Sweet is no longer allowed. Absolutely. But wait, why?
If a person is diagnosed with diabetes, this does not mean that he will have to sit on a strict, tasteless diet for the rest of his life. Moreover, the quality of life with such a diagnosis may even increase - there will be motivation to eat right and play sports. And you will also need to learn to count well in order to correctly take insulin, if necessary. What else to 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 sugar is characteristic. These diseases lead to the development of severe complications, primarily vascular: coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, as well as renal failure and even gangrene. Diabetes is common in pregnant women and is referred to as gestational diabetes. But a diet is not prescribed, as it usually goes away after childbirth.
People who eat a lot of sugar are more likely to get fat. This is facilitated by the modern rhythm of life and the peculiarities of work - the way to work is sitting in the car, and the work itself is sedentary, office. Lack of physical activity contributes to the development of physical inactivity. Naturally, body weight begins to increase. Metabolic disorders develop.
Why you need a diet for diabetes
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 taken by carbohydrates, but carbohydrates are "harmless". It should be remembered that the so-called "fast" carbohydrates - sugar, donuts, buns, bagels, white bread cause a peak increase 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: normalizing blood sugar levels and reducing caloric intake. There are no universal recommendations for people with type 1 and 2 diabetes, since there is a risk that a person will go from a state of hyperglycemia to hypoglycemia (too low blood glucose levels), and this is fraught with serious complications up to the development of coma.
Features 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. Compared with proteins and carbohydrates, there are about half to three times less kilocalories.
Many people believe that vodka lowers blood sugar levels. So it really is, but in a pathological, abnormal, harmful way. Blood sugar levels drop, but appetite increases immediately. A person wants to have a bite of this vodka, and once he has had a bite, he added himself more calories.
Calorie: the stronger the drink, the more calorie it is. A bottle of wine has about three times less calories than vodka, beer - even less.
Strictly speaking, a patient with diabetes should first of all minimize alcohol consumption.
Carbohydrates are of two types: easily digestible (fast) and the so-called slow. Slowly digestible includes cereals, pasta, potatoes. In the diet of a dibetics, carbohydrates must be present. If you take a plate and divide it into four parts, about half should be carbohydrates, a quarter of fats and a quarter of proteins.
Animal fats are extremely dangerous. Therefore, it is more useful to give preference to fish over meat. If you eat chicken, then, naturally, skin it off and remove fat. If we talk about beef, pork, you need to reduce the calorie intake and the volume of consumption of these fats itself. Fish and meat are also excellent sources of protein. However, you should not focus only on them - plant foods like soy and wheat also have a lot of protein, sometimes even more than animal sources.
Important! Food should be measured, moderate, five to six times a day, a little bit, once every three hours, full, but in no case three times a day.
It is also recommended to devote time to the main meals - breakfast and lunch for at least 30 minutes. If he eats too quickly, an excess amount of insulin enters the bloodstream, and since there is a lot of it, he needs more food. And, without noticing, the person eats more. Therefore, it is important to eat without distraction, not to rush.
You may have heard something about numbered diets for people with diabetes. We also heard, and decided to invite an expert, professor, head of the endocrinology department.
"At one time, diabetic tables, the so-called numbered diets, were actively used. Since then, dietetics and all science in general have made great strides forward. Therefore, the diabetic table number 9 is an outdated concept, it is no longer used. "
Differences in nutrition for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
It is important for all people with diabetes, regardless of age, to eat healthy foods, just like people without diabetes. The diet must include fiber-rich foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
A person with diabetes does not need to take insulin as many times as they eat. For example, a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus on pill therapy does not need insulin - even if necessary, eat six times a day, in small portions.
But if a person receives insulin, then it should be done only before the main meals. No need for three small snacks.
What is the glycemic index
Calories are energy that can be obtained 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 ranked on a scale from zero to one hundred. There are foods that slowly raise sugar levels, and there are foods that quickly, and this does not depend on calorie content. The higher the index, the more the sugar level rises after eating 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 roughly corresponds to 12. 5 grams of bread. Each patient calculates the approximate number of bread units for himself, how much he needs. If one person weighs 100 kilograms, and the other 60, then they need a different number of bread units. 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 much a person weighs, does sports, or maybe plans a long trip or a trip to the club. In this case, a simple calculation of XE will not help. It is necessary to understand both the size of the portions and the composition of the products - for this there is a school for patients with diabetes.
According to the data provided to us by our expert: "Bread units are an approximate concept. We understand that the amount of carbohydrates for patients with diabetes should be approximately 50–55% of the amount of food. Therefore, the calculation is a fairly simple thing, but it still requires some kind of 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 sweet foods, differ, in fact, in only one thing - they are more expensive.
The menu should contain healthy carbohydrates, foods rich in fiber, fish and "good" fats. During digestion, complex carbohydrates and disaccharides in the intestine are broken down into simpler ones. In particular, sugar breaks down into glucose and fructose, after which glucose is absorbed from the intestines into the blood. Avoid foods and drinks high in fat, sugar, and salt.
Foods rich in healthy fats can help lower cholesterol levels. These include: avocados, nuts, olive and peanut oils. Remember that, like all fats, they are high in calories. It is important that a diabetic's diet is high 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 over meat. Eat it at least twice a week.
Prohibited foods
If possible, eliminate easily digestible carbohydrates and alcohol. Such carbohydrates mean a rapid rise in blood sugar, and if a person is on 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 pathology.
Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, accelerating the development of atherosclerosis.
