Diabetic Meal Planner

The food we consume breaks down into glucose, which is turned into energy by insulin produced in the body. When the body stops producing insulin, glucose gets collected in the blood leading to a serious health problem called diabetes. There are three types of diabetes, namely type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.

It is important for the people affected by these conditions to control the glucose level in their body to avoid or lower the risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, etc.

The usual treatment includes insulin injections and certain medications that control the level of glucose in the blood. However, along with the drugs, it is also important to follow a strict diet plan and exercise regime.

The diet plan for each affected person would be different, as per the type of diabetes one has, and also the drugs that are recommended. A list of what to eat and what not to eat would be given to the affected person by the doctor.

Initially, one is likely to get confused with the list. In order to avoid this confusion, constructing a meal planner would prove beneficial in organizing one's daily, weekly, as well as monthly diet.

The affected person should be aware that this condition does not restrict people from consuming what they love. However, the only thing that has to be kept in mind is that the meals that one consumes should constitute a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Here, a meal planner comes in handy. With the help of a meal plan, one can decide what he/she should consume each day on a weekly basis. It is a good way of keeping track of what and how much food one consumes, one's weight record, and also one's blood sugar level.

Normally, one is recommended to consume 5-6 small meals a day, instead of three meals. One should also remember not to skip any meal because this may lead to a rise in the blood sugar level. It is necessary that the affected person should have breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, evening snack, and dinner, on a daily basis.

This meal planner should have different sections where one can list down the number of meals one should have, the food that one can consume, and that which one cannot. The section that lists the food items that should be consumed must include fruits, vegetables, milk, whole wheat bread, meat, etc.

It should include foods that have fiber and fatty acids. It is a good way to note down the recipes. In another section, one should make a list of foods that should be totally avoided like junk food, sweets, alcohol, rice, excess salt, processed food, and foods made with oil and sugar. A section in the meal planner may include the person's exercise regime.

On a conclusive note, it is believed that maintaining a meal planner helps one in learning healthy eating habits. Moreover, it is also believed to aid people having type 2 diabetes in losing weight. One can make such a planner by themselves or else one can use a computer software that provides one.

The advantage of using a computer-generated meal planner is that it automatically generates the diabetic diet recommendations according to the condition of the person.

On observing the numerous benefits, the affected person should make use of this meal planner which might prove useful in keeping a check on the daily diet, as well as in maintaining one's overall health.

Disclaimer: This post is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.