A diet safe for anyone...
Jul 09 '00
When I was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago, the initial advice given to me by my physician was to immediately cut out my intake of refined sugars and to limit my intake of other carbohydrates. Within a couple of weeks, she had scheduled an appointment for me to see a dietician.
Many of the things I learned from the dietician, I already knew but had chosen to ignore for years. Much of the information she gave me I had already learned in as far back as grade school.
See over the years I've become quite the carbohydrate addict. I could literally live on potatoes, pasta, breads, rice and even vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes (which is now considered a fruit, I know but I will forever consider it a vegetable). All of these foods are very starchy and/or sugary foods. I could easily live without ever eating protein again. Even my most favorite vegetables are starchy in nature.
The problem with carbohydrates is if they're the major portion of your diet, you bound to eventually pack on the pounds. Carbohydrates turn into sugar and excess sugars that your body doesn't absorb turns into fat. In the body of a diabetic, excess sugars in the blood stream can be very dangerous. On the other hand, you must have some carbohydrates because they are the body's primary source for energy.
During my very first appointment with the dietician, she gave me a diet to follow. My first thoughts were: "I'm going to starve to death!" Obviously, that hasn't been the case. In fact, I can eat just as much as I ate before. I just have to eat much differently than I did before.
She advised that this same diet given to me would be safe and healthy for anyone. If they're overweight, they're going to lose weight. If they're not overweight, then they will be eating the way they should have been eating all along.
The concept is very simple. You eat a variety of food from each food group. Does this sound familiar from your school days? You have to eat foods from each and every food group. There are carbohydrates in almost every food that we consume. The only problem with this diet is that you must watch food grams and it's an exchange list program. The most important ones are:
15 grams of carbohydrates = 1 carbohydrate portion
8 grams of protein = 1 protein portion
5 grams of fat = 1 fat portion
These are the only three items that must really be watched. Of course, you want to keep your sodium intake to a minimum level as well.
As far as the diet goes, I will outline it below but keep in mind that although men could follow this diet, they probably would require a couple more protein and carbohydrate servings per day. Men, naturally, require more energy than women and I remember that some of the men in my classes were allowed more portions per day than the women. Therefore, if someone of the male gender attempts to follow this plan and begins to feel less energetic, try to add one or two additional servings of carbohydrates to your daily plan to adjust. The guidelines given to me, however, are as follows:
BREAKFAST
15g carbs/1 serving of fruit
30g carbs/2 servings of starch/bread
0g carbs/1 serving of meat
0g carbs/1 serving of fat
15g carbs/1 serving of milk (1 cup, skim preferably)
TOTAL = 60g total carbohydrates
LUNCH
15g carbs/1 serving of fruit
30g carbs/2 servings of starch/bread
0g carbs/2 serving of meat
5g carbs/1 serving of vegetables
0g carbs/1 serving of fat
0g carbs/0 serving of milk
TOTAL = 50g total carbohydrates
DINNER
15g carbs/1 serving of fruit
30g carbs/2 servings of starch/bread
0g carbs/2 serving of meat
5g carbs/1 serving of vegetables
0g carbs/1 serving of fat
0g carbs/0 serving of milk
TOTAL = 50g total carbohydrates
Drinking at least eight 8oz glasses of water per day is a must.
The general rule with vegetables is 1/2 cup cooked or one cup raw equals one portion. With fruit, it varies but it's generally safe to say that 1/2 cup canned fruit, one small fruit or 1/2 cup fruit juice equals a portion. For the milk serving, skim milk, nonfat dry milk, plain nonfat yogurt and nonfat or low-fat fruit flavored yogurt is preferred.
With the vegetables, there are several that are considered a free food which means you can have a couple of portions of these per day in addition to your vegetable that isn't free. The portion size is one cup. Those are: bean sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumber, green onions, mushrooms, peppers, radishes, spinach, summer squash, water chestnuts, watercress, zucchini.
As far as fats go, you want to try to stick with unsaturated fats, cooking with canola, safflower, sunflower, corn, olive, peanut or soybean oils (in preferred order). Oh, and one slice of bacon equals an entire fat portion for a meal.
There are many items that are free and some of those include: diet soda, black coffee, sugar free tea, most condiments and sugar free foods. Generally, the free foods are any food that contain less than 20 calories and 5g of carbohydrates per serving and should be limited to three servings per day.
With the breads/starches, you have to really watch because some of those so-called healthy cereals out there are packed with carbohydrates.
Also with beans and peas, normally one serving (1/2 cup) will consume both a protein and a carbohydrate exchange.
Last but not least, generally one ounce of meat equals a portion. Sausage, luncheon meats, hot dogs, regular cheese, and peanut butter are not preferred protein exchanges due to their high fat content.
So there you have it! Yes, all the good stuff is cut out but the good stuff is always cut out of any healthy diet. Following a healthy, balanced diet is the ONLY way a person can not only shed excess weight but KEEP IT OFF! No, the weight won't come off as quickly as with a 'shed the pounds quick' diet but the long term results will be more satisfying. By the time you reach your goal you will have learned to eat healthy and will be more likely to continue to do so.
Oh, and one more thing, excercising at least 3-4 times a week is must! For busy people, the dietician recommended parking in the last spot at work or at the mall. Walking 20 minutes every day or taking the stairs helps too. Train yourself to avoid the convenient route...anything to get moving.
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