Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the world. Despite its complexity, there are methods that can greatly facilitate a person's life. First of all, you need to follow a specific diet.
If you follow a well-prescribed diet, then diabetes will not affect general well-being in any way and in addition, the possibility of various types of complications, such as heart attack, stroke, etc. is reduced.
Types of diet
The diet for diabetes is determined by the type of disease itself and the age group. So there are general principles for building a proper diet, which are adjusted based on the individual indicators of the human body.
Since it is impossible to cure the disease, a specific menu is defined to reduce the risk of it. Eating the right food at a clearly defined time is essential for:
- reducing the risks of chronic and acute complications,
- maintaining good health and relatively strong immunity,
- prevention or weight loss,
- keeping blood sugar levels within acceptable limits.
There are two types of diabetes. The first, in other words, is called insulin dependent. Its growth is associated with damage and death of cells located in the pancreas that are responsible for insulin production.
With this, the diet aims to maintain the process of insulin treatment and is rather an additional method of controlling the disease. His principles are similar to those followed by healthy people 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 is to take insulin, you need to monitor what percentage of your daily diet is given for carbohydrates. As a rule, it should not exceed 60%.
Since type 2 diabetes is also independent of insulin, it develops in obese people, then, therefore, diet is in the first place. In the early stages of the disease or mild, the point is to get rid of excess weight rationally.
When this type of diabetes reaches a moderate or even severe form, then in addition to diet, drugs to lower blood sugar or insulin are prescribed. It is worth noting that in such cases, you should also pay special attention to physical activity. Thanks to them, such a problem as obesity can be solved without surgery.
The most popular diets are the so-called tables 8 and 9. The eighth diet chart applies to those who are overweight or have a tendency to be overweight. The ninth is taken as the basis for determining the diet for diabetics.
Diet number 9 for diabetes
Diet No. 9 is considered therapeutic and is prescribed to normalize metabolism (carbohydrates). It also aims to prevent disorders related to fat metabolism. Its caloric content should not exceed 2500 kcal.
Such a diet is characterized as follows:
- The calorie content should be reduced by consuming animal fats and carbohydrates that are digestible (except sweets and sugar),
- partial reduction or complete elimination of cholesterol and salt,
- consumption of more vitamins and fiber,
- protein content should be within normal limits.
All healthy diets, including the ninth, are based on proper food intake. You should eat often and in small portions. In total, the frequency should be 5 or 6 times a day.
Fried or cooked foods should be eaten as little as possible or completely forgotten. It must first be cooked and boiled. It is best to plan a menu for the week, as it will make it easier to follow. Particular preference should be given to the following products:
- lean meat
- lean fish
- vegetables containing not more than 5% carbohydrates,
- fruit (not all),
- natural sugar-free 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 pieces. Apart from the fact that it is necessary to exclude sweets from the menu for diabetes, pasta, pasta and puff pastry, pickles are also prohibited.
Bananas, dates, figs, grapes and all its derivatives should not be eaten categorically. The same goes for fats such as pork, lamb and beef. To get the necessary fats, you should eat butter (without salt) and vegetable oil in moderation.
Diet number 9 is the basis used to determine the necessary nutrition. Depending on the personal indicators of the person with diabetes, it is adjusted. There are different types of diet that you can combine and find the one that suits you.
What is a bread unit?
Since the essence of proper nutrition for diabetics is to consume a certain amount of carbohydrates, then you should know how to determine this favorite rule, on which depends how much and what foods you should eat.
All products, which include carbohydrates, have different physical properties and calories. These characteristics are not subject to the usual measurement method. In addition, the diet in diabetes requires increased control of their own daily intake.
In order to make it easier to determine how much you should eat this or that product and not to exceed what is allowed, nutritionists have introduced the term "bread unit". The term is used in cases where a diabetic has been prescribed insulin intake.
With such a unit of measurement, it is much easier for a person to understand what he can eat and drink and what not. Designs a healthy menu based on personal indicators and can also change some foods for others that contain carbohydrates.
As a rule, a person should consume from 18 to 25 such units per day. Since there must be five meals, it makes sense to distribute this amount rationally at all times. The main "dose" should enter the body in the first half of the day. To keep track of the number of bread units you consume, you can write yourself a menu per day.
How many calories a day to consume?
The diabetes diet requires the rejection of many foods and dishes that may have previously been included in the daily diet. However, you should not confuse food that allows you to normalize your sugar levels with what is necessary to lose those extra pounds.
The type 1 diabetes diet aims to accurately calculate the amount of insulin needed. The caloric content in this case does not play such an important role. It must be monitored so as not to gain weight.
The type 2 diet requires increased control of calorie intake, as it often develops in the presence of obesity. However, it is not worth it to reach fanaticism.
The number of calories per day is calculated according to the individual indicators of the body. The diet itself should be low in carbohydrates, but does not imply a complete lack of carbohydrates. You need to eat enough, but it is important not to overeat.
When asked what you can eat with type 2 diabetes, many believe that you should almost sit on crumbs and water. This is absolutely impossible. The food should be complete, contain vitamins and fiber.
