There are no clearly defined levels of diabetes that can be expressed in numbers. Usually, mild, moderate and severe degrees of the disease process are distinguished. But there are two types of these diseases - the first (insulin dependent) and the second (non-insulin dependent).
It is especially important for these patients to follow the rules of proper nutrition, since in this case dietary modification is the main treatment.
Why diet?
In type 2 diabetes, tissue sensitivity to insulin is impaired and insulin resistance occurs. Despite the sufficient production of this hormone, glucose cannot be absorbed and enter the cells in proper amounts, leading to an increase in its level in the blood. As a result, the patient develops complications of the disease affecting the nerve fibers, blood vessels, tissues of the lower extremities, the retina of the eye, etc. v.
Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or even obese. Due to the slow metabolism, the weight loss process for them is not as fast as for healthy people, but for them, losing weight is extremely necessary. Normalization of body weight is one of the conditions for good health and maintaining blood sugar at target levels.
What should people with diabetes eat to normalize the sensitivity of tissues to insulin and reduce blood sugar? The patient's daily menu should reduce calories, and contain mainly slow, not fast carbohydrates. Usually, doctors recommend following the diet number 9. At the stage of weight loss, it is recommended to reduce the amount of fat in dishes (it is better to give preference to fats of vegetable origin). It is important for diabetics to have enough protein, as it is the building block and contributes to the gradual replacement of fatty tissues with muscle fibers.
Proper nutrition improves the sensitivity of tissues to insulin and normalizes blood sugar regulation.
The main goals of the diet for type 2 diabetes:
- lose weight and reduce body fat;
- normalization of blood glucose levels;
- maintain blood pressure within permissible limits;
- reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood;
- prevent serious complications of the disease.
The type 2 diabetes diet is not a temporary measure but a system that must be followed continuously. This is the only way to keep blood sugar in the normal range and maintain good health in the long run. In most cases, simply switching to proper nutrition is enough to keep diabetes under control. But even if the doctor recommends that the patient take a blood sugar-lowering medication, this does not mean canceling the diet. Without nutritional control, no medical method will provide lasting results (not even insulin injections).
Healthy natural foods that help maintain normal blood sugar levels and control blood pressure.
Food preparation methods
In type 2 diabetes, people should prepare food in gentle ways. The best cooking styles are culinary processes such as steaming, boiling, and baking. Diabetics can only eat fried foods from time to time, and it is better to cook them with a small amount of vegetable oil, or better yet, on a baking pan with a non-stick coating. With these cooking methods, the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients is preserved. In the complete form, such dishes do not burden the pancreas and other organs of the digestive tract.
You can also stew dishes in your own juice, while choosing foods that are low in calories and low in fat. Do not add sauces, store-bought marinades, and large amounts of salt to foods. To improve the taste, it is better to use allowed 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 the human body cannot produce on its own. But choosing it, you need to know certain rules so as not to accidentally harm your health. First, meat must be dietary. For sick people, it is best to eat lean chicken, turkey, rabbit, and veal. Second, it must be completely fresh, without a lot of veins and muscle membranes, because they are digested for a long time can create a feeling of heaviness, slowing the intestines.
The amount of meat in the diet should be limited, but at the same time, the daily dose should provide a sufficient amount of protein for the body. The distribution of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is selected 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. A properly selected ratio of calories and nutrients ensures a normal supply of energy, vitamins and minerals to the body.
Meats banned for diabetes:
- goose;
- Duck;
- pork;
- Lamb;
- fatty beef.
Patients should not eat bacon, smoked meat, sausages and broths with a lot of meat. Poultry soup is allowed, but the water must be changed after the first cooking. You cannot make soup with bone broth, as it is difficult to digest and creates an extra load on the pancreas and liver. The skin of the poultry should always be removed during cooking so that excess fat does not seep into the dish. It is better to give preference to fillets and white meat, in which there is less connective tissue and minimal streaks of fat.
Animal fats should be replaced as much as possible with vegetable fats. Olive, corn and flaxseed oils are considered the most beneficial for diabetics.
A fish
Fish must be present in the diet of a diabetic patient at least once a week. It is a good source of protein, healthy fats and amino acids. Eating fish products improves the condition of bones and muscles, and contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The most useful fish allowed, according to the rules of the diet, for diabetics is lean fish, cooked in the oven or steamed.
Diabetics can eat tilapia, heke, pollock, tuna, cod. It is also advisable to periodically include red fish (salmon, trout, trout) in your diet, 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 the appearance of edema and the development of hypertension. Since type 2 diabetes often develops in middle-aged and elderly people, problems with high blood pressure are associated with many of them. The use of foods that are too salty (including red fish) can cause increased pressure and worsen the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
When cooking fish, it is better to add a minimum amount of salt to it, replacing it with other spices and seasonings. It is recommended to bake without adding oil, as the product itself already contains a certain amount of healthy fats. To prevent the fillet from drying out, it can be cooked in the oven in a special plastic tube. Fish cooked this way contains more moisture and has a melted texture.
Diabetics are forbidden to eat white fish of fatty varieties (eg pangasius, basa, herring, catfish and mackerel). Despite their pleasant taste, unfortunately, these products can make you gain extra pounds and cause problems with your pancreas. Low-fat fish and seafood is a healthy source of natural vitamins and minerals that are perfectly absorbed by the body.
Diabetics eat boiled seafood very useful. Shrimp, squid and octopus contain large amounts of protein, vitamins and phosphorus.
