Diabetics use various techniques to estimate portions and calorie recommendations. Determining carbohydrates portions are particularly vital for diabetics because low or high blood sugars can damage organs and cause immediate emergencies.
Calorie Recommendations for a Diabetic
Although calories needed can vary greatly due to your height, weight, physical activity, metabolism, age and sex, you can estimate the calories you need per day. Recommendations for diabetics are 20 to 30 calories per kg body weight for weight maintenance and 20 calories per kg for weight loss. Therefore, a 145 lb , or 66 kg, diabetic would need about 1,318 to 1,900 calories per day. Higher estimates are for active people and the lower estimates are for inactive people.
Techniques to Estimate Diabetic Portions: Carb Counting
Since carbohydrates portioning is crucial for diabetics, the carb-counting technique only counts how many carb portions a diabetic eats. For carb-counting, diabetics are recommended to eat a certain amount of carbs at each meal. Most people are recommended to eat three or four servings of carbs per meal. You may need more or less at each meal considering your calorie recommendations, age, height and weight. Four servings at once may seem like a large quantity, but when you consider that milk, fruit and starches, including starchy vegetables, are all considered carbs, then three to four carbs at each meal is appropriate. A serving of carbs is considered 15 g, so if a food label says there are 30 grams of carbs in one serving, that food would be considered 2 servings of carbs.
Techniques to Estimate Diabetic Portions: Exchange Lists
To use the exchange method, you need to estimate your calories and have access to an exchange list. Based on your calorie needs, you are given recommendations for how many food group exchanges you are allotted per meal. You can exchange foods within each food group list to plan your meals. Most diabetics need to choose one to three 15 g servings from the starch list, zero to one exchange from the fruit and milk list , two to three 1-oz. exchanges from the meat list, and zero to two from the vegetable list per meal. You may be allotted more from the lists of snacks, depending on your calorie range. Although the meat exchanges are measured differently than the daily guidelines, one meat exchange is considered 1 oz., whereas one daily serving is considered 3 oz. The two to three 1-oz. exchanges of meat are approximately equal to the daily guidelines of one 3-oz. serving per meal. See your doctor or a dietitian to get complete training in either the carb counting or exchange method.
Techniques to Estimate Diabetic Portions: Diabetic Portions Plate
The portion plate method does not involve as much counting as the carb counting and exchange lists. The diabetic portion plate is different than the general population portion plate method. Diabetic are recommended to fill half the plate with nonstarchy vegetables, one-fourth of the plate with whole grain and one-fourth of a plate with protein, versus the general portion plate method, which recommends filling half the plate with a fruit or starchy or nonstarchy vegetable.