There are various recipes for delicious, filling and at the same time healthy dishes that will not allow you to recover, but at the same time a person will be full of strength and energy. What specific foods should be consumed and what is the approximate number of calories allowed per day should be discussed with your doctor.
Useful and unhealthy foods
Low carb diets are different. For a healthy person, they are less severe than for someone diagnosed with diabetes. But they have the same meaning. They differ in the main list of products, which are divided into healthy and harmful for diabetics.
Useful
- all kinds of vegetables,
- greens (spinach, sour, dill),
- mushrooms,
- meat and fish (lean),
- Coffee and tea,
- mineral water.
Harmful
Moderate increase in sugar:
- potato,
- cereals,
- pasta, including hard varieties,
- dairy products.
Strong increase in sugar:
- sweet,
- honey,
- beverages with added sugar,
- alcohol,
- grapes and their derivatives,
- hot and salty spices.
This product division is generally accepted and is often taken as a basis for developing menus for diabetes. But what is good for one person may prove to be bad for another. Since everything is relative, an individual diet is prepared for each diabetic.
How to eat for obesity
It is believed that in order to lose weight, you must follow a strict low calorie diet. But the thing is, it doesn't work. Numerous studies have shown that by reducing the calorie content of your diet, apart from a constant feeling of hunger, to fainting, nervousness and more, nothing else happens.
With such a diet, it will be possible to lose weight by literally a few pounds, but if at the same time the body was distinguished by elasticity and good muscles, then that is all that will leave it at the beginning. Subcutaneous fat will not go anywhere and sometimes, on the contrary, it will accumulate even more.
A protein diet includes an active intake of protein and a reduction in the amount of fat and carbohydrates. The approach itself is not bad, but it also has its own nuances. Again, it is impossible to overdo it with protein and it is completely forbidden to exclude fats from the diet. Lack of carbohydrates will lead to loss of vital energy.
In the end, it all comes down to a low carb diet again. By itself, it is necessary to reduce sugar. In weight loss, they are not absolute saviors, but of all the presented they are the best. Its advantage is that all the necessary elements needed to maintain vital activity enter the body.
Thus, when there is a reasonable amount of natural fats, proteins and carbohydrates, the body does not need to make deposits. The metabolism begins to work like clockwork, there is no chronic hunger, the symptoms of the disease practically disappear and the person becomes more active.
Diet for type 1 diabetes
To maintain a healthy body with type 1 diabetes, you need the same low carb diet. But in this case, it must be strict. The table number does not play a significant role here, although diet number 9 is often taken as a basis.
The problem is that even the effect of insulin is very different, so it is rather difficult to normalize the indicators. This is why it is essential to follow a specific diet. The less carbohydrates enter the body, the less insulin is needed.
It should be understood that your diet is interrelated with your personal insulin dosage. Therefore, when developing your menu, you need to consider the amount of medication. It is better to plan it per 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 essential for weight loss and prevention in the future. Again, a low carb diet is also recommended. Of course, this is an approximate diet that adapts. Its meaning is in the normalization of glucose and insulin in the blood, as well as in the control of insulin resistance.
Some people practice taking various diet pills and folk remedies. You should forget the first, because at best there will be no meaning from these drugs.
Folk remedies, as a rule, consist of any herbal infusions and decoctions. If you really understand herbs, then maybe something will come out of it, but you should not make it the basis of treatment.
renal failure
In the context of the disease, renal failure may develop. It should be understood that it is not caused by dietary protein, as many mistakenly believe, but by high blood sugar levels.
The active development of such a disease is inhibited when glucose levels return to normal. For this, diet helps. Protein is not excluded from the diet, but you need to work with carbohydrates. Proper nutrition available to ordinary people can even lead to the kidneys being completely restored.
However, if the process goes to extremes, then there will be no return to healthy kidneys. In addition, in such a case, a diet low in carbohydrates can accelerate the destructive process. To avoid this, you need to monitor your condition and control your diet, a table created for you will help you, where dishes and insulin doses are scheduled, if necessary.
Other important points
Diabetes can develop at any age. In children, it can happen in the context of the fact that there was an overconsumption of flour products, sweets. By finding the problem in time and starting to solve it properly, you can avoid complications.
In women, the disease can occur for a variety of reasons. Constant stress, overeating (mostly unhealthy foods), and inactivity can lead to overweight and, as a result, type 2 diabetes.
Very often there is a situation when the disease occurred during pregnancy. This is due to hormonal imbalances. In addition, a woman during this period can consume active foods that can cause the development of diabetes.
As a rule, there is a less strict diet for pregnant women, which aims to normalize the processes in the body and partial weight loss, but at the same time without harm to the fetus.
With gestational diabetes or gestational diabetes, strict diet should only be discussed with a specialist. The diet should be adjusted taking into account the fact that there is a parallel development of the fetus. By excluding any products, you can harm the unborn child.
Type 2 diabetes develops slightly less often in men than in women. This is due to the fact that they have a slightly accelerated metabolism. But junk food, alcohol addiction and little physical activity can easily lead to such a problem.