Diabetic Cookbooks|Diabetic Cooking Recipes

Diet and nutrition are one of the four mainstays of treatment for diabetes. There are several opinions on what the BEST diet is. When searching for Diabetic cookbooks keep in mind that they should contain recipes which consider some of the following principles..

Patients with Type 1 diabetes should have a diet that has approximately 35 calories per kg of body weight per day (or 16 calories per pound of body weight per day). Patients with Type 2 diabetes generally are put on a 1500-1800 calorie diet per day to promote weight loss and then the maintenance of ideal body weight.. However, this may vary depending on the person's age, sex, activity level, current weight and body style. More obese individuals may need more calories initially until their weight is less. This is because it takes more calories to maintain a larger body and a 1600 calorie diet for them may promote weight loss that is too fast to be healthy. Men have more muscle mass in general and therefore may require more calories. Muscle burns more calories per hour than fat. (Thus also one reason to regularly exercise and build up muscle!) Also, people whose activity level is low will have less daily caloric needs.

As a general rule carbohydrates should make up about 50 percent of the daily calories ( with the accepted range 40-60 percent). Generally lower carbohydrate intake is associated with lower sugar levels in the blood. However the benefits of this can be canceled out by the problems associated with a higher fat diet taken in to compensate for the lower amount of carbohydrates.. This problem can be improved by substituting monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats.

There are many diabetic cookbooks from publishers such as Kraft which focus recipes using products they produce. Better Homes and Gardens diabetic cooking cookbooks are a popular choice for those planning a healthy eating plan.