Using any medication for type 2 diabetes still cannot fully offset the impact of malnutrition on blood sugar.Good nutrition is an essential part of effectively managing type 2 diabetes and will help you reach your blood sugar goals.
Nutritional approaches for people with type 2 diabetes who are or are not overweight, have high blood pressure, etc. will vary somewhat.
The vast majority of overweight people have type 2 diabetes. Excess weight prevents its own insulin from working effectively, which is why blood sugar levels remain high.Therefore, weight loss is an indispensable condition for rational treatment!Even moderate weight loss (5-10%) improves carbohydrate metabolism, especially early in the disease.
How to achieve weight loss?
It should be noted right away that there are no specific products or medicinal plants for weight loss. Currently, there is no drug that, on its own, without dieting, could provide very effective and completely safe weight loss.
The only reliable way is to limit the supply of energy into the body.(it is indicated in calories), i. e. compliance with the ruleslow calorie food. The resulting energy deficit leads to the fact that the "stored" energy reserves in fatty tissue will be spent on various needs of the body, and the weight will definitely decrease.
The energy carriers in food are its three components:proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The most caloric of them 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 a diet is to reduce its fat content. It is not only safe, but also useful for a modern person, since 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 on weight loss, they still need to be slightly limited.
There are a number of products that do not need to be restricted when losing weight. On the contrary, it is these products that can compensate for the above restrictions and replenish the reduced amount of food. This food group is represented mainly by vegetables, poor in nutrients but rich in water, as well asvegetable fiberswhich are not digested. Vegetable fibers bring many benefits to the body: they improve intestinal function, help the absorption of vitamins, have a beneficial effect on fat metabolism, etc.
There are three groups of products which, in order to lose weight, must be consumed in different ways.Looking at these bands, you will definitely have an association with a traffic light.
Maximum limit
High calorie foods: high in fat, alcohol, sugar and confectionery
Examples:any oil, lard, sour cream, mayonnaise; cream, fatty cottage cheese and cheese; fatty fish, poultry skin, canned meat; fish and vegetables in oil; fatty meat, smoked meats, sausages; sugar, sugary drinks, honey, jams, jams, sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, nuts, seeds, alcoholic beverages.
Moderately limit (eat half of previous usual serving)
Moderate calorie products: proteins, starches, dairy products, fruits and berries.
Examples:regular fat or light/skim milk and curd products, cheeses less than 30% fat, cottage cheese less than 4% fat, eggs, lean meats, fish, pasta, breadand lean baked goods, cereals; fruits, potatoes, corn, ripe grains of peas and beans.
Unrestricted use
Low-calorie foods: Vegetables (excluding potatoes, corn, ripe peas, and beans) and low-calorie beverages.
Examples:radishes, radishes, beets, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, bean pods, baby green peas, lettuce, greens, spinach, sorrel, whole cabbage; tea, coffee without sugar or cream, mineral water.
Is it possible to maintain a low calorie diet without counting calories?
This is quite possible if guided by the principles of product selection described above. By the way, experts have long recognized that it is not the number of calories a person needs to consume (it is quite difficult to pinpoint this exactly for each person), but the number by which a person has actually reducedhis diet is important!
An indicator of good compliance with the principles of low-calorie nutrition will be the achievement of the result: weight loss! If the weight does not decrease, this indicates that it has not yet been possible to significantly reduce the caloric content of the diet.
How do different carbohydrates affect blood sugar?
Carbohydrates are the only nutrients that directly raise blood sugar, but that's no reason to drastically limit them.
Carbohydrates in the diet of anyone, including someone with diabetes, should be sufficient (at least 50% of total calories), as they are a source of energy for the body. Also, different carbs have different effects on blood sugar.
There areEasycarbohydrates (they are called sugars), which are very easily digested because they are made up of small molecules and are quickly absorbed in the digestive tract (after 10 minutes). They immediately and very strongly increase the level of glucose in the blood. It is from these carbohydrates that sugar, honey are made, a lot of them are found in fruit juices (they are also found in natural fruits, but due to the presence of fiber, the absorption of carbohydratesis not so fast), beer. These carbohydrates are also found in liquid dairy products, but due to the fat content, the carbohydrates are not absorbed as quickly.
Another type of carbohydratecomplex(starches), they also raise blood sugar, but not as quickly and not as much as simple carbohydrates. Representatives of these products: bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, corn. The starch molecule is large and to assimilate it 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 increases its level in the blood to a lesser extent.
The culinary transformation of starchy foods (all grinding, prolonged heat exposure) contributes to the rise in blood sugar. This means that a sharp rise in blood sugar when consuming starchy foods can be avoided 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 dense. It is also better not to cook the porridge for too long. It is better to cook them from large, uncrushed grains (buckwheat, rice).
Enriching food with vegetable fiber prevents an increase in blood sugar. Therefore, it is better to buy grain or bran bread, and not fine flour. Fruits and berries should be consumed in their natural form and not as juice.
There are such types of carbohydrate products -"free", after which the level of glucose in the blood does not rise or rises slightly. These products include almost all types of vegetables in normal amounts (except potatoes). For example, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, dill, radish, turnip, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, bell pepper, etc. Among the products of this group, the greatest amount of carbohydrates is in beets and carrots, but the increase in blood sugar after them is not very significant. Therefore, if you eat them in moderation (as a side dish, no more than 200 g), they can also be skipped.
Should I count carbs?
A person with type 2 diabetes who takes oral antidiabetics or simply follows a diet does not need to accurately calculate the amount of carbohydrates in food. Many people with diabetes have heard of so-called bread units. A calculation system of this type exists for those who receive insulin. It makes it possible to correlate the quantity of carbohydrates consumed with the doses of short-acting insulin that these diabetics inject before meals.
Special "diabetic" products
Sweeteners can make foods sweeter without raising blood sugar or gaining 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 sugar and weight in any way. However, most "diabetic" foods (cookies, chocolate, waffles) instead of sugar contain sorbitol, xylitol or fructose, which are almost as high in calories as sugar. Therefore, in case of overweight, they should be limited as much as possible, like the usual sweets.
Split plan
Split mode means several meals during the day (5-6 times, but no more often than after 2. 5-3 hours) in small portions. This is useful because hunger can occur during a low calorie diet. Eating more often will help reduce it. In addition, a small portion of food contains few carbohydrates, which 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. Limit your alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Alcohol is known to have adverse effects on the liver. It can cause low blood sugar if a person with diabetes takes blood sugar-lowering drugs and insulin. Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach!