At present, diabetes is one of the most dangerous diseases. This is a deadly disease that kills a person not with lightning speed, but gradually. High blood sugar wears out internal organs (heart, liver, kidneys) and reduces their life by several times. This is the main cause of the many complications faced by diabetics. The consequences of the progression of the disease can be fatal (coma, necrosis of the limbs, hypoglycemia, blindness, gangrene). In order to minimize complications, you should adhere to a proper diet for diabetes.
General information
It was previously thought that type II diabetes is a mild form of the disease. However, modern medicine knows that this is not so in reality. This form of diabetes is called "insulin-dependent." This is due to the fact that many patients require the artificial administration of the hormone to maintain normal functioning. At the initial stages of the development of the disease, insulin from the outside, as a rule, is not required. A specially selected diet for type 2 diabetes, physical activity and drugs that slow down the process of glucose absorption in the gastrointestinal tract are traditionally prescribed. Pancreatic insulin boosting medications may also be prescribed.
Why diet
Currently, millions of people around the world are diagnosed with diabetes. Those who encounter it should completely review their diet. Proper nutrition for diabetes is not a general recommendation, but a vital necessity. Compliance with the diet significantly improves the well-being of the patient. Due to this, the metabolic processes in the body are normalized, and the blood sugar level decreases. If the diet is not followed, a variety of complications can be observed, up to a fatal outcome. Hyper- and hypoglycemia are the most common consequences of a lack of disease control. In the first condition, a very high blood sugar level is observed. It is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, loss of strength, high blood pressure and others. Due to the lack of timely medical care, the patient may fall into a coma. With hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), a person experiences weakness and dizziness. A critical glucose deficiency requires immediate hospitalization, a lethal outcome is possible.
How does it help
Many ignorant people can argue for a long time about what nutrition in diabetes matters if in the future you still have to inject insulin. Very big! The main problem with this disease is that the cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, which, in turn, is indispensable for the absorption of carbohydrates by the body. The situation is aggravated when a person abuses sweets. Because of this, blood sugar levels rise. The main objective of the diet is to restore the cells lost sensitivity to insulin. If you adhere to the recommended diet, the body will again gain the ability to properly absorb sugar.
Prohibited Products
If type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed , the diet and nutrition recommended by the attending physician must be strictly observed. First of all, sugar in its pure form, as well as those products in which it is contained in large quantities, should be excluded from your diet. This mainly concerns chocolate, sweets and any other sweets. Flour, muffin and all kinds of cookies are also prohibited. Confectionery products not specifically designed for diabetics will have to be forgotten. Macaroni also falls under the complete ban.
With this disease, doctors recommend consuming a large number of vegetables, but some of them are also not worth eating. This applies to legumes, carrots and potatoes. In this case, the restrictions are due to the fact that they contain a large amount of starch, which does not benefit the patients.
Saturated fats are contraindicated in type 2 diabetes. Food (9 table) should include only dietary meats. Fat and butter will have to be completely abandoned. This also includes pork, goose and duck. With such a disease, fatty foods do no less harm than the use of sugar-containing foods. In addition, it contributes to weight gain, which is already available in most people with diabetes.
It is best to refuse from frankly harmful products, such as semi-finished products, sweet soda, cheeses and curds, as well as condensed milk. This also applies to mayonnaise, spicy and salted sauces. You should refrain from any alcoholic and alcohol-containing drinks.
Allowed Products
Diabetes nutrition should be based on a large number of foods that contain plant fiber. These include vegetables, cereals and nuts. Foods high in plant fiber help lower blood sugar. Along with this, it reduces the amount of cholesterol, which plays an equally important role in the development of the disease. It is necessary to focus on cabbage (Brussels sprouts, white cabbage and other types), cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, eggplant, garlic.
Diabetics have to refrain from fruits, but not all. You can eat grapefruits, peaches, sweet and sour apples and lemons. In this case, it is important not to exceed the daily intake of such food - no more than 200 g.
In type 2 diabetes, meals and menus should be supplemented with lean meats (fish, chicken, turkey, beef). Seafood is also not prohibited.
Eating eggs is also acceptable. However, it is important to note that only proteins are allowed. Yolks can be allowed only occasionally.
Cereals are a very important part of good nutrition for diabetes. You can eat barley, wheat, pearl barley, oatmeal and buckwheat. At the same time, rice and semolina will have to be completely abandoned.
It is advisable to prepare a protein omelet from eggs or to use soft-boiled them.
