The glucose in your blood is the main source of energy for your body. You get glucose from carbohydrates. If you can to control carbohydrate intake you can easily manage blood glucose level. Managing blood glucose level is a main goal of a diabetic diet.
1200 calorie diabetic diet means limiting calorie intake to a maximum of 1200 calories a day. The requirement of calories changes from person to person. For most people 1200 calories diet is too little. That’s why the American Diabetes Association recommends that talk to your doctor or dietitian to choose a diet plan.
There are several methods to reach 1200 calories in a diet. Two of the most common methods are the diabetic exchange system and carbohydrate (carb) counting. In exchange system foods are grouped into six categories. Foods in one category can be exchanged for other foods in that same category. Carbohydrate counting method focuses on the carbohydrates in different foods.
In a 1200 calorie diet (50% carbohydrates), you can have a total of 10 servings of carbohydrate per day. A serving size means the size of food after it is cooked or prepared. In carb counting system proteins and fats are not technically counted. But still that should be eaten in moderation because if they are eaten in excess, you may exceed 1200 calories. There are books available in the market which provides carbohydrate count lists. Most packaged foods have labels that list their carbohydrate counts from which you can easily determine the carbohydrate count of a food.
If you eat high fiber foods, you have to subtract the dietary fiber grams from the total carbohydrates grams. The body does not absorb fiber. Fiber provides no calories and it does not affect your blood sugar. If you subtract fiber count from total carbohydrates, it gives you a more accurate estimate of the carbohydrates that will affect your blood sugar.
In 1200 calorie diet you can have a breakfast of ¾ cup sweetened cereal, 8 ounces 1% or skim milk, ½ grapefruit and tea or coffee. In lunch you can include 2 slices whole-grain bread, 2 ounces smoked turkey, lettuce, 2 teaspoons mayonnaise, 1 small apple and mineral water. In dinner you can include 2 ounces of baked cod, 2/3 cup brown rice, ½ cup steamed broccoli, ½ cup zucchini and mineral water. If you want to have some snacks it is suggested to have only ½ medium banana or 6 ounces low-fat yogurt which can be plain or sweetened with artificial sweetener. This diet plan just discussed is not essential for everyone only thing you have to remember is that plan your diet such that it should not exceed 1200 calories on a given day.
Planning a diet will be easier if you know serving sizes for each category of food and how many carbohydrates it contains. You can make changes in your diet according to your blood glucose level. If you find that your blood sugar level is high then adjust the amount of carbohydrates in your most recent meal.
Your dietitian will help you to develop an individualized meal plan.
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