A Registered Dietitian assesses the nutritional needs of a person with diabetes and calculates the amounts of carbohydrate, fat, protein, and total calories needed per day. He will then convert this information into recommending the list of food a diabetic can eat in the daily diet.
Recommended daily food portion:
Recommended daily food portion:
Daily calories count : carbohydrates - 50% to 60%
protein - 12% to 20%
fat - not more than 30% (with no more than 10 percent from saturated
fats)
fats)
Recommended Diabetic Food Intake:
- Low Glycemic Index - doesn't create rapid peaks and troughs in blood glucose levels.
- Complex high-fiber carbohydrates - Scientific evidence show that diet high in dietary fiber is protective against diabetes. Fiber is capable of slowing down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrate and increasing the sensitivity of tissues to insulin, thereby preventing rise s in blood sugar. It is advisable to restrict the intake of refined carbohydrates and avoid high fat foods.
Example : Oats, cereals, legumes, wholegrain products, dried beans, peas, lentils, fruits, vegetables.
- Alpha-lipoic acid - Is a vitamin like antioxidant that enhances the glucose uptake and improves diabetes nerves damage of diabetes patient.
- Omega 3 - Protect against the hardening of arteries.
Example : Cold water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring).
- Omega 6 fatty acid - Protect against the development of diabetes neuropathy.
Example : Blackcurrant oil, primrose oil, borage oil).
- Artificial sweeteners - such as aspartame and saccharin.
Restricted and to avoid :
- Refined and simple carbohydrates - such as sucrose, glucose or fructose, white rice, white bread, table sugar, sweets, honey, corn-syrup.
- High fat food.
- Alcohol - Higher quantities alcohol can cause health problems like liver damage and increase the risk of heart disease.
- High sodium food - such as salty fish.
Below are some of the nutrition terminologies :
- Diabetic Food Pyramid Guide
- Diet Exchange
- Nutrition Label
- Glycemic Index
