Treating your Body Right With a Diabetic Diet

Written by Glenn

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

When a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, their diabetic diet needs will instantly change. The American diabetic diet offers a more diverse food list due to the large number of diabetic and the popularity of eating a lower carbohydrate diet for weight loss and a healthy body. When changing your current diet to a diabetic diet, there are a few changes that may take time to adjust to. See also our Controlling Your Glucose with Healthy Diabetic Diet, Thinking Long Term About Diabetes, and Top Tips for a Healthy Diabetic Diet.

The most important part of the diabetic diet is the diabetic diet recipes chosen to compliment your every day eating habits. Just because you are diagnosed with diabetes does not mean you have to give up the gift of good food. The foods you choose will need to be lower in simple carbohydrates and higher in fiber and healthy, whole foods. Being actively in control of the foods you eat can help to stabilize your glucose levels and even lower your need for diabetic medications.

Your diabetic diet menus can include any of a ranging list of foods that are healthy, hearty and good for your body. But, they can also taste great in the process. The best part about eating in a healthy way is the positive effect on the body. You will feel better and be able to do more things in your daily activities when you adjust your daily diabetic diet to one that is good for your blood sugar levels.

Weight and weight loss are often two concepts which will be discussed with you when you are diagnosed with diabetes. Many adult onset cases of diabetes are directly related to living life in the simple sugar and simple carbohydrate lane. These foods cause the body to gain weight quickly and with a reduced activity level, the body gains weight and fast. Being overweight and obese makes a human more apt to contract diabetes later in life. This type of diabetes is termed type 2 diabetes and there are type 2 diabetes diabetes diet plans that are aimed at reducing body weight and thus reducing the chance of contracting diabetes as a result of being overweight.

The type 2 diabetes diet plan can be adopted before a doctor diagnoses the condition of diabetes in a patient. This is often termed a pre diabetes diet. The higher the chances of contracting diabetes due to being overweight or obese, the more important your diabetes diet plan will be to follow.

In conjunction with adopting a type 2 diabetes diet plan, an exercise plan should also be started with the observation of your doctor. The more obese a patient is, the more health problems can be associated with exercise injuries. The exercise needs of an obese patient are often lower than that of a fit patient. The heart rate needs to be elevated during exercise and the more weight a person is carrying, the easier the heart rate will be to raise.

Sample Diabetic Diet

When it comes to tackling a diabetic menu for the first time, it may seem like an overwhelming task to measure everything and watch every carbohydrate level. But, once you get the hang of the diabetic diet menus and recipes, you will be able to create diabetic menu plans quickly and easily. Even after the diabetic diet plans become second nature, it is still important to measure and count the calories, carbohydrates and fiber levels.

A sample diabetic menu may include:

BREAKFAST

1 slice of whole wheat toast
1 small banana
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp margarine or butter

LUNCH

2 ounces of turkey, chicken or tuna
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 leaf of lettuce or 2 slices of tomato
1 tsp whole fat mayonnaise or 2 tsp of low fat mayonnaise

AFTERNOON SNACK

1 cup skim milk
1 cup baby carrots
1 tsp whole fat ranch dressing for dipping

DINNER

3 ounces of lean meat
1 small baked potato or 1 small dinner roll
1 tsp margarine or butter
1 cup of mixed vegetables
1 ¼ cups of fresh strawberries

EVENING SNACK

3 graham crackers
¼ cup of cottage cheese

This diabetic diet plan consists of 1,500 calories and can be used by type 2 diabetics who are trying to lose weight while maintaining their glucose levels in a healthy range. Many of the diabetic diet menus are based upon exchanges and are thus listed as, for instance, 1 milk exchange or 2 fruit exchanges.

The two most common diabetic diet plans are the 1,800 calorie diabetic diet menu and the 2,000 calorie diabetic diet menu. The calorie levels remain higher in order to keep the diabetic eating enough food through the use of several small meals a day to keep glucose levels in a healthy range . When the body goes into fasting mode between meals the blood sugar levels can be effected greatly, meaning the diabetic diet needs to be created from meals and snacks, versus three large meals a day. The calories should be evenly distributed throughout the day with only a small increase for the diabetic dinner menu.

A diabetic diet menu will often place great emphasis on the foods consumed, but the drinks consumed by the diabetic can also wreak havoc on blood glucose levels. At no time should a diabetic consume sugared sodas and sugar sweetened juices. Natural fruit juices should be measured in order to keep the sugar levels lower than if a person were to simply pour a glass full of apple juice, for instance. The natural fruit juices on the market today are full of natural sugars and very concentrated.

Dealing with diabetes may seem like it is overwhelming at first, but with a little time, education and attention to the foods you are consuming, living with diabetes in a healthy manner will soon become second nature. The key is to provide the body will all of the nutrition it needs without raising sugar levels. Through the use of diabetic diet plans and high fiber diets, the diabetic may soon find they are healthier and more energetic than ever before, not to mention a little lighter on the scale.

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