Diabetes mellitus does not have a clearly defined scale that can be expressed in numerical indices. Mild, moderate, and severe stages of the disease are usually distinguished. But there are two types of this disease - the first type (insulin dependent) and the second type (insulin independent).
It is especially important that such patients adhere to the rules of rational nutrition, as in this case it is diet correction that is the main method of treatment.
Why diet?
In type 2 diabetes, tissue sensitivity to insulin is impaired and insulin resistance appears. Despite sufficient 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, retina of the eye, etc.
Most patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or even obese. Due to a slow metabolism, the process of losing weight is not as fast for them as for healthy people, but it is extremely necessary for them to lose weight. Normalizing body weight is one of the conditions for good health and keeping blood sugar at the target level.
What should you 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 mostly slow, not fast carbohydrates. Usually, doctors recommend to adhere to diet number 9. In the weight loss phase, the amount of fat in the dishes should be reduced (it is better to give preference to fats of plant origin). It is important for a diabetic to get enough protein, as it is a building material and contributes to the gradual replacement of 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 blood cholesterol levels;
- prevention of serious complications of the disease.
The diet for type 2 diabetes 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 food is enough to keep diabetes under control. But even if the doctor recommends that the patient take hypoglycemic pills, this does not cancel the diet at all. Without nutrition control, no medical method will bring 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 culinary processes like steaming, boiling and baking. Fried foods can only be eaten occasionally by diabetics and it is preferable that they be cooked 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 preserved. In finished form, such dishes do not burden the pancreas and other organs of the digestive tract.
You can also boil dishes in your own juice, while choosing only low-calorie, low-fat foods. It is undesirable to add store-bought sauces, marinades and a large amount of salt to food. To improve the taste, it is better to use permitted spices: greens, 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 choosing it, you need to know a few rules so as not to accidentally damage your health. First, meat must be dietary. For sick people, chicken, turkey, rabbit and lean beef are best. Second, it should be completely fresh, it should not contain a large number of veins and muscle layers, as they are digested for a long time and can create a heavy feeling, 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 chosen individually for each patient by the attending 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 types of meat for diabetes:
- goose;
- duck;
- pork;
- sheep meat;
- fatty beef.
Patients should not eat bacon, smoked meats, sausages and meat-rich juices. 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 creates an extra load on the pancreas and liver. The skin should always be removed from the poultry during the cooking process so that excess fat does not get into the dish. It is always better to give preference to fillet and white meat, in which there is a minimal amount of connective tissue and fatty lines.
It is desirable that animal fats be replaced with vegetable fats to the maximum. Olive, corn and flaxseed oils are considered to be the most beneficial for patients with diabetes.
a fish
Fish should be present in the diet of a diabetic patient at least once a week. It is a source of healthy proteins, fats and amino acids. Eating fish products helps improve bone and muscle condition as well as contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The most useful fish allowed, according to the rules of the diet, for diabetics is the fat-free fish, which is cooked in the oven or on steam.
Diabetics can eat tilapia, cod, polish, tuna, cod. It is also advisable to periodically include goldfish (trout, salmon, salmon) in your diet, as it is rich in omega acids. These biologically active substances protect the body from the development of cardiovascular disease and help lower the level of "bad" cholesterol.
Patients should not eat smoked and salted fish because it can cause problems with the pancreas as well as provoke the appearance of edema and the development of hypertension. Since type 2 diabetes usually develops in middle-aged and elderly people, high blood pressure problems are important to many of them. Consumption of highly salty foods (including red fish) can provoke increased pressure and worsen the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
When cooking fish, it is best to add a minimal amount of salt, replacing it with spices and other seasonings. It is desirable to cook it without adding oil, as this product itself already contains a certain amount of healthy fats. In order for the fillet not to be dry, it can be cooked in the oven in a special plastic sleeve. Fish cooked this way contains more moisture and has a melted structure.
Diabetics are forbidden to eat white fish of fatty varieties (for example, pangasius, notothenia, herring, catfish and mackerel). Despite the pleasant taste, these products, unfortunately, can provoke the appearance of excess 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 beneficial for diabetics to eat boiled seafood. Shrimp, squid and octopus contain large amounts of 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 the sick. They contain very little sugar, and at the same time are rich in fiber, vitamins and other valuable chemical elements. The most useful vegetables for diabetes are green and red. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of antioxidants that prevent the formation of harmful free radicals. Eating tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and green onions 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 eggplant.
