A lot of people are suffering from either type 1 or type 2 diabetes and their number is constantly increasing. There is strong need to understand the role diet plays in the treatment of diabetes. If one properly manages the diet he eats he can easily overcome the major diabetes complications.
Dietary treatment for Type 1 Diabetes
1. Integrate and synchronize meals (that is, the metabolic load) with the time(s) of action of the insulin treatment to minimize high peaks of blood glucose as well as episodes of hypoglycemia. It is recommended that the individual's usual food intake is used as a basis for integrating insulin therapy into the eating and exercise patterns. Patients on insulin therapy should eat at consistent times synchronized with the time-action of the insulin preparation used.
2. Reduce saturated fat to 10% of total energy or less. People with diabetes have an increased risk of coronary heart disease and this dietary change may reduce it.
3. Keep salt intake low, because people with diabetes have an increased risk of hypertension.
4. Avoid or take moderate quantity of alcohol. Large intakes carry the risk of hypoglycemia; irregular drinking can disturb glycemic control.
5. In children and adolescents should make sure intakes of essential nutrients are adequate.
Dietary treatment for Type 2 Diabetes
Dietary change has a greater potential to improve type 2 diabetes as most of them are obese diet plays a major role in controlling type 2 diabetes.
1. Reduce body weight by eating fewer calories and taking regular exercise, and keep at it! Even modest weight loss improves metabolic control. About three-quarters of type 2 diabetics are overweight or obese, and weight reduction is the first line of dietary management. To help patients lose weight and keep it off is a challenge for the physician and dietitian. Diabetics have a stronger incentive to lose weight because this improves their disease as well as their figure, but sulphonylureas or insulin (not metformin) tends to stimulate appetite. Some who succeed in losing weight may be able to go off medications or even go off insulin.
2. Reduce saturated fat. Increased LDL-cholesterol may be more pathogenic in type 2 diabetes than non-diabetic people.
3. Emphasize low glycemic index foods
4. Increase intake of vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grain cereals (which increase fiber intake and mostly have low glycemic indices).
5. Keep salt intake low and increase potassium intake.
6. Avoid excess alcohol but 1-2 drinks per day with meals are acceptable.
7. Forget carbohydrate exchanges
8. There is no need to be obsessed about reducing sucrose. The glycemic effect of sucrose is about the same as that of most starchy foods.
By simply following dietary principles we diabetics can have better control on the disease and live a happy and healthy life just like non diabetics.
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