Your diet is a vital part of treating your diabetes. Controlling calorie and carbohydrate intake will help you maintain a healthy body weight and stabilize glucose levels. The number of calories you need depends on your current weight, gender and activity level -- generally men need more calories than women, and active people need more calories than those who don't exercise. Losing weight can improve insulin sensitivity in Type 2 diabetics.
Calories, Metabolism and Weight Loss
Calories supply energy; you need a certain number of calories just to sustain basic functions such as breathing, thinking and pumping blood through your body. The basic number of calories you need is called your metabolism, and according to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need between 1,200 and 1,800 calories to keep your metabolism functioning. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, without cutting calories so much that metabolic functions are compromised. To lose weight, the National Institutes of Health recommend eating 10 calories per pound of your goal weight. For example, if your ideal weight is 150 lbs., aim to eat 1,500 calories per day.
Diabetes Diet Overview
Once you know how many calories you need to eat, you need to understand which foods those calories should come from. The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that people with diabetes consume between 45 and 65 percent of their calories form carbohydrates, between 25 and 35 percent from fat and between 12 and 20 percent from protein. Carbohydrates should be high-fiber and nutrient-dense such as vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains. Fats should be unsaturated; saturated fats should be limited to no more than 7 percent of your total calories. Protein should be lean -- remove the skin from poultry, choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products and eat fish at least twice per week.
A 1,500-Calorie Menu Sample
Obviously, your meals will vary depending on your specific calorie needs, but every diabetic diet should allow for three meals and two to three snacks daily. Eating small meals often will help avoid low blood sugar and hunger, which could trigger overeating. A typical 1,500-calorie menu could include: whole grain cereal, 1 c. of skin milk and a piece of fruit for breakfast, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and 1/2 cup of brown rice for lunch and dinner might be a green salad with 4-oz. of poached salmon and a small baked sweet potato. Snacks include half an apple with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, carrot sticks and hummus, or raw vegetables with dip.
Other Diet Tips
The American Diabetes Association recommends starting your meals with a salad or bowl of clear soup to provide essential nutrients and fiber without a lot of calories. You can also divide your plate into four equal quarters and fill two with a green vegetable, one with lean protein and one with a healthy carb. Use the glycemic index as a guideline to choose carbohydrates that have little impact on blood sugar. You might need to limit your sodium intake -- aim for 1,500 mg of sodium or less daily. If you have chronic blood sugar problems, talk to your doctor about making adjustments to your diet, exercise routine or medications.
References
- Medline Plus: Weight Management
- American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism is Modifiable withthe Right Lifestyle Changes; May 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center:Diabetes Diet -- General Dietary Guidelines
- MayoClinic.com; Diabetes Diet -- Create Your Helathy-Eating Plan; Sept. 17, 2010
- American Diabetes Association: Healthy Eating
