NUTRITION
Nutrition means eating well-balanced meals. Nutrition, along with exercise and medications (insulin or oral diabetes pills), is
important for good diabetes control. Good diabetes control means keeping your blood-sugar level as close to normal (nondiabetic
level) as possible.
People with diabetes have the same nutritional needs as anyone else. Regular, well-balanced meals may help to improve their
overall health. Eating healthy foods in the right amounts and keeping weight under control may help diabetes management.
Eating Healthy
Sweeteners
Exchange Lists
Eating Out Guide
Eating Healthy
What foods are healthy? What foods are unhealthy? How do the patient establish a plan for eating healthy foods?
Healthy foods:
No single food will supply all the nutrients your body needs, so good nutrition means eating a variety of foods.
Food is divided into four main groups. They are:
• Fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples, bananas, carrots, and spinach).
• Whole grains, cereals, and bread (wheat, rice, oats, bran, and barley).
• Dairy products (whole or skim milk, cream, and yogurt).
• Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dried beans, and nuts.
It's important to eat foods from each group every day. By doing that, you ensure your body has all the nutrients it needs. The
main nutrients in food are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrients help your body work correctly, and
make young bodies grow.
Carbohydrates give you energy. Healthy choices are dried beans, peas, and lentils; whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers;
and fruits and vegetables. Protein is needed for growth and is a good back-up supply of energy. Healthy choices include lean
meats and low-fat dairy products. Foods high in fiber are healthy, too. Fiber comes from plants and may help to lower blood
glucose and blood-fat levels. Foods high in fiber include: bran cereals, cooked beans and peas, whole-grain bread, fruits, and
vegetables.
Unhealthy foods:
Fat is a nutrient, and you need some fat in your diet. But too much fat isn't good for anyone. And it can be very harmful to
people with diabetes. Too much fat or cholesterol may increase the chances of heart disease and/or hardening of the arteries.
People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing these diseases than those without diabetes. So, it is very important that
you limit the fat in your diet. Fat is found in many foods. Red meat, dairy products (whole milk, cream, cheese, and ice cream),
egg yolks, butter, salad dressings, vegetable oils, and many desserts are high in fat. To cut down on fat and cholesterol, you
should:
• Choose lean cuts of meat. Remove extra fat.
• Eat more fish and poultry (without the skin).
• Use diet margarine instead of butter.
• Drink low-fat or skim milk.
• Limit the number of eggs you eat to three or four a week and choose liver only now and then.
Too much salt may worsen high blood pressure. Many foods contain salt. Sometimes, you can taste it (as in pickles or bacon).
But there is also hidden salt in many foods, such as cheeses, salad dressings, and canned soups. When using salt or fat,
remember that a little goes a long way. People with diabetes should eat less sugar.
Foods high in sugar include: desserts such as frosted cake and pie, sugary breakfast foods, table sugar, honey, and syrup. One
12-ounce can of a regular soft drink has nine teaspoons of sugar.
How do the patient set up a plan for eating healthy foods?
The patient and his dietitian should work together to design a meal plan that's right for him and includes foods that he enjoy. A
diabetes meal plan is a guide that tells the patient how much and what kinds of food he can choose to eat at meals and snack
times.
A good meal plan should fit in with his schedule and eating habits.
The right meal plan will also help keep his weight where it should be. Whether he need to lose weight, gain weight, or stay
where he is, his meal plan can help.
Sweeteners
The New Scoop on Sugar
Having diabetes used to mean a lifetime of meals that lacked the most pleasant aspect of taste: sweetness. Today, the rules for
avoiding sugar have been relaxed. New low calorie sweeteners can give you sweetness that tastes as good as sugar, without the
extra calories.
As a result, people with diabetes today can eat meals that are well-rounded in tastes, as well as in nutrition.
