The diabetic diet can help people who suffer from both major types of diabetes. Type I, called juvenile diabetes, is often diagnosed in children while type II usually starts in adulthood and is more common. Type I diabetics suffer because their bodies don’t produce insulin, while Type II diabetics suffer because their cells don’t absorb insulin. A diabetic diet addresses both types, but type II can actually be avoided or reversed with the proper diet.
In general the diabetic diet is geared towards attaining ideal body weight for controlling and managing diabetes. There is a simple rule of thumb to establish this ideal body weight. For a woman begin with 100 pounds at 5 feet tall, at 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet, while if under 5 feet subtract 5 pounds for each inch under 5 feet. Here’s a quick example – a woman who is 5’4” tall ideally should be 100+20 pounds, in other words 120 pounds. Males begin with 106 pounds at five feet and add 6 pounds for every inch over five feet. At 5’6” a man’s ideal weight is 142 pounds.
The ideal formula for a diabetic diet varies, but there are some common basics. For a person with type I diabetes diet should be approximately 35 calories per kilogram of body weight per day, that’s 16 calories per pound of body weight per day. That means a 160 pound man should eat about 2500 calories per day. Type II diabetics eat about 1500 calories per day to lose weight, then differing amounts of calories to maintain ideal weight.
Carbohydrates account for about 50% of the calories consumed in a diabetic diet. It is often believed that even lower card-levels are healthier for Diabetic patients, but higher percentages of fat in the diet has its own problems. But if saturated fats are avoided, a little more fat in the diet is OK.
