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| This page was last modified on April 24, 2006 08:58 PM | General Dietary Guidelines for a Healthy Diet.  What ever your dietary goals there are general dietary guidelines that apply to us all. There is a lot of talk about we each having a unique dietary need and no one diet plan can cover us all. That is true to a minor degree. On the other hand, none of us are terminally unique. There are general dietary principals that apply to us all. We all require the same essential elements for good health. We all have a metabolic rate that determines how much we eat in relationship to gaining or loosing weight. If we violate good dietary guidelines we will suffer the consequences. We are more alike than we are different. Follow good dietary practices with minor changes based on specific needs and we will all benefit with improved health. These general dietary guidelines have been proven with study after study.
Food and Blood Sugar More than anything else you do, what you eat has the greatest impact on your blood sugar.
Whether you have diabetes or not, most of the food you eat is turned into sugar in order to fuel your body. That sugar moves through your bloodstream, providing energy to all of your cells -- from your brain to your muscles.
Without insulin to unlock those cells and let the blood sugar in, your systems don't get the nourishment they need, and excess sugar stays in the bloodstream.
Think about it -- when you eat, you're putting fuel into your body. That's why after you eat; your blood sugar is higher than before. And why many people who are diabetic need to use insulin near mealtimes -- to get the blood sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it can do its job. Food and Cholesterol  Many of our favorite foods are killing us. These are the foods high in cholesterol. Cholesterol contributes to the build up of plaque which clogs the arteries. The American Heart Association and other sources recommend consuming between 200 mg and 300 mg of cholesterol per day. What is the daily minimum requirement for cholesterol? You may be very surprised to learn there is no daily minimum requirement for cholesterol. Your body produces all the cholesterol it needs. 200 mg to 300 mg is just considered a safe range. It is easy to exceed this in just one meal if not paying attention. The yolk of one large egg contains 211 mg one omlete (633 mg of cholesterol). Add steak, bacon or other common breakfast items and you can easily double, triple or quadruple the recommended guidelines in just one meal. We all have heard of some one who lived to over 100 years old in perfect health who always consumed far more than the recommended limits.Those individuals are the ones who beat the odd. Why gamble if it is stacking the odds against you? Numerous studies have shown high cholesterol to be a significant health risk.
Types of Food Different types of foods have specific roles within the body:
Carbohydrates Graphics from A.D.A.M., Inc. National Library of Medicine Found in breads, fruits, starchy vegetables, and dairy foods, carbohydrates are our main source of energy. Whether carbohydrates come from rice, cereal, plain sugar, or any other source, they're eventually broken down into glucose, the type of sugar our bodies use as fuel. Some are broken down faster than others, so it is important to select the right carbohydrates to aid in reaching our goals. The idea of complex and simple carbohydrates may be a bit confusing. Some complex carbohydrates such as potatoes and rice are very high glycemic foods meaning they raise blood glucose very quickly. Some carbohydrates that fall in the simple carbohydrate classification have a lower glycemic effect. (see Low Glycemic Foods for more information)
Protein  Protein helps your body's cells grow and repair themselves. You'll find it in meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts, milk, yogurt, and cheese. Very little protein is converted to blood sugar, but that doesn't make it a free food. Lean protein should be eaten in balance with other foods, to limit the amount of cholesterol in your diet. Too much protein stresses the kidneys so it is important to have it in the proper balance.
Fat  Fat is a necessary part of any diet. While fat won't affect your blood sugar directly, too much fat gets stored as excess calories and weight. So try to limit all unnecessary fat, especially saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, which are especially unhealthy. Try to make the fats you eat the good fats. These are the polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, which contain the essential fatty acids: omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. it is also important to keep a good balance between the omega elements ALA. EPA and DHA in balance.
Fiber  Fiber is a carbohydrate that isn't digested by the body. It's often found in unprocessed or "whole" grains, beans, and vegetables. Fiber is important for your heart and digestive health. It can also aid in losing weight, because it slows the digestion of certain carbohydrates, helping you feel more satisfied for longer after eating.
Vitamins and Minerals Don't forget the important role fruits and vegetables play in providing a variety of key nutrients. These provide a long list of benefits, from strengthening our immune systems to promoting healthy eyes, skin, and more. Monitoring the Effects For diabetics, testing your blood sugar will help you better understand how the foods you eat affect you over the short and long term. For people interested in weight loss, the scale is your test. Immediate changes to blood sugar Testing about two hours after a meal will tell you if certain foods cause an unpredictable change in your blood sugar. Of course, you'll be able to make an educated guess about how most foods will affect you by the grams of carbohydrate, and the type of carbohydrate you've eaten. But there are other variables to consider.
Eating fat, protein, or fiber along with carbohydrates will slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
Type of Food
| Amount Converted to Blood Sugar
| Conversion Time
| Carbohydrate
| 100%
| 15 to 90 minutes
| Protein
| 58%
| 3 to 4 hours
| Fat
| 10 to 30%
| Several Hours
|
Because a number of factors -- even the way a food is cooked -- can affect how it's absorbed, self-monitoring is the only way to really gauge the results. A typical reading two hours after eating is 140 mg/dL, although your target may differ, depending upon your doctor's recommendation. Long-term effects of blood sugar. Over time, uncontrolled blood sugar can have two effects on the body. -
Consistently high blood sugar can lead to a wide range of long-term complications, from eye disease to heart problems. -
If you take in more food than your body needs to function, the extra calories will be stored as fat. That's the body's way of saving energy for later, but it can eventually cause unwanted weight gain.
Smart Meal Planning
 When first diagnosed with diabetes, heart problems, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other diagnoses that are strongly connected to nutrition, many people expect to be put on a special diet." But there are as many diabetes meal plans and other special diets as there are people with diabetes and the other conditions. Your meal plan should reflect your lifestyle, likes and dislikes, level of activity, and more.
That's why NutriCoach strongly suggests learning as much as you can about good nutrition and how to achieve it. When working with a registered dietitian to create an individual plan you will be able to be a strong self advocate. It is strongly suggested to consult with a doctor or Registered Dietician, but lets be brutally honest. The time they spend with us is very inadequate for all that we need to learn to do a really good job of controlling our medical conditions. Most of us don't have either adequate insurance coverage or personal financial resources for the many hours needed to learn the new skills. With 1/2 to 1/3 diabetics poorly controlled, according to government surveys, they just are not getting the job done. It is up to us to find the information we need. We need to learn how to make our own meal plans and then let them make the minor adjustments. What should your plan include?
Your meal plan will include:
- How much carbohydrate, protein, and fat you should eat at each meal.
- Snacks to eat each day.
- The timing of meals and snacks.
- Foods to eat more of, as well as some foods to cut back on, depending on your current eating habits.
There are no off-limit foods, such as sugar or sweets. The idea is to eat the right amount of food to maintain a healthy weight and feel your best. The guiding principle: You can eat anything as part of a balanced meal plan, just like people who don't have diabetes. Just remember that too much fat or too many calories can cause weight gain and cholesterol problems. Too many carbohydrates will cause a rise in blood glucose. High glycemic carbohydrates will cause blood glucose to rise quicker.
A few things you'll consider in creating a meal plan are: - What does your current diet include?
- How do the foods you eat compare to the Food Guide Pyramid?
- What are your favorite foods?
- Do you have "problem foods," such as candy or chips, that trigger you to overeat?
- How large are your portions? What is your regular schedule?
- Do you have any other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure or heart disease?
Once your plan is in place, you'll still have thousands of choices about what to eat each day.
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