A Quick Guide on How Diabetics Count Calories

Having diabetes would mean having to watch what you eat. That’s why most diabetics count their calorie intake and have a diabetic calorie diet.

In order to establish a diabetic calorie diet, you first have to see a dietitian or doctor to find out how many calories you need to consume in a day in order to lose or maintain weight. You can also arrive at an approximate number by solving for 16 calories for every pound of body weight.

If you need to lose weight, your next step would be to cut down on calories. Usually, this is important for individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes. For them, a diabetic calorie diet of about 1800 calories for men and 1500 calories for women is recommended to help them stay stabilized while they lose weight.

In order to start counting calories, you would need a list or a chart that covers all food groups and their caloric content. It should include everything from pasta to cereal grains, and fast food to alcoholic beverages. A clear breakdown of foods should also be presented according to their caloric content, and variations (if example, frozen, fresh, or canned). You can acquire this list from your nutritionist or dietitian, as well as your doctor. There are also other resources like books and websites.

As a diabetic, you might also want to pay more attention to restricting your calorie intake from carbohydrates. This is because carbohydrates have an almost immediate effect on glucose, which could become an issue for diabetic individuals. One gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, same with one gram of protein, while fat has 9 calories for every gram.

Always read the labels of the food products you’re getting. Pay attention to serving size. Calories on labels are based on serving size, which is not necessarily the whole package. Sometimes, you would have to multiply the calorie per serving according to the serving size for the whole package to get the total amount of calories.

These are some tips on how diabetics count calories. Because it is extremely important for diabetics to control their food intake, having a diabetic calorie diet will go a long way.

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