Diabetes is a very common disease in life, which will cause many adverse effects on health. It needs timely treatment and good conditioning work should be done in life to avoid causing greater harm to health. Then What are the misunderstandings about the diet of diabetics? What are the dietary taboos for diabetics? There are many dietary misunderstandings about diabetes. Let’s learn more about them below.

1. Misunderstandings about the diet of diabetic patients

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, and diet plays a vital impact on the condition of diabetic patients. Because of this, various opinions about the diet of diabetics are emerging one after another. Some are scientifically based, some are popular among the people, correct and incorrect, and they are constantly shaking the thinking of patients. In this issue, we have invited several experts to provide some scientific advice on doubts about hypoglycemic diet. Associate Professor Wang Chuanshe of the School of Basic Medicine, Peking University Health Science Center, told reporters that because most diabetic patients do not know the role of dietary treatment, and the dietary ingredients are extremely complex and difficult to control, many diabetic patients still have some misunderstandings about diet.

1: You can eat foods that are not sweet

Many patients mistakenly believe that diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar or sweets. Therefore, when adjusting your diet, it is very wrong to only limit sweets with high sugar content, such as cakes, candies, fruits, chocolates, etc., while leaving no restrictions on non-sweet foods such as rice, steamed buns, and biscuits. tulaoShi.com The reason why food is sweet is that it contains monosaccharides or disaccharides such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. The intake of these sugars will indeed cause blood sugar to rise.

Although some other polysaccharide foods (such as starch) have no sweet taste, they will be decomposed into glucose after digestion, which can also cause blood sugar to rise. Therefore, we cannot generally judge whether food is edible by its sweetness. We should distinguish sweet foods from high-carbohydrate foods. For diabetic patients, it is important to control the total amount of carbohydrates, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides (mainly starches), not just sweets. As long as you ensure a reasonable total carbohydrate intake, you can also eat sweets in moderation.

Two: Natural fructose can lower blood sugar

There are many natural fructose products on the market. For example, a seller of a certain brand of natural fructose said that its product is 100% extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables and will not directly affect insulin secretion and glycemic index, so diabetics can eat it with confidence. In fact, fructose is also a type of monosaccharide, with the same molecular formula as glucose, but with slightly different structures. Lychees contain a lot of fructose, which often lowers blood sugar after people eat it, but many people with diabetes don't know the reason. In fact, fructose can only be used by the human body after it is converted into glucose.

After eating a large amount, fructose accumulates in the blood vessels and has no time to be converted into glucose, causing blood glucose to be too low, and in severe cases, it can cause hypoglycemic shock. This hypoglycemic effect is not only short-lived, but may also pose certain risks to the health of diabetic patients.

Three: Pumpkin can lower blood sugar

Among people with diabetes, it has been rumored that pumpkin can lower blood sugar. This statement has some truth. Some scientific studies have pointed out that the pumpkin polysaccharides contained in pumpkin have a good effect on controlling blood sugar. But pumpkin, as a complete food, also contains a large amount of carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar to rise rapidly after a meal. Therefore, "pumpkin reduces blood sugar" is a "one-sided" view. Therefore, associate professor Wang Chuanshe told reporters that it is best for diabetic patients to eat pumpkin as a vegetable instead of eating large amounts at will.

Four: You can eat more soy products

Many diabetic patients believe that soy products are not high in sugar and calories, and the soy isoflavones in them have a certain effect on blood sugar control, so You can eat more. In fact, although soy products are more suitable for diabetic patients than animal protein, for some patients, the onset of diabetes is usually accompanied by kidney disease, and consuming a large amount of protein will put a great burden on the kidneys and even cause irreversible damage. harm. Therefore, patients with diabetic nephropathy should not blindly eat more soy products to avoid aggravating the condition.

2. Diabetic dietary precautions

1. It is not advisable to drink alcohol

Because the alcohol contained in wine does not contain other nutrients and only provides heat energy. Each gram of alcohol contains It produces about 7 kcal (294 joules) of heat. Long-term consumption is not good for the liver and can easily cause an increase in serum triglycerides. A small number of patients who take sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs are prone to reactions such as palpitation, shortness of breath, and red and dry cheeks after drinking alcohol. Note that patients with insulin can easily cause hypoglycemia when drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Therefore, for the safety of the patient, it is better not to drink alcohol.

2. It is not advisable to eat glutinous rice

The staple food of diabetic patients is generally rice and noodles. However, rice will be hydrolyzed into a large amount of glucose in the body, and glutinous rice contains more sugar than rice. Higher, so glutinous rice is one of the foods that diabetics should not eat.

3. Avoid spicy food

Patients with diabetes should avoid spicy food as it can easily damage yin and help fire. Traditional Chinese medicine says that most diabetic patients have a constitution of yin deficiency and internal heat.

4. People with diabetes should eat less or no fruits

Because fruits contain more carbohydrates, mainly glucose, sucrose, and starch. The speed of digestion and absorption after eating can quickly lead to an increase in blood sugar, which is detrimental to diabetic patients. Therefore, diabetics generally should not eat more fruits. However, because fruits contain more pectin, which can delay glucose absorption, you can eat less fruit when your condition is stable.

5. Avoid foods with high sugar content

Such as white sugar, red sugar, glucose and sugar-based sweets, such as candies, pastries, jams, preserves, ice cream, sweet drinks, etc. In addition, potatoes, yams, taro, lotus roots, garlic sprouts, carrots, etc. that contain more carbohydrates should be used sparingly or the corresponding amount of staple food should be reduced after consumption. Lard, butter, foreign oil, cream, butter, etc., which are rich in saturated fatty acids, should be used sparingly and preferably not at all. Vegetable oils can be used instead of some animal oils. Peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, and melon seeds also contain a lot of fat. Try not to eat them or eat them in small amounts. Or reduce oil intake. Egg yolks and animal offal such as liver, brain, waist, etc. contain very high cholesterol and should be used as little or as little as possible.

6. Eat pumpkin seeds with caution

Because diabetic patients often feel hungry, they often eat peanuts and melon seeds as food to satisfy their hunger. Because peanuts and melon seeds are delicious and contain less sugar, you will feel full after eating just a little. Although peanuts and melon seeds have low sugar content, they contain more fat and are high-calorie foods. If patients with diabetic nephropathy eat at will, do not subtract the corresponding amount of staple food according to the food exchange method, or eat too much, it will lead to an increase in blood sugar and blood lipids.

3. The impact of different foods on blood sugar

The first category is cereals, potatoes and miscellaneous beans

Cereals include rice, noodles, cereals, etc.; Potatoes include potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, etc.; miscellaneous beans include mung beans, red beans, lentils, kidney beans, etc. They mainly provide starch, protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and macroelements. Among them, starch is the main source of blood sugar. In addition, cereals are usually eaten in large amounts and are considered a "staple food", so they have an important impact on blood sugar.

The second largest category is vegetables

Including leafy vegetables (such as spinach, rape, etc.), tender stems (such as celery, garlic sprouts, etc.), flowers (such as broccoli, Cauliflower, etc.), solanaceous fruits (such as tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers, etc.), melons (such as cucumbers, winter melons, pumpkins, etc.), rhizomes (such as radish, carrots, etc.), fungi and algae (such as mushrooms, fungus, kelp, etc.) , onions and garlic (such as shallots, onions, garlic, etc.). They mainly provide dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, folic acid, carotene and various phytochemicals. Vegetables contain very little starch or other sugars, and their effect on raising blood sugar after eating is very weak.

The third category is fruits

Such as citrus, apples, grapes, bananas, peaches, etc. They mainly provide carbohydrates, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, carotene and various phytochemicals. Unlike vegetables, fruits contain more sugar and have a stronger effect on raising blood sugar after eating.

The fourth category is livestock and poultry meat

Livestock meat includes pork, beef, mutton, etc. and their products; poultry includes chicken, turkey, duck, goose, etc. and their products products.

They mainly provide high-quality protein, fat, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin A and B vitamins, etc. Livestock and poultry meat contains very little sugar, but the fat and protein it contains can also affect blood sugar levels. In addition, they also contain more saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and excessive consumption is harmful to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.

