Archive for the ‘Diabetes’ Category

THE PROPER DIET FOR SOMEONE WITH DIABETES

June 9th, 2011 by admin
What is the “right” diet for someone with diabetes? That is a question that has been debated for thousands of years. The diet now recommended for people with diabetes is basically the same as the healthy diet recommended for everyone. It contains about 50 percent carbohydrates (including foods with plenty of natural fiber, such as fruits and whole-grain cereals), about 20 percent proteins, and 30 percent or less fats. People with diabetes should try to avoid refined sugars, such as table sugar, which pass quickly into the blood.
The amount of food that a person with diabetes eats is particularly important, both for those taking insulin and for those being treated with diet alone. There should be enough food to provide nourishment without causing weight gain (except in actively growing children). Obese people need a diet that will help them lose weight, because in Type II diabetes lowering the weight to normal will often decrease or even eliminate the need for any other therapy.
Many people with diabetes go to a dietitian or a nutritionist to help them develop a dietary program. A dietitian may be recommended by a physician or local diabetes group such as the American Diabetes Association.
Helpful diet plans for treating diabetes have been drawn up. These plans operate on the basis of “exchanges,” portions of foods that are equivalent in type and amount of nourishment. Substitutions may be made within exchange groups. For example, a person might eat a portion of cereal or spaghetti instead of bread. An ounce of lean beef could be exchanged for an ounce of fish. Some of the equivalents are not so obvious—starchy vegetables like peas, for example, are more similar in nutrient value to breads and cereals than to vegetables like green beans. The diet may allow larger amounts of leafy green vegetables, which are very low in calories and carbohydrates, and high in fiber.
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HOW DIABETES IS TREATED

March 26th, 2011 by admin
Thirteen-year-old Gary Krajewski has a far stricter routine than most boys his age. He gives himself insulin injections twice a day, and six times each day he pricks his finger to test his sugar level. He has to watch his diet, too. “I was eating a lot of candy before this happened,” he says. “I was a basic little kid, ya know?” But Gary is philosophical about the chores of living with Type I diabetes. “I’m probably healthier than most kids,” he adds. “I’m not eating that junk food.”
Tony Paolo, who learned at forty-six that he had Type II diabetes, also has a strict routine. Three days a week he gets up early to work out. He has thirty pounds to go to get down to the weight his doctor suggested as a goal. That means no splurging at mealtime, either. He weighs out his portion of breakfast cereal, eats low-fat meats, and counts calories all day, trying to stay within a 2,000-calorie limit. At first he checked his blood sugar level twice a day, before breakfast and after dinner, but now he has been able to cut back to twice a week. Tony is glad about that. “You get used to the routine,” he says, “but not the pinprick.” So far his careful routine is keeping his diabetes under good control, without the need for oral hypoglycemic drugs.
The treatment of diabetes may thus be quite different, depending on the type of disease:
Type I diabetes: Insulin; diet and exercise are also important.
Type II diabetes: Diet and exercise; oral drugs or insulin may also be needed. Diabetes treatment puts a lot of responsibility on the patient, but typically a whole health-care team is there for help, advice, and support. In addition to the doctor, who prescribes medications, outlines a plan of diet and exercise appropriate for the patient’s condition and life-style, and periodically monitors how well the disease is being controlled, the team may also include a dietitian and a diabetes nurse-educator. Medical specialists, such as an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) and a podiatrist (foot doctor), and perhaps a psychiatrist and a social worker, are also available for special needs.
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HOW DIABETES IS TREATEDThirteen-year-old Gary Krajewski has a far stricter routine than most boys his age. He gives himself insulin injections twice a day, and six times each day he pricks his finger to test his sugar level. He has to watch his diet, too. “I was eating a lot of candy before this happened,” he says. “I was a basic little kid, ya know?” But Gary is philosophical about the chores of living with Type I diabetes. “I’m probably healthier than most kids,” he adds. “I’m not eating that junk food.”Tony Paolo, who learned at forty-six that he had Type II diabetes, also has a strict routine. Three days a week he gets up early to work out. He has thirty pounds to go to get down to the weight his doctor suggested as a goal. That means no splurging at mealtime, either. He weighs out his portion of breakfast cereal, eats low-fat meats, and counts calories all day, trying to stay within a 2,000-calorie limit. At first he checked his blood sugar level twice a day, before breakfast and after dinner, but now he has been able to cut back to twice a week. Tony is glad about that. “You get used to the routine,” he says, “but not the pinprick.” So far his careful routine is keeping his diabetes under good control, without the need for oral hypoglycemic drugs.The treatment of diabetes may thus be quite different, depending on the type of disease:Type I diabetes: Insulin; diet and exercise are also important.Type II diabetes: Diet and exercise; oral drugs or insulin may also be needed. Diabetes treatment puts a lot of responsibility on the patient, but typically a whole health-care team is there for help, advice, and support. In addition to the doctor, who prescribes medications, outlines a plan of diet and exercise appropriate for the patient’s condition and life-style, and periodically monitors how well the disease is being controlled, the team may also include a dietitian and a diabetes nurse-educator. Medical specialists, such as an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) and a podiatrist (foot doctor), and perhaps a psychiatrist and a social worker, are also available for special needs.*27\268\2*

