What to eat with diabetes: a list of allowed foods and a sample menu

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

People diagnosed with diabetes should eat according to the requirements of their disease. Diabetics have to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels. Otherwise, a frivolous attitude to one's own he alth can lead to extremely undesirable consequences. That is why many products are strictly prohibited for them. You can find out what to eat with diabetes from your doctor.

Diabetes type 1 and 2

This disease is chronic. The reason for its appearance is insufficient production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. Thus, glucose is poorly absorbed in the body and enters the bloodstream. In type 1 diabetes, insulin cells are not fully produced, while in type 2 there is insulin, but it is extremely insufficient. As a rule, the first type develops in childhood, and type 2 diabetes is considered acquired, more often appears only after the age of forty.

Signs of diabetes are the following symptoms:

• Frequent numbness and tingling in fingers.
• Morning thirst, which sometimes makes it impossible to get drunk.
• Poorly healing wounds and cuts. The skin becomes dry, and if pimples appear, they can be very difficult to get rid of.
• Visual acuity noticeably decreases. At times, the contours of objects merge and become fuzzy.
• Diabetics are characterized by rapid weight loss for no particular reason. Despite the fact that the appetite does not decrease, but on the contrary, it increases slightly.

You can also determine the signs of diabetes at home by drops of urine. They turn white when dry.

Nutrition for diabetes

What can and cannot be eaten? This disease involves the use of a separate menu. The patient has to adjust his diet throughout his life. For him, there are both prohibited and permitted products. For example, simple carbohydrates are a real poison for a diabetic, while complex carbohydrates found in cereals and dairy products can be consumed without restriction. Type 2 diabetes is quite specific. It differs in that the disease, as a rule, is not independent. Patients usually have impaired lipid metabolism, which is why they are strictly prohibited from fatty and fried foods.

With type 1 diabetes, it is very difficult to maintain normal weight. Patients have to regularly consume carbohydrates in a uniform amount. They are completely dependent on insulin, which comes to them from the outside. Very often they are prone to rapid weight loss due to the specific exchange of things.

What productsgood for diabetes?

Beans and other legumes

Beans are a source of proteins and amino acids. This food actually becomes the main one for a diabetic, as it is an energy supplier. If the patient completely refuses glucose, then his body is very quickly depleted. The use of beans will be able to restore the energy balance and saturate the body with the necessary proteins, vitamins and trace elements. In addition, white beans have a lot of useful components. Among them, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, and so on stand out. Due to a sufficiently large amount of vitamin B, the functioning of the digestive tract, including the pancreas, improves. Phosphorus and zinc improve blood composition, and vitamin PP strengthens the walls of blood vessels.

What fruits to eat with diabetes is prohibited or, conversely, recommended?

Fruit for Diabetes

Some fruits contain too much fructose. Its action is not as detrimental as that of glucose, but, nevertheless, it is not recommended to consume such fruits in large quantities.

What can not eat with diabetes? For example, melon and watermelon should be presented in the daily menu in limited quantities. At the same time, apples, oranges, cherries and gooseberries are consumed in large quantities. In addition, black berries (blackberries, blueberries and currants), as well as citrus fruits (lemon and grapefruit) will be useful for diabetics.

It is useful to cook dried fruit compoteno added sugar. It contains a huge amount of potassium, which has a beneficial effect on the he alth of the pancreas.

Nuts and honey

Nuts contain polyunsaturated acids Omega 3 and 6, which help restore cell metabolism and heal the body. In addition, almost all known nuts have a huge amount of vitamin E and A. This combination has a beneficial effect on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreas. As you know, type 2 diabetes very often occurs due to diseases of the pancreas. To improve this body and restore its work is one of the main tasks in the treatment of diabetes. Can a diabetic eat honey?

Despite the sufficient amount of glucose, honey, however, does not harm people with diabetes. In moderation, it is even useful, as it is a natural source of almost all microelements and vitamins known today. In addition, it is quite possible to replace sugar with this product if it is difficult to give up sweets. In the future, it is advisable for patients to completely abandon any sweet foods, including fruits that contain too much fructose. Diabetics can get glucose from cereals, legumes, bread.

