Candy is no longer allowed. Absolutely. But wait, why?
If a person is diagnosed with diabetes, it does not mean that he will have to follow a strict and tasteless diet for the rest of his life. In addition, the quality of life with such a diagnosis can even increase: there will be motivation to eat well and play sports. And you will also need to learn to count well in order to take your insulin correctly, if necessary. What else can you expect from a diabetic diet and why it is not so scary, read our material.
General information
Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases for which a persistent increase in blood glucose is characteristic, leading to the development of serious complications, mainly vascular: coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, as well as kidney failure and even gangrene. Diabetes is common in pregnant women and is known as gestational diabetes. But a diet is not prescribed, as it usually disappears after delivery.
People who eat a lot of sugar are more likely to gain weight. This is facilitated by the modern pace of life and the peculiarities of work - the way of working while sitting in the car, and the work itself is a sedentary office job. Lack of physical activity contributes to the development of physical inactivity. Naturally, the body weight begins to increase. Metabolic disorders develop.
Why You Need a Diabetes Diet
A person with diabetes is prescribed a specific diet. Many people mistakenly believe that they have to give up sweets. In fact, in the diet of a person with diabetes mellitus, half of the diet should be consumed by carbohydrates, but carbohydrates are "harmless". It should be remembered, so-called "fast" carbohydrates, sugar, donuts, buns, bagels, white bread cause a maximum spike in human blood sugar and therefore are not recommended for patients with diabetes.
Most people with diabetes will find it easier to control their blood glucose levels if they can lose weight. The diet should serve two purposes: to normalize blood sugar levels and to reduce calorie intake. There are no universal recommendations for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as there is a risk of a person going from a state of hyperglycemia to hypoglycemia (too low a blood glucose level), and this is fraught with complications severe until the development of coma.
Characteristics of the diet for diabetics.
If we talk about the nutrition of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus, it is interesting to start with a story about vodka. Vodka is a very high calorie product. One gram contains approximately 7 kilocalories, one gram of fat contains 9 kilocalories. If we compare it with proteins and carbohydrates, there are between two and three times less kilocalories.
Many people believe that vodka lowers blood sugar levels. It really is, but in a pathological, abnormal and harmful way. Blood sugar levels drop, but appetite increases immediately. A person wants to have a bite of this vodka, and once he has tasted it, he adds more calories to himself.
Calories: the stronger the drink, the more calories it has. A bottle of wine has about three times fewer calories than vodka, beer - even less.
Strictly speaking, a patient with diabetes must, first of all, minimize alcohol consumption.
Carbohydrates are of two types: easily digestible (fast) and so-called slow. Slow digestion includes cereals, pasta, potatoes. The diet of the dibetics must contain carbohydrates. If you take a plate and divide it into four parts, about half should be carbohydrates, a quarter fat, and a quarter protein.
Animal fats are extremely dangerous. Therefore, it is more useful to give preference to fish over meat. If you eat chicken, naturally, peel it and trim the fat. If we talk about beef, pork, it is necessary to reduce the caloric intake and the volume of consumption of these fats themselves. Fish and meat are also excellent sources of protein. However, you shouldn't just focus on them - plant foods like soybeans and wheat are also high in protein, sometimes even more than animal sources.
Important! Food should be measured, moderate, five to six times a day, a little, once every three hours, complete, but in no case three times a day.
It is also recommended to dedicate time to the main meals: breakfast and lunch for at least 30 minutes. If you eat too fast, too much insulin enters the bloodstream, and since there is a lot of it, you need more food. And, without realizing it, the person eats more. Therefore, it is important to eat without distractions, not to rush.
You may have heard something about numbered diets for people with diabetes. We also listened and decided to invite an expert, professor, head of the endocrinology department.
"At one time, the tables for diabetics, the so-called numbered diets, were actively used. Since then, dietetics and all science in general have come a long way. Therefore, the table for diabetics number 9 is an obsolete concept, no longer it's used ".
Nutrition differences for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
It is important that all people with diabetes, regardless of their age, eat healthy foods, just like people without diabetes. The diet should include foods rich in fiber: fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
A person with diabetes does not need to inject insulin as many times as he eats. For example, a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus on pill therapy does not need insulin; even if necessary, he eats six times a day, in small portions.
But if a person takes insulin, he should do it only before the main meals. You don't need three small sandwiches.
What is the glycemic index?
Calories are energy that you can get from food. In the store, on the packaging of any food product, the number of kilocalories in one hundred grams of the product, the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates is indicated.
But the products are different, they have a different glycemic index - the rate of absorption of carbohydrates in the body. The index is rated on a scale from zero to one hundred. There are foods that slowly increase sugar levels and there are foods that do so quickly, and this does not depend on the caloric content. The higher the index, the more the sugar level rises after consuming the product.