The Sweet Life
Table sugar (sucrose) used to be seen as unhealthy for people with diabetes. Physicians and dietitians assumed that table sugar
was more quickly digested and absorbed into the blood than starches, like potatoes and breads. They thought that table sugar
would cause a larger rise in blood glucose. They were wrong.
More than a dozen studies have shown that sugars in foods don't spike blood glucose any higher or faster than starches
"scientific evidence has shown that the use of sucrose as part of the meal plan does not impair blood glucose control in
individuals with type I or type II diabetes."
Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
Other Carbohydrates
Provides exchange information for cakes, pies, puddings, etc. Foods from this list can be substituted for foods from the Starch,
Fruit, or Milk lists. Some foods on the Other Carbohydrate Lists will also count as one or more fat choices.
Very Lean Meat and Meat Substitutes
Provides information for types of poultry, fish, shellfish, game, cheese, and other meats and substitutes that contain 0 - 1 grams
of fat and 35 calories per ounce. Cooked dried beans, peas, or lentils count as one very lean meat and one starch exchange.
Living Healthy
Diabetes can cause major health problems. However, the patient can has a positive influence on his blood glucose and his
overall health by choosing foods wisely, exercising regularly, reducing his stress level, and making modest lifestyle changes. When
it comes to his health, even little steps can make a big difference.
Weight Loss
How you eat may be just as important as what you eat. People with diabetes hear a lot about the importance of dieting.
Obesity increases insulin resistance and contributes to many health problems, including heart and blood vessel disease.
Stress
Stress results when something causes your body to behave as if it were under attack. Sources of stress can be physical or
mental. When stress occurs, the body responds by making stored energy - glucose and fat - available to cells. In people with
diabetes, the response does not work well, as insulin is not always able to let the extra energy into the cells.
Taking Care of Your Body
Make it a priority to take good care of your body. The time you spend now on oral health, skin care, foot care, eye care, and
heart health could delay or prevent the onset of dangerous diabetes complications later in life, and, one of the best things
anyone can do for his or her body is to stop smoking.
Nutrition means eating well-balanced meals. Nutrition, along with exercise and medications (insulin or oral diabetes pills), is
important for good diabetes control. Good diabetes control means keeping your blood-sugar level as close to normal (nondiabetic
level) as possible.
People with diabetes have the same nutritional needs as anyone else. Regular, well-balanced meals may help to improve their
overall health. Eating healthy foods in the right amounts and keeping weight under control may help diabetes management.
Eating Healthy
Sweeteners
Exchange Lists
Eating Out Guide
Eating Healthy
What foods are healthy? What foods are unhealthy? How do the patient establish a plan for eating healthy foods?
Healthy foods:
No single food will supply all the nutrients your body needs, so good nutrition means eating a variety of foods.
Food is divided into four main groups. They are:
• Fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples, bananas, carrots, and spinach).
• Whole grains, cereals, and bread (wheat, rice, oats, bran, and barley).
• Dairy products (whole or skim milk, cream, and yogurt).
• Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dried beans, and nuts.
It's important to eat foods from each group every day. By doing that, you ensure your body has all the nutrients it needs. The
main nutrients in food are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrients help your body work correctly, and
make young bodies grow.
Carbohydrates give you energy. Healthy choices are dried beans, peas, and lentils; whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers;
and fruits and vegetables. Protein is needed for growth and is a good back-up supply of energy. Healthy choices include lean
meats and low-fat dairy products. Foods high in fiber are healthy, too. Fiber comes from plants and may help to lower blood
glucose and blood-fat levels. Foods high in fiber include: bran cereals, cooked beans and peas, whole-grain bread, fruits, and
vegetables.
Unhealthy foods:
Fat is a nutrient, and you need some fat in your diet. But too much fat isn't good for anyone. And it can be very harmful to
people with diabetes. Too much fat or cholesterol may increase the chances of heart disease and/or hardening of the arteries.