With diabetes, you need to limit:
- Saturated fat (NSF). Eat less animal fats and avoid fatty dairy products. Most of all NF is found in butter, fatty beef, sausages, sausages and some types of oils - coconut and palm;
- Trans fats. They are formed when the food industry turns liquid oils into solid fats, like margarine is made. Most of them are found in fast food, pastries, cakes, pastries. It is best not to consume trans fats at all, whether you have diabetes or not;
- Cholesterol. Best of all - no more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. About so much is contained in one chicken egg;
- Salt. Optimally, no more than 2300 mg of sodium per day will be. This is about one teaspoon of salt, 6 grams;
- Otherwise, there are no special restrictions on the intake of products. You can also cook yourself more often. So you will know exactly what calorie content the dish has, how much proteins, fats, carbohydrates it contains.
Sugar substitutes
They are different, synthetic and natural. These substances contain practically no calories, but they are sometimes hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. There have been a lot of studies that have not proven their 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.
It is not worth using them in excess. Four to five tablets a day.
Important! Many people mistakenly believe that honey can be substituted for sugar. Honey contains a huge amount of calories and is an easily digestible carbohydrate. It needs to be limited as much as possible. It is, of course, 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 calorie content, the diet should not differ from the norm. It is vitally important for people with CD-1 to know exactly how many carbohydrates they eat.
On average, one unit of insulin helps you absorb 15 grams of carbohydrates. This is a commonality, and it is important for every person with type 1 diabetes to know their individual insulin to carbohydrate ratio. The ratio can vary depending on how long the person has had diabetes, weight, and level of physical activity.
Insulin dosage is adjusted for pre-meal blood glucose levels. If your blood sugar is above the target level, additional units of insulin are added to lower it.
The meal plan should include healthy proteins, fats and small amounts of complex carbohydrates, with a low glycemic index. It is best if proteins and fats come from plant sources. According to most foreign recommendations for diabetes, the diet is most accurately and fully represented in the Mediterranean nutrition plan.
With type 2
At this time, there is no definitive evidence for the benefits of a specific meal 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 foods with free sugar, processed grains and processed meats. Sometimes a doctor may recommend a low-carb diet for people with type 2 diabetes - it is better not to switch to it on your own, but to consult a dietitian.
The diet in each case is selected individually and implies 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 on a diet for a long time, they may need to consult with a dietitian from time to time to keep their meal 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, visual approach to calorie management.
Knowing how many carbs you ate will make it much easier to calculate the correct dose of insulin. How and what to count correctly in accordance with the diet, you will always be taught in a diabetic school.
Menu examples for the week
There is one trick when making a menu and serving a portion of food. You can put the same amount of food on a large plate and on a small one. On a small one it seems that there is a lot of it, but on 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 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 grain pasta with tomato sauce and turkey.
Day 2
- Breakfast: oatmeal with berries and nuts.
- Lunch: salad of spinach, chicken breast, carrots and avocado; Strawberry.
- Dinner: boiled whole wheat couscous, fried zucchini, cucumber and tomato salad with fresh basil.
Day 3
- Breakfast: vegetable omelet with herbs, mushrooms, bell pepper and avocado; beans, blueberries.
- Lunch: whole grain bread sandwich with unflavored 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 grain bread toast with cheese and spinach.
- Lunch: stewed cabbage with chicken, strawberries, banana.
- Dinner: salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and cheese.
Day 5
- Breakfast: breakfast cereals, blueberries, a glass of almond milk.
- Lunch: salad of spinach, tomatoes, hard cheese, eggs, with yoghurt dressing; grapes, pumpkin seeds.
- Dinner: baked salmon with potatoes and asparagus.
Day 6
- Breakfast: a glass of low-fat Greek yogurt, strawberry-banana puree.
- Lunch: brown rice with beans, low-fat cheese, avocado, cabbage and cucumber salad.
- Dinner: lean beef with potatoes and broccoli, strawberries.
Day 7
- Breakfast: barley porridge in low-fat milk.
- Lunch: whole grain bread, cucumber, tomato, herbs and cheese salad.
- Dinner: shrimps, green peas, boiled beets with olive oil, grapefruit.
This is a rough meal plan, but it gives you a general idea of the composition of a diabetic diet and can provide direction in your search for recipes.
Diabetes Nutrition Myths
The biggest myth is that diabetes is caused by the fact that people eat sugar. It is called sugar not because people eat sugar, but because diabetes increases sugar. And sugar levels rise for a variety of reasons. Apples and bread can also raise blood sugar levels, although they seem harmless. There are a lot of carbohydrates, and they are found not only in sugar.
There is a theory of 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. That is, after the disease, antibodies are formed, which by mistake begin to attack the beta cells of the pancreas. Whether this is so or not, it is necessary to prove, but, unfortunately, the disease appears and develops.
Another myth is that you can get type 1 diabetes and it turns into 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 no cure for diabetes. Among the ineffective and unhelpful treatments for diabetes, there are: ice diving, withdrawal of insulin therapy, endless exercise and nutritional supplements. All this worsens the prognosis of the disease and increases the risk of complications. Get treated with real doctors. The second type can be prevented, but there is no cure.
Ready meals for diabetics (delivery services) If you have diabetes, carefully read the labels of all products and compare them with other similar products, look for the best balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fiber, as well as the optimal amount of calories.
Fructose is often found in products "for diabetics". Drinking it will not raise your blood glucose levels - because you won't be getting it at all.
Conclusion
All people diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes should follow the dietary advice of a healthcare professional. Nutrition for diabetes mellitus should be developed individually, it can be adjusted by a nutritionist, in accordance with 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 that the person is taking should be taken into account. Not all obese people have diabetes. However, they have a higher risk of developing diabetes in the future. It is best not only to follow a diabetes diet, but also to start playing sports, quit smoking, and limit alcohol.