What is a unit of bread
Bread units are a parameter developed by German endocrinologists for patients with type 1 diabetes. We are talking about the amount of carbohydrates, which corresponds to approximately 12. 5 grams of bread. Each patient calculates the approximate number of grain units for himself, how much he needs. If one person weighs 100 kilograms and the other weighs 60, then they need a different number of units of bread. But in this case we are talking about carbohydrates, how many carbohydrates to eat.
The approximate required number of grain units is individual. It depends on how heavy a person is, play sports, or maybe plan a long trip or trip to the club. In this case, a simple calculation of XE will not help. You need to understand both portion sizes and product composition; for this, there is a school for patients with diabetes.
According to the data provided by our expert: "The units of bread are an approximate concept. We understand that the amount of carbohydrates for patients with diabetes mellitus should be approximately 50 to 55% of the amount of food. Therefore, the Calculus is pretty simple, but it still requires some training. "
Product tables
Allowed Products
With diabetes mellitus, sweets can only be replaced with sweets: sweeteners, fruits. You can, for example, eat two or three peaches, two oranges or three apples. Or you can eat something made with sweeteners. The fact is that foods for people with diabetes, including sweets, differ, in fact, only in one thing: they are more expensive.
The menu should contain healthy carbohydrates, high-fiber foods, fish, and "good" fats. During digestion, complex carbohydrates and disaccharides in the intestine are broken down into simpler ones. In particular, sugar is broken down into glucose and fructose, after which glucose is absorbed from the intestines into the blood. Avoid foods and drinks that are high in fat, sugar, and salt.
Foods high in healthy fats can help lower cholesterol levels. These include: avocados, walnuts, olive and peanut oil. Remember that, like all fats, they are rich in calories. It is important that the diet of a diabetic is rich in fiber. Fiber slows down the body's digestion, release, and absorption of glucose. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and whole grains are rich in fiber.
Choose fish instead of meat. Eat it at least twice a week.
Forbidden food
If possible, cut out easily digestible carbohydrates and alcohol. Such carbohydrates mean a rapid rise in blood sugar, and if a person is taking insulin and quickly tries to reduce this jump, sudden changes in sugar levels are dangerous for the body due to the risk of developing acute cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, accelerating the development of atherosclerosis.
With diabetes, you should limit:
- Saturated Fat (NSF). Eat less animal fats and avoid fatty dairy products. Most of the NF is found in butter, fatty meat, hot dogs, hot dogs, and some types of oil: coconut and palm;
- Trans fat. They are formed when the food industry converts liquid oils into solid fats, such as margarine. Most of them are found in fast food, cakes, pies, pastries. It's best not to eat trans fat at all, whether you have diabetes or not;
- Cholesterol. Best of all: no more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. Almost as much is contained in a chicken egg;
- Salt. Optimally, it will be no more than 2, 300 mg of sodium per day. This is about a teaspoon of salt, 6 grams;
- Otherwise, there are no special restrictions on the intake of products. You can also cook yourself more often. This way you will know exactly what caloric content the dish has, how many proteins, fats, carbohydrates it contains.
Sugar substitutes
They are different, synthetic and natural. These substances contain practically no calories, but are sometimes hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. There have been many studies that have not proven its harm.
Therefore, sweeteners can be used in moderation. The list of FDA-approved sweeteners includes saccharin, neotame, acesulfame, aspartame, sucralose, Advantam, stevia, and lo-han-go.
They are not worth overusing. Four to five tablets a day.
Important! Many people mistakenly think that honey can substitute for sugar. Honey contains a large number of calories and is an easily digestible carbohydrate. It should be limited as much as possible. Of course, it is very useful, but people with diabetes should avoid it.
Menu compilation rules
With 1 type
The most important thing for people with type 1 diabetes is to get all the essential nutrients in the same amount as healthy people. If there is no tendency to be overweight, then in terms of caloric content, the diet should not differ from the norm. It is vitally important that people with CD-1 know exactly how many carbohydrates they are consuming.
On average, one unit of insulin helps you absorb 15 grams of carbohydrates. This is something in common, and it is important for all people with type 1 diabetes to know their individual insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio. The proportion can vary depending on how long the person has had diabetes, weight, and level of physical activity.
The insulin dose is adjusted to the blood glucose levels before meals. If your blood sugar level is above the target level, additional units of insulin are added to lower it.
Your meal plan should include healthy protein, fat, and small amounts of complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. It is best if the proteins and fats come from plant sources. According to most foreign recommendations for diabetes, the diet is most accurately and completely represented in the Mediterranean nutrition plan.
With type 2
At this time, there is no definitive evidence of the benefits of a specific eating plan for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Regardless of whether you have diabetes, your diet should always be rich in non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, and minimally processed foods. . But this does not mean that you have to eat everything raw. You should limit sugar-free foods, processed grains, and processed meats. Sometimes a doctor may recommend a low-carbohydrate diet for people with type 2 diabetes; it is better not to change to it on your own, but to consult a dietitian.
