Diet for diabetes

Benefits of a diabetes diet

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease in which carbohydrate metabolism is disturbed. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which is responsible for lowering blood sugar levels. A lack of insulin causes a state of hyperglycemia – an increased concentration of glucose in the blood.

The most common form of the disease is type 2 diabetes, most often occurring in people after forty years, mainly in women. The development of the disease contributes to reduced physical activity, obesity, genetic predisposition, menopause and subsequent hormonal disorders. Cells do not respond to insulin and do not absorb glucose from the blood, although the amount of the hormone is still normal. The concentration of sugar rises, in response to insulin, even more is produced. Cells react even weaker to an increased dose of the hormone, insulin resistance occurs.

Since the cells do not receive enough glucose, despite the large amount of it in the blood, patients often experience hunger and weakness, eat even more carbohydrates, which aggravates the situation and leads to obesity. Such conditions are well corrected by proper nutrition, that is, a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates consumed in order to reduce the load on the pancreas and not cause a rise in blood sugar.

Diabetes 1 type occurs in children and young people, and is caused by a pathological condition of the pancreas, which practically does not produce insulin. Such patients are forced to artificially introduce this hormone for life.

There is also a gestational diabetes in pregnant women. Hormones released during childbearing block insulin, as a result of which sugar rises. Usually, after childbirth, the condition returns to normal on its own.

The main problem in any type of diabetes is a pathologically high level of glucose in the blood and carbohydrate starvation of cells that receive less sugar. To reduce sudden spikes in sugar, insulin and reduce the load on the pancreas, reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed, focusing on “slow carbohydrates”, which give a feeling of satiety. Fatty foods are also excluded, since they increase the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and lead to the same increased load on the organ.

Disadvantages of diet for diabetes

The main disadvantage is dietary restrictions. A large number of products are excluded, the method of their preparation becomes as sparing and dietary as possible, which may seem tasteless to those who are accustomed to otherwise. Also, fractional frequent meals for a uniform intake of carbohydrates cause certain difficulties during the day, when it is difficult to find the right snack that does not contain sugars.

In the serious stage of diabetes, you need to monitor the glycemic index of each food, excluding everything where the concentration of sugar is too high.

Many artificial sweeteners to create a sweet taste without raising blood glucose levels are harmful to the body. Natural substitutes are recommended, for example, stevia extract, erythritol. However, natural preparations can also cause sugar rises. According to numerous studies, fructose also contributes to obesity, although to a lesser extent than sucrose. Before and after meals, sugar is usually measured with special devices.

Diabetes food table

Modern approaches to therapy provide for a reduction in the carbohydrate load in the diet to 5-7%, and an increase in the consumption of vegetable fats. As a result of such a correction, the body receives a full range of useful micro and macro elements, without a large amount of carbohydrates, thereby reducing the carbohydrate load and the need for insulin preparations. Of course, in type 1 diabetes, it is impossible to completely give up insulin, but the development of type 2 diabetes can be halted and even reversed.

Patients are prescribed Diet No. 9 or its varieties. The amount of carbohydrates is adjusted by the doctor depending on the degree of the disease, the weight of the patient.

Previously, diabetics were advised to exclude completely easily digestible, fast carbohydrates. But today, WHO prioritizes such a concept as the quality of human life, so doctors are gradually abandoning radical formulations such as “this is strictly forbidden to you”, “forget about sweets”, etc.

Studies have shown that such restrictions are stressful for a person, and stress can lead to breakdowns, depression, so that life with continuous “no” will not be a joy. In addition, we still need sugar, because carbohydrates are energy for life. You cannot replace them with proteins and fats.

Therefore, the diet for diabetics is based on the glycemic index of all foods. In fact, this index reflects the rate at which sugar from them is absorbed into the blood. In foods with a high index – jam, cookies, cakes – the absorption rate is high. Products with a low index – cereals, fruits – are lower. The slower the rate of absorption, the easier it is for the pancreas to cope with the load. So, foods with a GI of up to 55 are broken down gradually and almost do not cause an increase in sugar.

The essence of the diet is to consume more foods with a low glycemic index throughout the day and dose your meals.

Both white bread and black bread are carbohydrates. The use of both increases blood sugar levels, the difference is only in speed. The first has a little more, and the second has a little less, so we say that black bread is preferable for diabetics, ”endocrinologists explain.

