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Diabetic's Proper Nutrition
Bangladesh has as many as 5 million diabetics! Pretty obvious due to our
rich cuisine and delectable sweets! Here is the complete guide for eating
healthy if you happen to be a sufferer of this common disease.
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 (non-diabetic 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 With the Diabetes Food Pyramid As
Your Guide
How
to Work the Diabetes Food Pyramid
The Diabetes Food Pyramid has six sections
for food groups. They vary in size. The largest group -- grains, beans,
and starchy vegetables -- is on the bottom. This means that you should eat
more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the
other foods. The smallest group -- fats, sweets, and alcohol -- is at the
top of the pyramid. This tells you to eat very few servings from these
food groups.
Eat servings from all the food groups other
than the fats, sweets, and alcohol, every day. Eat the recommended number
of servings on the pyramid within each food group. The exact number of
servings you need depends on your diabetes goals, calorie and nutrition
needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of
servings you should eat among the meals and snacks you're going to eat
that day. The Diabetes Food Pyramid makes it easier to remember what to
eat.
The First Step
For most people a great first step to healthier eating habits is to make a
few simple changes. Perhaps you decide to eat more fruits and vegetables
and to go lighter on the meats and sweets. If you make these changes and
stick to them, pat yourself on the back. That's a big step in the right
direction.
After the First Step
Before you get set to make more changes, make sure you can continue
practicing the ones you have made. When you are ready, decide on the next
change. Keep it easy to accomplish. Here are some common problems that you
may have and some easy solutions to fix them:
Problem: You realize that your helpings
of foods at dinner are too large.
Solution:Dust off and use your measuring
cups and spoons, and your food scale to get your serving sizes right.
Problem: Your breakfast has never been
more than a few slurps of juice. You realize that you should eat more to
keep your blood glucose in control and provide your body with morning
energy, but you don't have the time.
Solution: Pack your breakfast for the
road! Take a naan or 2 pieces of bread with half a banana, low fat
biscuits with an apple, or a plain yogurt sprinkled with dry cereal and
dried fruit.
As you continue to change your eating habits to manage your diabetes, the
diabetes food pyramid can help you eat healthier. Here are some more
healthy eating tips:
- Eat a variety of
food. Eating a wide variety of foods, even from the same
food group, helps you get all the nutrients to be in good health. For
example: Within the fruit group, bananas are a good source of
potassium and oranges are a good source of vitamin C.
- Balance the food
you eat with physical activity -- to maintain or improve your weight.
It comes down to basic math. You need to burn as many calories as you
eat in order to hold your weight steady. If you want to lose a few
pounds, then you need to eat fewer calories than you burn.
- Choose a diet
with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits.
These foods should provide the mainstay of what you eat. They provide
lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, yet they provide the least
concentrated sources of calories.
- Choose a diet
low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. It is well
known that eating many foods that are high in fat, particularly ones
with too much saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, can contribute to
the development of clogged and narrowed arteries. This can lead to
heart disease and people with diabetes are at an even greater risk for
developing heart disease.
- Choose a diet
moderate in sugars.Sugary foods, like shondesh and
regular soft drinks, and sweets, like ice cream and cookies, are not
healthy for anyone. They provide a bunch of calories with little or no
nutrients. Yet sugary foods and sweets are enjoyable to eat. Strike a
balance -- practice moderation.
- Choose a diet
moderate in salt and sodium. To keep your salt and sodium
intake moderate, shake the salt shaker lightly and use more fresh and
unprocessed foods.
- If you drink
alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Alcohol is loaded
with calories and is empty when it come to nutrients. Practice
moderation -- a drink or two a few times a week.
Which Foods Are
Healthy?
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:
1. Fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples,
bananas, carrots, and spinach).
2. Whole grains, cereals, and bread (wheat, rice, oats, bran, and
barley).
3. Dairy products (whole or skim milk, cream, and yogurt).
4. Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dried beans, and nuts.
It's important to eat foods from each group
every day. By doing that, you will make sure that 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 right 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 need 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-sugar and blood-fat levels. Foods high in fiber include:
bran cereals, cooked beans and peas, whole-grain bread, fruits, and
vegetables.
Which Foods Are Unhealthy?
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:
1. Choose lean cuts of meat. Remove extra
fat.
2. Eat more fish and poultry (without the skin).
3. Use diet margarine instead of butter.
4. Drink low-fat or skim milk.
5. 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: 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 regular soft drink has nine
teaspoons of sugar.
Finally, good advice is to stay away from alcohol. If you like an
alcoholic drink now and then, ask your dietitian for advice.
How Do You Set Up A Plan For Eating Healthy Foods?
You and your doctor should work together to design a meal plan that's
right for you and includes foods that you enjoy. A diabetes meal plan is a
guide that tells you how much and what kinds of food you can choose to eat
at meals and snack times.
A good meal plan should fit in with your schedule and eating habits. The
right meal plan will also help keep your weight where it should be.
Whether you need to lose weight, gain weight, or stay where you are, your
meal plan can help.
Contact BIRDEM, Tel: 8616641-5 or read
our Daily Food Guide for Diabetics.
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