Heart Disease
Diabetes
Eating well
Some basic guidelines apply for almost anyone who wants to follow a healthy diet. Cut down on fats and simple sugars such as in candy, pie, and cake, for example, and eat a variety of foods, including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and fish. It is also a good idea to maintain your body weight within a limited range, to avoid becoming overweight and minimize weight gain/loss fluctuations, because significant changes up or down will affect your blood glucose level and may change the dose of any diabetes medicine (pills or insulin) that you need. Your general dietary concerns, then, are basically no different than anyone else's.
Diabetes does pose special challenges, however, when it comes to nutrition and health. If you have diabetes, you need to work at maintaining blood glucose levels that are as close to normal as possible. In addition, you are at greater risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease — problems that may need to be addressed through special dietary modifications.
If you are taking insulin . . .
If you need insulin to help manage your diabetes, your meal plan must be part of your daily routine of insulin therapy and physical activity to keep your blood glucose level as near to normal as possible. Achieving just the right balance takes careful planning and self-monitoring of blood glucose and urine ketone levels as often as recommended by your doctor. Here are some tips that will help:
- Eat meals and snacks at the same time each day.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.
If you are taking diabetes tablets . . .
If you are taking diabetes tablets to help control your blood glucose level, several important health goals can be achieved through good nutrition. These include achieving good control of blood glucose levels, normalizing blood pressure, reducing blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels, and achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Here are some tips that will help:
- To lose weight, instead of very-low-calorie diets that are nearly impossible to stick with, try paying more attention to reducing the total amount of fat in your diet and increasing your daily activity level.
- Eat more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals.
- Pay close attention to your medication schedule.
A careful selection of foods from a broad range of food groups eaten in moderation will help you to control blood glucose and blood fat. Your doctor and dietitian will help you with a diet plan that is just right for you.
