Surely every person at least once in his life came across such a formidable concept as diabetes. Especially when you consider the facts that the first data on this pathology appeared in ancient Egypt, and its incidence in our time is about 246 million. Truly a scary figure. Therefore, each of us must know at least the basic minimum information about this disease in order to see a doctor in time and begin treatment, which is so necessary for diabetes. What you can eat, what kind of lifestyle to lead, how to maintain your health - with the patient's knowledge of all this and adequate therapy with this diagnosis, you can live to a very old age with virtually no complications.
Initial symptoms
So, first you need to figure out what constitutes this serious disease. First of all, diabetes mellitus is divided into 2 main types: the first (insulin-dependent) and the second (non-insulin-dependent); and each of them has different causes of development and methods of treatment. However, due to the fact that they have a common mechanism of damage to blood vessels and internal organs, namely, associated with an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood, they have the same symptoms.
The first signs that the patient may notice in himself are dry mouth, a feeling of constant thirst, frequent urination, possibly even at night. Against the backdrop of severe metabolic disorders in diabetes, a person suffers from the correct absorption and processing of all nutrients, especially carbohydrates and fats. Therefore, the patient may notice that he either gained or lost a lot of weight in a short time.
Signs of disease progression
Due to malnutrition of tissues and blood vessels, their fragility increases, which causes bleeding during injuries, the skin becomes less elastic and easier to undergo fungal and bacterial lesions, in addition to general and muscle weakness, decreased performance, accelerated feelings of fatigue during exercise. However, the diabetes mellitus disease only manifests itself externally, and in the meantime, irreversible destructive changes occur in the organs, which entail severe complications in the form of periodontosis, atrophic gastritis and duodenitis, fatty degeneration of the liver, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis and, as a result, coronary heart disease, diabetic neuro- and angiopathies, as well as coma.
There is only one way to avoid all this: adequate treatment and respect for one’s health, and therefore diet for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is at the forefront, however, it is no different from what is intended for patients with insulin-dependent pathology. We will talk about it a little later, and before that you should learn about the causes of this serious illness, so that everyone can pay attention to their lifestyle in time.
Etiology
First of all, excess body weight has a diabetic effect. The thing is that in adipose tissue there are receptors for glucose, the main energy substrate in our body, and its conversion to fats ensures its normal utilization. However, this can play an opposite, negative role. Because with an excess of adipose tissue in humans, the receptors on the cells gradually disappear, and therefore glucose has nowhere to go, and it continues to circulate in the blood, bringing no good consequences. So, it interacts with blood proteins, including hemoglobin, the only carrier of oxygen, and disrupts their functions. In addition, it damages the walls of blood vessels, which adversely affects the brain, heart, kidneys, peripheral nerves.
Other risk factors
This is where all the complications develop, and the situation is aggravated by a person’s reduced mobility, a sedentary lifestyle, and the use of easily digestible carbohydrates and fats. That is why the doctor must tell the patient with diabetes what to eat, what is more beneficial for him, and what is almost fatal.
Another option for the appearance of this disease in a person is hereditary, that is, the presence of it in the next of kin, because as a result of this there is a predisposition to such a severe pathology. This means that even with minor nutritional or lifestyle errors in such a patient, diabetes will develop much easier and faster than in people with an uncomplicated family history. And therefore, they also need an extremely careful menu. Diabetes mellitus, type 2 or type 1, is something that is better to avoid than to be treated all my life afterwards.
The basic principles of nutrition
For humans, food is not only a source of energy, but also the main substrate for the construction of new cells and the regulation of metabolism in existing ones. A certain diet is necessary for any disease, but type 2 diabetes mellitus stands out in this aspect.
