For people who have Type II diabetes, or
have "insulin resistance" due to obesity or other factors, the body
must work harder to produce more insulin to cover the blood sugar that is
produced following a meal. This is one reason that many popular diets emphasize
reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, and promote the use of the
glycemic index to help choose good and bad carbohydrates. But do you
really need to reduce carbohydrates to very low levels to lose weight and
improve insulin resistance?
The simple answer is no.
A healthy diet is based upon eating a variety of healthy foods, and in fact most
cultures have diets based upon carbohydrate sources. Examples of this are rice
in India and Asia, tortillas and beans in Central America, bread and potatoes in
the U.S. and Europe, and root vegetables in Africa. China, with one of the
lowest incidences of obesity, has a diet based upon rice, a carbohydrate. But
some people do respond differently to the type of carbohydrate eaten, and
monitoring this in people with fluctuating blood sugars (usually diabetes) can
be helpful in getting better blood glucose control.
The recommended diet for
people with diabetes (a disease in which the body cannot produce insulin or
cannot use the insulin it produces normally to lower blood glucose) includes
about 50% carbohydrate. Your recommending eating plan, for weight loss,
weight maintenance, and weight gain is at least 50% carbohydrate because this is
the chief source of energy for the body. But there are three important
points to remember:
1.
You will probably be eating less carbohydrate on Your Personal Diet Plan
(even though it is 50% carbohydrate ) because your total calories are
reduced on a weight loss plan. So, on a good weight loss plan, fat,
protein, and carbohydrate will be in balance with the total amount of
calories you need to lose weight safely and comfortably.
2. Your personal diet plan is flexible, so if you want to follow a lower
glycemic diet or want to avoid certain foods that you have more problems
with, you can choose or substitute foods with a lower glycemic index
quite easily by using your eating guidelines. You are not stuck specific
foods at specific times - you can make changes so that it fits your
personal needs better - we designed our diet plan with flexibility in
mind.
3.
Eating smaller meals and snacks, and eating a mix of protein, fat and
carbohydrate throughout the day can help in controlling fluctuating blood
sugars, and gives you the energy you need even while you are eating less to lose
weight. We provide a sample meal plan to help you plan your meals and snacks,
but you should make your own adjustments when you find what works best for your
needs - you are not required to follow a set menu plan - it is there as a
learning tool and to help you with good planning. Your eating plan emphasizes
high nutrition carbohydrates with both high and low glycemic indexes and doesn't
eliminate any food group.
The Diet for Diabetes
Good News! The Personal Diet Plan
follows the recommendations from the American Diabetes Association and
American Heart Association for healthy diets to prevent and control risk
factors for diabetes and heart disease. Each diet plan gives a clear plan of
action and is easy to follow so that you can lose weight and eat the right
balance of foods for your health needs. If you have diabetes, we can help
you get on the right track with a healthy eating plan designed for weight loss
or weight maintenance. If you want to avoid
getting diabetes (who doesn’t?), our diet plan can help you reach a healthy
body weight and eat well with a plan you can follow life long for good health.
Personal Dietitian's
Director of Nutrition & Chief Dietitian, Carolyn
Classick-Kohn,MS,RD,CFT , designs all diet and meal plans for diabetes.
FREE home
delivery of your diabetes supplies - convenience at no extra cost!
Find out how you can get FREE
home delivery of your diabetes supplies anywhere in the United States.
If you have
diabetes, control is the key to good health.