What you can eat

Heat treatment increases the GI of foods, so many things are desirable to eat raw or not boil food.

What not to eat

Now doctors try not to operate with such formulations. Firstly, with type XNUMX diabetes, you can eat almost everything, but you have to count bread units and inject insulin. Secondly, even with type XNUMX diabetes, in which diet plays a role, you can eat varied, but you should try to limit fast carbohydrates, fatty foods and other foods from the table below.

However, there are nuances here too. Take at least the same fatty foods. It is high in calories, and obesity often goes hand in hand with type XNUMX diabetes, so the number of calories for such people needs to be reduced. But at the same time, according to doctors, fats limit the absorption of sugar, so mashed potatoes on water will raise sugar levels faster than fried potatoes in oil.

And, of course, the degree of restriction of certain products depends on human activities. If you play sports, you need more carbohydrates than knowledge workers.

Menu for a week for a diet for diabetes

The main goal is to prevent large drops in blood glucose. For this, it is assumed that all food is divided into small parts that are consumed all day. At least 5 meals. As snacks, you can use cottage cheese, kefir, low-fat cheese, nuts.

In the nutrition menu for diabetics, the amount of carbohydrates should be evenly distributed, which is determined by the doctor for each patient separately. In type 1 diabetes, when the patient is dependent on artificial insulin administration, a low-carbohydrate diet may reduce the dose of the required drug, since blood sugar will be lower.

Reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, which increase blood sugar, reduces the need for medications. The use of the same dosages as before the transition to a low-carbohydrate diet can cause hypoglycemia. It is necessary to regularly measure blood sugar during the beginning of this diet and adjust the dosage of medications accordingly. This must be done under medical supervision! Specific products, their quantity, dependence on taking drugs, are chosen only by the doctor for each patient separately. This menu for a week with diabetes can be considered as a guide and an example of a patient’s diet.

Council

With a conscious reduction in sugar and starch in the diet, blood glucose stabilizes, and the level of insulin, the hormone that controls the deposition of fat in the body, decreases. This speeds up fat burning and increases the feeling of satiety after eating.

Day 1

Breakfast: omelette with vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs)

Lunch: vegetable salad with vegetable oil, boiled chicken breast and avocado

Dinner: chicken and broccoli casserole

Day 2

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, boiled asparagus

Lunch: grilled or baked fish with vegetables, lettuce

Dinner: beef steak with baked mushrooms

Day 3

Breakfast: whole wheat spaghetti with zucchini

Lunch: turkey in a creamy sauce with vegetables, lettuce

Dinner: salad with avocado, bacon and cheese

Day 4

Breakfast: bulgur porridge with blueberries and lemon zest

Lunch: cod with vegetables, stewed lentils

Dinner: chicken in garlic sauce, crumbly buckwheat

Day 5

Breakfast: boiled eggs, toasted whole grain bread

Lunch: bean stew, diet beef

Dinner: vegetable salad with greens, a piece of cheese

Day 6

Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese

Lunch: salad with vegetables, egg and tuna

Dinner: stewed rabbit or white fish, boiled cauliflower

Day 7

Breakfast: barley porridge with diluted milk

Lunch: steamed beef cutlets, dietary mushroom soup

Dinner: baked fish with pesto sauce and vegetables

The results

With a controlled amount of incoming sugar, insulin resistance decreases. Fractional nutrition allows you to avoid sharp jumps in sugar: both lowering and increasing, harmful to the pancreas and the body as a whole. In insulin-dependent diabetes, diet is necessary to match the dose of the drug and approximately the same amount of carbohydrates. If they are deficient, the dose of insulin may be too high and hypoglycemia will occur, and vice versa.

Dietitian Reviews

– Proper, balanced nutrition is of paramount importance in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but calling it a diet, in the narrow sense of the word, would not be correct. Although reducing carbohydrates and fats in the diet contributes to weight loss, excess of which often affects type 2 diabetics. It is important to change the lifestyle itself, food habits. Since the main problem in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is due to the fact that the body does not properly use the glucose supplied with food, the main focus of a properly designed nutrition plan should be on foods that include starch and simple sugars – their should be avoided. And if in type 2 diabetes a good effect in lowering blood sugar levels is achieved not only by properly selected foods, but also by a set of physical exercises that improve the transport function of glucose into muscle cells, then in type 1 diabetes, nutrition plays a dominant role, says Artur Moiseenko.