The diet in each case is selected individually and involves taking into account the general state of health, food preferences and individual characteristics of a person.
Important! If people with type 2 diabetes have been dieting for a long time, they may need to see a dietitian from time to time to keep their eating plan up to date.
Unlike a style, a meal plan is a specific guideline that helps people plan when, what, and how much to eat each day based on the recommendations of the chosen style.
The diabetic plate method is widely used as a basic nutritional guide and provides a visual approach to calorie management.
Knowing how many carbohydrates you ate will make it much easier to calculate the correct dose of insulin. How and what to count correctly according to the diet will always be taught in a diabetic school.
Menu examples for the week
There is a trick to making a menu and serving a portion of food. You can put the same amount of food on a large plate and a small one. In a small one it seems that there is a lot, but in a large one it is not enough, but the number will be the same. You only need to eat from small plates.
Here is the menu, it is designed for about 2000-2500 calories. Depending on your weight and other individual characteristics, you may need a different number of calories.
Day 1
- Breakfast: poached egg, half an avocado, a slice of bread, an orange.
- Lunch: beans with spinach and tomatoes, cheese.
- Dinner: whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and turkey.
Day 2
- Breakfast: oatmeal with berries and nuts.
- Lunch: spinach salad, chicken breast, carrot and avocado; Strawberry.
- Dinner: boiled whole wheat couscous, fried zucchini, cucumber and tomato salad with fresh basil.
Day 3
- Breakfast: vegetable omelette with herbs, mushrooms, bell pepper and avocado; beans, blueberries.
- Lunch: whole wheat bread sandwich with plain Greek yogurt, mustard and tuna; grated carrot, cucumber, apple.
- Dinner: a mixture of beans and corn, chicken breast, asparagus, a quarter of a pineapple.
Day 4
- Breakfast: whole wheat toast with cheese and spinach.
- Lunch: cabbage stewed with chicken, strawberries, banana.
- Dinner: salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and cheese.
Day 5
- Breakfast: breakfast cereals, blueberries, a glass of almond milk.
- Lunch: salad with spinach, tomatoes, hard cheese, eggs, with yogurt dressing; grapes, pumpkin seeds.
- Dinner: baked salmon with potatoes and asparagus.
Day 6
- Breakfast: a glass of skimmed Greek yogurt, strawberry and banana puree.
- Lunch: brown rice with beans, low-fat cheese, avocado, coleslaw, and cucumber.
- Dinner: lean meat with potatoes and broccoli, strawberries.
Day 7
- Breakfast: pearl barley porridge in skimmed milk.
- Lunch: salad of whole wheat bread, cucumber, tomato, herbs and cheese.
- Dinner: shrimp, peas, beets boiled with olive oil, grapefruit.
This is a rough eating plan, but it gives a general idea of the composition of a diabetic diet and can guide your search for recipes.
Myths about diabetes nutrition
The biggest myth is that diabetes is due to the fact that people eat sugar. It's called sugar not because people eat sugar, but because diabetes raises sugar. And sugar levels rise for a number of reasons. Apples and bread can also raise blood sugar levels, although they seem harmless. There are many carbohydrates and they are not only found in sugar.
There is a theory about the viral origin of type 1 diabetes: it is possible that the Coxsackie virus, influenza virus, rubella virus and some other viruses cause type 1 diabetes mellitus. form antibodies, which mistakenly begin to attack the beta cells of the pancreas. Whether it is so or not, you have to try it, but, unfortunately, the disease appears and develops.
Another myth is that you can get type 1 diabetes and it becomes type 2 diabetes. This will never happen, these are completely different diseases that have the same onset of the disease called "diabetes mellitus".
There is not a cure for diabetes. Ineffective and useless treatments for diabetes include: ice diving, stopping insulin therapy, endless exercise, and nutritional supplements. All of this worsens the prognosis of the disease and increases the risk of complications. Get treatment from real doctors. The second type can be prevented, but there is no cure.
Diabetic Ready Meals (Delivery Services) If you have diabetes, carefully read the labels of all products and compare them with other similar products, looking for the best balance of carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber, as well as the optimal amount of calories.
Fructose is often found in "diabetic" products. Drinking it will not increase your blood glucose levels, because you will not get it at all.
Conclution
All people diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes mellitus should follow the dietary advice of a healthcare professional. Nutrition for diabetes mellitus should be developed individually, it can be adjusted by a nutritionist, according to changes in the course of the disease or when concomitant diseases appear. It is important that the diet is consistent with the general treatment plan, and the history and medications the person is taking should be considered. Not all obese people have diabetes. However, they are at higher risk of developing diabetes later in life. It is better not only to follow a diabetes diet, but also to start playing sports, stop smoking, and limit alcohol consumption.