The diet you follow depends on what type of diabetes you have. For example if you have type 1 diabetes then you diet should include about 30 calories a day for each kilogram of your weight. This amount converted to pounds is about 10 calories per pound of weight. But with someone with type 2 diabetes things change a bit. They usually need to go on a 1500 – 1800 calories per day diet. This is because type 2 diabetics have a harder time losing weight so this diet helps them control their weight.

There are a couple of things you must be aware of aside from what type of diabetes you have. You must also take note of your sex, age, physical fitness level, height, weight, etc So clearly, someone who is chubbier will most likely need more calories than their counterpart who is leaner. Besides, since physical activity burns calories, those with higher level of physical activity will most likely require more calories, and vice versa.

Many people with diabetes are not sure of their needs for a successful diet. For those individuals, it is best that you see a doctor or dietitian. They will be able to tell you the required amount of calories you should consume per day (based on varying factors mentioned before such as weight, age, sex, etc..). Many people neglect doing this, but understandably a doctor or dietitian can give you the optimal diet for you, and you will not regret it in the long run.

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Calorie Diet for Diabetes

The components of a healthy diet for diabetes type 2 patients

Type 2 diabetes is a serious health condition that, if not managed properly, can lead to severe complications. A well managed diet for diabetes is essential to controlling this disease. Your physician may prescribe medications to help regulate your blood sugar levels, as well as medications that help protect your heart and kidneys. Understanding how to manage your diet can be complex. Here we try to put it all in plain language, to help you make sense of all the charts in the standard booklet of counting your carbs.

At first glance, it seems that carbs are your enemy. The usual proscription from the medical people is that you limit your intake of carbs to no more than 195 per day. The trouble starts when you see that two pieces of sandwich bread runs around 30-40 carbs, while one plain bagel is almost 50 carbs! If you’ve been a sandwich eater all your life, this is dismal news indeed.

What you want to do, to set up a healthy diet for diabetes, is to start reading those food labels carefully. When buying bread, look for whole grain breads. You’ll notice two things. Whole grain breads have fewer carbs and more fiber. Some newer brands on the market have added fiber, in addition to that contained in the whole grain flour. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates, which is a good thing in a diet for diabetes patients. Complex carbohydrates break down slowly, so you never get a sugar spike, whereas refined flours contain little fiber and often, more simple sugars.

To arrive at the total number of carbs per serving, subtract the fiber grams from the total carbs. Your physician or nutritionist has doubtless emphasized the importance of getting a sufficient amount of fiber in your diet. Why? Fiber helps keep your digestive tract clean and free of toxins, which in turn, helps protect your kidneys from damage. This makes the picture a lot better, in terms of what you can eat and how much, while having a perfectly healthy diet for diabetes management.

Don’t shy away from eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. When you see that a half cup of chopped onions has about 15 carbs, you may feel that you’d rather use up your carb allotment on that sandwich! However, when you picture putting a half cup of onions on a salad, you realize that a sprinkling appropriate for a salad probably adds up to just a few carbs. Not a big deal.

Most produce are heavy on the antioxidants too, leading to better overall health and packing a preventative punch for all of your organs, a definite plus in a healthy diet for diabetics.

Foods that are encouraged in a diet for diabetes patients include meat, poultry,  fish and dairy products. This means that you can make a meal of a big juicy burger on a whole grain roll, loading it up with lettuce, tomatoes, a couple of sauteed mushrooms and a fat chunk of Swiss to top it all off, all for less than 40 or 50 carbs. Not a bad deal.

In a nutshell, it’s simple sugars you want to avoid. A single soda or candy bar can wreak havoc with your blood sugar levels. In fact, a healthy diet for diabetes can be a healthy diet for non-diabetics as well.

Post from: Diabetes Natural Remedies

Diet for Diabetes