Count Your Calories

The Diabetic Diet

So you are diabetic - does this mean no more soda, candy, cake or beer? Well, yes...and no. You can still enjoy your treats in moderation, just not all at once, or all day long. When you are diabetic it is very important to decrease your processed sugar intake, as well as your fat intake. Diabetes leads to heart disease in many people, and lowering your fat intake can decrease your chances of ending up with heart disease. Eating small meals, spaced several hours apart, can also maintain your glucose levels, and create a more comfortable feeling of well-being.

There are differing philosophies on what is the BEST diet, but below is a guideline with some general principles.

How Many Calories for me?

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). Patients with Type 2 diabetes are generally 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. More obese individuals may need more calories initially until their weight is lowered. 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 rapid to be healthy.

The Composition of your Food:

Generally, carbohydrates should make up about 50 percent of the daily calories (with the accepted range 40-60 percent). 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.

Understanding Food Groups

There are three basic food groups: fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the foods that can be broken down into sugar. It is essential to have all three food groups in your diet for a balanced meal.

Why Count Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates rise your blood glucose level. If you know how much carbohydrate you've eaten, you will have a good idea by how much your blood sugar has shot up. The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood sugar gets.

Foods Containing Carbohydrate:

Most of the carbohydrate we eat comes from three food groups: starch, fruit and milk. Vegetables also contain some carbohydrates, but foods in the meat and fat groups contain very little carbohydrate. Sugars may be added, or may be naturally present (such as in fruits). The nutrient term for sugars can be identified by the suffix" rose" at the end of a word (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc. are all sugars). Look for these on food labels to help identify foods that contain sugar.

The amount of food you eat is closely related to blood sugar control. If you eat more food than is recommended on your meal plan, your blood sugar goes up. Although foods containing carbohydrate have the most impact on blood sugars, the calories from all foods affect blood sugar. The only way you can tell if you are eating the right amount is to measure your foods carefully. Also, it is important to space out your carbohydrates throughout the day to avoid sugar "loading." Measuring your blood sugar regularly also provides important feedback on how high your sugar went, based on what you ate and your level of activity.

How to get Carbohydrate Information?

The "Nutrition Facts" label on most foods is the best way to get carbohydrate information, but not all foods have labels. Your local bookstore and library might have books that list the carbohydrate in restaurant foods, fast foods, convenience foods and fresh foods. You will still need to weigh or measure the foods to know the amount of grams of carbohydrates present.

Free Foods:

These are foods that you can eat without counting. A free food or drink is one that contains less than 20 calories and 5 grams or less of carbohydrate per serving. If your serving or a food contains more than 5 grams of carbohydrate, you should count it in your meal plan.

Examples of free foods:

• Bouillon or broth
• Carbonated or mineral water
• Club soda
• Coffee or tea
• Diet soft drinks
• Drink mixes, sugar-free
• Tonic water, sugar free
• Sugar-free hard candy
• Sugar-free Jell-O
• Sugar-free gum
• Jam or jelly, light or low-sugar, 2 tsp.
• Sugar free syrup, 2 tsp.

It is important that you spread out free foods throughout the day and not eat them all at once.

Most people with diabetes find that it is quite helpful to sit down with a dietician or nutritionist for a discussion about what is the best diet for them, and how many daily calories they need. It is important for diabetics to understand the principles of carbohydrate counting, as this aids them in keeping their blood glucose levels under control.