The use of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes still cannot fully compensate for the effect of malnutrition on blood sugar levels.Adequate nutrition is an essential part of effective type 2 diabetes management and helps achieve blood sugar control.
Nutritional approaches for people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or not overweight, with arterial hypertension, etc. , they change somewhat.
The vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Being overweight prevents the effective action of your own insulin, which is why the blood sugar level remains high.Therefore, losing weight is an essential condition for rational treatment!Even moderate (5-10%) weight loss improves carbohydrate metabolism, especially in the early stages of the disease.
How to achieve weight loss?
It should be noted right away that there are no special products or herbs for weight loss. Currently, there is no medicine that can provide highly effective and completely safe weight loss by itself, without a diet.
The only reliable method is to limit the body's energy intake.(indicated in calories), i. e. compliance with ruleslow calorie food. The resulting lack of energy leads to the fact that the energy reserves "preserved" in the fat tissue are used for the various needs of the body, and the weight definitely decreases.
Energy carriers in food consist of 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 the diet is to reduce the fat content. This is not only safe, but also useful for a modern person, since our diet is unfortunately oversaturated with fats. Compared to fats, the calorie content of proteins and carbohydrates can be considered moderate, however, in order to achieve a good effect on weight loss, they still need to be slightly limited.
There are many products that do not need to be restricted during weight loss. On the contrary, these products are able to compensate for the above restrictions and replace the reduced amount of food. This food group consists mainly of vegetables that are poor in nutrients but rich in water, as well asplant fiberswhich are not digested. Plant fibers have many benefits for the body: they improve bowel function, help the absorption of vitamins, have a beneficial effect on fat metabolism, etc.
There are three groups of products that should be consumed in different ways to lose weight.If we look at these groups, we will definitely come across the traffic light.
Maximum limit
High-calorie foods: rich in fats, alcohol, sugar and sweets
Examples:any oil, lard, sour cream, mayonnaise; cream, fatty cottage cheese and cheese; oily fish, poultry skin, canned meat; fish and vegetables in oil; fatty meat, smoked meat, sausage; sugar, sweet drinks, honey, jam, jams, sweets, cakes, pastries, chocolate, ice cream, nuts, seeds, alcoholic drinks.
Limit it moderately (eat half of your previous usual dose)
Medium-calorie products: protein, starch, dairy products, fruits and berries.
Examples:normal-fat or low-fat/skim milk and sour milk products, cheeses with a fat content of less than 30%, cottage cheese with a fat content of less than 4%, eggs, lean meats, fish, pasta, bread and lean baked goods, cereals; fruits, potatoes, corn, ripe peas and beans.
It can be used without restrictions
Low-calorie foods: vegetables (except potatoes, corn, ripe peas and beans) and low-calorie drinks.
Examples:radishes, radishes, beets, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, bean pods, young green peas, lettuce, greens, spinach, sorrel, any cabbage; tea, coffee without sugar and cream, mineral water.
Is it possible to follow a low calorie diet without counting calories?
This is entirely possible if the principles of product selection outlined above are guided. In addition, experts have long recognized that the important thing is not how many calories a person should consume (this is quite difficult to accurately determine for each person), but that a person actually reduces his diet!
The indicator of correct adherence to the principles of low-calorie nutrition is the achievement of the result: weight loss! If the weight does not decrease, it indicates that the caloric content of the diet has not yet been significantly reduced.
How do different carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels?
Carbohydrates are the only nutrient that directly raises blood sugar, but that's no reason to drastically limit them.
Carbohydrates should be sufficient (at least 50% of total calories) in the diet of all people, including diabetics, as they are the body's source of energy. Also, different carbohydrates have different effects on blood sugar.
There issimplecarbohydrates (they are called sugars) which are very easy to digest as they are made up of small molecules and are quickly absorbed in the digestive system (after 10 minutes). They immediately and very strongly increase the level of glucose in the blood. These carbohydrates are used to make sugar, honey, many of them can be found in fruit juices (they are also found in natural fruit, but due to the presence of fiber, the absorption of carbohydrates is not as fast), and beer. Such 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 fast and not as much as simple carbohydrates. Representatives of such products are: bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, corn. The starch molecule is large and the body has to work hard to assimilate it. Therefore, the glucose formed as a result of the breakdown of starch is absorbed more slowly (after about 30 minutes), which increases its blood level to a lesser extent.
Culinary processing of starchy foods (grinding of any kind, prolonged heat exposure) contributes to an increase in blood sugar levels. This means that certain processing and cooking methods can prevent a strong rise in blood sugar levels when consuming starch. For example, it is better not to cook potatoes in the form of mashed potatoes, but to cook them whole in their skins, so they remain thick. It is also better not to cook the porridge for too long. It is preferable to cook from large uncrushed grains (buckwheat, rice).
Enriching foods with vegetable fibers prevents blood sugar levels from rising. Therefore, it is better to buy whole grain or bran bread, and not fine flour. Fruits and berries should be consumed in their natural form, not in the form of fruit juices.
There are these types of carbohydrate products -"free", after which the blood glucose level does not rise or rises slightly. These products contain almost all types of vegetables in normal amounts (except potatoes). For example, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, dill, radishes, turnips, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, peppers, etc. Among the products of this group, the largest amount of carbohydrates can be found in beets and carrots, but after them the blood sugar level does not rise too much. Therefore, if consumed in moderation (as a side dish, no more than 200 g), it can be ignored.
Do I have to count carbs?
A person with type 2 diabetes who takes oral antidiabetic medication or is on a diet does not need to accurately calculate the amount of carbohydrates in food. Many diabetics have heard of the so-called bread units. Such a calculation system exists for those receiving insulin. It makes it possible to compare the amount of carbohydrates consumed and the dose of short-acting insulin that these diabetics inject before meals.
Special "diabetic" products
Sweeteners can make foods taste sweeter without raising blood sugar or causing weight gain. 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 at all. However, most "diabetic" foods (cookies, chocolate, waffles) contain sorbitol, xylitol or fructose instead of sugar, which have almost as many calories as sugar. Therefore, if you are overweight, you should limit them as much as possible, like regular sweets.
Fractional diet
Fractional mode means eating several times a day (5-6 times, but still no more often than after 2. 5-3 hours), in small portions. This is useful because you may feel hungry when following a low-calorie diet. Eating more often helps reduce it. In addition, a small portion of food contains few carbohydrates, and this makes the work of the pancreas easier.
Alcohol
Due to its high calorie content (7 kcal/1 g), alcohol can contribute to weight gain. It also directly worsens indicators of fat metabolism and blood pressure. So limit your alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Alcohol is known to have a harmful effect on the liver. It can cause hypoglycemia if a person with diabetes takes glucose-lowering drugs and insulin. Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach!