Diabetic Nutrition & Diet HelpDiabetes
is about insulin, food
and activity. Caring for your diabetes requires
your attention to each one. Diabetes fits nicely with the number 3.
- 3 areas of
knowledge - insulin,
food and activity.
- 3 calories - carbohydrates, proteins
and fats in
foods.
- 3
foods at each meal that provide the right mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
- 3 meals every day.
Diabetic
nutrition and diet addresses the food issue. However, without the
knowledge of how to use insulin and pushing yourself to move more, you
are caring for only 1/3 of your diabetes.
Learn more
about
using insulin.
Learn more
about how being active impacts your blood sugars.
Diabetic
nutrition and diet will review the calorie content of food: why you
need each calorie, how it affects blood sugars, and what diet tools are
available that serve as guides to eat a healthy diet with diabetes.
Calories in Foods
When
a food contains at least 20 calories of carbohydrates in one serving,
this food will have the potential to change your blood sugar. If a food
has less than 20 calories in one serving, this food is too low in
calories to change blood sugar unless you eat two or more servings at
one time.
When
you eat food, the stomach goes to work breaking apart each food
particle into simple molecules of food that the body can use. Each
calorie is digested at a different rate and supplies a unique fuel to
keep the body working.Foods contain three kinds
of calories -- carbohydrates,
proteins and
fats. Let's
consider these three kinds of calories, THE
CALORIE TEAM.
Each category has an important role in the team and they must work
together to keep the body well-nourished with the right mix of fuel.
When a member of the team is missing (example: high protein diet with
very little carbohydrates), the team malfunctions. |
Carbohydrate - #1 Calorie
The
Captain of the TEAM
- The primary calorie that runs the body.
The body wants,
needs and requires a carbohydrate.
- Carbohydrates
are fast in digesting and 100% convert to glucose.
- Simple carbohydrates
(sugar) burns fast and furious. In
10 minutes glucose appears in the bloodstream which is great when you
have low blood sugar, however, sugar poops out quickly and can't keep
going for several hours. - Complex carbohydrates
(bread, cereal, pasta and potatoes) at meals and snacks burns more
slowly, providing glucose for about two hours and are healthier for the
body.
- Without the carbohydrate captain, the team
operates
differently and is not at its best. Protein (#2 of the calorie team) is
called upon to provide some glucose, but can't do it nearly as fast.
Fat
(#3 of the calorie team) is just plain confused about what it needs to
do to fuel the body.
Foods that contain carbohydrates
- Complex:
bread, cereal, pasta, starchy vegetable. Simple: fruit
(natural sugar are the healthiest simple carbohydrate), desserts,
candies, and sugar-sweetened beverages. | Choose
the complex carbohydrates unless your blood sugar is low. When blood sugar is low, choose
a simple sugar first and follow with a slower digesting complex
carbohydrate. |
 Health
Tip - Investigate
why you have a low blood sugar and do your best to prevent this from
happening again. The brain gets very nervous without glucose
and
sends many messages (shaky, sweaty and confused) to you.
These
symptoms tell you to drink or eat a simple sugar. If you
ignore
the messages and your blood sugars get too low, you may pass out and
wake up to find yourself surrounded by an emergency medical team and
very concerned family and friends.
Low
blood sugars can be very harmful to the body.
|
Proteins - #2 Calorie
The
Strength of the TEAM
- Protein
calories are broken down into simple molecules called amino acids.
Amino acids go to work building new cells, repairing damage cells and
making the body stronger. When the body is stronger, it can do more
work with less effort.
- Foods with a higher protein
content take
many hours to digest and can't be quickly turned into amino acid fuel
for
the body. It is a very important part of the team, but works best when
carbohydrates supply the glucose.
- Protein without
carbohydrates
changes the whole picture. Protein is asked to provide glucose (but it
is very slow in doing this) and it is removed from its main role of
building and providing strength. Then, more protein is added to the
team so amino acids are available for building and strength. Asking the
body to digest more protein than it needs makes the other organs in
the body, such as the kidneys, work harder too.
- Protein
is
important and must be provided by the foods in your diet. But
remember -- only a certain amount is needed and more is not necessarily
better.
Learn more
about proteins.
Foods
that contain protein - red meats (beef, pork, lamb, veal),
poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products. Health
Tip -
Select protein foods that contain less fat. If you
like the
plant proteins (ex. kidney beans) most of which contain no fat, select
these in place of animal proteins. Plant proteins are
wonderful
and healthy sources of complex carbohydrates. |
Fat
- #3 Calorie
The
Workhorse of the TEAM- Carbohydrates
are quick and provide energy for the TEAM in short spurts. Protein is
important for the strength building and sometimes called into action
for glucose, but it doesn't provide energy for the long run. Fat is a
team member who provides the slow and steady burn to keep the body
going.
- The Fat Calorie is digested very slowly and
turned into
simple fatty acid molecules. The Fat Calorie contains many more
calories
than carbohydrates and protein do. This helps your body stay fuller
longer and prevents hunger for many hours.
- Most of
the fat
calories are stored in your fat cells to use when you are in between
meals, sleeping, or when your body needs fuel to keep working.
- Since
fat is very high in calories, too much fat causes a surplus of calories
which are stored in the body. A small amount will do the job
but
too much causes weight gain.
Foods that contain fat -
butter, margarine, oils, salad dressing, meats, poultry, fattier cuts
of fish, nuts, seeds, many snack foods, processed meats, desserts and
candies such as chocolate. Health
Tip -
Some fats supply the body with important substances such as Omega 3
fatty acids. Some fats supply the body with trans fats and saturated
fats that can harm the body.
Learn
more about a low-fat Diabetic Diet. |
Other Substances
in your Food
- Vitamins,
Minerals, Water and Additives may be in every food you eat.
These
are very important for good health, but these substances can't provide
glucose.
- Why are
the non-calorie substances important? These
substances in the food are similar to the spark plugs in a car. A spark
plug can't provide fuel to run the car but the spark plug is needed to
get the fuel burning. Without it, the gasoline can't run the car.
Vitamins, minerals, and many substances in food provide what is needed
to the CALORIE TEAM to operate efficiently.
Health
Tip -
Foods with more vitamins and minerals will provide more spark plugs!
Select natural, less processed and if possible, organic foods. |
 Tailoring
our diet tools
to run your CALORIE TEAM
As
every coach knows, there are many game plans that can be selected to
get the job done. This is similar for the diabetic diet.
There are many ways to approach the food issues related to
your
diabetes. Find the diet tools that work best for you. If
you've tried many diabetic diets and still find your blood sugars
aren't where you want them, consider contacting the diabetic-diet-coach.com
team
for help in tailoring a diet for you. |
 Join us in our support for diabetes research.
Sponsor one of our riders in the Tour de
Cure bicycle ride fundraiser for diabetes on June 22,
2008. To sponsor a rider go to our personal webpage named
diabetic-diet-coach. |
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