The fifth category is fish and seafood

Including various fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish and molluscs. They mainly provide high-quality protein, fat, potassium, trace elements, vitamin A and B vitamins. Like livestock and poultry meat, they can also affect blood sugar levels, but have less saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, which can help prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications.

The sixth category is eggs

Including eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, etc. They mainly provide high-quality protein, fat, trace elements, vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin E, phospholipids, etc. The downside is that egg yolks contain a lot of cholesterol, so eat them in limited amounts.

The seventh category is milk and dairy products

Including milk, yogurt, milk powder, condensed milk, goat milk, etc. They mainly provide high-quality protein, fat, sugar, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, B vitamins, etc. The natural sugar in milk is lactose, which has a special molecular structure, is digested and absorbed slowly, and has a weak effect on raising blood sugar after eating. However, some milks, such as yogurt or milk powder, add sugar, syrup, etc. during the production process, which has a strong effect of raising blood sugar after eating.

The eighth category is soybeans and their products

Soybeans mainly include soybeans, black beans and green beans. The most common ones are soybeans and their products, such as soy milk, tofu, tofu curd, dried tofu, vegetarian chicken, etc. They mainly provide high-quality protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, oligosaccharides, calcium, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin E, phytochemicals, etc. The blood sugar-raising effect of soybeans and their products is generally weak.

The ninth category is pure energy food

Including animal oil, food oil, edible sugar, starch (such as vermicelli, etc.) and alcohol, etc., which mainly provide energy. They have a significant effect on blood sugar.

The tenth category is table salt

Including iodized salt, soy sauce, miso, pickles, etc. They are mainly used for seasoning and have little impact on blood sugar after eating. However, too much salt can cause high blood pressure, so it is generally recommended that patients with diabetes should eat a low-salt diet.

4. How to prevent blood sugar from rising

(1) Eat less at the next meal, eliminate a snack or switch to food with a lower glycemic index (GI). Because for overweight patients with type 2 diabetes, they only need to lose 5 to 10% of their weight to significantly improve their blood sugar conditions. Therefore, as long as you reduce caloric intake appropriately, you can achieve better blood sugar control. The general experience is: reducing carbohydrates by 15 grams (approximately equivalent to 50 grams of rice or 30 grams of steamed buns, 150 grams of apples or pears, 400 ml of milk or 300 ml of sugar-free yogurt) can reduce blood sugar by approximately 1.7mmol/L.

(2) Increase the amount of activity or do more exercise. People with type 2 diabetes generally gain better blood sugar control by exercising more. Even simple exercises, such as walking for 20 minutes a day, can effectively improve insulin resistance and reduce weight as long as you persist. Studies have confirmed that through reasonable exercise, diabetic patients can indeed reduce the dosage of anti-diabetic drugs, and can even completely wean themselves off drug treatment.

(3) Adjust medication (increase the dosage, increase the frequency of medication, or add another antidiabetic drug). Although the exercise and diet modification methods are economical and have few side effects. Medication does treat high blood sugar more quickly and effectively than the first two methods.

(4) Self-relaxation and emotional regulation Relaxation exercises (such as deep breathing, relaxing muscles with relaxing and soothing music, etc.) can help relieve stress and make anti-diabetic treatment more effective. Learn to regulate emotions and enhance self-efficacy (people's subjective judgment of whether they can successfully perform a certain behavior), thereby overcoming fear, negativity and other negative attitudes after illness, which will also help control blood sugar.

(5) Actively treat other diseases (such as colds, infections, etc.).

Problems such as colds and infections will cause an increase in adrenaline in the body, which will lead to an increase in blood sugar.

(6) Increase the intake of sugar-free liquids. Dehydration can also cause blood sugar to rise. People (whether they have diabetes or not) should consume about 2 to 3 liters of sugar-free liquids (water, drinks, soups, etc.) every day. When blood sugar rises, drinking water can not only dilute blood sugar but also avoid excessive food intake. Patients with heart disease or kidney complications need to appropriately limit fluid intake and should consult a doctor or nutritionist for specific details. The most important strategy for hyperglycemia is prevention. This can generally be accomplished with good self-monitoring of blood glucose.