One of the natural ways to manage diabetes is through taking a healthy diet. It is important to carefully consider what you take for your meals, the size of each meal component that is in your servings and quantities of each component. Rather than preparing any meal that you think will work for your diabetics diet, careful planning can lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Other than helping to keep your blood sugar levels low, careful planning for your meals will also help you to control your weight. A good, carefully planned meal, will keep you feeling all good throughout the day. It will keep you full and improve on all aspects of your lifestyle. This article describes about some basic dietary plans for diabetic patients.
It is a known fact that so many people think that meal planning only involves the amount of food components in a meal, the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. But this is not true, the natural benefits of each component to the body is of great importance. This notion gets people supplementing their diets with pills, minerals and vitamins to keep their blood sugar levels low. Careful meal planning will help you get minerals, vitamins and other body requirements in the right way; through foods and not diet pills!
The main problems associated with diabetes is inability of the body to use and store food that offer energy to the body. This energy is stored in the form of glucose. This is a type of sugar that is sourced from the foods that we intake in our bodies. These includes fruits, vegetables, starchy foods, milk and sugars. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes, eating a health diabetic diet, coupled with good exercises to keep you active will help manage the disease. However, on the rare end, diabetics are advised to take insulin and diet pills to manage sugar levels.
Tips to Healthy Eating, Prevention and Management of Diabetes
On average, a person takes three meals in a day. As said earlier, the body of a diabetic is unable to store foods that would be used by the body. Eating at regular times with a considerable spacing between meals is a great way to manage diabetes and sugar levels. It is recommended to adopt a spacing of less than six hours between meals. Regular meals helps you keep the stomach full and enables the body to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. When you feel empty, it is advisable to take healthy snacks in between your meals.
Limiting the amount of sugars and sweets that you take into your body is a good way to manage diabetes. These sugars include regular pops, candies, honey, jam and desserts. These sugars increases blood sugar levels thus destabilizing the natural sugar level in the body. According to dietary plans for diabetic patients, to solve on this, there are natural sugar sweeteners that could be used in place of these artificial sugars. Similarly, there are sugar-free components that could be used to replace sugar-rich foods.
A high intake of foods with fats is not an option when it comes to dietary plans for diabetic patients. These foods increases chances of being overweight. Other disadvantages of fat intake is cardio-vascular disease, you risk heart attacks and thick blood vessels. Conversely, sugar free foods helps you control blood sugar levels as well as have healthy weight.
Foods & Exercise
One recommended food complement is fiber. Foods that are rich in fiber such as grain and whole breads, cereals, lentils, vegetables, fruits and dried beans are a good choice. These foods keep you feeling full all day long while keeping your blood sugar and cholesterol levels low.
Major symptoms for diabetes is feeling thirsty. Once you feel thirsty, it is advisable to take plenty of water. Water keeps your body hydrated. Water offers great therapy for the body, it keeps the body lean and keeps you looking healthy. Other than water, regular pops and fruit juice are a good alternative to water that will help raise healthy blood sugar levels.
Exercise is a lifestyle practice that keeps you healthy and active. Adding a physical activity coupled up with healthy meals is a good way to manage and prevent diabetes. Regular exercise boosts your sugar levels and maintains and controls healthy sugar levels. It enables the body use up excess energy that is stored in the body and improves the flow of blood in the body.
Dietary Plans For Diabetic Patients For Healthy Eating
As mentioned earlier, having a careful meal plan is a good way to control and manage diabetes. The amount of food components that you take in your meals is an imperative consideration. The amount of proteins, starch and vegetables that you take in your meals is of prime importance. To effect on the amount of every component in your meals, adopting the “Plate Method” will offer and control portion sizes for your meals. In this method, it is recommended that you take a variety of vegetables in one half of the plate, while the other half covers grains and starches on one quarter, and proteins such as meat and alternatives in the other quarter. Below is a guide to healthy meal planning:
- To complement you meals, it is advisable to take a glass of milk or any other alternatives such as sugar-free yoghurt. Taking a fruit is another great complement for your meals, fruits such as berries, grapes, peaches and oranges are good fruits to incorporate in your diabetic diet.
- Alcohol does not augur well with diabetics. Alcohol destabilizes blood sugar levels thus causing you to gain weight. However, little amounts of alcohol is healthy for a meal, it enhances digestion. It’s advisable to talk to your dietician for the right amounts.
- Vegetables takes a large portion of your meal plate. These meal components are rich in nutrients and are low on calories and rich in vitamins.
- Intake of whole grains and cereals, noodles, rice and other healthy starchy foods provide foods that are broken down into glucose which the body needs for energy.
- A healthy intake of healthy proteins such as fish, low-fat butter and cheese, lean meat and vegetarian proteins are healthy choice for your meal.
It is advisable to consult your healthy dietician for advice on your nutrition intake and dietary plans for diabetic patients. A good intake of the right food portions, incorporating exercises that keep you active and taking the right medication is good management practice for a diabetic lifestyle. Most importantly, taking a breakfast helps you have a good start for your day. Do not skip breakfast meals.
Dietary Plans for Diabetic Patients who have Smaller Appetites
| BREAKFAST | Half a cup of cold cereal about 125 Ml 1 slice of whole grain or whole meal toast 1 Orange A cup of low-fat milk 250Ml 2 table spoonful of peanut butter about 30Ml Regular Coffee or tea. | |
| LUNCH |
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| DINNER |
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| EVENING SNACKS | 4 Whole grain crackers or less 30g or 1 oz. of low-fat cheese |
Dietary Plans for Diabetic Patients who have Bigger Appetites
| BREAKFAST |
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| LUNCH | 250Ml or 1 Cup of Soup 2 slices of whole meal or whole grain bread 90g or 2 Oz of lean chicken or fish meat 5Ml of non-hydrogenated margarine Carrot sticks 175 Ml of Fat-free or low fat yoghurt Tomato Slices A cup of regular coffee or tea | |
| AFTERNOON SNACK | 1 apple or banana | |
| DINNER | Large potato or 375Ml of Noodles (cooked) Vegetables Salads with Fat-free or low-fat salad dressing Lean chicken or fish meat about 120g or 2 Oz. A cup of low-fat milk. Regular coffee or Tea | |
| EVENING SNACK | 4 tablespoonful or 60 Ml of Peanut Butter 4 whole grain crackers 250Ml of low-fat or Fat-free milk or yoghurt |
Exercise and Physical Activity
Dietary plans for diabetic patients are not enough for them. They should follow some physical activity to solve their problems easy with those dietary plans. Staying active in the day is a good and healthy lifestyle practice that will keep you fit and healthy all day long. To achieve this, it’s healthy to allocate enough time for your exercises. Moreover, try to engage in vigorous exercise most of the days of the week.
Walking is a good healthy exercise. Instead of taking a car, you can start slowly and gradually increase your progress on strolling and walking. Engaging in family activities such as swimming, skating, hiking and mountain climbing is good exercise for a diabetic.
Exercise helps you have an improved sense of well-being. Try to gain effort to engage in new activities such as dancing, riding a bike, playing basketball, beach volleyball and other exercises.
Healthy Eating Lifestyle
It is recommended that you include the four main component meal types in your meal. These include;
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Whole grain products
- Milk and alternatives
- Proteins and meat alternatives
Having a whole, healthy meal that includes major components such as whole grain breads, pastas, fresh fruits and cereals will help maintain and control a healthy body weight. Lower intake of foods that are high on fats and calories, alternatively, use low fat choices such as skim milk, lean ground beef, trim fat meat and so on. Healthy eating plans will keep you healthy and enable you keep a healthy lifestyle.
