Sunday, February 15, 2009

Things You Need To Know About Diabetic Diets

By Ron George

A diabetic diet can not only help decrease the effects of diabetes, but in certain cases can reverse the disease. In general this type of diet restricts calories, while controlling the ratio of carbohydrates and fats. Here's some more facts on diabetes in general, and the diabetic diet.

Before considering the diabetic diet it's valuable to understand the 2 types of diabetes. Type I, called juvenile diabetes, is often diagnosed in children while type II usually starts in adulthood and is more general. With type I diabetes the body does not produce insulin, whereas with type II diabetes the cells generally ignore the insulin. Both forms of the disease respond well to a diabetic diet, although it is more likely that type II diabetes can in fact be avoided or reversed in initial stages.

The diabetic diet is themed around controlling an ideal body weight. There is a easy formula for calculating the estimated perfect body weight for any person. For a female it begins with 100 pounds at 5 feet tall, at 5 pounds for every inch above 5 feet, while if under 5 feet subtract 5 pounds for each inch under 5 feet. For instance a 5 feet 2 inch tall woman would typically weigh around 110 pounds. For men you will need to commence with 106 pounds for a height of 5 feet than add 6 pounds for every inch above 5 feet. So for a six foot tall man ideal weight would be 178 pounds.

The perfect plan for a diabetic diet can be numerous, but there are some common basics. A type I diabetic should ideally consume 16 calories per pound of their weight. As an illustration, someone who weighs 170 pounds would eat 2720 calories daily. Type II diabetes requires approximately 1500 to 1800 calories per day for loss, then differing amounts of calories to maintain ideal body weight.

For a diabetic diet carbs are about 50% of daily calories. Some argue that less carbohydrates are better, but there are advantages to cutting down the fat. People who avoid saturated fats, even if they take in overall more mono and poly unsaturated fats, also do well. - 16004

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