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Staying Healthy with Diabetes – Nutrition & Meal Planning – by Amy P. Campbell, MS, RD, CDE and the Staff of Joslin Diabetes Center

Buy Staying Healthy with Diabetes – Nutrition & Meal Planning from Joslin Diabetes Center.

Excerpted from Chapter 1:  What Is Meal Planning?

Why Do I Need a Meal Plan?
Following a carefully developed meal plan can help you consistently spread out the nutrients you need to eat for good health over each day’s meals, while at the same time giving you freedom to choose what foods you want to eat.  By following a meal plan, you gain short- and long-term benefits that come with maintaining your blood glucose at the proper levels. You will feel better and have more energy. People who have had diabetes for many years are susceptible to serious complications, some that can even be life-threatening. In years past, one’s chances of developing such complications were high. The good news today is that following a meal plan can help reduce that risk for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes by helping to keep blood glucose levels in as normal a range as possible. Even if you have developed some complications from your diabetes, following a meal plan can help to slow their progression.

If your goal is to lose weight…
A meal plan is especially useful if your goal is to lose weight. Being overweight affects every system in your body – and not for the better.  Carrying around extra pounds makes your heart work harder and less efficiently. You’ll tire quickly and become short of breath. For people who have type 2 diabetes, being overweight affects their body’s ability to use insulin.  Losing even a small amount of weight can not only help you feel and look better, but can also improve your diabetes control. Weight loss means that you may need less insulin or oral medication to control your blood glucose.  Some people with type 2 diabetes can even stop taking diabetes medication altogether when they lose weight.  Other benefits of weight loss include a lower risk of getting heart disease (which is more common in people with diabetes), lower blood pressure, less back and knee pain, lower risk of some types of cancer, and lower risk of gout and gall bladder disease. That’s why it’s important to get on board with a healthy eating plan and regular physical activity.

The combination of a proper meal plan and a physical activity plan is the most effective way to lose weight. You may also need to change some of the behaviors that may be preventing you from shedding some unwanted pounds. Joslin Diabetes Center has developed a nutrition guideline for people with type 2 diabetes who need to lose weight, as well as for people who have prediabetes or who are at high risk for developing diabetes.  Specifically, Joslin recommends a modest weight loss of one pound every one to two weeks.  Total daily calorie intake should not be less than 1000 to 1200 for women, and 1200 to 1600 for men. Your doctor, nutritionist, or healthcare team can help you develop a game plan that is based on sound medical principles for weight loss and that is realistic for you to follow.


Buy Staying Healthy with Diabetes – Nutrition & Meal Planning from Joslin Diabetes Center.