The Diabetes Diet
The proper diet is critical to diabetes treatment. It can help someone with
diabetes:
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Achieve and maintain desirable weight. Many people with diabetes can control
their blood glucose by losing weight and keeping it off.
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Maintain normal blood glucose levels.
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Prevent heart and blood vessel diseases, conditions that tend to occur in
people with diabetes.
A doctor will usually prescribe a diet as part of diabetes treatment. A
dietitian or nutritionist can recommend a diet that is healthy, but also
interesting and easy to follow. No one has to be limited to a preprinted,
standard diet. Someone with diabetes can get assistance in the following ways:
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A doctor can recommend a local nutritionist or dietitian.
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The local American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and
American Dietetic Association can provide names of qualified dietitians or
nutritionists and information about diet planning.
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Local diabetes centers at large medical clinics, hospitals, or medical
universities usually have dietitians and nutritionists on staff.
The guidelines for diabetes diet planning include the following:
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Many experts, including the American Diabetes Association, recommend that 50 to
60 percent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12 to 20 percent from
protein, and no more than 30 percent from fat.
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Spacing meals throughout the day, instead of eating heavy meals once or twice a
day, can help a person avoid extremely high or low blood glucose levels.
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With few exceptions, the best way to lose weight is gradually: one or two
pounds a week. Strict diets must never be undertaken without the supervision of
a doctor.
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People with diabetes have twice the risk of developing heart disease as those
without diabetes, and high blood cholesterol levels raise the risk of heart
disease. Losing weight and reducing intake of saturated fats and cholesterol,
in favor of unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, can help lower blood
cholesterol.
For example, meats and dairy products are major sources of saturated fats,
which should be avoided; most vegetable oils are high in unsaturated fats,
which are fine in limited amounts; and olive oil is a good source of
monounsaturated fat, the healthiest type of fat. Liver and other organ meats
and egg yolks are particularly high in cholesterol. A doctor or nutritionist
can advise someone on this aspect of diet.
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Studies show that foods with fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, beans,
and whole-grain breads and cereals may help lower blood glucose. However, it
seems that a person must eat much more fiber than the average American now
consumes to get this benefit. A doctor or nutritionist can advise someone about
adding fiber to a diet.
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Exchange lists are useful in planning a diabetes diet. They place foods with
similar nutrients and calories into groups. With the help of a nutritionist,
the person plans the number of servings from each exchange list that he or she
should eat throughout the day. Diets that use exchange lists offer more choices
than preprinted diets. More information on exchange lists is available from
nutritionists and from the American Diabetes Association.
Continuing research may lead to new approaches to diabetes diets. Because one
goal of a diabetes diet is to maintain normal blood glucose levels, it would be
helpful to have reliable information on the effects of foods on blood glucose.
For example, foods that are rich in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals,
fruits, and vegetables break down into glucose during digestion, causing blood
glucose to rise. However, scientists don't know how each of these carbohydrates
affect blood glucose levels. Research is also under way to learn whether foods
with sugar raise blood glucose higher than foods with starch. Experts do know
that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw, unpeeled foods. A person
with diabetes can ask a doctor or nutritionist about using this kind of
information in diet planning.
