The Diabetic diet Is based on the intake of food that should help us primarily to maintain adequate blood glucose levels. It is not advisable to design a diet that presents edibles with high sugar contents. What is ideal is to eat in small portions throughout the day.
When we talk about diabetes, we speak of a disease that affects more than 347 million people in the world, which has come to be described by the Health Organization itself as a global epidemic.
Recommended foods for diabetics
The foods we should consume should help us primarily to maintain adequate blood glucose levels. It is not advisable to design a diet that presents edibles with high sugar contents. What is ideal is to eat in small portions throughout the day.
It is also advisable to vary the more we can as far as possible our meals, paying special attention to the amount of carbohydrates we are going to consume, where we should eat less fat, less salt and of course always limiting the use of alcohol.
The nutrients that basically have to contribute are summarized to calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E.
To maintain a perfectly balanced diet as a diabetic, either type 1 or type 2, it would be necessary to provide 50 to 60% carbohydrates, 10% to 15% protein and 20% to 30% fat.
We must also mention two terms:
- Reductive diet : The first of them refers to a diet based on the production of fewer calories.
- Balanced Nutrition : It is based on the idea that different dietary regimes must be carried out depending on the person, taking into account the person's age, weight, height, sex and degree of physical activity among many other data.
Although in a diabetic diet plan what is the main thing is balance and variety in general more than the particularities, it is possible to mention certain foods that will help our body to suffer in a better way and help us to that Plus:
Asparagus
Provides amounts of folic acid and B vitamins, which helps to reduce levels of Homocysteine , Helping to prevent heart disease produced known as coronary heart disease.
Beans
According to a study conducted in 2012, different researchers concluded that one cup of these legumes a day helps control glucose In the blood at the same time as the blood pressure .
Broccoli
One of the healthiest foods we can find for all types of diets. It has high amounts of vitamin C and A. It also shows high levels of folic acid and fiber, not forgetting the minimum amount of calories and carbohydrates it makes.
Fruits
The variety in this aspect is served, since it is one of the most important foods for people suffering from the disease. The most important ones we can find are:
- grapes : With a lot of antioxidants in their composition under the name of?? polyphenols??, produce insulin to our body. It contains sugar and that is why we must ingest them in small quantities.
- Citrus fruits : These fruits are rich in soluble fiber. If we look for potent citrus fruits we can resort to oranges, lemons, limes or sour guavas.
- Pears : Like citrus fruits, they show high levels of fiber. They also help prevent cardiovascular disease and detoxify the body.
- Apples : They make our cholesterol and glucose levels regulate because in their composition shows a fiber called pectin .
- Carrot : Do broccoli have minimal levels of calories, so even the American Diabetes Association has said that eating five carrots a day is considered a"free meal"? Since they are practically null regarding calories and carbohydrates.
Fish
One of the great sources of omega-3 acids, reducing the risk of arrhythmias and reducing levels of Triglycerides , Atherosclerotic plaque, blood pressure and lowering the level of inflammation.
Garlic
Since time immemorial, garlic has worked as a recipe for control of people who have high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases , Cancers and blood pressure.
Fruits
Among the fruits that will help us most with the disease we observe:
- Watermelon : Works as an antioxidant, protects against cancer cells and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol
- Cantaloupe : It shows large amounts of vitamin C and A, helping our eye health, in addition to possessing unique properties similar to those of watermelon, regulating our cholesterol levels.
There is a large multitude of beneficial foods such as kale, walnuts, quinoa Or red peppers among many others??
In contrast, potato chips, white bread, flour tortillas, processed rice or cereals with portions of sugar on the side of starches; Canned fruits with sugar syrup, jam, apple purées or punchs sweetened like fruits; Or pickles, vegetables cooked with butter, cheese or sauces on the part of vegetables are about the worst choices we can make when it comes to food.
Diet for diabetics
There are a variety of diets for diabetics. Next we will offer several diets as an example based on the foods and in the indications that we mentioned previously.
According to the healthy and ecological web, we propose the following table to eat food:
Breakfast
Coffee with skimmed milk or infusion of red or green tea with cereals (unsweetened or chocolate) or two biscotti of jam with no sugar as an alternative.
Midday
A piece of fruit and low-fat yogurt or a sugar-free cereal bar. We can also eat two biscotti again, but turkey or fresh cheese according to taste.
Food
Salad or tomatoes with fresh cheese with lentils or spinach with chickpeas plus an infusion, coffee alone or with skim milk.
Mid afternoon
Skim milk with coffee or juice. If we want we can also have about four unsweetened cookies or a skimmed yogurt.
