There are basically two types of diabetes, 1 and 2. Type 1 is much less common than type 2 and occurs before the age of 40.
Type 1 is associated with a lack of insulin, and without enough insulin, you can’t maintain a normal blood glucose level. This in turn causes hyperglycemia, or too much sugar in the blood. This is a dangerous condition.
Type 2 is much more common and develops later in life, usually when someone is overweight and has poor diet and fitness. Heredity also plays an important role.
In type 2, the problem is insulin resistance and not a lack of insulin. The result is the same, however, an elevated blood sugar level
The diets and suggestions below are generally for people with Type 2 diabetes. There are four basic rules to follow:
Achieve ideal body weight
Follow a diabetic diet
regular daily exercise
Diabetic medications if needed.
Your doctor will know your ideal weight. Ideal weight differs from one’s skeletal and genetic (and racial) factors. Let a doctor give you your ideal weight and then you must work to achieve it.
The diabetic diet (as guidelines) is described below.
Daily exercise, especially walking, is very good for type 2 diabetics.
Your doctor will have given you some medication. Take it according to the directions on the prescription.
The diet
People with type 2 diabetes typically eat a 1,500 to 1,800 calorie per day diet to promote weight loss and then maintenance of ideal body weight.
This always varies based on a person’s age, gender, activity level, current weight, and body type. Heavier people will need more calories initially until their weight is lower.
This is because more calories are needed to maintain a larger body and a 1600 calorie diet for them may promote too rapid weight loss and will promote complications. Also, people whose activity level is low will have lower daily caloric needs.
The diet will generally be around 50% carbohydrate of daily calories (with an acceptable range of 40-60%).
As a general rule, the lower your carbohydrate intake, the lower your blood sugar levels. The benefits of the low-calorie diet may be outweighed by the problems associated with a high-fat diet substituted for fewer carbohydrates. You can counteract this by substituting monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats.
Count your carbs!
You can figure that each gram of carbohydrates has about 4 calories. A diabetic on a 1600 calorie diet should get 50% of these calories from carbohydrates.
This would be a total of 800 calories or 200 g of carbohydrates (at 4 calories per gram) spread throughout the day. You’ll need food charts (from diet books and also read those labels on all foods you buy).
There are some foods that you can enjoy without counting their food values. A good example is:
broth broth of gold
carbonated or mineral water
soda club
coffee or tea
Diet soft drinks
Drink mixes, sugar free
Tonic water, without sugar
sugar free hard candy
sugar free gelatin
sugar free gum
Jam or jelly, light or low sugar, 2 tsp.
Sugar free syrup, 2 tsp.
You can eat foods with some sugar, but you will be consuming your calorie and carbohydrate requirements with low nutritional value. Go for the fruit. People with diabetes can eat any type of fruit, regardless of the sugar content.
Everyone is encouraged to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Spreading the fruit you eat throughout the day will prevent a sudden increase in blood glucose levels.
Although some fruits have a lower glycogen index, which shows how foods affect blood glucose levels, the important thing is to increase the amount of fruit you eat, including a wide variety of different fruits. Eating plenty of fruit will also promote good health and weight loss.
You can also eat as many vegetables as you want.
None are prohibited, except if you classify a potato as a vegetable. It is not. The goal here is to eat only the best quality foods, get 50% of your calories from carbohydrates, and then lose weight to your goal.
Along with these dietary guidelines and your medication, you can expect a healthy and normal life.
