Introduction
For individuals diagnosed with diabetes, understanding and managing their daily caloric intake is an essential component of achieving remission and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Counting calories can help diabetics control their blood sugar levels, manage their weight, and make informed dietary choices. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of counting calories for new diabetics working towards remission and provide practical tips on how to calculate the calories of your meals and daily intake.
Understanding Diabetes Remission and Caloric Counting
Before we delve into the intricacies of calorie counting, it’s crucial to understand how caloric restriction impacts diabetes remission. Diabetes remission refers to a state where an individual with diabetes can maintain normal blood sugar levels without the need for medication. A caloric restriction of 500 to 1500 calories daily has immediate and long-term impacts on diabetes. To effectively restrict your calories, you will need to learn how to calculate the caloric content of your food. This knowledge will help you plan your meals appropriately.
Why Counting Calories Matters
Calorie counting is a fundamental aspect of diabetes management because it helps you monitor your energy intake and maintain a healthy weight. For diabetics working towards remission, keeping track of calories is essential for several reasons:
- Blood Sugar Control: By knowing the caloric content of your meals, you will be able to restrict your caloric intake, which helps regulate your blood sugar levels more effectively.
- Weight Management: Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is often a key step towards diabetes remission. Counting calories allows you to create a calorie deficit to position your body for weight loss.
- Reduced Inflammation: Caloric restriction helps reduce inflammation, which improves the body’s response to insulin. This can eventually lead to remission.
- Improved Intestinal Microbiome: Caloric restriction can also improve your intestinal microbiome, which, over time, also helps improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which is key for diabetes remission.
How to Calculate the Calories of Your Meals
To count calories accurately, you’ll need to ascertain the calorie content of the foods you consume. Here’s how to calculate the calories in your meals:
Read Nutrition Labels: Most packaged foods display calorie information on their nutrition labels. Pay attention to the serving size, calories per serving, and the number of servings in the package. So, if the label says that it has 100 calories per serving, and there are 4 servings in the package, and you consume it all, then you will be consuming 4 x 100=400 calories. If you are having only half of it, then it’s 200 calories, and so on. Some restaurants will tell you the caloric content of a particular meal so you can make an informed choice.
Use a Food Scale: Invest in a kitchen scale to weigh your food portions. This allows you to be more precise when calculating calories, especially for items without nutrition labels. You will then need to search online for the caloric density of the food, which indicates how many calories per pound or kilogram of a particular food. For example, if the caloric density is 1000 calories per kilogram of food weight and you are having ½ kilogram, then it’s 1000 x 1/2=500 calories.
Online Resources: There are numerous online tools and apps, such as MyFitnessPal and Cronometer, that can help you track the calories in your meals. Simply input the type and quantity of each food item you eat, and these tools will do the calculations for you.
Consult a Registered Dietitian: For personalized guidance and meal planning, consult a registered dietitian who specializes in diabetes management. They can help you create a meal plan tailored to your dietary needs.
How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Requirement
Once you’re comfortable calculating the calories in your meals, you’ll need to determine your daily caloric intake. This is an important step in achieving diabetes remission. If you do not wish to go through this calculation, you could use a standard caloric intake of 1500 calories daily. In either case, you will need to plan your meals to keep the caloric count from going above your target. The caloric intake you should aim for will be less than what your body normally requires. This creates the somewhat fasting state that your body needs to lose weight and achieve remission. To calculate your daily caloric intake, follow these steps:
- Calculate Your Ideal Body Weight: Your ideal body weight will depend on your age, gender, pregnancy status, and your height. For simplicity, we assume that you are a nonpregnant adult and just use your height on a BMI chart. Your BMI should be about 20-25, so we could use a BMI of 24. So, based on a BMI of 24, if you are 5’6” tall, then 68 kg (150 lb.) could be used as your ideal body weight.
- Calculate Your Daily Caloric Requirement: The recommended caloric intake depends on your age, ideal body weight, gender, activity level, pregnancy and health status. For simplicity, we will use an average of about 35 calories per kilogram. So, if your ideal body weight is 70 kg, then the recommended amount is 2450 calories. Ideal body weight is used because if the actual weight is used, you may still end up consuming too many calories if you are overweight.
- Calculate Your Caloric Restriction: To calculate the caloric goal that could facilitate remission, you could consume 70% of the recommended caloric intake. Therefore, if your usual recommended intake is 2450 calories, then 70% would be 1715 calories. So, your caloric target would be 1715 calories per day.
- Distributing Your Calories Throughout the Day: When working towards remission, you should have just two meals each day. Breakfast should be the heavier meal, with at least 60% of calories allocated to your breakfast, which is 1029 calories. Your lunch should be 686 calories.
- Monitor and Adjust: Keep track of your caloric intake and weight regularly. If you’re not seeing the desired progress towards remission or weight management, consider adjusting your calorie intake or activity level. Some people with a low metabolic rate may need more restrictions.
Conclusion
Counting calories is a valuable tool for individuals with diabetes working towards remission. By understanding the calorie content of your meals and calculating your daily caloric intake, you can better manage your blood sugar levels, control your weight, and make informed dietary choices. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, to create a personalized meal plan and track your progress effectively. Diabetes remission is an achievable goal, and calorie counting can be a crucial step on your journey to a healthier and more balanced life.