Diet for type 2 diabetes: what to do and not to do

Most patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or even obese. Due to a slow metabolism, the process of losing weight is not as fast for them as for healthy people, but it is extremely necessary for them to reduce the weight. Normalization of body weight is one of the conditions for good health and maintenance of blood sugar at the target level.

What to eat with diabetes to normalize tissue sensitivity to insulin and lower blood sugar? The patient's daily menu should be reduced in calories and contain mostly slow, not fast carbs. Usually, doctors recommend sticking to diet number 9. At the weight loss stage, the amount of fat in dishes should be reduced (it is better to prefer fats of vegetable origin). It is important for a diabetic to get enough protein as it is a building material and contributes to the gradual replacement of adipose tissue with muscle fibers.

Rational nutrition improves the tissue's sensitivity to insulin and normalizes the regulation of blood sugar levels.

The main goals of the type 2 diabetes diet:

• weight loss and reduction in body fat;
• normalization of blood sugar levels;
• maintaining blood pressure within acceptable limits;
• lower the level of cholesterol in the blood;
• prevention of serious complications of the disease.

A diet for type 2 diabetes is not a temporary measure, but a system that must be followed constantly. This is the only way to keep your blood sugar at a normal level and maintain good health for a long time. In most cases, simply switching to proper nutrition is enough to keep diabetes under control. However, even if the doctor recommends the patient to take hypoglycemic pills, it in no way cancels the diet. Without nutritional control, no medical method will have a lasting effect (even insulin injections).

Healthy natural foods help maintain normal blood sugar levels and control blood pressure.

Methods of cooking

In type 2 diabetes, it is desirable that patients prepare food in gentle ways. The best forms of cooking are culinary processes such as steaming, cooking and baking. Fried foods can only be eaten occasionally by diabetics, and it is preferable to cook them in a small amount of vegetable oil, or even better, on a grill pan with non-stick coating. With these cooking methods, the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients is preserved. In finished form, such dishes do not strain the pancreas and other organs of the digestive tract.

You can also stew dishes in your own juice while choosing only low-calorie, low-fat foods. It is undesirable to add purchased sauces, marinades and a large amount of salt to the food. To enhance the taste, it is better to use permitted spices: green, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and dried aromatic herbs.

Meat

Meat is a very important source of protein for diabetics because it contains essential amino acids that cannot be produced by the human body. However, when choosing it, you need to know certain rules so as not to harm your health by accident. First, the meat must be diet. For sick people, chicken, turkey, rabbit and lean veal are best. Secondly, it must be completely fresh, it must not contain a large number of veins and muscle films, as they are digested for a long time and can create a feeling of heaviness, which slows down the intestines.

The amount of meat in the diet should be limited, but at the same time the daily dose should give a person a sufficient amount of protein. The distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is chosen individually for each patient by the attending physician. It depends on many factors - weight, body mass index, age, anatomical features and the presence of concomitant diseases. Properly selected ratio of calories and nutrients ensures the body's normal supply of energy, vitamins and minerals.

Prohibited types of meat for diabetes:

• goose;
• spirit;
• pork;
• mutton;
• fat beef.

Patients should not eat bacon, smoked meats, sausages and rich meat broths. It is allowed to cook soups with poultry meat, but the water must be changed after the first boil. You can not cook soup with bone broth because it is difficult to digest and creates an extra load on the pancreas and liver. The skin should always be removed from poultry during cooking so that excess fat does not enter the dish. It is always better to prefer fillet and white meat where there is a minimum of connective tissue and fat streaks.

It is desirable to replace animal fat with vegetable fat maximum. Olive, corn and flaxseed oils are considered to be the most beneficial for diabetic patients.

A fish

Fish should be present in the diet of a diabetic at least once a week. It is a source of healthy proteins, fats and amino acids. Eating fish products helps improve the condition of bones and muscles and also helps prevent cardiovascular disease. The most useful fish allowed according to the dietary rules for diabetics are lean fish, which are cooked in the oven or steamed.

Diabetics can eat tilapia, hake, saithe, tuna, cod. It is also advisable to include red fish (trout, salmon, salmon) in your diet on a regular basis as it is rich in omega acids. These biologically active substances protect the body against the development of cardiovascular disease and help reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol.

Patients should not eat smoked and salted fish as it may cause problems with the pancreas as well as cause the occurrence of edema and the development of hypertension. As type 2 diabetes usually develops in middle-aged and elderly people, the problems of high blood pressure are relevant to many of them. The use of very salty foods (including red fish) can cause pressure rises and worsen the condition of the heart and blood vessels.

When cooking fish, it is better to add a minimum of salt to it, and replace it with other spices and seasonings. It is desirable to bake it without adding oil, as this product itself already contains a certain amount of healthy fats. To keep the fillet dry, it can be cooked in the oven in a special plastic sleeve. Fish cooked this way contains more moisture and has a melting texture.

Diabetics are forbidden to eat white fish of fatty varieties (for example, pangasius, notothenia, herring, catfish and mackerel). Despite the pleasant taste, these products can unfortunately cause the appearance of extra kilos and cause problems with the pancreas. Low-fat seafood is a healthy natural source of vitamins and minerals, which are perfectly absorbed by the body.

It is helpful for diabetics to eat cooked seafood. Shrimp, squid and squid contain a large amount of protein, vitamins and phosphorus.

Vegetables

The diet for type 2 diabetes is based on the predominance of plant foods in the diet, so vegetables in any form should be an important part of the food that the sick eat. They contain very little sugar and at the same time are rich in fiber, vitamins and other valuable chemical elements. The most useful vegetables for diabetes are green and red. This is because they contain a large amount of antioxidants that prevent the formation of harmful free radicals. Eating tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and green onions can boost human immunity and improve digestion.

