One of the first things that people think about when they're diagnosed with diabetes is how are they going to manage their disease and how are they going to eat. The fact of the matter is, many of the concepts in the diabetic diet could do a lot of people good. Eating a diabetic diet is similar to eating a heart-healthy diet, with an emphasis on carbohydrate management. Fortunately, these days it's much easier to manage your carbohydrate intake than ever before. Most commercially packaged food is labeled and there is a vast array of resources on the Internet that you can download onto your PDA or laptop to help you learn new eating patterns when away from home.
A Primer on Diabetes
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), more than 23.5 million American have diabetes---5.7 million of them are unaware that they have diabetes. Although it's still a serious metabolic disease, diabetes is more easily managed than it was in the 1990s. There are new drugs, testing materials and information that make living with diabetes more of a slight inconvenience instead of a life-threatening disease.
There are two types of diabetes: type I, previously called insulin-dependent diabetes; and type II diabetes, previously called non-insulin dependent diabetes. Type I diabetics fail to produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps the cells of the body use glucose. Type II diabetics make enough insulin, but their cells are insensitive to it, so their cells cannot use the insulin. In both cases, the effect is the same---the cells of the body starve in the presence of plenty of glucose.
High glucose can become a problem with unmanaged diabetics. Over time, high levels of glucose circulating in the blood can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, nerve damage and loss of sight, so it's important that the disease get managed as soon as possible.
Methods for Managing Diabetes
The majority of diabetics have type II diabetes. They produce plenty of insulin, but their cells cannot use it. While there are prescription medications available to help type II diabetics' cells become more sensitive to insulin, the first approach is usually through diet and exercise.
Type II diabetes is managed through the diet by eating a heart healthy diet, using the Diabetic Food Pyramid, the Glycemic Index and carbohydrate counting. All of these methods seem difficult and cumbersome in the beginning, but become second nature after several weeks.
The Basics of Carbohydrate Counting
Nearly everything you eat is composed of carbohydrates, fats and proteins---some even contain all three. For diabetics, the focus is on carbohydrates because after digestion in the small intestine, glucose is released into the bloodstream where it is either used by the tissues that need it or store it in the muscles and liver. If high levels of blood glucose exist over time, it can cause a number of serious complications.
The easiest way to ensure that blood glucose levels do not get too high is to manage how much glucose you consume through your diet. Let's assume that the average adult needs 2,000 calories a day. Many diabetic experts also recommend eating no more than 50 percent of your total caloric intake as carbohydrate. That means that you can safely eat 1,000 calories of carbohydrates a day. Assuming that you eat three meals a day, you can have a little over 300 calories a meal as carbohydrates.
Learning About Carbohydrates
Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Government has required commercial food makers to label the contents of their food on packaging labels. Good news for diabetics. The total number of servings are written on the package, as is the number of calories per serving, fat, protein and grams of carbohydrate.
To starting learning about carbohydrate counting, assume that you can eat 300 calories per meal, per day. Most diabetes experts recommend that you eat no more than 50 to 60 percent of your total caloric intake as carbohydrates. Than means that you should be able to eat 150 to 200 calories of carbohydrates per meal---the rest, fat and protein. And remember, there will usually be days when it won't be that simple. Some meals will consist of more carbohydrates, while others consist of fewer. The important thing is how it averages out at the end of the day---or the end of the week. Also remember that few foods are 100 percent carbohydrate, so check the label to determine what an average serving size is and its percentage that contains carbohydrates. For instance, there are 28g in one ounce. One cup of milk (224g), a small slice of watermelon (160g) and 1 tbsp. of sugar all contain 12g of carbohydrate---but only the sugar is 100 percent carbohydrate. You need to do your research.
Balancing Carbohydrates with Other Foods
Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of times when you won't be able to control what you eat. Weddings, parties, football games and get-togethers when what you eat won't be under your control. Don't despair. Remember that carbohydrate counting involves averaging your daily and weekly intake of carbohydrate to manage your glucose levels. If you find yourself going overboard on carbs one evening, you can make up for it during the next day by eating low-fat, high protein meals and go light on the carbohydrates. Just like many other systems of the body, your blood glucose levels will have highs and lows. How they average out over the long haul is the most important thing.
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