Dinner
Salad of tomato, lettuce, egg (without yolk), onion and tuna, or rice. This can be substituted by a grilled vegetables or cabbage and carrot salad with yogurt sauce and vegetable puree. For dessert we could take a skimmed yogurt or an infusion.
On the other hand, Hogarmanía portal proposes three types of menu based only on breakfast, lunch and dinner based on 1500 calories daily:
Breakfast
A 200 ml glass of skim milk / 3 servings of a total of 60 g of bread / 1 serving of protein: 25 g of turkey / 1 serving of fruit: 100 ml of orange juice.
Food
1 serving of vegetables: 125 g of mushrooms and 125 g of roasted pepper / 4 servings of starch: 90 g of chickpeas in raw or 290 g boiled / 2 servings of protein: 100 g of grilled chicken / 1 and 1/2 Fruit rations: 225 g of melon.
Dinner
5 and 1/2 units of hydrates and 1 of protein: Pasta salad (45 g raw or 150 g cooked, 80 g canned corn, 50 g tomato, lettuce, 50 g carrot and 50 g canned tuna / 2 servings of fruit: 150g of orange
What is and what is diabetes?
The diabetes (Also called scientifically called Diabetes Mellitus) is a disease that causes our blood glucose levels to rise because of lack of insulin synthesis by the pancreas.
The insulin Is the hormone that causes glucose levels to be regulated properly in our body. When deregulation occurs the disease is born.
Such is its significance that is an important cause of amputations, blindness or renal failure if the population is not properly aware.
We found two types of diabetes:
- Diabetes type 1 : The first causes the body to produce absolutely no insulin due to the destruction of the cells of the pancreas. This can not be prevented in any way and appears abruptly. It usually appears in childhood, adolescence and the first years of adult life.
- Type 2 diabetes : This second one attacks insulin productivity. Basically our body actually create insulin, but not to synthesize it effectively. Appears in old age.
In addition there is another third type, but under another typology. This is called gestational diabetes, which is based on a creation of Hyperglycemia . It usually appears during pregnancy and the risks translate into complications during the same process of gestation and delivery, in addition to being able to suffer from type 2 diabetes in the future.
Similarly, we can not overlook the fact that type 2 diabetes is the most common that can be found in practically the vast majority of existing cases, especially in the smaller ones, where the percentage has increased in recent years.
What are your most common symptoms?
Symptoms are often picked up quickly. Among them is the frequency of urine, thirst and excessive hunger, a muscle weakness linked to weight loss and a continuous feeling of discomfort next to a cloudy view.
We can also find a numbness or itchy skin as well as possible infections in it.
How to prevent it?
As we have said, type 1 diabetes can not be prevented in any way. However, type 2 is related to problems of overweight and obesity , That taking the appropriate measures for a healthy life change (a union between diet and physical activity) can be effectively prevented.
According to Rebeca Reyes, coordinator of the SEEN Diabetes Mellitus working group, it was concluded that different studies have shown that physical activity and weight loss prevent the development of diabetes in people who are predisposed to it, Even in those that already present some degree of impaired glucose tolerance (or prediabetes)??.
It only takes about thirty minutes of physical activity a day to reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in high numbers.
Data of interest
The World Health Organization provided in November of last 2014 a series of relevant data on this disease.
On an international level
- As we mentioned in the introduction, the number of diabetics rises to a total of 347 million. The main causes of this increase are overweight, obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
- It is expected that by the year 2030, diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in the world.
- Deaths in developed countries occur in general terms in people of retirement age, while in the underdeveloped the age range varies from 35 to 64 years.
- Precisely, deaths from diabetes will increase more than 50% over the next 10 years.
- Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed in 90% of the global cases that are discovered.
- The deaths of diabetics that are produced by cardiovascular problems belong to a total of between 50 and 80% of these. Having diabetes increases your risk of heart disease.
- In 2012, diabetes was responsible for the deaths of a total of 1.5 million people worldwide.
- 80% of diabetes deaths occur in developing countries.
In Spain
- In Spain, diabetes affects around a total of 15% of the population, and where experts warn that the figure is increasing progressively. This translates into more than five million people.
- Of the percentage shown in the previous data, 13% of the cases belong to type 1 diabetes
- The 6% (more than two million) of people with diabetes in our country, are still not aware that they are suffering.
A good example of a diet per week is offered by the Foundation of the Heart in conjunction with the Spanish Society of Cardiology, which offers a wide variety of foods in addition to the list of purchases you must make and the nutritional value you expose to eating . You can see it in the following image:
