Type 2 Diabetes - Insulin Resistance and Your Bones
Diabetic Nutrition News, Comparing Popular Diets
1. Diabetic nutrition news has been changing our thinking
about what a diabetic diet should be. But one thing has
not changed, and that is the large and confusing number
of diets. It does not help that every one of them has its
fans and its statistics to prove it will work to help you lose
weight and feel good.
2. So which one is best for diabetics? We'll look at a few of
the popular diets and compare them. Since we all have
different tastes, some will appeal to you more than
others. But which ones are best for a diabetic?
4. Also known as a very low carbohydrate or ketogenic
diet, the Atkins diet puts all of its focus on the
carbohydrate side of food. Instead of counting overall
calories, it restricts high glycemic carbohydrates, counting
them by the number of grams you eat.
5. Carbohydrates include vegetables, fruit and grains as well
as desserts. People on the diet do not have to count how
many grams of meat, cheese and fats they eat. This kind of
diet causes ketosis, a state where your body uses fat and
muscle stores instead of the glucose from carbs to feed
your cells.
6. Weight loss is fast at the beginning, especially if you are
used to a high carbohydrate diet. A drastic drop in
carbohydrates will lead to quick weight loss until your
body adjusts.
7. And blood sugar is often lower. That's because your
pancreas is stimulated to produce insulin by the presence
of carbohydrates. Fewer carbs means less insulin.
8. Most people who go onto an Atkins type diet drop their
calorie intake by as much as 1,000 calories a day because
there is less available to eat on this diet. And that explains
the weight loss.
9. One problem with this diet for a diabetic is the high
protein intake that is required. Many type 2 diabetics have
borderline kidney problems, and some of us have chronic
kidney disease.
10. For kidney disease, dietitians recommend less than 1 gram
of protein per kilogram of weight per day, and that is far
too little protein for the Atkins diet. Another problem with
the diet is carb hunger.
11. If you want to really change your life, you need to find a
plan you can use for the rest of your life. The very low carb
diet is very hard to stay on long term. But you can lose
weight this way.
13. This diet was invented by a cardiologist who put an
emphasis on the difference between "good and bad fats"
and "good and bad carbohydrates." He relied heavily on
the glycemic index that had been invented in the 1980s,
and he wrote a book that became a best seller.
14. The diet is similar to the Atkins diet but is not as strict
about carbohydrates. However, it does rely on meat and
saturated fats, and it restricts the use of fruit and some
vegetables.
15. As with the Atkins diet, the more drastic the change is
from your usual way of eating, the more weight you will
lose at first. The inventor was trying to help people stay on
the very low carb diet. He saw how difficult it was for his
patients to stay on it for very long.
16. The South Beach Diet makes many promises and claims
that have not been proven by research studies, but as with
the other diets, people have lost weight, and they find it
easier to stay on this regimen than the Atkins low carb
diet.
17. And the terms "good fat," bad fat," "good carbs" and "bad
carbs" have made their way into the U.S. language so that
they show up in popular news shows and recipe web sites.
Without any hard evidence they have been accepted as
true.
19. Ads for the Mediterranean diet claim you can "eat all you
want" and "never feel hungry." That sounds great, but
things that sound too good to be true often are.
20. This diet, according to diabetic nutrition news, is modeled
on the way many Greeks, Spanish and Italians eat. It uses
olive oil as the main source of fat, and there is very little
red meat but lots of fish, beans, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Dairy is eaten mainly as yogurt and cheeses, and cereal
and bread are only from whole grain sources.
21. Even though the diet is high in fat and salt, Greeks and
Italians who live this way have far fewer cardiovascular
problems than those who have switched to a Western
diet. But there is more to it than that. Portions are smaller
in these countries, and the people are in general more
active.
22. Many in depth studies have been made of this diet, and it
consistently produces lower triglycerides, lower blood
pressure and lower blood sugar. And it always shows a
reduced risk of becoming diabetic over time.
23. Because the diet emphasizes lots of unprocessed fruit and
vegetables, nuts and whole grain, it is very high in
antioxidants. Even olive oil has antioxidant benefits
because it is a natural vegetable oil. Fish and poultry are
the main meat sources, with other animal protein in very
small amounts, once a week or less.
24. So why can you "eat all you want?" Because you are not
eating any processed foods, white flour or sugary desserts.
It is possible to overeat on any kind of diet, but it's harder
to do on the Mediterranean diet.
25. It's also important to point out that those who
recommend this diet also tell you to exercise every day
and get a dose of sunshine for vitamin D. And they
encourage eating with family and friends, not alone. It's
the Mediterranean way. Perhaps that is why there appears
to be less depression among people who eat the
Mediterranean diet.
27. Jenny Craig and South Beach as well as other similar plans
will provide you premade and proportioned diet meals for
a price. Such plans are a simple way out if you are
bewildered by the whole thing. They have already figured
out a variety of meals in the right calorie range. The meal
plans are expensive, though, and everything is processed
and frozen.
28. Weight Watchers has been around since 1963, and they
now have a program specifically for diabetics. Many
people have had success with their approach of using
points and exchanges instead of counting calories, as well
as their use of support and a feeling of community. There
is a monthly fee, but it is far cheaper than the
prepackaged meals.
29. Every one of the popular meal plans and weight loss diets
mentioned above will help you lose weight. You can be
successful with any one of them. They've all been proven
to lead to weight loss. So which one should you choose?
31. Looking at diabetic nutrition news and the latest studies,
there are things that a good lifetime diet for a diabetic
should include. These are some questions you could ask
yourself as you look at your choices.
32. First, does the diet include lots of fresh vegetables and
fruit for antioxidants, whole grains and nuts for fiber and
vitamins, and protein sources that rely more on fish and
poultry than red meat? Will you be eating enough calories
to get the nutrition you need in order to live with and fight
diabetes?
33. Are the foods on the diet appealing to you? You need to
like the things you will be eating for the rest of your life.
Otherwise you won't stick with the changes to your eating
habits.
34. Are the foods on the diet easy for you to find at your local
markets? Can you afford them? Changing your eating
habits does not have to break your budget. And make sure
there are plenty of things on the diet that are familiar to
you.
35. Last question - does the plan talk about exercise? Any
good diabetic diet plan should encourage exercise. It is the
key to the kind of weight loss that improves all the
systems that are affected by type 2 diabetes. If the plan
you are looking at downplays exercise or says you don't
need it, that would be a good time to move on.
36. You need to do what works for you. No food is banned for
diabetics. But there are some things that are better for
you than others, and some that will make your life with
diabetes easier. Armed with some information, you can
decide for yourself what your choices will be. It's your
journey!