You have the power to control diabetes with every bit of food you put in your mouth. So what's the secret behind eating to manage diabetes? The issue isn't carbs vs. protein or low fat vs. high fat. How much you eat is just as important as what you eat. It's kilojoules that count. That's because when you lose weight, your cells' response to insulin improves.
Diabetes is a numbers game. The vital numbers include your blood glucose, and the numbers on the scales. To lose weight, you have to eat less. But don't worry, you won't be nibbling like a rabbit. You should aim to consume a total of 5500 kJ a day, or 6750 kJ a day if you're larger or more active. For some people, this might simply mean snacking on an apple instead of a chocolate bar.
* carbs While it's smart to limit the carbs you eat at one sitting, it's just as important to choose the right onesthe 'slow-burning' low-GI carbs. That means switching to grainy breads, legumes and pasta. Doing this, along with eating five servings of vegetables a day, bulks up your fibre intake. High fibre, low GI is key because it slows digestion and keeps blood glucose from rising quickly after a meal.\ This effect is so powerful that it can lower your overall blood glucose levels.
* fat Eating less fat is essential to weight loss, but so is switching the type of fat: fat from fish and olive or canola oil is your best friend. Fat from meat and butter is your worst enemy.
*Vegetables Vegetables are low in kilojoules yet high in volume because a lot of their weight comes from water. By eating more vegetables, you may also eat less fat - and that's important, since fat has more than twice the kilojoules of carbohydrates or protein. (Fruit is good for you, too. Although it contains sugar in the form of fructose, it isn't absorbed as quickly as the sucrose in table sugar and sweets. And fruit packs plenty of disease-figh ting nutrients.)
* sugar Cutting back on sweets is key. The real problem with sweets is that they load you up with kilojoules that provide little nutrition. To sidestep those kilojoules, consider using sugar alternatives.
'I- ki ojoules We're not suggesting you count all the kilojoules you consume, but you should develop a sense of how many kilojoules the foods you eat contain, and use that information to see if you're eating about the right number of kilojoules throughout the day. Use our guide to serving sizes on pages 10-11, and in time you'll develop an intuitive sense of how much food is enough.
'I- ki ojoules We're not suggesting you count all the kilojoules you consume, but you should develop a sense of how many kilojoules the foods you eat contain, and use that information to see if you're eating about the right number of kilojoules throughout the day. Use our guide to serving sizes on pages 10-11, and in time you'll develop an intuitive sense of how much food is enough.
* Whole foods We want you to limit high-GI foods such as refined bread, most bought cereals and rice, and favour wholegrain low-GI foods, beans and low-fat dairy. These are your energy foods. They supply a steady stream of fuel and don't propel you up and down a blood glucose roller-coaster that leaves you tired when you hit a trough. Energy is very important to quality of life, and we want you to have plenty!
* energy It's important to eat five servings of vegetables a day and to plan your meals ahead of time every week to make sure they fit the bill and to help you avoid last-minute grabs for greasy takeaway or pizza. You should be eating small meals and snacks at least five times a day to keep your blood glucose steady and your metabolism in high gear.