Diabetes mellitus does not have clearly defined scores that can be expressed in numerical indicators. Mild, moderate, and severe degrees of the disease are usually seen. But there are two varieties of this disease - the first type (insulin dependent) and the second type (insulin dependent).
It is especially important for such patients to follow the rules of rational nutrition, as in this case it is the correction of the diet that is the main method of treatment.
Why diet?
In type 2 diabetes, tissue sensitivity to insulin is reduced and insulin resistance occurs. Despite the adequate production of this hormone, glucose can not be absorbed and enter the cells in the right amount, which leads to an increase in its level in the blood. As a result, the patient develops complications of the disease that affect the nerve fibers, blood vessels, tissues of the lower extremities, the retina of the eye, etc.
Most patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or even obese. Due to the slow metabolism, the weight loss process is not as fast for them as for healthy people, but it is extremely necessary to lose weight. Normalization of body weight is one of the conditions for good health and maintenance of blood sugar at the target level.
What to eat with diabetes to normalize tissue sensitivity to insulin and lower blood sugar? The patient's daily menu should be reduced in calories and contain mainly slow, not fast carbohydrates. Usually, doctors recommend adhering to diet number 9. At the stage of weight loss, the amount of fat in the dishes should be reduced (it is better to prefer vegetable fats). It is important for a diabetic to get enough protein, as it is a building block and helps to gradually replace adipose tissue with muscle fibers.
Rational nutrition improves tissue sensitivity to insulin and normalizes the regulation of blood sugar levels.
The main goals of the diet for type 2 diabetes:
- weight loss and reduction of body fat;
- normalization of blood glucose levels.
- keeping blood pressure within acceptable limits.
- lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood.
- prevention of serious complications of the disease.
The type 2 diabetes diet is not a temporary measure, but a system that must be followed constantly. This is the only way to keep your blood sugar at a normal level and maintain good health for a long time. In most cases, just switching to the right diet is enough to keep diabetes under control. But even if the doctor recommends the patient to take hypoglycemic pills, this in no way cancels the diet. Without diet control, no medical method will have a lasting effect (even insulin injections).
Healthy natural foods help maintain normal blood sugar levels and control blood pressure.
Food preparation methods
In type 2 diabetes, it is desirable for patients to prepare food in gentle ways. The best types of cooking are cooking processes such as steaming, cooking and baking. Fried foods can only be eaten occasionally by diabetics and it is best to cook them in a small amount of vegetable oil or even better in a grill pan with a non-stick coating. With these cooking methods, the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients is maintained. In the final form, such dishes do not burden the pancreas and other organs of the digestive tract.
You can also cook dishes with your own juice, while choosing only low-calorie and low-fat foods. It is not desirable to add sauces from the store, marinades and a large amount of salt to food. To improve the taste, it is better to use permitted spices: herbs, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and dried herbs.
Meat
Meat is a very important source of protein for diabetics because it contains essential amino acids that can not be produced by the human body. But in choosing it, you need to know some rules so that you do not accidentally damage your health. First, meat must be dietary. For the sick, chicken, turkey, rabbit and lean beef are best. Second, it must be perfectly fresh, not contain large numbers of veins and muscle membranes, as they are digested for a long time and can create a feeling of weight, slowing down the intestines.
The amount of meat in the diet should be limited, but at the same time, the daily dose should provide a person with a sufficient amount of protein. The distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is selected individually for each patient by the treating physician. It depends on many factors - weight, body mass index, age, anatomical features and the presence of concomitant diseases. Properly selected ratio of calories and nutrients ensures the normal supply of the body with energy, vitamins and minerals.
Prohibited meats for diabetes:
- goose;
- duck;
- pork;
- Lamb meat;
- fatty beef.
Patients should not eat bacon, smoked meats, sausages and rich meat broths. It is allowed to cook poultry soups, but the water must be changed after the first cooking. You can not cook soup with bone broth, because it is difficult to digest and puts extra strain on the pancreas and liver. During cooking, the skin should always be removed from the poultry, so that excess fat does not get into the dish. It is always better to prefer fillet and white meat, which has a minimal amount of connective tissue and fatty streaks.