The following vegetables are also useful for patients:

• cauliflower;
• Jerusalem artichoke;
• pumpkin;
• onions and blue onions;
• broccoli;
• radish;
• zucchini and eggplant.

Beets are also very useful for diabetics as they contain amino acids, enzymes and slow carbohydrates. There is no fat at all in this vegetable so the calorie content is low. Beetroot has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, increases immunity and strengthens the walls of blood vessels. Another important property of beets for diabetics is the smooth regulation of intestinal motility, which helps to avoid constipation and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.

A balanced diet for type 2 diabetes allows even potatoes to be included in the diet, but this vegetable should not be basic when choosing and preparing meals. It contains a lot of starch and has a relatively high calorie content (compared to other vegetables), so the amount should be strictly limited.

In order for vegetables to only bring benefits to the body, they must be cooked properly. If vegetables can be eaten raw and the diabetic does not have problems with digestion, it is better to use them in this form as this preserves the maximum amount of useful elements, vitamins and minerals. However, if the patient also has problems with the gastrointestinal tract (for example, inflammatory diseases), then all vegetables must be subjected to a preliminary heat treatment.

It is highly undesirable to fry vegetables or stew them with a lot of butter and vegetable oil as they absorb fat and the benefits of such a dish will be much less than the harm. Fatty and fried foods not only interfere with the functional activity of the pancreas, but also often cause a set of extra pounds.

Vegetables cooked with excess oil are high in calories and can increase blood cholesterol levels.

Fruit

Some patients, after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, try to remove all fruits from the diet, leaving only sour, green apples and sometimes pears in it. But this is not necessary as most fruits have a low glycemic index and contain a small amount of carbohydrates and calories. For diabetics, all fruits and berries with a low and medium glycemic index are useful because they contain a lot of vitamins, organic acids, pigments and minerals.

• apples;
• pear;
• mandarins;
• oranges;
• grapefruit;
• apricots;
• plums;
• ribs;
• cherry;
• cranberries;
• raspberry.

Fruits contain carbohydrates, so their amount in the diet should be limited. It is advisable to eat them in the morning (maximum until 16. 00) so that sugar does not turn into body fat. Before going to bed and on an empty stomach in the morning, it is also better not to eat fruit as this can lead to irritation of the gastric mucosa and a set of extra pounds.

Prohibited fruits for type 2 diabetes are melon, watermelon and figs because they have a high glycemic index and are high in sugar. For the same reason, it is undesirable for patients to consume dried fruits such as dates and dried figs.

Peaches and bananas may be present in a diabetic's diet, but it is advisable to eat them no more than once or twice a week. For daily use, it is better to give preference to plums, apples and citrus fruits because they help improve digestion and contain a lot of coarse fiber. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the well-coordinated, full-fledged work of the whole organism.

Fruit is a healthy and tasty treat that can help you overcome the urge for forbidden sweet foods. Patients who eat fruit regularly find it easier to follow a diet and daily routine.

Cereals and pasta

What can patients eat of cereals and pasta? There are a lot of permitted products on this list from which you can prepare delicious and healthy dishes. It is grains and pastas that should be the source of slow carbohydrates that the patient needs for brain function and energy. Recommended products include:

• buckwheat;
• oats that require cooking (not instant cereals);
• bulgur;
• peas;
• durum wheat pasta;
• Wheat groats;
• unpolished rice;
• millet.

It is highly undesirable for diabetics to eat white rice, semolina and instant oatmeal. These products are high in carbohydrates, calories and few biologically valuable substances. By and large, these grains simply saturate the body and satisfy the feeling of hunger. Excessive consumption of such grains can lead to weight gain and problems with the digestive system.

But even permitted grains must be cooked and eaten properly. It is best to boil porridge in water without adding oils and fats. It is preferable to eat them for breakfast as carbohydrates should give the patient energy for the whole day. These simple recommendations should always be remembered, as properly selected and cooked grains will only provide benefits and not harm human health.

With type 2 diabetes, you need to eat fractionated. It is advisable to divide the daily diet into 5-6 meals.

What should be given up?

Patients with type 2 diabetes should completely exclude such dishes and foods from their diet:

• sugar and products containing it;
• fatty dishes prepared with a large amount of vegetables or butter;
• smoked meat;
• semi-finished and fast food;
• marinades;
• salty and spicy hard cheeses;
• bakery products from premium flour.

You can not make exceptions to the rules and occasionally use something from the banned list. In type 2 diabetes, the patient does not receive insulin injections, and the only chance to keep their blood sugar at a normal level is to eat properly while complying with the treating physician's other recommendations.

Sample menu for the day

It is better to make a menu for the day in advance, calculate its calorie content and the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in dishes. Table 1 shows the calorie content and chemical composition of some foods that are allowed with diet No. 9. Guided by this data, the recommendations of the attending physician and the composition, which is always stated on the packaging of products, you can easily create a diet with optimalenergy value.

A preview menu for the day might look like this:

• breakfast - oatmeal, a slice of low-fat cheese, wholemeal bread without yeast;
• snack - nuts or an apple;
• lunch - vegetable broth, boiled chicken breast or turkey, buckwheat porridge, berry juice;
• afternoon snack - allowed fruit and a glass of rosehip broth;
• dinner - steamed fish with vegetables or low-fat cottage cheese, a glass of compote without sugar;
• a snack before bedtime - 200 ml low-fat kefir.

The diet of a type 2 diabetic can be really varied and delicious. The lack of sweet foods in it is compensated by healthy fruits and nuts, and fatty meats are replaced by diet options. A big plus of this menu is that it can be made for the whole family. Restriction in animal fat and sugar is helpful even for healthy people, and in diabetes it is a prerequisite for maintaining a normal health for many years.