Diabetes is a chronic illness affecting over 23 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association. Treatment involves diet modification, exercise and medication, according to the International Diabetes Federation. To increase overall health and wellness, a person with diabetes can follow different daily diets with the help of a doctor or dietitian.
Carbohydrate Counting
Carbohydrate-containing foods cause blood sugars to elevate. The carbohydrate counting diet teaches you how to control your intake of carbohydrate-containing foods to better manage your blood sugars. It is the most liberal of all of the diabetic daily diets. Carbohydrate-containing foods include all foods found in the starch and fruit groups, milk and yogurt. The amount of carbohydrate you need at each meal depends on your calorie needs and blood sugar goals. The American Diabetes Association says people typically start at 45 to 60g a day. A doctor or dietitian can help you determine your exact needs. Having general knowledge of standard food serving sizes can help you count carbohydrate grams. For example, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 cup of plain yogurt, 1 slice of bread and 17 grapes all contain about 15g of carbohydrate. Food labels can also help you with your calculations.
Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid
The diabetes food guide pyramid is another example of a daily diet plan for diabetics. Its purpose is to teach you how to make smart and healthy food choices to manage your diabetes. Foods are divided up into groups based on similarities in nutrition content. The pyramid design encourages you to choose more foods from the bottom of the pyramid, including starches, fruits and vegetables, and fewer foods from the top of the pyramid, including fats and sweets. The pyramid provides serving suggestions from each food group based on your calorie needs. You then design healthy and balanced meals by selecting items from each group.
Diabetes Exchange Diet
The American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association designed the diabetes exchange diet as a low-fat, calorie-controlled daily diet plan for diabetics. Like the diabetes food pyramid, it divides foods up into groups based on similarities in nutrient composition, including starches, fruits, milk and yogurt, meat and meat substitutes, non-starchy vegetables and fats. When following the exchange diet, you eat a certain number of food servings, also known as exchanges, from each of the food groups each day based on your calorie needs. A doctor or dietitian can help you determine your calorie and exchange needs. At each meal, you can exchange food items within each food group to vary your intake. For example at breakfast, you can exchange 1 small orange for a 4 oz. banana.
