At present, Chinese and foreign medical experts agree that the diet of diabetic patients should be high in sugar and low in fat. In addition, Chinese medicine requires that the diet of diabetic patients should be comprehensive, diversified and nutritious. Therefore, treatment with diet therapy must follow the following principles: (1) Dietary nutrition should be comprehensive, not partiality. In addition to the caloric energy needed by the body, the caloric energy needed for labor and activities should also be considered. Therefore, enough calories and necessary nutrients must be eaten. In addition to the three main nutrients of sugar, fat and protein, the diet should be supplemented with vitamins, minerals (electrolytes) and trace elements.
(2) It varies from type to type and from person to person. Different patients take different methods and requirements. For patients with type II diabetes, the first task is to lose weight and reduce the intake of calories in the diet. Strict dietary control is adhered to and a low-calorie diet is given to bring down the weight to standard weight. For patients with type I diabetes, especially those who are emaciated, dietary restrictions can be appropriately relaxed, and their carbohydrates must not be too low, so as to ensure normal growth and development and achieve the ideal weight. At the same time, it is also necessary to grasp the relationship between diet, insulin and activity level. According to the increase or decrease in activity, the amount of insulin, diet and meal frequency can be flexibly adjusted.
(3) Strictly calculate the total daily calories needed by diabetic patients, there is no need to restrict sugar. Allocate the diet at regular intervals according to the total calories, and do not increase the diet arbitrarily. It is also important to pay attention to small meals and eat in small portions. Especially for those who are treated with insulin for type I diabetes, under the premise that the total calories remain unchanged, meals should be added at regular intervals, and can be divided into 4 to 5 meals.
(4) Diabetic patients should eat less or no fruit. Because fruit contains more carbohydrates, and mainly glucose, sucrose, starch. Fast absorption after eating, can lead to increased blood glucose, but the fruit contains more pectin, there is a role in slowing down the absorption of glucose, the condition is stable when you can eat less. When eating fruits, it should be based on the principle of low sugar content, and also calculate its caloric energy according to its sugar content, then convert it to staple food and reduce or deduct the amount of staple food in order to keep the total calories unchanged. It is not advisable to take fruit with every meal, and it is generally considered more appropriate to take it in small amounts between meals (when blood sugar drops).
(5) Increase food fiber to delay glucose absorption. Food should be appropriately increased fiber content, should try to use some slow-absorbing food mainly to delay glucose absorption, conducive to the recovery of diabetes. Unless the condition requires or hypoglycemia occurs, generally do not use rapidly absorbed sugary foods to prevent a rapid rise in blood glucose.
(6) Reasonably adjust the proportion of the three major nutrients to meet the needs of the condition. Dietary sugar, fat, protein, the proportion of the three major nutrients should be rationally arranged and adjusted, generally 15% protein, 20% to 25% fat, sugar 60% to 70% as the standard. Strictly control animal fat to avoid atherosclerosis and other vascular complications. Protein should be sufficient, and carbohydrate intake should be appropriately relaxed. Generally advocate raising sugar, lower fat, adequate protein, fiber-rich diet structure.