If someone has diabetes, he/she probably already knows all the basic facts about diabetes. What to learn next is how to manage diabetes properly.
The main goal should be to keep blood sugar (glucose) at an optimal level which means neither too low nor too high.
Normally diabetes is first treated with weight loss, exercise, and a proper healthy diet.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
According to studies losing 5 % of weight can improve control over diabetes. It is believed that a healthy weight is when our BMI i.e. Body Mass Index is from 18.5 to 23.
The BMI can be calculated with the following formula: Body Mass Index = Weight (kilograms) ÷ [Height (meters) x Height (meters)]
An example will make things more clear for everyone. Let’s say I weigh 60 kilograms (132 pounds) and I am 1.70 meters (67 Inches) tall. My BMI formula will go like this 60 ÷ (1.70 x 1.70) = 20.8.
Healthy Diet
We should know that there is no particular or some sort of special diet when it comes to people with diabetes. They can eat healthy meals like everyone else.
However, they need to be careful about their carb intake daily. Why? Because carbs can lead to a rise in their blood glucose levels.
In addition, they need to monitor their intake of protein and fat because they can indirectly influence their blood sugar levels.
There is a healthy diet pyramid and everyone can use it as a guide to having balanced meals at the same time, the meals can be from different food groups. Check the pyramid below.
And the image below can serve as an example of how our plate should look. This is according to the diet from the pyramid and it is a healthy way of eating. We can use a 12-inch plate so you can use the same proportions of food from the image.
Tips About Healthy Eating
- Do not skip breakfast, having breakfast every morning will help you have more energy during the day.
- Drink water and avoid soda and other sugary drinks.
- Always have healthy snacks with you, for example, walnuts and whenever you feel hungry you will be sure that your snack is going to be healthy.
Diabetes and 8 Healthy Eating Tips
1. Consume Foods That Are Rich in Fiber
Fiber is good because it can improve our bowel function, keep us feeling full, and slow down the rate the sugar is released into the bloodstream. Daily, we need to include 2 servings each of vegetables and fruits.
One vegetable serving should include 150 grams of raw vegetables or 10 grams of cooked vegetables which is a ¾ mug. One fruit serving should include 10 small grapes one wedge of papaya or one small apple.
2. Include Whole Grain Products
Remember to include whole grain products in your usual diet, products such as wholemeal biscuits, whole grain, brown rice, wholemeal bread, chapatti, and oats.
3. Eat Regularly
We need to eat regular, but small meals.
4. Match the Time
Match the time you eat to the frequency and timing of your medications.
5. Avoid Certain Foods
Reduce or avoid sugary foods, fats, and salt. Consume less oily and fatty food, especially trans fat and saturated fat.
We need to limit the consumption of saturated fat (skin/fat on meat, ghee, lard, and butter) and trans fat (vegetable oil that is partially hydrogenated, fried food, and baked goods).
Avoid these types of foods since they increase the chance of deposit of fat in the blood vessels i.e. atherosclerosis which can cause a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.
We can choose healthier sources of fat like monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat, for example, olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sesame oil, etc.
6. Eat the 3 Main Meals at Regular Time
At regular times consume breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you like you can have healthy snacks in between meals.
7. Spread the Carbs
Spread the carbs that you consume evenly throughout the day and in that way, you will be able to keep the levels of blood sugar within the target range.
8. Reduce The Intake of Salt
The high intake of salt is related to high blood pressure, which can cause an increased chance of developing heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. While you cook add less salt and avoid sauces.
Furthermore, we need to limit the intake of processed foods such as canned food, fish balls, pickles, ham, hot dogs, salted vegetables, etc. Also, we need to cut down on gravies that are added to noodles or rice.
Instead, we can spice our meals using natural spices and herbs such as vinegar, ginger, lemon, onion, chili, lemon, and pepper.
Remember you need to take your insulin or medications that are prescribed by your doctor. Take them just as your doctor told you to.
By choosing the food we consume wisely, we can be able to take control of diabetes and do that with fewer medications.
Diabetic Products
Many diabetic products like the ‘diabetic’ biscuits and chocolates are usually sweetened with artificial sweeteners like sorbitol. If we consume sorbitol in large amounts it can have a laxative effect.
Other diabetic products are high in fat and therefore they are not good for overweight people who have diabetes.
Bear in mind, that all these foods may have carbs like fruit, flour, and milk. Also in these foods as fillers, there might be other forms of sugar added like lactose.
In summary
For good control over our blood sugar, we need to do 3 things.
1. Taking insulin or medications as prescribed by the doctor.
2. Maintain a healthy balanced diet with suitable carbs at each meal.
3. Maintain a healthy weight.
Source Healthline | WebMD
