Yoga Articles Diet for diseases

• Tweet
• 

First, how many calories are we taking in? Second, how many calories are we burning off? These are the basic questions to ask yourself.


In order to lose weight, the calories that you are taking in should be less than the calories you are burning.

To address the first question, you need to realize which are "good" calories, and which are "empty" calories.

Good calories provide essential nutrition to fuel the body. These include whole foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, nuts and lean meats. These foods supply your body with a continuous flow of fuel. They last longer in your body, so you will feel satisfied for longer periods of time. These foods will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which is essential for a diabetic. When your blood sugar levels are stable, your craving for foods that are bad for you lessens.

Empty calories provide no nutritional value. They are simple sugars like candies, cookies, cakes, sodas and so on. Empty calories do not fuel your body. They can, however, give you a rush of sugar followed by a crash. This crash causes you to need more and crave more food. You then get into a vicious cycle of craving, eating, craving, and eating. Because you are not providing fuel that is needed by your body for extended periods of time, you lose energy.

To burn off calories you must exert yourself to expend more than you have consumed for the day. If you are supplying your body with empty calories, you don't have enough energy to sustain you long enough to burn these calories however. So you end up with a surplus; which equals fat. If you are supplying your body with good calories, your body can endure longer periods of expenditure. This means you will be able to burn more calories than you take in; which, in turn, means you will be able lose weight.

A diabetic has one additional thing to think about: the glycemic index of a food. The glycemic index of a food determines how fast the body can use the fuel from the food. Some fruits and vegetables, which seem like they should be healthy choices, are not healthy choices on a regular basis. Some of these foods include beets, carrots, and potatoes. Before you eat foods you need to understand their glycemic index and then make choices wisely.

So the five things that diabetics need to remember are:

• Eat less calories than you burn.
• Eat "good" calories.
• Stay away from "empty" calories.
• Examine the glycemic index of the foods you eat.
• Exercise and drink plenty of fluids.

Read more articles from the Diet for diseases Category.