Meal Planning Tips For People With Type 2 Diabetes

Meal Planning Tips for People with Type 2 Diabetes

Putting It All Together
If you have diabetes, SparkPeople highly recommends that you work directly with a Registered Dietitian or Certified Diabetes Educator to receive comprehensive training in diabetes self-management. Together you can develop a diabetes meal plan based on your health goals, tastes, and lifestyle—as well as the latest guidelines for healthy eating. Below are examples of two different meal planning systems; your registered dietitian can help you decide which is best for you.
1. Carbohydrate Counting is the most accurate meal planning system for controlling blood sugar levels. Essentially, carbohydrate counting is a way to “budget” the amount of carbohydrate eaten at any meal or snack. This method allows you to choose any type of carbohydrate foods, as long as the portion size you choose allows you stay within your goal “budget.” In general, about half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrate foods. However, if you have diabetes, it is important to eat roughly the same amount of carbohydrate at each meal. Commonly recommended “budgets” are 30 to 45 grams (2 to 3 servings) of carbohydrate per meal for women and 45 to 60 grams (3-4 servings) per meal for men. Both women and men should limit snacks to 15 to 30 grams (1 to 2 servings) of carbohydrates. (Click here for a printable reference chart of carbohydrate servings.) Your Registered Dietitian will determine the right amount of carbohydrates for you, along with guidelines for protein and fat intake.
In addition to carbohydrate budgeting, it is important to space your meals and snac Continue reading

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Are ketones dangerous?

Are ketones dangerous? The answer to that question is it depends. I think it’s important to note that ketones still may pose a risk for those of us on a ketogenic diet, pursuing nutritional ketosis. I have blogged a lot over the years about the benefits of a ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diet for type 1 diabetes. I even wrote an eBook about it. I began my dietary experimentation after 15 years of living with diabetes so my discussion of this topic often assumes that readers are also aware of their own limits and responsibility to establish their limits before inviting complex experimentation. As exciting as the results of a ketogenic diet are, risks must be understood in order to proceed safely.
Ketones can indicate diabetic keto-acidosis or DKA, which is life-threatening insulin deficiency, for someone with type 1 diabetes. Sadly, far too many people with type 1 diabetes die from DKA every year. Although the risk is pretty low on an annual basis, there are large numbers of people who actually die from DKA. So, you can easily see why the medical system believes that ketones (or the condition it is associated with) can absolutely can be dangerous.We all enter into experimentation with ketosis having had the “ketones are dangerous” doctrine drilled into our heads from the time of diagnosis. When you have type 1 diabetes, assuming a standard carbohydrate driven diet, the appearance of ketones in any concentration suggests DKA (diabetic keto acidosis) which is life threatening! DKA occurs as a result of insulin deficiency and correlates with elevated blood glucose. In re Continue reading

Carbohydrate Restriction

An Option for Diabetes Management
As diabetes becomes more prevalent, there are also an increasing number of books and websites devoted to diets that claim to control it. Typing “eating for diabetes” into the “Books” section of Amazon’s search engine will retrieve more than 1,000 results. Just as there is more than one way to lose weight, there are multiple eating plans to manage diabetes. Of the many options, low-carbohydrate diets have been around the longest, and over the years considerable research has demonstrated their effectiveness in controlling blood glucose levels. However, they are still controversial.
Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, doctors tried numerous types of diets, including diets with less than 10 grams of carbohydrate per day, to try to manage blood glucose levels in their patients with diabetes. For people with milder diabetes (the terms Type 1 and Type 2 were not yet used), a diet that was very low in carbohydrate and high in fat and calories could result in reasonably good health, sometimes for many years. But this diet was not helpful for people (particularly children) with severe diabetes. For them, it was found that cutting back severely on all food kept them alive longer, but their quality of life was low due to constant hunger and emaciation. Once injectable insulin was available, carbohydrate — and food generally — could be consumed in greater amounts.
Over the years, recommendations from various health organizations have called for consuming a larger percentage of daily intake from carbohydrate based on research suggestin Continue reading

Ginseng for Diabetes Control

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Ginseng a magical herb trusted for over 5000 years for its ability to promote vigor, nourish the nervous system, enhances hormonal secretion, lower blood sugar & cholesterol, and increases immunity.
Ginseng is a slow-growing perennial plant with fleshy roots of the genus Panax family Araliaceae. Ginseng is suitable for cooler climates, found in the Northern Hemisphere, in North America and eastern Asia (Korea, North China, and eastern Siberia).
Ginseng is one of the most highly regarded medicinal plants gained the reputation of being able to promote health, general body vigor and prolong life. Ginseng can also be useful to treat diabetes and cholesterol.
Ginseng lower sugar level
The hypoglycemic activity of ginseng may be due to the enhancement of aerobic glycolysis through stimulation of beta-adrenoceptor and increase of various rate-limiting enzyme activities related to tricarboxylic acid cycle. Initial studies have shown that ginseng increases insulin production and reduces cell death in pancreatic beta cells. Also, ginseng can decrease blood glucose in type II diabetes patients.
Ginseng lower heart diseases and strokes risks
Ginseng decreases endothelial cell (line the inside of blood vessels) dysfunction; it means disturbance to these cells lead to a heart attack or stroke. Thus, ginseng can provide protection against heart attack or stroke. Ginseng possesses blood-thinning property. Therefore, should use blood-thinning medication under the supervision of your doctor.
Ginseng is considering raising blood pressure in the beginning days of treatment. Thus Continue reading

Eating with Diabetes: Counting ''Net'' Carbs

What Are Net Carbs? How Do They Affect Blood Sugar?
Since low carbohydrate diets became popular, the phrase "net carbs" has become a fairly regular fixture on the labels of food products. But, if you are not familiar with the term you may be wondering what in the world it means!
There are three types of carbohydrates: starches, sugars and fiber. All three types of carbs are added up and listed as Total Carbohydrates on the Nutrition Facts Label of a food product.
The concept of net carbs is based on the fact that, although it is considered a carbohydrate, dietary fiber is not digested the same way the other two types of carbohydrates (starches and sugars) are. While starches and sugars are broken down into glucose (blood sugar), fiber isn't treated the same way. The fiber you eat passes through the body undigested and helps add bulk to your stool (among other benefits). The indigestibility of fiber is where the idea of "net carbs" comes in. In fact, sometimes, net carbs are sometimes referred to as "digestible carbs.''
In recent years, food manufacturers have started including net carbs in addition to total carbs when labeling products. Many foods proudly display net carbs on their labels to entice both low-carb diet fans and people with diabetes.
While the concept of net carbs can be utilized in diabetes meal planning, read labels with a discerning eye. At present there are no mandated rules for calculating or labeling net carbs on food packages. The FDA does not regulate or oversee the use of these terms, and exactly what is listed as "net carbs" can vary dramatically fro Continue reading