A diabetes diet — medically known as medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for diabetes — simply translates into eating a variety of nutritious foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes.Rather than a restrictive diet, a diabetes diet or MNT is a healthy-eating plan that’s naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories, with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In fact, a diabetes diet is the best eating plan for most everyone.
Diet for diabetics is simply a balanced healthy diet which is vital for diabetic treatment, however, a lot of people have the misconception that these diet consist only diabetic foods. The regulation of blood sugar in the non-diabetic is automatic, adjusting to whatever foods are eaten. But, for the diabetic, extra caution is needed to balance food intake with exercise, insuline injections and any other glucose altering activity.
This helps diabetic patient to maintain the desirable weight and control their glucose level in their blood. It also helps to prevent diabetes patient from heart and blood vessel related diseases. Research shows that regardless of the makeup of the diet, eating just enough calories to maintain an ideal weight is the most effective dietary strategy to prevent the onset of diabetic.
Recommendations of diabetic diet differ for person to person, based on their nutritional needs, lifestyle, and the action and timing of medications. For example, diet for Type 1 diabetic, focus mostly on matching food intake to insulin whereby one needs to know when insulin peaks and how fast the body metabolize different type of foods. In Type 2 diabetic the concern may be more oriented to weight loss in order to improve the body’s ability to utilize the insulin it does produce. Thus, learning about the basic of food nutrition will be able to help in adjusting diet to suite the particular condition.
Diet is the most essential part in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Success and failure with any drug that lowers blood glucose level depends on dietary adherence. Planning a diet for a diabetic is simple, once the essential components have been designed to one’s height, age, weight, activity, sex and nature of diabetes.
Calories Distribution:
The approximate recommended: CHO, Protein & Fat distribution is as follow:
- Carbohydrates: 60-70% or 65%
- Fats: 15-20% or 20%
- Proteins: 15-20% or 15%
Fiber Content of the Diet:
Major source of fiber in the diet are cereals, vegetables, fruit and certain nuts, vegetables and fruits being rich in moisture, constitute only 5% fiber. In the study made to find the effect of legumes on blood sugar level, it is noted that rajmah, green gram chana lowers the plasma glucose considerably because of their high dietary fiber content.
Recommended Fiber Allowance in Diabetes:
1 gm. Fiber in every 15 gms of carbohydrate over and above the normal dietary fibers requirements.
Dietary Instructions:
- Weight should not exceed your expected ideal weight.
- Do not starve. May take the free foods from the list.
- Divide whole day’s ration into 5 to 6 meals of identical/equal quantity and nutrients, rather than having 2 to 3 major meals.
- Exercise is good for the diabetic and should be a part of daily routine but any additional physical activities arising on any particular day should be adjusted through your diet on treatment.
- Feast and fasts should be avoided.
- Cereals are principle source of carbohydrates and should be consumed in prescribed amounts use of mixed whole grain cereal is desirable.
Diabetic Diet:
- Foods good for diabetic: Plain tea and coffee, lemon juice, clear soup, plain aerated soda, vinegar, diluted lassi, cucumber, tomato, muli, karela, sag and leafy vegetables.
- Foods to be taken in prescribed amounts: Organ meat, liver, kidney, heart, brain, sausages, bacon, salami, pork, egg, yolk, sugar, gur, honey, glucose, syrup, and all sweets.
- Foods to be avoided: Ice cream, pudding, mango, banana, sitaphal, kishmish, grapes, chikoo, khajur, dry fruits, nuts, alu, shakarkandi, kachalu, chukander, fried foods, pickles in oils, alcohol and wine cakes.