Dietary guidelines for diabetes patients

Understanding the Relationship Between Diabetes and Daily Diet

What is the relationship between diabetes and our daily diet? With diabetes becoming increasingly common, how should we eat to maintain our health? The following articles explain what diabetes patients should eat.

Three Types of Foods That Diabetes Patients Often Avoid But Shouldn’t

An unreasonable diet structure can lead to diabetes. For diabetes patients, certain foods may be feared and avoided, but this is a misconception. The following three categories of food are essential and should not be avoided.

1. Staple Foods Are Essential

Even for diabetes patients, staple foods are a “helper,” not a “destroyer.” Without staple foods, there is a significant energy gap. Staple foods are the energy foundation for diabetes patients. Only by eating the right staple foods can blood sugar be controlled.

Without staple foods, the body’s energy mainly comes from fats and proteins. Many proteins will be burned like firewood, which fails to provide proper nutrition. Diabetes patients often eat less, which can lead to protein deficiency, causing issues like hair loss, poor skin condition, muscle relaxation, and decreased immunity.

So, which staple foods are beneficial for blood sugar control?

No food can directly lower blood sugar; food provides energy and inevitably raises blood sugar during digestion. However, some foods raise blood sugar quickly, while others do so slowly, making them more suitable for diabetes patients. Diabetes patients should choose whole grains and legumes rich in dietary fiber, which digest and raise blood sugar slowly.

For those accustomed to eating rice, adding ingredients like red beans, mung beans, kidney beans, oats, and buckwheat can slow down blood sugar rise and provide more nutrition.

2. Water Is Essential

Some diabetes patients deliberately reduce water intake, believing that “drinking more” causes “frequent urination.” This is a misunderstanding. Diabetes-induced frequent urination is due to high blood sugar levels, which increase urine output to expel excess sugar. The body loses more water and needs more intake for self-protection.

In short, “frequent urination” causes “increased drinking,” not the other way around. Understanding this relationship helps dispel the fear of drinking water. Diabetes patients should develop the habit of drinking water regularly and in moderation.

Diabetes patients with normal heart and kidney function and no special contraindications should drink at least 1500 ml of water daily. Dehydration can significantly raise blood sugar, increasing plasma osmotic pressure and causing a vicious cycle of increased urine output and further dehydration.

What is the best water to drink? Plain boiled water is the best option. Research shows that boiled water is safe, pure, and penetrative, making it the primary beverage source.

3. Fruits Are Essential

Fruits contain three treasures: vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Everyone, including diabetes patients, is encouraged to eat fruits. For diabetes patients, the following two principles should be followed.

  • Stable Blood Sugar: If fasting blood sugar is below 7 mmol/L, postprandial blood sugar is below 11 mmol/L, and glycated hemoglobin is below 7.0%, then eating fruits is safe. If blood sugar is unstable and fluctuating, avoid fruits.
  • Controlled Quantity: Diabetes patients should choose fruits with less than 15% sugar content, such as watermelon, melon, strawberries, cherries, apples, pears, citrus, grapefruit, peaches, plums, apricots, cantaloupe, kiwi, and pineapple. Most fruits have a low glycemic load and can be eaten as snacks when blood sugar is stable. The daily fruit intake should be 150-200 grams, eaten between meals.

Tips for Controlling Blood Sugar with Diet

To control blood sugar, what should you eat, and how should you eat it scientifically? Dr. Han Yang from the Department of Endocrinology at the Emergency General Hospital offers the following tips:

  • Regular Meals and Snacks: Diabetes patients must eat regularly, at least three meals a day, with 4-5 hours between meals. Those injecting insulin or prone to hypoglycemia should have 2-3 snacks between main meals. Chew food thoroughly to aid digestion. Breakfast is best eaten between 6-8 am. A small snack before bedtime can prevent nighttime hypoglycemia.
  • Food Variety: Diabetes patients should have a varied diet to avoid nutrient deficiencies and gradually increasing blood sugar. The daily diet should include grains, animal products, vegetables, fruits, legumes, dairy, and fats in reasonable proportions.
  • Daily diet could include:
    • One bag of milk
    • 200-250 grams of carbohydrates (grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes)
    • Three units of quality protein (e.g., 1 unit = 1 ounce of pork = 2 ounces of fish = 1 egg)
    • 500 grams of vegetables
    • Chicken, milk, and soy products daily
    • About 50 grams of lean meat daily
    • Two to three servings of seafood per week

Protein intake is crucial for blood sugar control. Low-sugar fruits like apples, pears, and oranges are preferable, while high-sugar fruits like bananas, dates, lychees, and persimmons should be avoided. Black foods like black chicken, mushrooms, and black sesame are also recommended.

  • Complex Carbohydrates: Each meal should not exceed 100 grams of staple foods. Eat more complex carbohydrates like corn and sweet potatoes. Carbohydrates should make up about 60% of total caloric intake. Whole grains, beans, and vegetables rich in fiber are recommended. Sweet potatoes, for example, have a lower glycemic index and fewer calories than rice. Mixed grain rice, rich in dietary fiber and minerals, is also beneficial.
  • Light and Digestible Foods: Diabetes patients should choose light and easily digestible foods with low oil and salt content. Opt for plant-based oils such as corn oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, and soybean oil, rich in unsaturated fatty acids that help manage cholesterol and blood sugar. Additional tips include:
  • Limiting salt intake to less than 6 grams per day
  • Eating more leafy greens and vegetables like spinach, oilseed rape, carrots, and onions
  • Avoiding fried and spicy foods
  • Limiting starchy foods like sweet potatoes, potatoes, vermicelli, and taro
  • Limit the intake of sugar-free cakes. Although these foods do not contain sucrose, they are made from starch and often involve a lot of oil during preparation, which also adds calories, so they should not be eaten excessively.

Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “