Info about Diets
Diabetic Diet And Acceptable Intakes
Diabetes is a metabolism disorder that has been pinpointed to the pancreas, which creates insulin that helps move glucose from the blood into the body's cells for energy. When glucose builds up in the blood from not having enough insulin, the glucose is excreted as waste and the body can become fatigued, dehydrated, starved and ultimately can cease to function. Diet can help a diabetic control and survive the disease. Individuals with diabetes should consult with their doctor and nutritionists about their diets.
Patients with type 1 diabetes should have a diet that has approximately 35 calories per kg of body weight per day (or 16 calories per pound of body weight per day). If you have a child who has type 1 diabetes, we encourage you to read our article about meal planning for children with type 1 diabetes.
Patients with type 2 diabetes generally are put on a 1500-1800 calorie diet per day to promote weight loss and then the maintenance of ideal body weight. However, this may vary depending on the person's age, sex, activity level, current weight and body style. Individuals that are more obese may need more calories initially until their weight is less. This is because it takes more calories to maintain a larger body and a 1600 calorie diet for them may promote weight loss that is too fast to be healthy.
Men have more muscle mass in general and therefore may require more calories. Muscle burns more calories per hour than fat. (Thus also one reason to regularly exercise and build up muscle!) Also, people whose activity level is low will have less daily caloric needs.
Generally, carbohydrates should make up about 50% of the daily calories (with the accepted range 40%-60%). In general, lower carbohydrate intake is associated with lower sugar levels in the blood. However, the benefits of this can be cancelled out by the problems associated with a higher fat diet taken in to compensate for the lower amount of carbohydrates. This problem can be improved by substituting monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats.
Most people with diabetes find that it is quite helpful to sit down with a dietitian or nutritionist for a consult about what is the best diet for them and how many daily calories they need. It is quite important for diabetics to understand the principles of carbohydrate counting and how to help control blood sugar levels through proper diet. Below are some general principles about the diabetic diet.
In addition, many sugar-containing foods also contain a lot of fat. Foods such as cookies, pastries, ice cream and cakes should be avoided largely because of the fat content and because they do not contribute much nutritional value. If you do want a "sweet," make a low-fat choice, such as low-fat frozen yogurt, gingersnaps, fig bars, or graham crackers and substitute it for other carbohydrates on your diabetic diet.