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DIETS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES: ALCOHOL

January 29th, 2011 by admin
Alcohol is not a recommendation, however, if diabetes is well controlled, moderate use of alcohol is unlikely to adversely affect blood glucose. However, it is important to verify this through blood glucose monitoring. Patients who take insulin should limit their intake to not more than two drinks per day (one drink equals 12 oz beer, 5 oz wine or 1 oz distilled alcohol). If alcohol is consumed, it should not be counted as part of the meal plan, but in addition to the meal plan. In the fasting state alcohol may produce hypoglycemia. This is because alcohol cannot be converted to glucose, inhibits gluconeogenesis, and augments or increases the effects of insulin by interfering with the counter-regulation of insulin-induced hypoglycemia.
Alcohol is metabolized in a manner similar to fat. Even though extra calories are consumed, total food intake should not be reduced. When calories intake is being restricted, as in individuals trying to reduce their body weight, alcohol is best substituted for fat (one drink equals two fat exchanges, or about 100 kcal that would have been consumed as fat).
Here are some guidelines for alcohol use. For insulin users:
1. Limits to two small drinks per day.
2. Drink only with food.
3. Do not cut back on food.
4. Abstain if there is a history of alcohol abuse, during pregnancy and lactation.
5. For non-insulin users:
6. Substitute for fat calories.
7. Limit to promote weight loss or maintenance.
8. Limit if triglycerides are elevated.
9. Abstain if there is a history of alcohol abuse, during pregnancy and lactation.
Alcohol calories cannot be substituted with diet calories. 1 g of alcohol = 7 calories.
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DIETS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES: ALCOHOLAlcohol is not a recommendation, however, if diabetes is well controlled, moderate use of alcohol is unlikely to adversely affect blood glucose. However, it is important to verify this through blood glucose monitoring. Patients who take insulin should limit their intake to not more than two drinks per day (one drink equals 12 oz beer, 5 oz wine or 1 oz distilled alcohol). If alcohol is consumed, it should not be counted as part of the meal plan, but in addition to the meal plan. In the fasting state alcohol may produce hypoglycemia. This is because alcohol cannot be converted to glucose, inhibits gluconeogenesis, and augments or increases the effects of insulin by interfering with the counter-regulation of insulin-induced hypoglycemia.Alcohol is metabolized in a manner similar to fat. Even though extra calories are consumed, total food intake should not be reduced. When calories intake is being restricted, as in individuals trying to reduce their body weight, alcohol is best substituted for fat (one drink equals two fat exchanges, or about 100 kcal that would have been consumed as fat).Here are some guidelines for alcohol use. For insulin users:1. Limits to two small drinks per day.2. Drink only with food.3. Do not cut back on food.4. Abstain if there is a history of alcohol abuse, during pregnancy and lactation.5. For non-insulin users:6. Substitute for fat calories.7. Limit to promote weight loss or maintenance.8. Limit if triglycerides are elevated.9. Abstain if there is a history of alcohol abuse, during pregnancy and lactation.Alcohol calories cannot be substituted with diet calories. 1 g of alcohol = 7 calories.*9/356/5*

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