Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases in the world. Despite all its complexity, there are ways to make a person's life much easier. First of all, you need to follow a certain diet.
If you follow a properly prescribed diet, diabetes will not affect the overall well-being in any way, and in addition, heart attack, stroke, etc. The likelihood of various complications, including.
Types of diet
Diet for diabetes is determined by the type of disease and age category. Thus, there are general principles for establishing proper nutrition based on the individual characteristics of the human body.
Since it is not possible to cure the disease, a certain menu is prescribed to reduce the danger. It is important to determine proper nutrition at the right time:
- reduce the risk of chronic and acute complications,
- maintain good health and relatively strong immunity,
- prevents or reduces weight gain,
- keep blood sugar levels within acceptable levels.
There are two types of diabetes. The first is called insulin-dependent. Its development is associated with damage and death of cells located in the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production.
However, nutrition aims to continue the process of insulin therapy and is an additional way to manage the disease. Its principles are similar to the principles that a healthy person follows in order to achieve a good figure and well-being.
The main difference is the need to calculate the amount of carbohydrates. Since the treatment for type 1 diabetes consists of insulin intake, it is important to keep track of what percentage of the daily diet is given for carbohydrates. As a rule, it should not exceed 60%.
Because it is type 2 diabetes, it is also insulin-dependent and develops in obese people, so diet is the number one priority. In the early or mild stages of the disease, the key is to get rid of excess weight rationally.
When this type of diabetes reaches a moderate or even severe form, medications are prescribed in addition to the diet to lower blood sugar or insulin. It should be noted that in such cases, special attention should be paid to physical activity. Thanks to them, a problem like obesity can be solved without surgery.
The most popular diets are the so-called Tables 8 and 9. The eighth diet schedule applies to those who are overweight or prone to being overweight. The basis for prescribing a diet for patients with ninth diabetes is taken.
Diet No. 9 for diabetes
Diet No. 9 is considered therapeutic and is prescribed to normalize metabolism (carbohydrates). It also aims to prevent diseases related to fat metabolism. The amount of calories should not exceed 2500 kcal.
Such a diet is characterized as follows:
- easily digestible animal fats and carbohydrates (excluding sweets and sugar) should be reduced in caloric intake.
- partial restriction or complete elimination of cholesterol and salt,
- to consume more vitamins and fiber,
- protein content should be normal.
All healthy diets, including the ninth, are based on proper nutrition. Need to eat often and in small portions. In general, the frequency should be 5 or 6 times a day.
Fried or cooked foods should be eaten as little as possible or completely forgotten. First of all, it must be cooked and boiled. It is best to compile a menu for the week, as it will make it easier to follow. The following products should be given special preference:
- lean meat
- lean fish
- Vegetables with no more than 5% carbohydrates,
- fruits (not all),
- sugar-free natural drinks.
As for spices and eggs, their consumption should be limited. This is especially true for egg yolks. The amount of protein per day should not exceed 1. 5. In addition to the importance of removing sweets from the menu for diabetes, pasta, pasta and puff pastry, pickled vegetables are also prohibited.
Bananas, dates, figs, grapes and all their derivatives should definitely not be consumed. The same goes for fats such as pork, lamb and beef. You need to eat a small amount of butter (unsalted) and vegetable oil to get the necessary fats.
Diet No. 9 is the basis used to determine proper nutrition. It is adjusted depending on the personal characteristics of the diabetic patient. There are different types of diets that you can combine to suit yourself.
What is a unit of bread?
Since the point of proper nutrition for diabetics is to consume a certain amount of carbohydrates, you need to know how this precious norm is set, and it depends on how much and what foods you eat.
All products containing carbohydrates have different physical properties and calories. These features are not subject to the usual measurement method. In addition, nutrition in diabetes requires increased control over daily intake.
Nutritionists have used the term "bread unit" to make it easier for you to know how much to eat and what not to eat. This concept is used when a diabetic is prescribed insulin.
With such a unit of measurement, it is easier for a person to understand what he can eat and drink and what he does not have. Creates a healthy menu based on personal indicators and can change other foods that contain carbohydrates.
As a rule, a person should consume 18 to 25 such units per day. Since there should be five meals, it always makes sense to distribute this amount rationally. The main "dose" should enter the body in the first half of the day. You can write a menu for yourself every day to keep track of the number of bread units consumed.
How many calories should you consume per day?
Diabetes mellitus diet requires the rejection of many foods and foods that may have previously been included in the daily diet. However, you should not mix foods that allow you to normalize blood sugar levels with those needed to get rid of these extra pounds.
Nutrition for type 1 diabetes is aimed at accurately calculating how much insulin is needed. In this case, the caloric content does not play a significant role. It should be controlled to lose weight.
Diets with type 2 diabetes often require increased calorie control because they develop in the case of obesity. However, their number is not worth fanaticism.
Daily caloric intake is calculated depending on the individual parameters of the body. The diet itself should be low in carbohydrates, but does not mean a complete lack of carbohydrates. It is necessary to fill, but it is important not to eat too much.
