Eating a varied, healthy diet is important to anyone who wants to stay in shape and be healthy. But it is even more important to the estimated 14.6 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with diabetes. The body of a person who has diabetes does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Therefore, diet and nutrition play important roles in controlling diabetes. Eating well-balanced meals can help keep blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible.
Your doctor or dietitian can help you understand the basics of using diet and medication to control your diabetes. But for many people, especially those who are newly diagnosed with diabetes, coming up with tasty, balanced meals can be a challenge. TheDiabeticDiet.com is a valuable tool that can help people take control of their diabetes by providing nutrition information and easy-to-use menu plans.
"We provide a simple solution for people who want or need to make a lifestyle change," says Chandra Dalrymple, a registered dietitian on staff at TheDiabeticDiet.com. "We take the guesswork out of nutrition."
The system will tell you exactly how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you need, what your daily calorie intake should be and what an appropriate serving portion is. You'll eat a meal or a snack every three hours, which helps control hunger, stabilize blood sugars and keeps you energized.
Becoming a member of TheDiabeticDiet.com is like having a personal nutritionist, recipe consultant and coach at your fingertips. You start by providing five simple pieces of information: your age, weight, body fat percentage, activity level and nutrition goal. These factors are combined to determine your nutrition formula. Using your personalized nutrition formula, the program builds over 250 recipes that match your exact nutrition needs, and creates weekly meal plans.
You can choose how much time you want to spend shopping for and preparing meals. The site also lets you set your food preferences; so if you love chicken but don't care for fish, your meals will take that into account. You can print an itemized shopping list that includes everything you need to get at the grocery store to prepare your meals for the week.
In addition, the system identifies fast food and restaurant menu items that will work within your nutrition and calorie needs, so you can stay on track even when you're not eating at home. You'll also get recommendations on exercise, another important factor in long-term fitness and health.
Members of TheDiabeticDiet.com also have access to a registered dietitian via the Web site. Want to know how carbohydrates affect your blood sugar? Just ask. If you're going on vacation and need advice on how to stay on your meal plan, you can get help with that, too.
Find out more about living and eating well at TheDiabeticDiet.com.
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