Vegetable
The type 2 diabetes diet is based mainly on plant foods in the diet, so vegetables in any form should be an important part of the food that a person with the disease eats. They contain very little sugar, and are rich in fiber, vitamins and other precious 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 increase human immunity and improve digestion.
The following vegetables are also very useful for sick people:
- cauliflower;
- Jerusalem artichoke;
- pumpkin;
- onions and purple onions;
- broccoli;
- radish;
- zucchini and eggplant.
Beets are also very helpful for diabetics, as they contain amino acids, enzymes and slow carbohydrates. This vegetable is completely fat-free, so it's low in calories. 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 regulation of bowel movements, which helps to avoid constipation and the feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
A balanced diet for type 2 diabetes allows even including potatoes in the diet, but this vegetable should not be the basis when selecting and preparing meals. It is high in starch and relatively high in calories (compared to other vegetables), so its quantity should be strictly limited.
In order for vegetables to bring only benefits to the body, they must be prepared properly. If vegetables can be eaten raw and diabetics have no digestive problems, they should be consumed in this form, as this will preserve the maximum amount of useful elements, vitamins and minerals. But if the patient has concomitant gastrointestinal problems (eg inflammatory disease), then all vegetables must be pretreated with heat.
It is highly undesirable to sauté vegetables or stew with a lot of butter and vegetable oil, as they absorb fats, and the benefits of such a dish will be much less than the harm. Fatty and fried foods not only disrupt the functioning of the pancreas, but also cause the body to gain weight.
Vegetables cooked with excess oil are high in calories and can raise blood cholesterol.
fruit
Some patients, after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, try to eliminate all fruits from their diet, leaving only sour, green apples and sometimes pears in them. But this is not necessary, as most fruits have a low glycemic index and contain small amounts of carbohydrates and calories. For diabetics, all fruits and berries with a low and medium glycemic index are useful, as they contain many vitamins, organic acids, pigments and mineral compounds.
- Apple;
- Pear;
- tangerine;
- oranges;
- grapefruit;
- apricots;
- plum;
- grape;
- Cherry;
- cranberry;
- Raspberries.
Fruits contain carbohydrates, so their intake should be limited in the diet. Should eat them in the morning (up to 4 pm) so that the sugar does not convert into body fat. Before going to bed and on an empty stomach in the morning, it is not recommended to eat fruit, as this can lead to irritation of the stomach lining and weight gain.
Fruits banned for type 2 diabetes are melons, watermelons and figs because they have a high glycemic index and are high in sugar. For the same reason, patients should not eat dried fruits such as dates and dried figs.
Peaches and bananas can be included in a diabetic's diet, but should be eaten no more than once or twice a week. For daily use, it is better to give preference to plums, apples and citrus fruits, as they help improve digestion and contain a lot of crude fiber. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals necessary for the coordinated and comprehensive functioning of the whole body.
Fruit is a delicious and healthy snack that can help you overcome cravings for forbidden sweets. Patients who regularly eat fruit will find it easier to adhere to their diet and daily activities.
Cereals and pasta
What can sick people eat from cereals and pasta? There are many permitted products on this list from which you can cook delicious and healthy food. It is cereals and pasta that should be a slow source of carbohydrates that patients need for brain function and energy. Products recommended by doctors include:
- buckwheat;
- cooked oats (not instant cereals);
- bulgur;
- peas;
- durum wheat pasta;
- Wheat plate;
- unpolished rice;
- millet.
Diabetics should not eat white rice, semolina and instant oatmeal. These products are high in carbohydrates, calories and low in substances of biological value. In general, these cereals simply saturate the body and satisfy the feeling of hunger. Excessive consumption of such grains can lead to weight gain and problems with the digestive system.
But even permitted grains need to be cooked and eaten properly. It is best to cook porridge in water without adding oil or fat. It is advisable to eat them for breakfast because carbohydrates will provide the patient with energy for the whole day. These simple recommendations should always be kept in mind, since properly selected and cooked grains will bring only benefits and not harm to human health.
With type 2 diabetes, you need to eat small portions. It is advisable to divide the daily meal into 5-6 meals.
What should be given up?
Type 2 diabetics 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;
- Bacon;
- semi-finished products and fast food;
- marina;
- salty and spicy hard cheeses;
- bakery products from high quality flour.
You can't get an exception to the rules and sometimes using something on the prohibited list. With type 2 diabetes, the patient does not receive insulin injections, and the only chance to keep blood sugar levels normal is to eat right and to follow other recommendations of the attending physician.
Sample menu of the day
It is better to plan the menu for the day in advance, calculate the calorie content and the ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates in the dishes. Table 1 shows the calorie content and chemical composition of some foods that are allowed on the 9 diet. Guided by these data, physician recommendations and ingredients, alwaysindicated on the product packaging, you can easily create a diet with the optimal energy value.
A sample menu of the day might look like this:
- breakfast - oatmeal, a slice of low-fat cheese, unleavened whole-grain bread;
- snack - nuts or an apple;
- lunch - vegetable broth, boiled chicken or turkey breast, buckwheat porridge, berry juice;
- afternoon snack - fruit allowed and a glass of rosehip broth;
- dinner - steamed fish with vegetables or low-fat cheese, a glass of juice without sugar;
- a bedtime snack - 200 ml of low-fat kefir.
A type 2 diabetic's diet can be really varied and delicious. The lack of sweet foods is made up for with healthy fruits and nuts, and fatty meats are replaced with dietary options. A big plus of this menu is that it can be cooked for the whole family. Limiting animal fat and sugar is beneficial even for healthy people, and for diabetes it is a prerequisite for maintaining normal health for many years.