It is desirable to replace animal fats with vegetable fats to the maximum. Olive, corn and flaxseed oils are considered to be the most beneficial for diabetics.
A fish
Fish should be in the diet of a diabetic patient at least once a week. It is a source of healthy proteins, fats and amino acids. Consumption of fish products helps to improve the condition of bones and muscles and also helps prevent cardiovascular disease. The most useful fish allowed, according to the rules of the diet, for diabetics is the lean fish, which is baked in the oven or steamed.
Diabetics can eat tilapia, cod, pollen, tuna, cod. It is also good to periodically include red fish in your diet (trout, salmon, salmon), as it is rich in omega acids. These biologically active substances protect the body from the development of cardiovascular diseases and help reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol.
Patients should not eat smoked and salted fish, as it can cause problems with the pancreas, as well as cause swelling and the development of hypertension. Since type 2 diabetes usually develops in the middle-aged and elderly, the problems of high blood pressure are relative to many of them. Eating very salty foods (including red fish) can cause high blood pressure and worsen the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
When cooking fish, it is best to add a small amount of salt to it, replacing it with other spices and seasonings. It is desirable to cook it without adding oil, as this product itself already contains a certain amount of healthy fats. To prevent the fillet from being dry, it can be baked in the oven on a special plastic sleeve. Fish cooked this way contain more moisture and have a melt texture.
Diabetics are forbidden to eat white fatty fish (for example, pangasius, notothenia, herring, catfish and mackerel). Despite the pleasant taste, these products, unfortunately, can cause the appearance of extra pounds and cause problems with the pancreas. Low fat fish and seafood are a healthy natural source of vitamins and minerals that are perfectly absorbed by the body.
It is useful for diabetics to eat boiled seafood. Shrimp, squid and octopus are high in protein, vitamins and phosphorus.
Vegetables
The diet for type 2 diabetes is based on the predominance of plant foods in the diet, so vegetables in any form should be an important part of the food eaten by sufferers. They contain minimal sugar, and at the same time are rich in fiber, vitamins and other valuable chemical elements. The most useful vegetables for diabetes are greens and reds. This is because they contain a large amount of antioxidants that prevent the formation of harmful free radicals. Eating tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and chives can boost human immunity and improve digestion.
The following vegetables are also useful for patients:
- cauliflower;
- Jerusalem artichoke?
- pumpkin;
- onions and blue onions;
- broccoli;
- radish;
- zucchini and eggplants.
Beetroot is also very useful for diabetics, as it contains amino acids, enzymes and crude carbohydrates. There is no fat in this vegetable, so its calorie content is low. Beetroot dishes have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, increase immunity and strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Another important property of beets for diabetics is the smooth regulation of intestinal motility, which helps to avoid constipation and the feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
A balanced diet for type 2 diabetes allows even potatoes to be included in the diet, but this vegetable should not be essential when choosing and preparing meals. It contains a lot of starch and has a relatively high calorie content (compared to other vegetables), so its amount should be strictly limited.
In order for vegetables to bring only benefits to the body, they must be properly prepared. If vegetables can be eaten raw and the diabetic does not have problems with digestion, it is better to use them in this form, as this preserves the maximum amount of useful elements, vitamins and minerals. But if the patient has simultaneous problems with the gastrointestinal tract (for example, inflammatory diseases), then all the vegetables must be subjected to preliminary heat treatment.
It is very undesirable to fry vegetables or cook them with a lot of butter and vegetable oil, as they absorb fat and the benefits of such a dish will be much less than bad. Fatty and fried foods not only disrupt the functional activity of the pancreas, but often cause a whole lot of extra pounds.
Vegetables cooked in excess oil are high in calories and can raise blood cholesterol levels.
Fruit
Some patients, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, try to remove all fruits from the diet, leaving only sour, green apples and sometimes pears. But this is not necessary, since most fruits have a low glycemic index and contain a small amount of carbohydrates and calories. For diabetics, all fruits and berries with low and medium glycemic index are useful because they contain many vitamins, organic acids, pigments and minerals.
