Diabetes Diet?

The Sweet Truth about Diabetes?

What Kind of Diabetes Do You Have?

 Diabetes Diet

Other Factors Influencing Diet Maintenance

Food Labels. Every year thousands of new foods are introduced, many of them advertised as nutritionally beneficial. It is important for everyone, most especially people with diabetes, to be able to differentiate advertised claims from truth. The current food labels show the number of calories from fat, the amount of nutrients that are potentially dangerous (fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars) as well as useful nutrients (fiber, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins). They are not required to show trans-fatty oils. If a label lists partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient, then the produce contains trans-fatty oils. Unfortunately, these oils are categorized as unsaturated fats and not broken out separately. Labels also show "daily values" -- the percentage of a daily diet that each of the important nutrients offers in a single serving. Unfortunately, the daily value is based on 2,000 calories, generally much higher than most diabetics should have, and the serving sizes may not be equivalent to those on the Exchange Lists. Most people will need to recalculate the grams and calories listed on food labels to fit their own servings sizes and calorie needs.

Weighing and Measuring. Weighing and measuring food is extremely important in order to get the correct number of daily calories. Most foods and nutrients are measured in grams. A gram is very small, about 1/28th of an ounce. Food is weighed and measured after cooking it. It is important to have a food scale along with measuring cups and spoons. Scales to measure grams can be found in gourmet stores and medical supply stores. After measuring all foods for a week or so, most people can make fairly accurate estimates without having to measure everything every time they eat.

Timing. The timing of meals is particularly important for people taking insulin; the types and amounts of food as well as meal and snack times must be carefully determined so that blood glucose levels are properly regulated. In general, people with type 1 diabetes should eat about 30 minutes after taking an insulin injection. Three meals should be eaten each day at regular intervalsabout four to five hours apart. Snacks are often needed, but they should be included as part of the total daily calorie requirements. One study of type 2 patients reported that large dinners raise fasting blood glucose levels the next morning, which may affect some patients.