Beetroot is also very useful for diabetics, as it contains amino acids, enzymes and slow carbohydrates. There is no fat at all in this vegetable, so its caloric content is low. Beetroot dishes have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, boost immunity and strengthen blood vessel walls. Another important property of beetroot 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 potatoes to be included in the diet as well, but this vegetable should not be essential in the selection and preparation of 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 has no problems with digestion, it is better to use them in this form, as in this way the maximum amount of useful elements, vitamins and minerals is preserved. But if the patient has problems associated with the gastrointestinal tract (for example, inflammatory diseases), then all vegetables should undergo pre-heat treatment.
It is highly undesirable to fry vegetables or boil them with too much butter and vegetable oil, as they absorb fat, and the benefits of such a dish will be far less than the harm. Fatty and fried foods not only disrupt the functional activity of the pancreas, but often also cause a range of extra pounds.
Vegetables cooked in excess oil are high in calories and can increase blood cholesterol levels.
Fruit
Some patients, after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, try to eliminate all fruits from the diet, leaving in them only sour apples, green and sometimes even pears. But this is not necessary, as most fruits have a low glycemic index and contain a small amount of carbohydrates and calories. For diabetics, all fruits and berries with a low and medium glycemic index are beneficial because they contain many vitamins, organic acids, pigments and mineral compounds.
- apples;
- pear;
- mandarin;
- orange;
- grapefruit;
- apricots;
- plums;
- raisins;
- Cherry;
- cranberries;
- raspberries.
Fruits contain carbohydrates, so their amount in the diet should be limited. It is advisable to eat them in the morning (maximum until 16: 00) so that the sugar does not turn into body fat. Before going to bed and on an empty stomach in the morning, it is also better not to eat fruit, as this can lead to irritation of the stomach mucosa and a set 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 undesirable for patients to consume dried fruits like dates and dried figs.
Peaches and bananas may be present in the diet of diabetics, but it is advisable to eat them no more than once or twice a week. For everyday use, it is better to give preference to 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 necessary for the well-coordinated and complete work of the whole organism.
Fruits are a healthy and tasty food that can help you overcome cravings for forbidden sweet foods. Patients who eat fruit regularly find it easier to follow a daily diet and routine.
Cereals and pasta
What can patients eat from cereals and pasta? In this list there are many permitted products, from which you can cook delicious and healthy dishes. It is cereals and pasta that should be the source of the slow carbohydrates that the patient needs for brain function and energy. Products recommended by the doctor include:
- buckwheat;
- oats that require cooking (not instant cereals);
- bulgur;
- peas;
- hard wheat pasta;
- Wheat grain;
- unleavened rice;
- meli.
It is highly undesirable for diabetics to eat white rice, oatmeal and oats immediately. These products are rich in carbohydrates, calories and few biologically valuable substances. In general, these cereals simply saturate the body and satisfy the feeling of hunger. Excessive consumption of these cereals can lead to weight gain and digestive problems.
But even permitted cereals must be cooked and eaten properly. It is good to cook porridge in water without adding oils and fats. It is preferable to eat them for breakfast, as carbohydrates should give the patient energy for the whole day. These simple recommendations should 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 partially. It is advisable to divide the daily diet into 5-6 meals.
What should be given up?
Patients with type 2 diabetes should completely exclude such dishes and foods from the diet:
- sugar and products containing it;
- fatty dishes prepared using a large amount of vegetables or butter;
- smoked meat;
- semi-finished products and fast foods;
- marinade;
- strong salty and spicy cheeses;
- bakery products from premium flour.
You can not make exceptions to the rules and occasionally use something from the banned list. With type 2 diabetes, the patient does not take insulin injections and the only option to keep blood sugar at a normal level is to eat properly, respecting the other recommendations of the attending physician.
Example of menu for the day
It is better to make a menu for the day in advance, calculating its caloric content and the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the dishes. Table 1 shows the caloric content and chemical composition of some foods allowed with diet no. 9. Guided by this data, the recommendations of the attending physician and the composition, which is always indicated on the packaging of the products, can easily create a diet with optimal energy value.
An example menu for the day might look like this:
- breakfast - oatmeal, a slice of low-fat cheese, bread with unleavened cereal;
- snack - nuts or an apple;
- lunch - vegetable soup, boiled chicken or turkey breast, buckwheat porridge, berry juice;
- afternoon snack - fruits allowed and a glass of rose soup;
- 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 options. A big plus of this menu is that it can be cooked for the whole family. Limiting animal fats and sugar is also beneficial for healthy people, and in diabetes it is a prerequisite for maintaining normal health for many years.