Meat and vegetables

What can you eat with meat from diabetes? Poultry and beef are considered the best option for a diabetic. They contain protein, which is necessary to strengthen the immune system, and also perfectly saturate the body and provide energy. It is important to consider that fat and skin shouldremove immediately before cooking. Animal fats are highly discouraged for diabetics. In addition, harmful substances obtained during the life of a bird accumulate in the chicken skin.

Among vegetables, zucchini, radishes, cabbage and cucumbers are the most valuable. In a word, those foods that have the least amount of calories. Followed by beets, carrots and potatoes. All vegetables are recommended to be baked or eaten raw.

Dairy

Can diabetics eat dairy products? Despite the obvious benefits, it is undesirable to drink more than two glasses of kefir or fermented baked milk per day. And you should also be careful not to buy yogurts with sugar or with a lot of flavors and flavor enhancers. What about milk? Depending on the condition of the patient, whole milk may be prohibited for him. It is advisable for the patient to consult with their doctor about nutrition. Especially useful is low-fat cottage cheese - a supplier of calcium and phosphorus. It contains valuable milk protein, which will give energy to the patient and significantly improve his well-being. You can consume cottage cheese daily in an amount not exceeding two hundred or three hundred grams.

He althy cereals

What to eat with diabetes from cereals? Doctors recommend that diabetics eat buckwheat porridge. It contains the smallest amount of carbohydrates compared to other similar products. Buckwheat maintains the level of glucose in the patient's blood at one specific level, preventing sudden jumps. ExceptIn addition, oatmeal and pearl barley can also be attributed to he althy cereals. Porridge is recommended to be included in the menu at least three times a week. Portion should not be too big. Oatmeal can be steamed in the evening, and consumed in the morning along with grated apple or nuts. Such a dish is extremely easy to digest and saturates the body.

Unwanted Foods

What can and cannot be eaten with diabetes? First of all, the latter include any food that has gone through deep processing. It, as a rule, no longer contains most of the nutrients, and during cooking, this food has acquired a lot of unnecessary components, which often simply harm he alth. For example, oatmeal is a source of polyunsaturated acids, fiber and almost all B vitamins, without which it is difficult to imagine a he althy digestive system. At the same time, instant oatmeal has a huge amount of starch and very little fiber. In addition, during processing, cereals have lost most of their nutrients.

Glycemic index

For diabetics, the glycemic index of foods is of particular importance. It is a measure of the ability of foods to affect the patient's blood sugar levels. That is, there are foods that can both dramatically increase sugar levels and make it smoother. Almost all food that is eaten with diabetes can be divided into three groups:

• Foods with a high glycemic index, whichexceeds seventy units.
• The average level usually ranges from forty to seventy units.
• Low score should not exceed forty.

What foods can you eat with diabetes? The last group includes corn porridge, orange and apple juice, figs, dairy products. Don't forget walnuts, peanuts, tomatoes, cabbage, apricot onions and grapes.

What can not be eaten with diabetes? Foods with a high glycemic index include wheat porridge, pumpkin, watermelon, chips, white bread, mashed potatoes, honey, and cookies. The most dangerous are dates, sweet pastries, canned fruits, as well as beer and other alcoholic beverages.

Foods that can be consumed in moderation: rice, pineapple, pies, semolina, bananas, chocolate, canned vegetables, black bread and turnips. You can also occasionally eat marmalade, boiled corn and drink fruit sodas.

Two-week menu

Nutritionists have developed a rough menu of what to eat with type 2 diabetes, lasting fourteen days. First of all, you should exclude all sweet foods, which include sweets, ice cream, cookies and other sweet pastries. Sweet fruit juices and bee products (pollen and honey) are not recommended.

What foods are recommended for diabetics? First of all, special attention should be paid to fresh vegetable salad, seafood, chicken and beef meat, andalso dairy products, vegetable oils, oatmeal and buckwheat porridge. Based on this list, an approximate menu was compiled.