- apples;
- pears?
- tangerines;
- oranges;
- grapefruit?
- apricots;
- plums?
- raisin;
- cherry;
- blueberries;
- raspberries.
Fruits contain carbohydrates, so their amount in the diet should be limited. It is good to eat them in the morning (at most until 16: 00) so as not to turn sugar into body fat. Before going to bed and on an empty stomach in the morning, it is also best not to eat fruit, as this can lead to irritation of the gastric mucosa and a whole lot of extra pounds.
Prohibited fruits for type 2 diabetes are melon, watermelon and figs because they have a high glycemic index and are high in sugar. For the same reason, it is not advisable for patients to consume dried fruits such as dates and dried figs.
Peaches and bananas may be part of a diabetic's diet, but it is best to eat them no more than once or twice a week. For everyday use, it is better to prefer plums, apples and citrus fruits, because they help improve digestion and contain a lot of thick fiber. They contain many vitamins and minerals that are essential for the well-coordinated, integrated work of the whole organism.
Fruit is a healthy and delicious treat that can help you overcome the craving for forbidden sweet foods. Patients who eat fruit regularly find it easier to follow a diet and daily routine.
Cereals and pasta
What can patients eat from cereals and pasta? There are many permitted products on this list, from which you can cook delicious and healthy dishes. It is the cereals and pasta that should be the source of the slow carbohydrates that the patient needs for the function and energy of the brain. The products recommended by the doctor include:
- buckwheat;
- oats that require cooking (not instant cereals).
- groats?
- peas;
- durum wheat pasta;
- Wheat groats?
- unpolished rice;
- millet.
It is highly undesirable for diabetics to eat white rice, semolina and instant oatmeal. These products are high in carbohydrates, calories and a few biologically valuable substances. In general, these cereals simply saturate the body and satisfy the feeling of hunger. Excessive consumption of such cereals can lead to weight gain and digestive problems.
But even permitted cereals must be cooked and eaten properly. It is better to cook the porridge in water without adding oils and fats. It is best to eat them for breakfast, as carbohydrates should provide the patient with energy for the whole day. These simple recommendations must always be remembered, as properly selected and cooked cereals will only bring benefits and will not harm human health.
With type 2 diabetes, you need to eat fractional. It is good to divide the daily diet into 5-6 meals.
What should I give up?
Patients with type 2 diabetes should completely exclude such dishes and foods from their diet:
- sugar and products containing it;
- fatty dishes prepared with a large amount of vegetables or butter.
- smoked meats;
- semi-finished products and fast food.
- marinades;
- savory and spicy hard cheeses.
- high quality flour pastries.
You can make no exceptions to the rules and occasionally use something from the banned list. With type 2 diabetes, the patient does not receive insulin injections and the only chance to keep their blood sugar at normal levels is to eat properly, while following other recommendations of the treating physician.
Sample menu for the day
It is better to make a menu for the day in advance, calculating its calorie content and the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the dishes. Table 1 shows the calorie content and chemical composition of certain foods allowed by diet No. 9. Based on these data, the recommendations of the treating physician and the composition, which is always indicated on the packaging of the products, you can easilycreate a diet with optimal energy value.
A sample menu for the day might look like this:
- breakfast - oatmeal, a slice of low-fat cheese, wholemeal bread without yeast.
- snack - nuts or an apple.
- Lunch - vegetable broth, boiled chicken or turkey breast, buckwheat porridge, berry juice.
- Afternoon snack - fruit and a glass of rose broth are allowed.
- Dinner - Steamed fish with vegetables or low-fat cottage cheese, a glass of sugar-free compote.
- a snack before bed - 200 ml of low-fat kefir.
The diet of a type 2 diabetic can be really varied and delicious. The lack of sweet foods in it is compensated by healthy fruits and nuts and fatty meat is replaced by dietary choices. A big advantage of this menu is that it can be cooked for the whole family. Limiting animal fats and sugar is beneficial even for healthy people, while in diabetes it is a prerequisite for maintaining normal health for many years.