Proper nutrition for diabetes

The main risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes is overweight. 80-90% of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight.

The most unfavorable for health is the abdominal fat distribution, in which adipose tissue is deposited in the abdominal area. Abdominal obesity is associated with a high percentage of cardiovascular diseases and high mortality from them.

Abdominal fat deposition can be estimated quite simply by measuring the waist circumference. If this indicator is higher than 102 cm in men and higher than 88 cm in women, then the risk of the disease is very high.Treatment of diabetes is advisable to start with a diet.

Let's focus on the need to limit the caloric content of food. The energy carriers in our food are 3 components: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The most high-calorie of them are fats. They contain more than 2 times more calories (9 calories per 1 g), compared to proteins and carbohydrates (4 calories per 1 g).  Hence, the conclusion is that the most effective way to reduce the caloric content of food is to reduce the fat content in it. This is quite safe for the health of modern man, because his diet, unfortunately, is oversaturated with fats. In order to limit fat, you need to learn how to recognize them. Usually, "obvious" fats are not in doubt: oil, lard. But there are so-called "hidden" fats. They are hidden in fatty meats (pork), sausages, nuts, and some types of dairy products.

Here are some rules that help reduce the amount of fat on our table:

• it is necessary to properly learn how to read the information on the packaging of products: this will help you choose a food with a reduced fat content;
• cut off the visible fat from the meat; during cooking, remove the fat, remove the skin from the chicken;
• give up roasting, use baking, stewing, steaming;
• try to eat vegetables in their natural form (adding mayonnaise, oil to salads increases the calorie content);
• do not use such high-calorie foods as chips, nuts for snacks, it is better to eat vegetables and fruits.

Properly conducted diet therapy and regular physical activity contribute to the normalization of glucose and lipids in the blood, achieving normal body weight, slowing the development and progression of vascular complications of diabetes mellitus.

Endocrinologist,
GUZ " Lipetsk Regional Clinical Hospital»,
Yudina Anzhelika Vasilyevna