When asked what you can eat with type 2 diabetes, many believe that you should almost sit on bread crumbs and water. This is completely impossible. Meals should contain vitamins and fiber.
There are various recipes for delicious, filling and at the same time healthy meals that will not allow you to be healthy, at the same time a person will be filled with strength and energy. What specific foods should be consumed and how many calories are allowed per day should be discussed with your doctor.
Healthy and unhealthy foods
Low carb diets are different. For a healthy person, diabetes is more severe than a diagnosis. But they have the same meaning. They differ in the main list of products that are divided into healthy and harmful for diabetics.
Useful
- all kinds of vegetables,
- greens (spinach, sorrel, dill),
- mushrooms,
- meat and fish (lean),
- Coffee and tea,
- mineral water.
Harmful
Moderately increased sugar:
- potato,
- cereals,
- pasta, including hard types,
- dairy products.
Sugar increase:
- sweets,
- honey,
- drinks with added sugar,
- alcohol,
- grapes and its derivatives,
- hot and salty spices.
This division of products is generally accepted and is often used as a basis for preparing menus for diabetes. But what is good for one person may be bad for another. Because everything is relative, an individual diet is developed for each diabetic.
How to eat for obesity
It is believed that you need to follow a low-calorie diet to lose weight. But the problem is that it does not work. Numerous studies show that with the reduction of the caloric content of your diet, nothing happens except the constant feeling of hunger, fainting, nervousness and other things.
With such a diet it will be possible to lose a few pounds, but if the body is distinguished by elasticity and good muscles, then it will leave it in the first place. Subcutaneous fat will not go anywhere and sometimes accumulate even more.
A protein diet involves an active intake of proteins and a parallel reduction in the amount of fats and carbohydrates. The approach itself is not bad, but also has its nuances. However, it is impossible to overcome it with proteins, and the removal of fats from the diet is completely prohibited. Lack of carbohydrates will lead to loss of vital energy.
In the end, everything falls back on a low-carb diet. By itself, you need to reduce sugar. In losing weight, he is clearly not a savior, but he is the best of those presented. Its dignity is that all the elements necessary for the continuation of vital functions enter the body.
Thus, when there are rational amounts of natural fats, proteins and carbohydrates, the body does not need sediments. Metabolism begins to work like clockwork, there is no chronic starvation, the symptoms of the disease practically disappear, and the person becomes more active.
Diet for type 1 diabetes
The same low-carbohydrate diet is needed to maintain a healthy body with type 1 diabetes. But in this case it must be serious. Table number does not play a special role here, although the number 9 diet is often taken as a basis.
The problem is that even the effect of insulin is very different, so it is very difficult to normalize the indicators. Therefore, it is necessary to follow a certain diet. The less carbohydrates your body absorbs, the less insulin you need.
It is important to understand that your diet is related to your individual insulin dose. Therefore, you should take into account the amount of medication when preparing your menu. It is better to plan every day to make it easier to follow.
Diet for type 2 diabetes
Because type 2 diabetes is less complicated than type 1 diabetes, diet is important to lose weight and prevent it in the future. Still, a low-carb diet is recommended. Of course, this is an approximate regulated diet. This means normalizing blood glucose and insulin, as well as controlling insulin resistance.
Some people take various diet pills and apply folk remedies. You should forget the first, because at best these drugs will make no sense.
Folk remedies, as a rule, consist of any herbal infusion and decoction. If you really understand herbs, maybe something will come out of it, but you should not form the basis of treatment.
Kidney failure
Kidney failure may develop against the background of the disease. It is important to understand that high blood sugar is not caused by dietary protein, as many people mistakenly believe.
When glucose levels return to normal, the active development of such a disease stops. Diet helps for this. Protein is not eliminated from the diet, but it is necessary to work with carbohydrates. Proper nutrition given to normal people can even lead to complete recovery of the kidneys.
However, if the process is carried out excessively, there will be no return to healthy kidneys. Moreover, in such a situation, a low-carbohydrate diet can accelerate the destructive process. To avoid this, you should monitor your condition and a table created for you to control your diet will help, where food and insulin doses are prescribed if necessary.
Other important points
Diabetes can develop at any age. In children, it can occur against the background of excessive consumption of flour products, sweets. If you find the problem in time and start solving it correctly, you can prevent complications.
In women, the disease can occur for various reasons. Constant stress, poor nutrition (mostly unhealthy foods), as well as inactivity can lead to overweight and eventually type 2 diabetes.
There is often a situation where the disease occurs during pregnancy. This is due to hormonal imbalance. In addition, during this period, a woman can actively consume foods that can lead to the development of diabetes.
As a rule, pregnant women have a less strict diet aimed at normalizing the processes in the body and partial weight loss, while not harming the fetus.
Serious nutrition during gestational diabetes mellitus or diabetes during pregnancy should only be discussed with a specialist. Diet should be adjusted, taking into account the parallel development of the diet. With the exception of any product, you can harm the unborn child.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is less common in men than in women. This is due to the fact that it has a slightly accelerated metabolism. But junk food, alcohol dependence and less physical activity can easily cause such a problem.