People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing these diseases than those without diabetes. So, it is very important that
you limit the fat in your diet. Fat is found in many foods. Red meat, dairy products (whole milk, cream, cheese, and ice cream),
egg yolks, butter, salad dressings, vegetable oils, and many desserts are high in fat. To cut down on fat and cholesterol, you
should:
• Choose lean cuts of meat. Remove extra fat.
• Eat more fish and poultry (without the skin).
• Use diet margarine instead of butter.
• Drink low-fat or skim milk.
• Limit the number of eggs you eat to three or four a week and choose liver only now and then.
Too much salt may worsen high blood pressure. Many foods contain salt. Sometimes, you can taste it (as in pickles or bacon).
But there is also hidden salt in many foods, such as cheeses, salad dressings, and canned soups. When using salt or fat,
remember that a little goes a long way. People with diabetes should eat less sugar.
Foods high in sugar include: desserts such as frosted cake and pie, sugary breakfast foods, table sugar, honey, and syrup. One
12-ounce can of a regular soft drink has nine teaspoons of sugar.
How do the patient set up a plan for eating healthy foods?
The patient and his dietitian should work together to design a meal plan that's right for him and includes foods that he enjoy. A
diabetes meal plan is a guide that tells the patient how much and what kinds of food he can choose to eat at meals and snack
times.
A good meal plan should fit in with his schedule and eating habits.
The right meal plan will also help keep his weight where it should be. Whether he need to lose weight, gain weight, or stay
where he is, his meal plan can help.
Sweeteners
The New Scoop on Sugar
Having diabetes used to mean a lifetime of meals that lacked the most pleasant aspect of taste: sweetness. Today, the rules for
avoiding sugar have been relaxed. New low calorie sweeteners can give you sweetness that tastes as good as sugar, without the
extra calories.
As a result, people with diabetes today can eat meals that are well-rounded in tastes, as well as in nutrition.
The Sweet Life
Table sugar (sucrose) used to be seen as unhealthy for people with diabetes. Physicians and dietitians assumed that table sugar
was more quickly digested and absorbed into the blood than starches, like potatoes and breads. They thought that table sugar
would cause a larger rise in blood glucose. They were wrong.
More than a dozen studies have shown that sugars in foods don't spike blood glucose any higher or faster than starches
"scientific evidence has shown that the use of sucrose as part of the meal plan does not impair blood glucose control in
individuals with type I or type II diabetes."
Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
Other Carbohydrates
Provides exchange information for cakes, pies, puddings, etc. Foods from this list can be substituted for foods from the Starch,
Fruit, or Milk lists. Some foods on the Other Carbohydrate Lists will also count as one or more fat choices.
Very Lean Meat and Meat Substitutes
Provides information for types of poultry, fish, shellfish, game, cheese, and other meats and substitutes that contain 0 - 1 grams
of fat and 35 calories per ounce. Cooked dried beans, peas, or lentils count as one very lean meat and one starch exchange.
Living Healthy
Diabetes can cause major health problems. However, the patient can has a positive influence on his blood glucose and his
overall health by choosing foods wisely, exercising regularly, reducing his stress level, and making modest lifestyle changes. When
it comes to his health, even little steps can make a big difference.
Weight Loss
How you eat may be just as important as what you eat. People with diabetes hear a lot about the importance of dieting.
Obesity increases insulin resistance and contributes to many health problems, including heart and blood vessel disease.
Stress
Stress results when something causes your body to behave as if it were under attack. Sources of stress can be physical or
mental. When stress occurs, the body responds by making stored energy - glucose and fat - available to cells. In people with
diabetes, the response does not work well, as insulin is not always able to let the extra energy into the cells.
Taking Care of Your Body
Make it a priority to take good care of your body. The time you spend now on oral health, skin care, foot care, eye care, and
heart health could delay or prevent the onset of dangerous diabetes complications later in life, and, one of the best things
anyone can do for his or her body is to stop smoking.
 |
| |
 |
Diabetes Mellitus