On the first day of the diet, eat oatmeal boiled in water. As a dessert, you can use cottage cheese with sour cream. Finish breakfast with black tea or coffee. After two hours, you can drink a glass of vegetable juice with unsweetened biscuits. For lunch, eat a fresh vegetable salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. The main dish is fish stewed in a little water and rice. After two hours, you can eat fruit.

For dinner, it is recommended to cook durum vermicelli with beef boiled or lightly stewed in oil and water. And also to stabilize the process of digestion, you can cook a vinaigrette. This excellent diet dish is extremely useful for diabetes mellitus, as it normalizes the digestion process and does not create a load on the liver and pancreas. Patients with diabetes are advised to eat about thirty or forty minutes before bedtime. It can be a glass of yogurt with cookies or a serving of buckwheat porridge, which contains few calories, but a lot of iron.

On Tuesday for breakfast you can eat vegetable cutlets, two hours later drink yogurt or kefir with unsweetened cookies. For lunch, it is also recommended to prepare a salad of fresh vegetables. As ingredients, you can use cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh cabbage, daikon radish, lettuce, spinach, bell and hot peppers, onions, and so on. In addition, it is recommended to cook lean borscht with beans. Do it in two hoursfruit plate.

Very often, patients are interested in what fruits can be eaten with diabetes? These are, first of all, apples, peaches, pears, plums and other seasonal fruits. For dinner, you can eat rice porridge with boiled or stewed meat, and just before going to bed, drink kefir with croutons.

For breakfast on Wednesday, they cook scrambled eggs and boil some potatoes. The second breakfast consists entirely of fresh fruit. For dinner, you can cook tomato soup, as well as vegetable stew. In the afternoon they use fruit juice with cookies. For dinner, it is recommended to cook a cabbage salad and cook a small piece of poultry meat. She drinks milk with oatmeal before going to bed.

On Thursday, the menu can be varied with cheesecakes or pancakes with cottage cheese, vegetable juice, eggplant stew with meat, and vermicelli soup. In the afternoon, it is advised to eat a glass of berries, and for dinner - vinaigrette or cabbage rolls. Before going to bed, you can use kefir or milk along with unsweetened cookies.

On Friday, breakfast is porridge made from buckwheat, oatmeal or millet. For dessert, use low-fat cottage cheese with raisins. For a second breakfast, you can eat yogurt without sugar, for lunch - borscht with beans and vegetable stew. After two hours, fresh or baked fruit is consumed. What fruits to eat with diabetes? The best option would be citrus fruits, cherries and apples. Dinner includes fish and a fresh salad. Before going to bed, you can drink yogurt. If it is not enough, then they additionally eat a small portion of any porridge.

On Saturday they eat scrambled eggs and cheese again, and two hours later they drink any sour milkproduct. For lunch, it is recommended to cook a spinach salad, beef stew with vegetables and a s altwort. Two hours later, as usual, they eat fruits or berries. For dinner, it is recommended to make steam cutlets, in which there will be meat with grated boiled beans. The day also ends with a fermented milk product with cookies.

On Sunday you can cook barley porridge, and two hours later eat a glass of green peas, which also belongs to the foods that people with diabetes eat. For lunch, buckwheat porridge with steam cutlets is recommended, as well as noodle soup. For dinner, you can cook beetroot salad and cook fish. Ends the day with yogurt or fermented baked milk. If a person feels hungry by the end of the day, then you can eat cookies, muesli or fruit. The last option will be the most preferable, since the number of calories should be distributed as follows: in the first half of the day, about seventy percent, and in the second - thirty.

Next week is practically the same as the previous one. After two weeks, you can return to your usual diet. The menu can be slightly adjusted and rearranged. For example, what is recommended to be consumed on Monday can be eaten on Wednesday. Thus, by understanding what to eat with diabetes, even such a complex disease can be controlled.

It should be recalled that many diseases largely correct the habitual way of life. Diabetes is no exception. But it cannot be called a sentence either. Proper nutrition is keygood he alth and good he alth.