A sensible diet can help control blood glucose levels.
Consult your doctor, dietitian, or diabetes educator about how to record the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Carbohydrate intake can affect blood glucose levels and can be recorded using the glycemic index. The glycemic index gives an indication of the elevation of blood glucose caused by different foods. The higher the index, the more pronounced the increase in blood glucose caused.
In addition, try the following tricks:
- Diversify your diet: This can easily ensure a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean proteins.
- Focus on calories: age, gender, and activity level all affect the amount of food needed to gain, lose, or maintain weight.
- Get more fiber: This can be obtained through foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. People with type II diabetes can improve their blood sugar and cholesterol levels with a diet high in fiber.
- Get your fiber best from food, but of course you can also get your daily fiber needs from supplements such as plantain and methylcellulose.
- It’s important to increase your fiber intake gradually; otherwise, it may cause symptoms such as bloating or cramping, and it’s also important to drink plenty of water.
How much should you eat?
Check the amount of each ingredient listed on the Nutrition Facts label. You may be consuming fewer servings than you think. Eat according to the diabetes meal plan. Consuming too many calories can lead to body fat and weight gain.
But don’t diet. Just eat regular meals and snacks every day.
How can I lower my cholesterol levels?
If you also have hypercholesterolemia, your doctor may recommend a therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) program for your patient.
This program is designed to help patients lower their cholesterol levels, lose weight, and exercise more. This helps prevent heart disease, which people with diabetes are more likely to develop.
Under the TLC meal plan, you need to:
- Keep your calorie intake from fat at 25-35% of your total daily intake.
- Attake no more than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fats, no more than 10% from polyunsaturated fats, and no more than 20% from monounsaturated fats (such as vegetable oils or nuts).
- Keep your caloric intake from carbohydrates at 50-60% of your total daily intake.
- Eat 20-30g of fiber daily.
- Use 15-20% of your total daily intake of calories from protein.
- Control your daily cholesterol intake to 200mg.
- In addition to this, you need to exercise more.
Can I eat sugar?
You may have heard that people with diabetes should not consume sucrose. While some doctors think so, others are more lenient about it.
Most people today believe that you can eat small amounts of sweets as long as you have a sensible, healthy meal plan. The effect of sucrose on elevated blood sugar in humans is no more pronounced than that of starch.
However, it’s important to remember that sugar is a carbohydrate. So, you should not eat other carbohydrates or starches (such as potatoes) when you eat sweets such as cookies, cakes, or candy, or your blood sugar levels may go over the limit.
You can change the type, but don’t increase your intake. This is because the total intake of sugar is more important than its source.
Record the foods that are replaced in the carbohydrates you expect to consume that day. If sugars are added to the meal, adjustments in medication use will be needed. If you use insulin, adjust the insulin dose to cope with the extra carbohydrate intake so that you can control your blood glucose levels as much as possible. Please test your blood glucose after eating sugary foods.
Check the food or drink ingredient label to see how much sugar or carbohydrate is in it. Also, check the calorie and fat content of each serving.
What sweeteners are available?
Artificial sweeteners can be added to foods or beverages. However, many artificial sweeteners contain carbohydrates, so check the ingredient label carefully. If necessary, adjust other foods in your meal or the amount of medication you use to control your blood sugar levels.
Some sweeteners called sugar alcohols contain some calories and can cause a slight increase in blood sugar levels. If you eat too much of them, they can easily cause bloating or diarrhea. For example:
- Xylitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
- Stevia is a calorie-free, natural sweetener.
Can I drink alcohol?
Check with your doctor to see if you can drink alcohol. If your doctor says yes, drink alcohol only occasionally when your blood sugar levels are well controlled. Most wines and blends contain sugar, and alcohol is high in calories.