The American Diabetes Association diet has changed over the past few years. The new ADA diet provides for more individualized meal choices and less emphasis on dietary exchanges in favor of balanced, personalized meal plans containing a certain amount of carbohydrates. The standard 1,500-calorie ADA-sponsored diet no longer exists, but a 1,500-calorie diet with set amounts of carbohydrates per meal can help overweight diabetics maintain control of their blood sugars and lose weight at the same time.
Calories
While many overweight diabetics are instructed to start a diet of 1,500 calories per day, many others are not. The rule of thumb is to reduce calories by 500 to 1,000 calories per day to promote weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week, which a 1,500-calorie diet will do if you normally eat between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day. For very overweight people, restricting calories to 1,500 per day may result in weight loss that is too rapid.
Allowed Carbohydrates
At one time, diabetics were not allowed to consume sugar in any amount. More recent evidence reported by the ADA shows that as long as the amounts of carbohydrate stay consistent from meal to meal, blood glucose levels will remain stable. However, a 200-calorie serving of cake and a 200-calorie serving of vegetables varies considerably in not only nutrients but in density, with the vegetables being much more filling, making them a better food choice.
Nutritional Breakdown
Carbohydrates should make up between 40 and 60 percent of your daily calorie count, or around 750 calories if you're following a 1,500-calorie diet. This equals between 45 and 60 g of carbohydrate per meal. Protein should comprise 15 to 20 percent of your intake, with less than 10 percent of calories, or 150 per day, from saturated fats. Cholesterol intake should be limited to less than 300 mg per day.
Weight Loss
Losing up to 10 percent of your body weight on a 1,500-calorie diet is not difficult, but keeping it off is harder, since most people who lose weight regain it. Structured programs that supply nutritional information, support and help making significant lifestyle changes, including exercise programs, best assist diabetics in maintaining weight loss in the long run.
Benefits
A diabetic diet is not just about losing weight; keeping blood sugar levels in the target range also is an important part of the diet. Keeping blood sugars under control helps reduce a host of diabetic complications, from an increased risk of heart disease and elevated cholesterol levels to kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy. Maintaining the set amount of carbohydrates in your diet, as determined by your doctor or dietitian to be right for you, will not only help you lose weight but will also help avoid long-term diabetic complications.
References
- "Clinical Diabetes:" The Death of the 1,800 Calorie ADA Diet; Irl Hirsch, M.D.
- "Clinical Diabetes:" Evidence-Based Nutrition Principles and Recommendations for the Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes and Related Complications
- American Diabetes Association: Carbohydrate Counting
- Endocrineweb: There Are Several Aspects in the Treatment of Diabetes, Each One with a Very Important Role
