Diabetes affects nearly 29 million people in America alone. If you’re one of them, you know how difficult it can be for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. You may have tried many different medications or diet plans with little success because they didn’t work long term enough or were too complicated to stick with. Or maybe you’ve just given up on trying anything at all. Well here’s a simple way to get started controlling your own diabetes without medication or spending hours every day preparing meals. The best part about this method is that it works no matter what type of diabetes you have-whether Type 1 or 2. It doesn’t require any special equipment either. All you need are some basic kitchen tools like measuring cups, spoons and cutting utensils. And if you don’t already have an effective plan for managing your daily intake, then you should definitely read these tips first. They might make all the difference between keeping your blood sugar under control or having to take insulin shots.
Here’s how it works: The key to lowering your blood glucose levels is to eat more often. This will help you feel fuller and keep your metabolism up, which means that when you do eat, you’ll be using less of the foods’ carbohydrates and fats. Instead of eating three big meals a day (or six small ones), try eating five smaller meals spread out over the course of 12 hours. Just by doing so, you’ll automatically decrease the amount of fat used each time you eat as well as cut down on overall calories consumed per meal.
To figure out exactly how much food you should consume during those intervals between meals, there are two things we must consider: your body size and activity level. First let’s talk about your weight. According to WebMD, overweight individuals generally lose fewer than 500 calories from their diets while obese folks suffer even greater caloric losses. So if you fall into either category, you probably shouldn’t expect too good results when it comes to losing pounds. That being said, a healthy person who weighs 200 lbs needs only 2000 calories per day; whereas someone weighing 400 lbs requires 3000 calories. By following our 5-meal-a-day schedule, you could potentially burn off anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories per day depending on whether your calorie consumption falls within the average range of both categories mentioned above.
Obviously, anyone can benefit greatly from consuming less calories but remember that everyone has a unique set of circumstances. For example, women tend to weigh around 20% more than men regardless of height and fitness levels, therefore, they need approximately 25 percent more energy to maintain their current weight. A man, however, who has similar height and physical fitness standards would not necessarily need as many extra calories to maintain his weight since he carries more muscle mass than most women. Second, if you want to see drastic changes, you’ll need to increase your exercise regimen. People who spend four minutes going back and forth through the supermarket produce section aren’t likely to shed significant amounts of weight unless they start working out regularly. But according to Drs. Steven Gassner and David Goldberg, “the risk reduction associated with exercise [is] 50 percent higher among exercisers compared to non-exercisers.” Bottom line: If you really want to improve yourself physically, you should find ways to incorporate a workout routine into your lifestyle.
Now that you understand how important it is to stay active, let’s move onto talking about maintaining proper nutrition. When you go shopping for groceries, pay attention to portion sizes. In general, experts recommend limiting your portions to roughly half the size of your palm. To calculate the total number of servings needed each day, divide the recommended serving size by seven. Here’s a sample menu of healthy snacks based on your individualized requirements:
Breakfast – oatmeal topped with fruit & yogurt
Lunch/Dinner – grilled chicken salad w/olives, tomato slices, cucumber slices & whole grain crackers
Snack #1 – veggies dipped in hummus & pita chips
Snack #2 – apple chunks dipped in peanut butter & celery sticks
Snack #3 – lowfat cheese cubes mixed with fresh grapes & skim milk
Remember that the majority of your daily protein requirement usually comes from lean meats such as poultry, fish, eggs, etc. Also, avoid red meat whenever possible. As far as vegetables are concerned, choose green leafy varieties instead of yellow squash, carrots, peas, etc., due to high glycemic index values. Other sources of dietary fiber include fruits and whole grains. These types of foods are digested slowly thus helping stabilize blood glucose levels. Try substituting refined white flour products with healthier alternatives like brown rice, quinoa, wild oats, buckwheat, etc.
Lastly, always drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water helps remove waste from your digestive system as well as regulate bowel movements. Drinking eight glasses per day keeps your skin hydrated and reduces bloating. Additionally, drinking lots of fluids makes sure that you won’t experience dehydration symptoms including dry mouth, headaches, weakness, dizziness, etc. Drink before you snack and never skip breakfast! Breakfast is the most critical meal of the entire day. Skipping this meal can lead to severe health problems later on. Even though skipping breakfast isn’t optimal for weight loss purposes, the fact remains that breakfast plays a vital role in regulating blood sugar levels. Research shows that people who ate breakfast had better control over their blood sugar levels and experienced lesser instances of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) episodes.
So now you know why it’s essential to follow a regular eating schedule. Next step is to put together a meal planning calendar and write down everything you intend to cook ahead of time. Once you receive your weekly grocery list, create a masterlist of ingredients that you’ll need. Then add items to your shopping cart until you run out of room. Now you have everything you need right at hand. Lastly, pick recipes that call for common ingredients and stick to cooking techniques that don’t require a lot of prep work. Good luck!
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