Diabetic Cookbook

Objectives of a Diabetic Meal Plan

By Adam Garcia

Diabetic meal planning is a very complex area, and is crowded with contradicting ideas. Here are some suggestions and tips, none of which must be implemented without a prior consultation with your nutritionist, dietitian or healthcare expert. The dietitian will take into consideration food preferences, age, weight, other medical conditions, lab results and cultural considerations in formulating a special meal plan for you. The goal of any prescribed meal plan is to maintain good health and blood sugar control through eating a balance of the major food groups.

Dietary management for diabetes is undoubtedly a serious issue. Here, I try to give some objectives about diabetic meal planning that will help you know what the best option could be. Let us begin with what objectives a diabetic meal seeks to serve. The following are the objectives:

Objective 1 – Maintain the amount of blood sugar at a controlled level

That means you keep your levels between 70 – 120 mg/dl. This may be slightly different then what your healthcare provider suggests. Each case takes into consideration several factors such as age, weight, height and other factors.

Objective 2 – Reduce the amount of harmful cholesterol, especially in cases of obesity

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and found in certain foods, such as food from animals, like dairy products (whole milk), eggs and meat. The body needs some cholesterol in order to function properly. There are three types:

• Low density lipoproteins (LDL): LDL, also called “bad” cholesterol, can cause buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries. The more LDL there is in the blood, the greater the risk of heart disease.
• High density lipoproteins (HDL): HDL, also called “good” cholesterol, helps the body get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. If your levels of HDL are low, your risk of heart disease increases.
• Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL): VLDL is similar to LDL cholesterol in that it contains mostly fat and not much protein.

Objective 3 – Keep weight under control

This is obviously a good idea in any health problem. The less fat on our bodies then the fewer problems we will have in maintaining levels of blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which of course keeps us healthy.

Objective 4 – Make all kinds of nutrients available to your body in their right measure

The best way to do this is to follow the food pyramid we all learned in elementary school, with the right amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The typical diabetic meal plan will be 40 percent to 60 percent carbohydrates. Protein is the second major nutrient we all need for building muscle and an overall healthy metabolism. But in the U.S. we consume more protein each day than we need. Protein should make up 10 percent to 20 percent of total daily calories. While up to 10 percent of the protein eaten may be converted into blood sugar, most of it is not. Fat is the third necessary nutrient needed for good health, but should not exceed 30 percent of total daily calories. The caloric density of fat is important to remember. Like protein, very little dietary fat can be converted into sugar by the body, but the calories themselves get turned into excess body weight if you’re not burning off those extra calories with regular exercise.

Objective 5 – Try to minimize the need for supplements and medication

Although these medications help us live a normal lifestyle, there is a downside to taking medications and supplements. First of all, we all get older and as we get older our bodies change. So, eventually we build up a resistance to certain medications and supplements. Then we start having problems such as insulin resistance and antibiotic resistances, where we need more or different types of medications or supplements in order to maintain that normal lifestyle.

Objective 6 – Prevent complications of diabetes through a healthy meal plan

Following the objectives before objective six will help insure that there are no complications. However, we are human and tend not to pay attention to our bodies or what we put in them. Due to this some complications can arise. Wounds that do not heal properly or take longer to heal are one of them. This, of course, is not good. It causes extreme pain and inflammation. If you want to understand better without going through it, read Diabetic Lifestyle, Consequences! (Part 1).

Once you have a meal plan, the difficult part will be sticking to it. Like anything else related to diabetes self-care, practice makes perfect. If you can keep within your meal plan between 80 and 90 percent of the time, you’re doing well. Also, the “diabetic” meal plan is not too different from how all of us should be eating anyway. Next time we will be discussing the important characteristics of a diabetic meal plan. If you have any questions before that please email me at diabeticcookbook@gmail.com or leave us a comment below.