In order to treat obesity and diabetes, diet planning and a healthy diet are an important part of therapy.
Individuals with diabetes should follow the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate to achieve better nutritional outcomes. To accomplish this, they should consume less saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium as well as exercise more. Other dietary modifications should also be implemented.
In order to improve diabetes control in these patients, a modest weight loss of 5 to 10% of body weight may be beneficial. Patients with diabetes may improve their diabetes control by reducing calorie intake by 250 to 500 calories daily and increasing energy expenditure by regular exercise.
The diet prescribed for diabetics is composed of these food groups.
Proteins
Patients with diabetes should consume 15 to 20% of their calories from protein, according to the same recommendations. The usual protein intake should not be altered in healthy people, but high protein intakes can accelerate the development of kidney disease.
Obesity Be careful with the usage of this word, as it is sometimes used interchangeably with the word ‘fat’. However, ‘fat’ refers to the amount of fat on the body, whereas ‘obesity’ is a condition of having too much fat.
Diabetes and obesity are associated with heart disease and stroke. Reduction of fat in the diet is critical. Choose foods high in polyunsaturated fats and foods rich in monounsaturated fats occasionally, and eat foods low in saturated fats more often.
Fats
Saturated fats are found in meat, lard, high-fat dairy products, coconut, palm oil, and so on. These oils are usually solid at room temperatures and cause high LDL and cholesterol levels.
Trans fats decrease HDL, the good cholesterol as well as raise LDL the bad cholesterol. Foods high in trans fats include margarine, peanut butter, shortening, cookies, and so on.
Eating polyunsaturated fats can lower cholesterol levels. They are found in corn, soybean, safflower, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and trout oils, among other foods.
Monounsaturated fats are also good for the heart because they lower LDL cholesterol. These foods include canola oil, walnut oil, olive oil, avocados, olives, nuts, peanut oil, and so on.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are one of the most beneficial polyunsaturated fats in fish and fish oils. They protect the heart and decrease insulin resistance in diabetic individuals as well as lots of other advantages.
The three varieties of omega-3 fats are:
Present in plant sources, alphalinolenic acid (ALA)
EPA is found in oily cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and herring
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in fish and marine animals as well as walnuts.
Diabetes patients should consume 20 to 35% of their calories from fat, less than 7% of them should be saturated fat, 10% of them should be polyunsaturated fat, and less than 20% of them should be monounsaturated fat. Dietary cholesterol should be less than 200 mg per day.
Fibre
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body doesn’t need to break down or convert into fuel. It helps your body stay strong and healthy. Your body can get the energy it needs from calories or from the calories in the foods you eat. If you want to lose weight or keep it off, you need to burn more calories than you take in. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you eat the same number of calories daily, you will maintain your current weight.
For every 1000 calories, a person needs 25 grams of fibre, which comes from soluble fibres. Specially, 18 grams of fibre should come from soluble fibres. Fibres can be obtained from oatmeal, fruit, vegetables, rice bran, cooked beans, and psyllium seeds.
Carbohydrates
All carbohydrates are composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms, in the form of a chain of two or more linked units.
The breakdown of carbohydrates, also known as glucose, is one of the body’s primary sources of energy. Breads, rice, fruits, and starches are all composed of carbohydrates.
The intake of carbohydrates should be regulated in patients with insulin, medications, and physical activity, as well as diabetics, to keep blood glucose levels stable. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend moderation as the key.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the use of non-nutritive sweeteners saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (K), sucralose, and neotame in addition to a balanced diet in diabetic people as well as pregnant women. Although saccharin is not suitable for pregnant women, it can enter the placenta.
The speed at which a carbohydrate-containing food breaks down into glucose in the bloodstream is referred to as the glycemic index. Foods high on the glycemic index break down quickly as opposed to those low on the glycemic index which take longer to break down.
Limiting the consumption of alcohol is advisable.
Women and men should consume one drink per day or less, and mixed drinks should be avoided. The amount of daily intake should be kept to a moderate level that is defined as one drink for women and two drinks for men.
Sources
- diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/eating_ez/Eating_Diabetes_508.pdf
- www.cvtoolbox.com/downloads/diets/type2_diabetes_eating_plan_2010.pdf
- http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09334.pdf
- www.diabetes.org/…/diabetes-food-pyramid.html
- www.tualityhealthalliance.org/pdf/member/diabetes-diet-ws[1].pdf
- http://www.med.umich.edu/pfans/docs/tip-2009/dietmyths-0409.pdf
