Either you have been recently diagnosed, or you have been fighting against any diabetes type, type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes, make sure that you can be healthy living with diabetes. With a healthy diet planning and specific food, you can gain your health back, in this article, we are going to underline a good diet plan for people with diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that doesn’t heal but which you can handle. It’s due to a lack of insulin hormone.
The insulin is a hormone that the pancreas produces; it allows the glucose to enter into the body’s cells to use it as a source of energy.
There are three main diabetes types, which are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1: is when the insulin is less or not produced, and it can develop at any age, but most frequently in children and adolescents.
Type 2: it happened in adults, and it’s when the body does not make good use of the insulin that it produces.
Gestational diabetes: consist of high blood glucose and happened during pregnancy.
1. How to plan a diet for a diabetic?
A good diet plan for diabetes means making the right choice of what, when, and how much to eat; a good diet is to follow a healthy eating plan rich in nutrients with a small number of fats and calories and to privilege fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
2. Tips for a good diabetes meal plan
There are several methods to plan a diabetes diet, that keep a balance of blood sugar level, a dietitian will help you to develop a healthy eating plan that fits you.
3. Carbohydrates counting
Because of the dispersion of carbohydrates, the blood glucose balance will be affected. Thus, it is essential to control the carbohydrates number, especially if you are taking diabetes drugs or insulin.
The dietitian can help you to measure your food, and you must pay attention to the amount of the meal and the carbohydrates content. If you are taking the insulin, you will learn how to calculate the quantity of the carbohydrate in each meal, whether a principal or a light meal and therefore adjust the insulin dose.
4. Food menu
A dietitian may give you a list to follow to help you organize the main and light meals; the list will be in categories such as; carbohydrates, fats, and protein sources.
A single serving has a class of choice, and each food choice has the same number of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories and the same effect on blood glucose. As any serving per food in the same category, for example, you may choose to eat a big half cup of corn or 1/3 cup of cooked pasta for each choice of carbohydrates.
5. Glycemic index
Some diabetics’ people use the glycemic index to choose their food, especially carb counting, so food with a high glycemic raises the blood sugar level more than a food with a low glycemic.
The complex carbohydrates with high fiber content such as rice made of whole grains, bread or cereals, contain a low glycemic index than the medium carbohydrates, such as white bread and white rice. Generally, it’s the most preferred food than the other processed food. However, foods with low glycemic don’t mean they are healthy foods, such as foods that contain a high number of fats.
6. A menu example
You have to take into consideration your weight and your body activity level while prescribing a healthy diet menu. The following menu is specifically for someone who needs from 1200 to 1600 calories per day.
Breakfast
A pancake or waffles made of whole wheat, and one piece of fruit or ¾ cup of berries or six vanillas no-fat yogurts.
Lunch
Pita bread with cheese and vegetables, an apple with two tablespoons of almond’s butter.
Dinner
Steak with mushrooms and onions, half cup of carrots, a salad with a half cup of spinach, half cup of tomato, a quarter cup of sweet pepper, two teaspoons of olive oil; one and a half teaspoons of red vinegar.
Light meals
Unsalted rice cake with one portion of light cheese on, an orange with a half cup of low-fat cottage cheese.
Results
Accepting a healthy diet is the best way to keep the blood glucose levels under control and to prevent other diabetes’ complications, and if you want to lose weight, you can plan a menu that fits your objectives. In addition to diabetes control, the healthy diabetics’ diet has many other benefits.
Following a special and a healthy diet for diabetes with a serious amount of fruits, vegetables, and fibers, may reduce heart disease, blood vessels, and specific sorts of cancer. Low-fat dairy products can reduce the risk of mass bone size in the future.
7. Risks
If you have diabetes, it’s necessary to participate with your doctor and your dietitian to plan a special healthy diet. A healthy food, the control, and the organization of your food are so important to adjust blood glucose level. If you neglect your diet, you’ll be at the risk of developing troubles in blood sugar levels and other dangerous complications.
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Originally published on Live Positively.
