Diabetes Foods and Nutritional Requirements for Diabetics
Diet plays an important role in managing diabetes. All diabetic patients should know what to eat and what to avoid. This article will help you know about the diabetes foods and nutritional requirements for diabetics.
Diabetes Foods
Foods that can be eaten as much as one wants – Green leafy vegetables, fruits except banana, lemon; clear soups, onion, salads, mint, spices, plain coffee or tea, skimmed and butter milk
Foods that can be eaten in moderation – Fats, meat, egg, cereals and pulses
Foods to be avoided – Simple sugars (glucose, syrup, sweets and honey), dried fruits, cake, fried foods, candy, alcohol and nuts
Nutritional Requirements for Diabetics
Carbohydrates – High carbohydrate and high fiber diet improve insulin binding and increase in monocyte insulin receptor binding. High carbohydrate diet is likely to elevate serum triglyceride levels (endogenous cholesterol). Hence carbohydrate is maintained to about 50% of total calories. Most carbohydrates should be in form of polysaccharides such as bread, cereals, beans, etc. Rapidly absorbed mono and disaccharides such as sweets, chocolates and sweetened drink should be avoided.
Proteins – A diet high in protein is good for the health of diabetics because it supplies the essential amino acids needed for tissue repair. Protein does not raise blood sugar during absorption as do carbohydrates and it does not supply as much calories as fat.
In patients with NIDDM, consumption of protein along with carbohydrate will lower the blood glucose concentration due to amino acid stimulation of insulin secretion; this help to compensate for the defect in glucose mediated insulin secretion seen in so many of these patients. Protein also promotes satiety and helps both types of diabetic patients to adhere to the carbohydrate allowance.
Fats – Low fat diet increases insulin binding and also reduces LDL and VLDL levels and lowers the incidence of atherosclerosis which is more common in diabetics. Fat content in the diet should be 15-25% of total calories and higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Dietary Fiber – Diets high in carbohydrate and fiber improve glucose metabolism without increasing insulin secretion. They lower fasting serum and peripheral insulin concentrations in response to oral glucose administration in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Fenugreek seeds which contain high fiber are useful to diabetics.
Artificial Sweeteners - High content of sugar consumption is undesirable for diabetics and for obese individuals. Non-caloric and high intense sweeteners are available as sugar substitute. These sweeteners are as sweet as sucrose, have a pleasant taste, are colorless, odorless, readily soluble, stable, functional and economically feasible.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.
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How to use the food guide pyramid for a diabetic diet in this free healthy living video. Expert: Brenda Thompson Contact: www.lifeskillsnutrition.com Bio: Brenda L. Thompson is a licensed dietitian and professional chef. She had struggled with weight her entire life. After some extreme life experiences, she decided to change her life for the best. Filmmaker: Drew Noah
Video Rating: 3 / 5
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very helpful to everybody
It is very interesting to see that a very vocal “expert” on diabetic diets has gone “low catb”. See Mendossa-
Diabetes Update Number 114: Low-Carb of January 1, 2008.
Also he recommends Dr. Bernstein
Dr. Bernstein’s next LIVE Tele-Seminar is Wednesday, July 30, at 8:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM CST, 6:00 PM MST, and 5:00 PM PST.
Hope for diabetics yet
It is really amazing that a diabetic Doctor completely rejects the idea of high carbohydrate diets being good for diabetes, See-
“Achieving normal blood sugars for diabetics with the aid of a low carbohydrate diet and exercise is the focus of
Dr. Bernstein’s Revised and Updated 2007 Diabetes Solution, and the New Diabetes Diet, Dr. Bernstein’s Low-Carbohydrate Solution, Richard K. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.C.E., F.A.C.N., C.W.S., FACCWS.
It seems strange this contradiction !
no it does not. you are saying HIGH and the article clearly states low carbohydrates as in LOW GLYCEMIC level carbs. no contradiction there.
Studies of the American Diabetic Food Plan show diabetics just get worse on the diet. They continue to gain weight, their sugars go up and their arteries get clogged with all that LIQUID FAT (Olive oil).
American’s are DYING OF PROTEIN OVERDOSE! All those weight lifter’s have got people thinking they need protein to build strong bodies (we’re not cows) Hippo’s, elephants, cows, horses ALL LIVE ON PLANTS! On a low carb diet you still die of heart disease – just with good looking Numbers!
Excellent point suesara.
Aqueous Diospyros is persimmon juice. Here’s real juice research:Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Aug 3.
Antidiabetic activity of Diospyros peregrina fruit: effect on hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and augmented oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes.
(aqueous extract of Diospyros peregrina fruit in type 2 diabetic rats) Oral administration of extract at 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight per day for 28 days to subjects possess dose dependant hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity.
Just don’t drink any soda and eat crappy sugary and greasy food. But American diet is all about sugar and fat…
In my opinion MOST of the diet recommendations for type 2 diabetics are insane. The majority of diet recommendations are for between 40-55% of the calories from CARBS. To me, that is similar to a doctor recommending to someone with badly arthritic knees, train for a marathon. I think that if a doctor recommends that type of diet, they must buy into government propoganda or want to sell a lot of diabetes medication. On a low carb diet you can have normal blood sugar in weeks if not days.
@suesara47: That is really funny, that post of yours. You do know that ttdm is a CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM DISORDER…..RIGHT. Ave you suggesting that the best nonmedical way to overcome ttdm is a VEGANCULT DIET? Tell me how many people would stick to something sooooooo repulsive and unnatural? A stict low carb diet is healthier and much more tastealicious, yummy meat type animals included! Go back to giving classes on ARMPIT HAIR BRAIDING, WTF!
It’s a great opportunity to watcht this video!!! You learn something great!!! Aha please watch my videos also!!!
@suesara47 Uh, I think that too much protein is a waste, excess just gets converted to glucose/fat and stored. But, your rip on low carb is off the mark. The idea behind low carb is to decrease the need for insulin which lowers the storage of fat. Ideally a low carb diet is a diet that provides adequate protein for the bodies needs, not excess. Fat is a very useful part of the diet, the Lipid/heart disease/athero hypothesis is coming under more and more fire because it is just faulty logic.
@PROFLOP1 So, are you in agreement with the doc or do you think he is wrong? I cannot really tell from the tone of your post. I was having some very poor blood sugar readings doing the low fat diet, lots of prediabetic levels. Went low carb and my blood sugar levels have never been better.
@tickyul
Sorry, I can’t remember what I said before. I am all for a low carbohydrate diet similar to Atkins or DR. Bernstein.
The high protein diet works wonders for me in that I lost some 10 kg in some six months. This was some years ago now and have maintained my weight since.
Keep the good word going-
A high carbohydrate diet is harmful to ANYONE and should be avoided at any cost ! Like giving up ALL sugars, ALL breads, ALL pastas, ALL grain like rice, ALL tubers like potatoes.
@ERNIEMAC2 I am not a total ideologue, I think that there are a lot of different way to maintain a healthy diet. I just cannot see how someone with diabetes can eat a lot of carbs and expect to be healthy. I just got done doing about 5 months of very low carb/no carb and it worked great. I switched up to a different diet with more carbs and it has it’s plusses and minuses. I see being flexible when it comes to eating a huge asset. High carb/low fat is something I will avoid.