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Nutrition is the process of eating, absorbing, and using foods to nourish the body and maintain good health. Diabetes treatment is centered on controlling the level of sugar or glucose in the blood. This is done using diet, exercise, and sometimes medicine. What is eaten is directly related to the amount of sugar in the blood. Right food choices help to keep blood sugar levels in the normal range. There is no one diet that is suggested for all diabetics.
The diabetic diet needs to fit the person's lifestyle. A good meal- plan will fit in with their schedule and eating habits. The meal plan helps if the person with diabetes needs to gain weight, lose weight, or maintain weight. It will also help keep the blood sugar in control, and prevent heart and blood vessel disease.
Guidelines for good diabetes control:
•Plan to eat meals the same time every day. This helps keep blood sugar stable, and helps the insulin work better.
•Check blood sugar levels regularly, preferably three to four times before meals. Also you can check shortly after meals to learn how certain foods affect those levels. In the future, choices will be easier, if you know how a certain food affects the blood sugar.
•The main nutrients in food are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. All of these are needed every day.
•Carbohydrates give energy. Healthy choices of carbohydrates include, dried beans, peas, lentils, whole grain breads, cereals and crackers
•Protein is needed for growth. Choose lean meats like fish, chicken without the skin
•Fat in limited amounts is necessary. Fat is easy to eat because it is in many foods. Red meat, dairy products, egg yolks, butter, salad dressing, vegetable oils, and desserts all contain fat. But they should be eaten in very limited amounts.
•The diabetic diet should be low in fat, salt, and sugar; and high in fiber. Fiber is healthy. It comes from vegetables, fruits, bran cereals, cooked beans, peas, and whole-grain bread.
•Too much salt can make high blood pressure higher. Salt is in most foods, so use very sparingly.
•Eat less sugar or use sweeteners in place of sugar.
•A major goal of diabetes treatment is to bring blood sugar levels as close to normal as is safely possible. This will help the diabetic feel better. Normal blood sugar helps to prevent or delay complications from diabetes, such as nerve, eye, kidney, heart, and blood vessel damage.
• Drink enough water. Diabetic persons lose excess water through sweet and urine because of their condition. Drinking enough water every time will not only replace the lost fluid, but will dilute the urine and prevent the kidney from getting damaged by concentrate sugar and salts in the urine.
• In short;
TAKE MORE
- WATER
- VEGETABLES
- FRUITS
- EXCERCISE
- CARBOHYDRATES
- FAT
- SALT
- SUGAR
Normal blood glucose level in humans is about 4 mM (4 mmol/L or 72 mg/dL)
When operating normally the body restores blood sugar levels to a range of 4.4 to 6.1 mmol/L (82 to 110 mg/dL)
Shortly after a meal the blood glucose level may rise temporarily up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL)
Where possible, try to achieve levels of between 4 and 7 mmol/L before meals and under 8.5 mmol/L after meals.
For people with diabetes, blood sugar level targets are as follows.
Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/L for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
After meals: under 9 mmol/L for people with type 1 and 8.5mmol/L for people with type 2
Source: http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/diabetes/diab4397.html
By Elia, pharmacist.
