Nutrition and diet for diabetes mellitus
Diabetes is a disease associated with insulin deficiency or with insulin resistance( insulin resistance) of body tissues. With poor insulin production, the pancreas is said to be the first type of diabetes mellitus, with insulin-dependent diabetes - the second type of disease. In both cases, the blood glucose level was elevated. The diet in diabetes is called to maintain the optimal level of blood sugar and restore normal metabolism.
Principles of nutrition of a diabetic
Proper nutrition with diabetes is a pledge of well-being and improving the quality of life of patients. Diabetics diet should help maintain a constant level of glucose in the blood, not allowing its sudden jumps, provide sufficient caloric content and high content of essential nutrients.
Diabetes recommended:
- Frequent fractional power. Eating at least 4-5 times a day in small portions, without making big breaks between meals.
- The same amount of calories and carbohydrates consumed with basic meals, to avoid jumps in blood sugar levels.
- Limited consumption of carbohydrates and a ban on sugar in its pure form, confectionery, sweets. It is acceptable to use sugar substitutes.
- The norm of carbohydrates is to get at the expense of vegetables, unsweetened fruits, cereals, dietary bread products, that is, products containing fiber in large quantities.
- Reduce the consumption of fats, fried foods, rich meat broths.
- To introduce an increased protein norm. The body needs amino acids to repair damaged tissues, so a protein diet in diabetes helps to provide cells with the necessary building material.
- To consume more foods containing vitamins A, C, B for the prevention of their insufficiency, characteristic for diabetics.
To account for carbohydrates, there is a special unit of measure - XE( bread unit), equal to 12 g of carbohydrates. Basic meals( lunch, dinner, breakfast) should include no more than 7 XE, snacks - a maximum of 1 XE.
Diet therapy for diabetes mellitus
A diet for a diabetic patient is the most important part of the treatment, used alone or in combination with drugs that reduce blood sugar. Observance of the diet is a necessary and lasting measure, which, ideally, should become a way of life. In most cases, the patient is shown a medical diet "table number 9".
When feeding on the "nine" of the diet are excluded:
- strong broths, fatty meat products, sausages, salted fish;
- buns;
- fatty, sweet or salted dairy products and cheeses;
- rice, pasta, semolina porridge;
- pickles and marinades, fatty sauces;
- sugar is pure and in the composition of foods and beverages;
- fruits with high glycemic index, dried fruits.
Soups are allowed on light broths, low-fat meat, low-fat dairy products, bread and cereals, legumes, vegetables, unsweetened fruits, sweets on sweeteners.
Diet No. 9 is used for non-severe diabetes. A slightly different approach requires insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a diet combined with insulin treatment differs from the ninth table with increased protein content and special strictness in compliance.
In addition to the restrictions on fat and "bad" carbohydrates, this diet has its own requirements:
- is limited to salt;
- food should not irritate the gastrointestinal tract( comfortable temperature, not rough, not sharp);
- the quantity of carbohydrate products is observed( equally every day);
- the use of carbohydrates should be correlated with the curve of the action of the insulin administered.
Violation of these rules is dangerous for insulin-dependent patients and can cause a sharp jump in sugar or, conversely, hypoglycemia. The diet should also be strictly treated in gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women. Here at stake is not only the health of the future mother, but also the normal development of the child.
If diabetes is first diagnosed during pregnancy, it is important, with proper nutrition, to prevent its progression. This will keep the disease "within" without the use of insulin preparations. The diet for gestational diabetes is selected individually by a doctor, since many factors must be considered in pregnancy.
Diabetes and overweight
Diabetes and overweight are frequent companions. Decreased body weight positively affects the condition of patients: in type 2 diabetes, it contributes to an increase in the sensitivity of tissues to insulin.
With a large weight, even a few kilos that have been discarded brings a noticeable relief. To treat obesity, there is a special diet - table number 8.This therapeutic diet is aimed at reducing weight without taking into account co-morbid diseases by normalizing metabolism. The effect is achieved by reducing the calorie content of food, cut "fast" carbohydrates and animal fats against the background of the usual consumption of protein products. Also, the restriction of salt, liquid, seasoning is introduced. Diet 8 in diabetes mellitus, in addition to weight loss has some therapeutic effect, as it largely corresponds to the principles of proper nutrition of diabetics.
Conventional "shock" low-calorie diets with diabetes are not recommended. They are poorly tolerated by diabetics, an unbalanced diet does not contain sufficient levels of nutrients and vitamins necessary for the patient, and hyper-or hypoglycemia may occur due to too severe restrictions and irregular eating habits.
For example, a popular diet based on buckwheat, often recommended for rapid weight loss, including diabetics, can harm the body of the patient. Nutrition during the 1 -2 weeks of exclusively steamed buckwheat and for a healthy person is not very useful. However, during this time, people with excessive body weight lose from 7 to 12 kg of fat, so for severe obesity, short-term use of such nutrition can be justified. Buckwheat is not prohibited in diabetic nutrition: it is considered one of the most useful due to its high fiber content, which helps to cleanse the body and prevents the rapid absorption of carbohydrates into the blood. A buckwheat diabetic diet can be used only with the permission of a doctor, as well as any other methods of treatment.
Duacan against diabetes
One of the most effective anti-diabetic rations is the high-protein diet of Pierre Ducane. Dyukanov food can stop the development of the pre-diabetic condition and improve the insulin tolerance of the body. First of all, the menu includes non-starchy vegetables and low-fat proteins: low-fat dairy products, lean meat, seafood and eggs.
Diabetes Diet for diabetes of the second type:
- normalizes glycemia due to the presence in the diet of only "good" carbohydrates;
- helps to reduce cholesterol due to low fat content of food;
- minimizes the risk of high blood pressure by limiting salt;
- improves tissue permeability for insulin.
The effectiveness of diet in diabetes mellitus is greatly enhanced by the introduction of at least minimal physical activity: morning exercises, walking, swimming - those types of exercises that do not give too much burden to the body of patients with excess weight.