The use of any drug for type 2 diabetes still cannot fully compensate for the impact of malnutrition on blood glucose levels.Proper nutrition is an important part of effective type 2 diabetes management and will help you reach your blood glucose goals.
Nutritional approach to people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or not, arterial hypertension, etc. Will vary somewhat.
Most people are overweight with type 2 diabetes. Being overweight prevents its own insulin from working effectively, which is why blood glucose levels remain high.Therefore, weight loss is an indispensable condition for rational treatment!Even moderate weight loss (by 5-10%) improves carbohydrate metabolism, especially in the early period of the disease.
How to achieve weight loss?
It should be noted right away that there are no specific medicinal products or plants for weight loss. At the moment, there are no drugs that by themselves, without a diet, can provide highly effective and completely safe weight loss.
The only reliable way is to limit energy intake in the body.(indicated in calories), e. g. regulatory compliancelow calorie food. The resulting energy deficit leads to the fact that the energy reserves "stored" in adipose tissue will be used for the various needs of the body, and weight will inevitably decrease.
Energy carriers in food are its three components:protein, fat and carbohydrates. The most high-calorie are fats, they contain 9 kcal per 1 gram; in proteins and carbohydrates - 4 kcal per 1 gram.
The most effective way to reduce the calorie content of food is to reduce its fat content. It is not only safe, but also useful for a modern person, because our diet, unfortunately, is oversaturated with fats. Compared to fats, the calorie content of proteins and carbohydrates can be considered moderate, however, to achieve a good effect in losing weight, you still need to limit it a little.
There are a number of products that do not need to be limited when losing weight. On the contrary, it is these products that can compensate for the above restrictions and make up for the reduced amount of food. This food group is mainly represented by vegetables, which are poor in nutrients but rich in water, as wellvegetable fiberwhich is not digested. Vegetable fiber brings many benefits to the body: it improves intestinal function, helps the absorption of vitamins, has a beneficial effect on fat metabolism, etc.
There are three groups of products that for weight loss need to be consumed in different ways.Looking at these groups, you must have an association with traffic lights.
Maximum limit
High-calorie foods: rich in fat, alcohol, sugar and confectionery
Example:any oil, lard, sour cream, mayonnaise; cream, fatty cottage cheese and cheese; oily fish, poultry skin, canned meat; fish and vegetables in oil; fatty meats, smoked meats, sausages; sugar, sweetened drinks, honey, jams, jams, candies, cakes, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, nuts, seeds, alcoholic beverages.
Limit to taste (eat half of the usual portion before)
Moderate calorie products: protein, flour, dairy products, fruits and berries.
Example:regular or low-fat/skimmed milk and sour-milk products, cheese less than 30% fat, cottage cheese less than 4% fat, eggs, lean meats, fish, pasta, nonfat bread and baked goods, cereals; ripe fruits, potatoes, corn, peas and grains.
Use without limitations
Low-calorie foods: vegetables (excluding potatoes, corn, cooked peas and beans), and low-calorie drinks.
Example:radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, peas, young green beans, lettuce, greens, spinach, sorrel, any cabbage; tea, coffee without sugar and cream, mineral water.
Is it possible to maintain a low-calorie diet without counting calories?
This is quite possible if you are guided by the principles of product selection outlined above. In addition, experts have long realized that what matters is not the number of calories a person needs to consume (it's quite difficult to pinpoint that exactly for each person), but what matters is the number of calories a person actually reduces!
An indicator of correct adherence to the principles of low-calorie nutrition is the achievement of results: weight loss! If you do not lose weight, this indicates that the calorie content of these foods has not been significantly reduced.
How do different carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels?
Carbohydrates are the only nutrient that directly raises blood glucose, but that's no reason to limit them drastically.
Carbohydrates in the diet of everyone, including diabetics, must be sufficient (at least 50% of total calories), because they are a source of energy for the body. In addition, different carbohydrates have different effects on blood glucose levels.
There issimplecarbohydrates (they are called sugars), which are very easy to digest, because they consist of small molecules and are quickly absorbed in the digestive tract (after 10 minutes). They immediately and very powerfully increase the level of glucose in the blood. It is from carbohydrates that sugar, honey are made, many of them are found in fruit juices (they are also found in natural fruits, but due to the presence of fiber, carbohydrates are not absorbed so quickly), beer. Such carbohydrates are also found in liquid dairy products, but due to their fat content they are not absorbed as quickly.
Other types of carbohydratescomplex(starches), they also raise blood glucose levels, not as fast and not as much as simple carbohydrates. Representatives of such products: bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, corn. Starch molecules are large, and in order to assimilate them, the body has to work hard. Therefore, the glucose formed as a result of the breakdown of starch is absorbed more slowly (after about 30 minutes), which raises its blood level to a lower level.
Culinary processing of starchy foods (grinding of any kind, prolonged exposure to heat) contributes to an increase in blood glucose levels. That is, a strong increase in blood glucose when consuming starch can be prevented by using certain processing and cooking methods. For example, it is more correct to cook potatoes not in the form of mashed potatoes, but to boil them whole in their skins, so that they remain firm. It's also best not to cook porridge for too long. It is better to cook it from uncrushed large grains (buckwheat, rice).
Enrichment of food with plant fiber prevents an increase in blood glucose levels. Therefore, it is better to buy wheat or bran bread, and not refined flour. Fruits and berries should be consumed in their pure form, not in the form of juices.
There are several types of carbohydrate products -"Free", after which the level of glucose in the blood does not rise or rises slightly. This product includes almost all types of vegetables in normal quantities (except potatoes). For example, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, dill, radish, radish, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, pepper, etc. Among the products of this group, the largest amount of carbohydrates is found in beets and carrots, but the increase in blood glucose after them is not very large. Therefore, if you eat them in moderation (as a side dish, no more than 200 g), they can also be neglected.
Do I need to count carbs?
A person with type 2 diabetes who is taking oral anti-diabetic drugs or who is currently on a diet does not need to accurately calculate the amount of carbohydrates in food. Many diabetics have heard of the so-called bread unit. There is such a calculation system for those who receive insulin. This allows you to correlate the amount of carbohydrates consumed with the dose of short-acting insulin that these diabetics inject before meals.
Special "diabetic" products.
Sweeteners can make foods taste sweeter without increasing blood glucose levels or increasing body weight. But in this case we are only talking about non-caloric sugar substitutes. These include aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, stevioside. They do not affect blood glucose levels and body weight at all. However, most "diabetic" foods (cakes, chocolate, waffles) contain sorbitol, xylitol, or fructose instead of sugar, which are almost as high in calories as sugar. Therefore, with excess weight, they should be limited as much as possible, like regular sweets.
Fractional diets
Fractional mode means eating a lot during the day (5-6 times, but still no more often than after 2. 5-3 hours) in small portions. This is useful because hunger pangs can occur when following a low-calorie diet. Eating more often will help reduce it. In addition, a small portion of food contains a small amount of carbohydrates, this will facilitate the work of the pancreas.
Alcohol
Due to its high calorie content (7 kcal per 1 g), alcohol can contribute to weight gain. In addition, it directly worsens the indicators of fat metabolism and blood pressure. So limit your alcohol intake as much as possible.
Alcohol is known to have an adverse effect on the liver. This can lead to hypoglycemia if diabetics are taking glucose-lowering drugs and insulin. Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach!