One of the healthiest eating plans is the diabetes diet. This is because when you are on a diabetes diet, you arenít able to put a lot of unhealthy foods into your body.
A lot of the reason why people are so unhealthy is because they consumed too many of the types of foods that are on the restricted list of the diabetes diet. If you donít have diabetes, but would like to lose weight, the diabetes diet can help you to achieve that goal in a very healthy way. If you do have diabetes and have to be on a diabetes diet, it really isnít so bad. Youíll actually probably feel a lot better and healthier when you begin the regimen.
The three main things which the diabetes diet tries to accomplish are:
Achieve ideal weight-Because if you have diabetes, then being overweight can cause even more complications. If you donít have diabetes, as mentioned, the diabetes diet can help you to lose weight by eating right and eliminating a lot of unhealthy foods from your diet.
Maintain normal blood glucose levels-If you have diabetes, this is extremely important. If you have too much or too little glucose in your body you can have some serious trouble. Whether you have diabetes or not, maintaining the right blood glucose level will help you to feel energized and not hungry.
Limit foods that contribute to heart disease-Whether you have diabetes or not, heart disease is a very serious problem. Obviously itís worse if you also have diabetes. The diabetes diet can help you to prevent from getting heart disease by eating smart.
A lot of the diabetes diet focuses on carbohydrates. There are three types of carbohydrates. There are starches (these are often referred to as complex carbohydrates), sugar, and fiber. The main thing to pay attention on labels is total carbohydrates. This takes into account all three types of carbs and gives you the total.
Before you begin on the diabetes diet, your doctor will be able to tell you how many calories you should consume daily. This will vary from person to person. To lose weight you must ensure you donít consume more calories than your body burns.
Here are some fundamentals of the diabetes diet:
50%-60% of your daily calories will come from carbohydrates. This usually translates to 45-60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. It is best if you stick with whole grains and multi grains instead of processed white flour. You should try to consume more raw foods and fresh fruits and vegetables for your carbohydrates. You should try to consume more of the non-starchy vegetables
12%-20% of your daily calories will come from protein. You should try to stick with lean meats. Lean meats include the following:
Chicken and turkey with the skins removed
Fish-tuna, salmon, cod, catfish, etcÖ
Seafood-Crab, lobster, clams, oysters, etcÖ
Lean cuts of beef and pork-The best cuts of meat for these are sirloin or pork loin. The less visible marbled fat, the cut of meat has the better.
Other-Eggs, tofu, low fat cheese, nuts, etcÖ
Most people eat three meals per day. The diabetes diet works a little bit different. If you are on the diabetes diet, you should eat smaller meals more frequently. It is suggested that you eat 5-6 times per day. This will help to keep your blood glucose level stable. This will help you to feel full all day without craving food.
Whether you have to be on the diabetes diet because you have diabetes, or you want to drop some extra weight, it is a very healthy way to eat. You donít even have to give up sweets entirely. You just have to count them as your carbs. If youíre looking for a well balanced, sensible, way to lose weight; the diabetes diet may be right for you.