Diabetic diet guidelines are very
crucial to a person suffering from diabetes. It has been emphasized by many
health experts that one of the best ways to combat this disease is by having a
diet that is healthy, balanced, and more importantly beneficial towards
managing the insulin level of a person. This article will give a closer look on
what a diabetic guideline is about, what it contains, and its purpose.
What is a DIABETIC Diet?
Before heading towards the diabetic diet
guidelines, let us find out first what a diabetic diet is. Basically, a
diabetic diet is a balanced and healthy diet crucial for the treatment of
diabetes but is often misconstrued that it only contains diabetic foods. What
makes this diet different is the extra precaution taken making sure there is
balanced food intake accompanied with exercise, insulin injections (if needed)
and monitoring of glucose levels. Its main goal is to help patient from
steering away from the complications of the disease.
What is the GOAL of Diabetic Diet Guidelines?
The main goal of diabetic diet guidelines is to keep the affected
person’s blood glucose close as possible to a person without diabetes
regardless of what type of diabetes a person has. But apart from this, there
are other important goals as well such as:
- Protecting
heart and ensure that cholesterol levels and blood pressure are within
normal range
- Keep
the person on a healthy weight, if the person is obese, he/she should aim
for an achievable, reasonable weight
- Maintain
adequate calories
What does a Diabetic Diet Guidelines
INCLUDE?
Because there are different types of diabetes, there is no single
diabetes diet. A diabetic person should coordinate with a dietitian to come up
with an effective diet that is customized to meet personal health needs.
There is so-called “General Diabetic Diet Guidelines” that every
diabetic should meet when on a diabetic diet and recommend are:
- Carbohydrates:
45-65% of total daily calories. The highly recommended choices are fruits,
vegetables, beans, whole grains and foods high in fiber.
- Fats:
25-35% of daily calories. Best choices are monounsaturated (ex: peanuts,
canola oil, avocados, nuts) and omega-3 polyunsaturated (ex: fish,
walnuts). There should be a limit on the intake of saturated fat (butter,
red meat) and trans-fat (ex: fried foods, commercially baked goods).
- Proteins:
12-20% of daily calories but will vary depending on the person’s health
needs. For those who are affected with kidney disease, there should be a
limit of less than 10% of calories. Best choices are fish, poultry and soy.
Apart from the dietary guidelines, there are also guidelines that
are in line with how to come up with a good diabetic guideline and these are:
- Making
sure that the diet is done with the supervision of a doctor
- Foods
chosen to be part of the diet should help lower blood cholesterol
- The
use of the Exchange list (will be discussed in the Methods of Planning
Diets) when making a diet
- Spacing
meals throughout the day to help a person from having very high or very
low blood glucose levels.
- Emphasis
to the affected person the importance of lifestyle changes and exercise.
Are there different Methods of Planning Diets?
Actually, yes there is. As mentioned
earlier, there is no single type of diabetic diet because everyone has their
personal dietary requirements. A diabetic diet should not just solely focus on
meeting glucose needs but the overall health and nutrient needs of the person
as well. Of course, the first step would be assessing a person’s eating habits,
choice of food, eating and work schedules and coming up with a goal. The best
diabetic diet would be one that will fit into a person’s routine and
preference. Thus, several methods of planning diets are made and they are as
follows.
Plate
Method
The Plate Method is a very basic method for teaching a meal plan.
It includes a 9-inch dinner plate that will serve as a “pie chart” to show the
proportions to be covered by different food groups. 50% of the plate should
cover vegetables for lunch and dinner. The rest of the plates will be divided
between starchy foods such as potatoes, grains, bread (25%) and choice of meat
(25%). Outside the plate includes a small plate for vegetables and a glass of
milk.
Diabetic
Exchange Diet
In this type of diet, food is segregated
into 6 categories based on its macro nutrient content if it’s starch, meat and
meat substitutes and non-starchy food. With the assistance of a physician or
dietitian, people with diabetes will come up with a meal plan that has a set
amount of servings from each food category per day. In this system, a person
will measure food rather than weigh it.
Carbohydrate
Counting
From the name itself, this type of
planning entails counting the grams of carbs in different types of food and
adjust it to the carbohydrates consumed throughout the day which will serve as
a reflection of blood glucose levels.
How Can I stick to these Diabetic Diet
Guidelines?
Guidelines towards making a diabetic
diet are essential towards making sure that the diet you are going for is
beneficial and not harmful to your current health condition. Some people find
it really hard to stick to these diabetic diet guidelines because they require
a person to make necessary changes to his/her lifestyle, eating habit, etc. In
order to overcome these, here a few tips on how to make a diabetic diet
guidelines much easier to follow and maintain:
- Using
all your senses: One of the main reasons why
people end up sick is because of having wrong reasons on why they indulge
to eating too much. When we eat, our sense of taste is what’s being
pampered but if we try to pamper our other senses such as sound, smell,
sight and touch, we may divert our attention to other things such as
filing your home with scented candles, getting a massage, listening to
your favorite music, etc. This way, when you’re stressed out or depressed,
instead of eating you are diverted to doing other stuff.
- Get
enough rest and sleep: When we feel tired, our
bodies tend to crave for sugar and other quick energy snacks. We may
unconsciously be eating too much causing rise and fall of blood sugar
levels and even causing mood swings. But you can avoid this by going to
bed on time or if you’re really tired take a short nap.
- Make
meals enjoyable by eating with other people:
When we eat with other people, we not only dine for the food but our
attention is placed on the social company we have. This leads to more
talks, less eating. This could really be a great support to ensure that
you are sticking to your diabetic diet.
A diabetic diet may be used not only by diabetics but people who
want a healthy eating habit. Diabetic diet guidelines are mainly about
nutrition and balance. Most healthy diets are aimed at these as well but what
makes this diet different is how it places much focus on the blood sugar
levels. Diabetes is a disease that can lead to serious complications if left
untreated but the good news is, with the help of these useful diabetic diet
guidelines, right diet and exercise, a diabetic can still lead a life that’s
healthy.
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