preparing these foods, don't fry them. Instead, you can bake, broil, grill, roast, or boil.
Select low-fat dairy products such as low-fat cheese, skim milk, and products made from skim milk such as nonfat yogurt, nonfat frozen yogurt, evaporated skim milk, and buttermilk. Remember to include dairy products in your daily carbohydrate count.
Use low-fat vegetable cooking spray when preparing foods or consider using cholesterol lowering margarine containing stanols or sterols. Examples include "Take Control" and "Benecol."
Use liquid vegetable oils that contain poly- or monounsaturated fats which can help lower your 'bad' LDL cholesterol.
Select lower fat margarines, gravies, and salad dressings and remember to watch the carbohydrate count on condiments and dressings.
All fruits and vegetables are good low-fat choices. Remember to include fruit and starchy vegetables in your daily carbohydrate count.
A registered dietitian can provide more information on how to prepare and select low-fat foods.
Salt in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Diabetes increases your risk for high blood pressure. High levels of salt (sodium) in your diet can further increase that risk. Your health care provider or dietitian may ask you to limit or avoid these high-salt foods:
Salt and seasoned salt (or salt seasonings)
Boxed mixes of potatoes, rice, or pasta
Canned meats
Canned soups and vegetables (with salt)
Cured or processed foods
Ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, other spreads and canned sauces
Packaged soups, gravies, or sauces
Pickled foods
Processed meats: lunch meat, sausage, bacon, and ham
Olives
Salty snack foods
Monosodium glutamate or MSG (often added to Chinese food)
Soy and steak sauces
Low-Salt Cooking Tips
Use fresh ingredients and/or foods with no salt added.
For favorite recipes, you may need to use other ingredients and eliminate or decrease the salt you would normally add.
Try orange or pineapple juice as a base for meat marinades.
Avoid convenience foods such as canned soups, entrées, and vegetables; pasta and rice mixes; frozen dinners; instant cereal; and pudding, gravy, and sauce mixes.
Select frozen entrées that contain 600 milligrams or less of salt. However, limit yourself to one of these frozen entrées per day. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package for sodium content.
Use fresh, frozen, no-added-salt canned vegetables, or canned vegetables that have been rinsed before they are prepared.
Low-salt canned soups may be used.
Avoid mixed seasonings and spice blends that include salt, such as garlic salt.
What Seasonings Can Replace Salt?
Herbs and spices are the answer to improving the natural flavors in food without using salt. Below are some mixtures to use for meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, soups, and salads.
diets weight loss news
social bookmarking : share diet plans and weight loss tips
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on mybloglog
Follow us on mybloglog
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