The use of any medication for type 2 diabetes still cannot fully compensate for the effect of malnutrition on blood glucose levels.Proper nutrition is an important part of effective type 2 diabetes management and will help you reach your blood glucose targets.
Nutritional approach for people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or not, arterial hypertension, etc. will be quite different.
Most people who are overweight have type 2 diabetes. Being overweight prevents their own insulin from acting effectively, which is why blood glucose levels remain high.Therefore, weight loss is an indispensable condition for rational treatment!Even moderate weight loss (by 5-10%) 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 specific medicinal products or plants for weight loss. Currently, there is no drug that by itself, without dieting, can provide a very effective and completely safe weight loss.
The only reliable way is to limit the energy intake in the body. (it is shown in calories), i. e. regulatory compliancelow calorie food. The resulting energy deficit leads to the fact that energy reserves "stored" in adipose tissue will be spent on various body needs, and body weight will inevitably decrease.
Energy carriers in food are three components:protein, fat and carbohydrates. The highest calorie is fat, it contains 9 kcal per 1 gram; in protein 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 modern people, because our diet, unfortunately, is too saturated with fat. Compared to fat, the calorie content of protein and carbohydrates can be considered moderate, however, to achieve a good effect in weight loss, they still need to be limited.
There are some products that do not need to be limited when losing weight. On the other hand, it is this product that can compensate for the above restrictions and increase the amount of food that is reduced. This food group is represented mainly by vegetables, which are poor in nutrients but rich in water, as wellvegetable fiberwhich is not digested. Vegetable fibers bring many benefits to the body: they improve intestinal function, help the absorption of vitamins, have a good effect on fat metabolism, etc.
There are three groups of products that, in order to lose weight, need to be consumed in different ways.Looking at this group, you will definitely have associations with traffic lights.
Maximum limit
High-calorie foods: rich in fat, alcohol, sugar and sweets
Example:any oil, lard, sour cream, mayonnaise; cream, fat cottage cheese and cheese; oily fish, chicken skin, canned meat; fish and vegetables in oil; fatty meat, smoked meat, sausage; sugar, sweet drinks, honey, jam, jam, candy, cakes, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, nuts, seeds, alcoholic beverages.
Limit in moderation (eat half of previous normal portions)
Low-calorie products: protein, starch, dairy products, fruits and berries.
Example:milk and sour milk products of normal or low fat / skim content, cheese less than 30% fat, cottage cheese less than 4% fat, eggs, lean meat, fish, pasta, bread and baked goods without fat, cereals; fruits, potatoes, corn, mature grains, beans and nuts.
Use without restrictions
Low-calorie foods: vegetables (excluding potatoes, corn, beans and mature beans), and low-calorie drinks.
Example:turnips, turnips, beets, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, peas, green beans, lettuce, greens, spinach, sorrel, any cabbage; tea, coffee without sugar and 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 outlined above. Moreover, experts have long realized that it is not the number of calories that a person should consume (it is quite difficult to determine it exactly for each person), but what is important for a person to reduce his diet!
An indicator of correct adherence to 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 is not yet possible to significantly reduce the calorie content of the diet.
How do different carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels?
Carbohydrates are the only nutrients that directly increase blood glucose, but this is not a reason to limit them drastically.
Carbohydrates in the diet of any person, including people with diabetes, should be sufficient (at least 50% of total calories), because they are a source of energy for the body. Also, different carbohydrates have different effects on blood glucose levels.
Be foundbriefcarbohydrates (they are called sugars), which are very easy to digest, because they consist 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 is made, many of them are found in fruit juices (they are also found in natural fruits, but due to the presence of fiber, the absorption of carbohydrates is not so fast), beer. Such carbohydrates are also found in liquid dairy products, but due to the fat content, the carbohydrates are not absorbed quickly.
Another type of carbohydratecomplex(starches), they also raise blood glucose levels, just not as quickly and not as much as simple carbohydrates. Representatives of such products: bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, corn. Starch molecules are large, and to assimilate them, 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 lower level.
Cooking processing of starchy foods (any grinding, prolonged exposure to heat) contributes to an increase in blood glucose levels. This means that a strong increase in blood glucose when eating starch can be prevented 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 skin, so that they remain firm. It is also better not to cook porridge for too long. It is better to cook it from large grains that are not crushed (buckwheat, rice).
Food enrichment with plant fiber prevents the increase in blood glucose levels. Therefore, it is better to buy wheat or bran bread, and not from fine flour. Fruits and berries should be eaten in their natural form, not in juice form.
There are such types of carbohydrate products -"free", after which the blood glucose level does not rise or rises slightly. This product includes almost all types of vegetables in normal quantities (except potatoes). For example, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, dill, radish, turnip, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, pepper, etc. Among the products of this group, the largest amount of carbohydrates is found in beets and carrots, but the increase in blood glucose after them is not so great. Therefore, if you eat it in moderation (as a side dish, no more than 200 g), it can also be ignored.
Do I need to count carbs?
A person with type 2 diabetes who takes oral antidiabetic medication or who is new to a diet does not need to accurately count the amount of carbohydrates in a meal. Many people with diabetes have heard of the so-called bread unit. Such a calculation system exists for those who receive insulin. It allows you to relate the amount of carbohydrates consumed to the dose of short-acting insulin injected by a diabetic before a meal.
Special "diabetes" products.
Sweeteners can make food taste sweeter without raising blood glucose levels 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 glucose levels and body weight at all. 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, when overweight, they must be limited as much as possible, like regular sweets.
Fractional nutrition
Fractional mode means multiple meals during the day (5-6 times, but still not more often than after 2. 5-3 hours) in small portions. This is useful because hunger can occur when following a low-calorie diet. Eating more often will help reduce it. In addition, a small portion of food contains a small amount of carbohydrates, and this 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 indicators of fat metabolism and blood pressure. So limit your alcohol intake as much as possible.
Alcohol is known to have adverse effects on the liver. It can cause hypoglycemia if a person with diabetes uses glucose-lowering drugs and insulin. Do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach!