Monday, September 5, 2011

Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas


There are various diabetic diet menu ideas, from which a person with diabetes can plan what he or she should eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the day. It's not that diabetics cannot enjoy a tasty meal and have to eat boring food all their lives.
Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas
Diabetics have to be more cautious when it comes to dinner planning, as it is important for them to maintain their blood sugar levels. People withdiabetes need to control their weight and most often lose weight, which reduces the risk of getting heart attack or stroke. As far as diabetic diet menu goes, there isn't a single diet plan that has been outlined for diabetics to follow. The diabetic diet menu ideas vary from person to person depending on the type of diabetes one is suffering from. For example, people with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes need to follow differentdiabetic diet meal plan.


Menu Ideas for Diabetics


Making healthy dietary choices is very important for diabetes control. Maintaining a diabetic diet has certain short term and long term effects. Having three regular meals a day is important. Moreover, 25 - 30 grams of dietary fiber intake is important for diabetics. This can be consumed in portions during all three meals in the day. The rest of the diabetes diet menu options depending on the type of diabetes is as follows:


Type 1 Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas
In type 1 diabetes, a person's body cannot produce adequate amounts of insulin hormone. While type 1 diabetes cannot be controlled by diabetic diet alone, controlling one's diet is important. People with this type of diabetes have to find the right balance between insulin therapy taken and the food they consume. The dietitian will help lay down the appropriate type 1 diabetes diet, which balances medication with diet properly.


On a general note, the daily type 1 diabetes diet for a diabetic patient should be rich in dietary fiber. Moreover, the amount of sodium intake should also be reduced. Foods low in sodium and fat is recommended. There is no need to avoid sugar containing foods completely. Eating sugar containing foods in moderation is alright for type 1 diabetics. Artificial sweeteners can be added to foods because it does not alter blood sugar levels.


Type 2 Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas
People with type 2 diabetes can control their diabetes by being cautious about the food they consume. Type 2 diabetes diet and exercise helps control type 2 diabetes.


Breakfast
The different breakfast foods that diabetic diet for type 2 diabetes entails is as follows:
  • ½ cup oatmeal
  • ½ cup skimmed milk
  • Muffins
  • Toast
  • ½ cup fat free yogurt
  • Orange
  • Berries
Lunch
The different lunch options for diabetics are as follows:
  • Salad with olive oil dressing
  • Brown bread vegetable-meat sandwich
  • Whole wheat tortillas with filling
Snack
There are some low carb snacks for diabetics, that should be consumed in between meals to maintain constant blood sugar level. The different snacks are as follows:
  • Pistachios
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Almonds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Dried fruit
Dinner
The different good foods for diabetics at dinner time are:
  • Pinto beans
  • Lentils over brown rice
  • Baked or grilled fish
  • Bowl of dark green leafy vegetables
Dessert
Fat free yogurt can be consumed as dessert with some fruits for diabetics to add flavor.


Gestational Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas
During pregnancy some women encounter a temporary form of diabetes, called gestational diabetes, caused by pregnancy hormones. Women with gestational diabetes need to distribute their carbohydrate intake over 3 small to medium meals and 2 - 4 snacks a day.


Breakfast
Since consumption of carbohydrate conduces to rapid rise in blood sugar levels, it is best to consume more of proteins at breakfast. Chicken, turkey, egg, etc. keeps one fuller for the day. The carbohydrate intake at breakfast should not exceed 30 grams. The different foods that can be consumed are:
  • Slice of bread
  • Bagel
  • Pancake
  • Oatmeal
  • Corn tortilla
  • English muffin
  • Veggie sausage
  • Scrambled eggs
Lunch
The carbohydrate limit at lunch is 45 grams. The different gestational diabetic diet menu options are:
  • Chicken / meat sandwich
  • Lentil soup
  • Carrots
  • Apple
  • Lettuce
  • Tomato
Dinner
The carbohydrate limit to be maintained at dinner time is 45 - 60 grams. The different foods diabetics can eat at dinner time are:
  • One cup pasta
  • Brown rice
  • Small potato
  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Pork
  • Fish
  • Salad
  • Tofu
  • Bowl of vegetables
  • Reduced fat milk
Snacks
Snacks should be had in between meals to stabilize the blood sugar levels. The carbohydrate limit in snacks for a day is 15 grams. To keep the blood sugar under control, one should have a light snack everyday before going to bed. The different snacks that can be consumed are as follows:
  • Saltine crackers (6)
  • Pretzels (¾ of an ounce)
  • Graham crackers (3)
  • Popcorn (3 cups)
  • Fresh fruit (4 ounce)
  • Cottage cheese (1 cup)
  • Cookies (2)
  • Yogurt (6 ounces)
  • Grapes ( 1 cup)
Your dietitian will help you formulate your diabetic diet menu plan and will inform you about different diabetic diet menu ideas. With the variety of options available even diabetics can enjoy a relishing meal without harming their body. The 1200 calorie diabetic diet menu plan is also available for people who need to keep a strict vigil on their calorie intake.

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