I am a diabetic. I need to lose weight, of course, but am having trouble finding a good, inexpensive diet. I cannot have a lot of carbs, but too little makes my sugar go too low and I feel sick. I cannot have sugar, of course. Do any fellow diabetics have any helpful hints for me? I would appreciate it.
By Tina from Orange County, CA
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Ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or dietitian who specializes in diabetics. They can work with you to figure out a diet program that will meet your needs. Beyond that, you don't really have to give up your favorite foods but you do need to eat them in moderation and monitor your blood sugar to see how different foods affect you. For me personally, the carbs in bread, pasta, cereal and potatoes tend to cause my blood sugar to spike up so I don't eat much of them.
However, I have found that if a particular food item has a lot of fiber, the effect on my blood sugar is much less. Fiber One and All Bran cereals are good in that way as both provide almost half a day's requirement of fiber per serving. Also, Fiber Gourmet products - pasta and cheese snack crackers - also have high amounts of fiber and are low in calories and sodium to boot. You can find their products on their own website or at Amazon.
I was diagnosed 6 months ago. This is the diet I use and it is working well for me. It's easy and doesn't require a lot of thinking. It's called the plate method. One half of the plate is your vegetables. On the other side, half is for a fist sized serving of starch, and the other is for a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards.
Your comment, you cannot have sugar. Most everything breaks down into a sugar/glucose base. Doesn't matter the origin. I cannot have any artificial sugar due to other complications, so I adjust. 1 tsp sugar is 5 grams. On my oatmeal, I use it.
www.internationaldiabetescenter.com has good information. I have a food plan from them.
You must have set for you basic calories/carb/fats and then choose the food to eat once that is established. It is easy to over think the process, but take notes, make index cards of menus to use and servings allowed.
From the Food Plan
Some information: A carb choice is a serving of food that has about 15 grams of carb and varying amounts of protein and fat.
I have 15 carbs to my daily diet. Choose wisely according to your activities too.
Vegetables - Aim for 3 or more servings in a day.
Each serving has about 5 grams of carb, 2 grams of protein, and 25 calories. A serving is 1/2 cup COOKED or 1 cup RAW. 3 choices of veg at a meal is 1 carb.
Meat - each ounce has about 7 grams of protein, 3-8 grams of fat, very little or no carb and 50-100 calories. 3 ounces is the average serving--the size of a deck of cards.
Fats - 5 grams of fat has little or no carbs or protein, 45 calories.
Packaging has the listing on the back side, according to servings.
The USDA site has charts and photos of things that is easier to set things up by. Our portion control is the best way. Needless to say, super size has been choices for many menus, learn to eat at least half of what you thought was correct. Take the foods you like, list them out what is good, not good. Learn not to like what you really should not have. Simply tossing out convenience foods, snack foods, eat what you have to prepare from scratch makes a big dent in your diet. I have a difficult time eating away from my home, we tend to go to the same places to eat out, knowing what I can have on their menu, etc.
Learn to cook without the fats/calories, and the basic food tastes better. Got lots of personal recipes, etc we use and never miss a thing. One tip: Add alot of citrus to your cooking/recipes. The taste of citrus and just eaten it makes you feel full much longer.
All the diabetics should know the calorific values of the foods they consume and amount of calories they burn with various activities.
Food groups
Milk and milk products
Pulses
Whole dhals and dhals with husk Washed dhals
Meat, fish and poultry
Eggs, chicken, fish
Vegetables
Vegetables like peas, beans, lotus stem etc.
Vegetables like potato,
Fruits
Fruits like apple, cherries, pears,
peaches, plums, guava etc.
Fruit juices and fruits like banana and papaya
Fats
Sample diet plan (for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus)
M eal
Menu
Early morning
Tea (preferably without sugar)
Breakfast
Dalia (salted)/ Paneer on toast
Tea without sugar Apple
Lunch
2 chapatti
Channa curry / or any other whole dhal
Beans sabzi / or any other sabzi (avoid potatoes)
Curds / ghia raita Salad
Tea
Tea Salty biscuits
Dinner
Vegetable soup / tomato soup / chicken soup
2 chapatti / missi roti (combining wheat flour with channa flour and soya flour) Palak paneer sabzi / paneer bhurji Curds
Sample diet plan (for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus)
Meal
Menu
Early morning
Tea (without sugar)
Breakfast
Corn flakes
Boiled egg Toast
Mid-morning
Fruit chat
Lunch
2 chapatti (add extra chapatti if required)
Lobia curry / or any other whole dal
Capsicum sabzi / karela / or any other sabzi
Curds / raita Salad
Tea
Tea / milk Vegetable sandwich
Dinner
2 chapatti
Dry dal
Cabbage sabzi / or any other sabzi Salad
Bed time
Kheer / fruit custard
To remember :
It is important to control the amount and time of food intake.
Meals should not be missed.
Consider the likes and dislikes of the patient.
Try to substitute the craving for sweet by taking some fruit
Food to be avoided :
Glucose, sugar, honey, all sweets, chocolates and candies.
Food to be restricted :
Potatoes, yam, arbi, sweet potatoes, mangoes, grapes, bananas, alcoholic beverages, fried food, paranthas, poories, pakoras, mathris, deep fried food, dry fruits, salad oils, cakes and pastries.
Food to be taken at will :
Green, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, soups, buttermilk, tea and coffee without sugar.
For more info go to-Diabetic Weight Loss Diets-good luck.
I am an adult onset diabetic and all of the different diabetic educators that I have been to, along with diaticians have said they would rather diabetics have sugar within reason, rather than spend the extra cost for sugar free foods.
kffrmw88, I haven't heard of a lot of the foods you listed, where do you get them?
Dying of Hunger, if you'll send me a message through ThriftyFun I am sure I can be a huge help to you. I just went through this same problem and have finally found something that is working great for me and is unbelievably easy.
This is a question for your doctor(s) because it depends on your own personal situation and the medications you take too! I say this because my best girlfriend of 43 years has a brother with diabetes and he has been hospitalized twice in this past week from not listening to his doctors advice regarding food consumption!
The best thing I do is eat no white bread and limit all foods made with white flour, and potatoes. I Have desserts but I make a piece of cake last all day. I use splenda that helps a lot also, even in cooking.
I am a distance lap swimmer, BUT for a mile swim, I must eat before hand, so found cooked oatmeal, sprinkle cinnamon on makes me 'taste' like I had a caramel roll. Eat 2 carbs of oatmeal before I swim. The more complex the carb, the better it is for you, the glycemic index is more dense. Unlike pastas, breads, etc whole grains, beans/lentils, take longer to burn away/break down.
I get low BG often, but the most deadly is at the pool if I don't eat right. I have learned HOW IT FEEL when it happens, first you don't THINK RIGHT.
Anyway, my insurance company health plan nurse told me to carry the glucose stuff for when that happens. I hate the taste of that stuff SO she told me to buy decorator gel in the little tube, I have one in my purse, one in my gym bag. Right amount to bring me out of it, easy to carry with me. No flavors, just bright colors. The tube is stronger and won't break in my purse. Make sure you cut the end if necessary before storing in your purse. Skrew the cover on tight.
Meaure out what a serving is, put into snack bags, tupperware, etc. Get an idea of what a day's worth is for you. I often eat STALKS of celery for bordom munching. Raw Sweet potatoes another munchy I love.
Talk to your county public health nurses if you have no insurance, if you do, ask for a referral to a diabetic education center. Our small town has an excellent one, my primary caregiver was the director before coming to my medical center.
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