As for drinks, sweets should be excluded. In addition to ordinary water, you can drink herbal tea without sugar and mineral water. If you really want juice, then it is better to cook it at home from vegetables. Low-fat milk can be drunk, but only in moderation (for example, adding to tea).
Sample menu
Proper nutrition for diabetes is the key to well-being. It helps control the disease and its progression. That is why it is so important to correctly create a menu for the patient. An approximate daily diet may be as follows:
- For breakfast, oatmeal (or any other porridge from the list of allowed) and tea without sugar.
- You can eat an apple during lunch.
- For lunch, it is best to cook vegetable soup or meat (boiled or steamed).
- During the afternoon snack, you can eat an orange and drink tea without sugar.
- For dinner, cottage cheese casserole, soft-boiled egg / scrambled eggs or meat patties are suitable.
- Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of kefir or fermented baked milk.
Nutrition principles
In diabetes, you need to eat at least five to six times a day. You need to eat fractionally, in small portions. In no case should you skip breakfast. The first meal of the day will help stabilize your blood sugar. As for dinner, it is not recommended to eat after a half to two hours before bedtime. If you really want to have a bite, then you can afford an apple or a glass of kefir.
Duration
If a person has diabetes, diet and nutrition, based strictly on permitted products, this is not a temporary measure. They will have to adhere throughout the rest of their lives. Thanks to the diet, it is possible to keep weight within normal limits, which is very important for this disease. In addition, this will help to avoid such terrible complications as blindness, gangrene and many others.
How not to break
If a person has type 2 diabetes, nutrition and treatment come to the fore. The desire to eat banned foods should never be more important than this. In this regard, it is worth removing any provocative products from your home. This applies primarily to sweets, which can cause a person to break a diet. In this case, you should fill the refrigerator with fresh products that you can and should eat.
If before making a diagnosis, a person did not think about a healthy diet and practically did not eat vegetables, then at first it will be difficult to get used to. A simple trick can help: divide the plate into two parts. There will be vegetables in one half and the rest of the meal in the other. It is necessary to start eating from unusual foods, alternating them with what has always been in the diet.
It is quite difficult for lovers of industrial juices and sweet carbonated drinks to refuse them. This is not a problem, because you can cook them at home. It is acceptable to use freshly squeezed juices (for example, orange) and slightly carbonated unsweetened mineral waters.
Modern sweeteners
Completely abandoning sugar for many is more difficult than it might seem at first glance. For this reason, diabetics consume various sweeteners and sweeteners, which is allowed. It is noteworthy that they have no calories at all. It is acceptable to use acesulfame potassium, saccharin and aspartame. In this case, the use of fructose as a sweetener is categorically not recommended. Despite the fact that it does not have a significant effect on blood sugar, one cannot but note its negative effect on cholesterol. In addition, fructose increases appetite. It can be obtained naturally, as it is found in many products.
Sorbitol, isomalt and xylitol are contradictory sweeteners. They have a low glycemic index, but they are high in calories. In addition, diarrhea is a common side effect of their use. There is no evidence that they help lose weight and normalize blood glucose levels. That is why making them part of a regular diet for diabetes is impractical.
Bad myths
Unfortunately, type II diabetes is surrounded by a halo of various prejudices and misconceptions. For example, some people believe that when taking specialized medications, you can control the level of sugar in the blood without completely following a diet. However, in reality this is not so at all. Even injections of insulin cannot offset the consequences that necessarily arise due to uncontrolled nutrition in diabetes. It is important to note that, in addition to restrictions on food and medication, it is necessary to ensure sufficient physical activity.
Along with this, many are sure that it is incredibly difficult to stick to diet No. 9, because almost all the usual products are supposedly prohibited. Yes, if a person is diagnosed with diabetes, he will most likely need to review his diet in detail. But this does not mean that delicious food will become inaccessible to him. It is only important to maintain a normal level of sugar in the blood and refuse foods that violate it.
Another harmful myth concerns diet foods. Some people think that they are almost identical to diabetic ones, but in practice there is a huge difference between them. Not all diet foods are suitable for people with diabetes. When choosing such products in the store, you should carefully read what is written on the package. You need to pay attention not only to sugar content, but also to calorie content.
Conclusion
The importance of proper nutrition in type II diabetes is difficult to overestimate. It is believed that this disease is invincible, but it can be controlled. To do this, you must strictly adhere to the diet (table 9) and abandon foods that increase blood sugar. This will not only stop the development of the disease, but also improve the well-being of the diabetic.