Healthy eating

Healthy eating for people with diabetes

Food is essential for life and also one of life’s pleasures. It gives us the nutrients we need to stay alive and live our lives. What food also does is raise our blood sugar, which is particularly important for people with diabetes.

So how you eat is an important part of how you manage your diabetes. To keep your blood sugar within your target range, your insulin dose should match the amount of food you eat and how much you exercise.

The ideal diabetes diet

Is there an ideal diabetes diet? Not really, because the ideal diet for people with diabetes is pretty much like everyone else’s ideal diet. That means a diet that is:

  • Low in fat
  • High in complex carbohydrates
  • High in fibre
  • High in fruits and vegetables.

    This kind of diet would benefit us all, whether or not we have diabetes. There is no need to stick to a rigid meal plan or be very restrictive about the kind of food you eat. Many people with diabetes manage to enjoy their food and lead full and varied lives. You can too.

    • Healthy eating that's balanced

    A healthy diet achieves the right balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Try to ensure that more than half your total calories come from carbohydrates, less than one third from fat and about 15% from protein.

    How your dietician can help

    It's a good idea to ask your dietician to help prepare an eating plan tailored to your lifestyle, and to your likes and dislikes. This plan doesn’t have to restrict how much food you eat, or how much you enjoy your food.

    If you think you may be overweight, you can work with your dietician to plan meals that will help you lose weight. Losing weight is likely to increase your confidence and your ability to enjoy exercise. It can also increase the insulin sensitivity of your body and reduces the risk of developing the potentially serious long-term complications associated with diabetes.

    Eat frequently and regularly

    You may find it easier to control your blood sugar if you try to have regular times for most of your meals. Your eating plan also depends on your phyisician's choice of therapy.

    Talk to your dietician for more personalised advice. This will help you develop eating habits that suit your own needs and lifestyle. You can develop a more flexible meal plan if you like. To do this, test your blood sugar often and learn to adjust your insulin according to your blood sugar readings.

    Some treatments for type 2 diabetes require you to pay careful attention to the timing of your meals. Others allow for more flexible meal plans. Your diabetes care team will advise you on the meal plan and treatment that’s best for you.

    The Glycaemic Index (GI)

    Eating according to a food’s Glycaemic Index or GI has received some publicity in the last few years. A GI diet involves choosing foods that raise your blood sugar slowly.  Low GI foods are the healthiest, and examples of these include:

  • Rice
  • Oats
  • Pasta
  • Pulses

    • Foods high in carbohydrates

    Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel. There are two main kinds of carbohydrates:

    • Complex carbohydrates take longer to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Examples of complex carbohydrates include whole grain bread or pasta, cereals, pulses (low GI foods).
    • Simple carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly than complex carbohydrates. Examples include sweets, biscuits, fruit (high GI foods).

    Vegetables, bread and rice

    Eat plenty of vegetables and grain products such as bread, cereals, rice and pasta. They are low in fat and high in carbohydrates. They are also important sources of minerals, vitamins and fibre.

    High fat food

    Eating too much fat, especially saturated fats (usually of animal origin), increases your risk of developing diseases of the heart and the blood vessels.  It also increases the risk of gaining weight.

    When you choose a fat, make sure it is unsaturated (usually of vegetable origin), as this is healthier. Most food wrapping will tell you how much fat the product contains, and how much of it is saturated.

    Fat has little effect on your blood sugar, but a diet high in fat may lead to weight problems. Be aware of the high fat content in products such as cheese and sausages. If you can see fat on meat or other foods, simply cut it off.

    Pure fats for cooking

    By using as little fat as possible for cooking, dressings and sauces, you can effectively cut down on fat. Pure fats are high in calories and give you very few vitamins and minerals.

    You can cut down on pure fat by reducing extras, such as salad dressings and butter on bread. Take special care to limit your intake of fats that are solid at room temperature (such as butter).

    Use sugar in moderation

    Only a small proportion of your calories should come from pure sugar or highly sweetened foods and drinks, such as sweets, biscuits and sugary drinks.

    High-sugar foods provide very few or no vitamins, minerals or fibre. They drive your blood sugar up rapidly, which is why you should save them for occasional treats. 

    However, the one time when high-sugar foods are very useful is if you feel you have low blood sugar, and may be at risk of hypoglycaemia.

    Drink plenty of water

    Water seems so ordinary that you may forget how vital it is to good health. In fact, it plays a role in nearly every major function of your body, so it’s an essential part of a healthy eating plan.

    You should drink at least 6-8 glasses of fluid each day to meet your body's needs.  The fluids can be water, milk, juice, tea or coffee. Bear in mind that, apart from water, all these liquids will contain some carbohydrates and calories.

    Go easy on alcohol

    Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of calories - almost as many as fats - and very few or no nutrients. Keep close tabs on how much you drink. You don't have to become teetotal, but remember that alcohol lowers your blood sugar and masks the signs of hypoglycaemia. Guidelines recommend that women have no more than 1-2 units of alcohol a day, and that men have no more than 2-3 units a day.  Alcohol may contain high amounts of sugar as well.

    Healthy eating: A summary

    * Healthy eating will help control your blood sugar and so help you manage your diabetes

    * A healthy diet should contain carbohydrates, protein and fats in the right proportions

    * A healthy diet helps keep your weight under control

    * By eating a low-fat diet you will also help prevent heart disease.

     

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      INS/028/0809

    Last updated: August 2009