Diet with this pathology has a key role, because the slightest error in nutrition leads to a jump in blood glucose, which can cause a coma. Its general scheme is simple and well-known: categorically do not drink alcoholic and carbonated drinks, fatty and fried, overly salty foods, pickled foods, canned foods and offal like sausages or sausages, semi-finished products, smoked and plenty of spices. The key link is precisely impaired glucose metabolism, and therefore diabetes has several features. What you can eat with this disease and how to count it, we will learn further.
The value of nutrition for the patient endocrinologist
Each piece of food that a person eats, goes a long way, first along the gastrointestinal tract, and then inside the vascular bed and cells. And each of its components is either rationally consumed or allocated out of uselessness or harmfulness. Those patients who have a frightening diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in their medical history should give extremely special attention to their nutrition. "What can I eat?" - the question is quite definite, and the answers to it are concisely arranged in many brochures, posters, and articles.
That is, this disease has been sufficiently studied, its treatment regimens and dietetic features are well known to every endocrinologist and even to many citizens of other professions, and all patients should certainly remember that any ill-eaten piece of the forbidden product they eat can cost them their lives! And, on the contrary, proper nutrition will allow them not only to improve the prognosis of their disease, but also to alleviate their condition by reducing body weight. Doctors of many generations, the brightest minds of medicine have long developed everything for patients, so all that remains is to follow the recommendations, because it is not so difficult.
Strictly forbidden
Relatively speaking, everything that looks like sugar, that is, white, is categorically not to be used for diabetes. That you can eat far from everything else, this is a separate issue. Patients need to give up rice, products from premium flour - both wheat and rice.
Also, everything containing sugar, and especially in combination with an abundance of fat, cannot be. These are all cakes, pastries, chocolate, ice cream, sweets, preserves, honey and other sweets. It is also worth abandoning those fruits that contain a lot of glucose. These are grapes, bananas, plums, cherries and apricots. From such products, the patient will already receive hyperglycemia, and even add other food on top, since you will not be full of fruits. In addition, all high-calorie (fatty meat, sausages, pastes, canned oil, seeds and nuts, mayonnaise) is also strictly prohibited in diabetes. What you can eat among dairy products is a separate issue.
Worth limiting
So, to delete from your diet should be sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese with a fat content of more than thirty. Kefir, fermented baked milk - with fat content not more than one and a half percent. Other products that fit into these frames are allowed in limited quantities. Also, do not abuse lean meat and poultry (you must remove the skin!), Cereals, potatoes, corn and legumes, as well as vegetable oil and eggs. It is also worth eating in such a way as to facilitate digestion, that is, little by little, without overeating, evenly distributing meals throughout the day. This will help to better assimilate food and not reach the blood sugar level. If we talk more about cereals, then buckwheat and oatmeal are more preferable. Millet and semolina should not be used.
Allowed in any quantities.
Such products include all those that are low-calorie and contain minimal glucose. These are vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, zucchini and pepper, low-fat fish, any fresh greens (spinach, lettuce, sorrel, onions, etc.), root crops such as carrots, radishes, radishes and turnips. As well as green beans and mushrooms. All these products are extremely nutritious, full of vitamins and coarse fiber, which will help digest food and improve cellular metabolism.
The myth that ginger can be used in diabetes is extremely unfounded and erroneous. This product contains a lot of carbohydrates, which only contribute to an increase in body weight, and its effect on the cardiovascular system can be dangerous, because its pathologies very often accompany patients with this disease. It is allowed to drink tea and coffee without sugar or with sweeteners, as well as mineral water.
General recommendations
To make it easier to remember your diet, a table of products for diabetes helps a lot. It is a “traffic light”, on the red light of which categorically forbidden food should be placed, on yellow - limited, and on green - allowed in any quantities. With such an “assistant” you will very soon get used to your diet and accustom your friends with the same disease to it. In addition to diet therapy, other ways to reduce body weight should be remembered: physical education, fractional nutrition, greater use of vitamins. It is strictly forbidden for patients with diabetes to starve, because this will cause a sharp drop in glucose in the blood and can cause coma or even death.