Nutritional recommendations for overweight type 2 diabetics without insulin treatment
Recommended here is an energy-reduced, low-fat, balanced mixed diet as described in the chapter “Therapy of obesity in adults”. The aim is to reduce body weight slowly and in the long term. In most cases, this already leads to a decisive improvement in blood sugar levels and the general metabolic situation.
The daily amount of energy, which should be approximately 500 calories less than the actual consumption, should ideally be distributed over several small meals throughout the day. A rigid definition is not necessary and the quantitative calculation of carbohydrate portions is not necessary for diabetics without insulin treatment. A nutritional table with calorie expenditure is helpful for planning calorie-reduced, low-fat meals.Here, regulations for food intake become necessary.
Even if the injected insulin is carefully selected and the timing of insulin injections (usually in the morning and evening) is adjusted to the rhythm of life, individual wishes regarding food selection and the timing of meals can only be taken into account to a very limited extent. At least 5 to 6 meals are necessary throughout the day with constant carbohydrate portions (for example bread, oatmeal, potatoes, rice, noodles). A carbohydrate table is very helpful for portioning carbohydrate-containing foods.
In addition to the three main meals, two snacks (morning and afternoon) and one late meal must be taken. The schedule for meals and the timing of insulin injections must be kept largely constant. The diabetic must learn to recognize hypoglycemia in time and to react quickly with emergency carbohydrates.
Nutritional recommendations for diabetics with intensified insulin therapy
Here it is important that the diabetic is able to correctly estimate the carbohydrate content of the individual meals. Carbohydrate tables are useful for reference both in training and in everyday life. Food portions containing 10 to 12 g of carbohydrates can be exchanged for each other.
Such a portion usually requires 1 to 2 units of short-acting normal insulin. Through regular blood sugar checks, the diabetic must check how the food affects the blood sugar level and can use the results to administer insulin proactively or, if necessary, to correct it. The number of meals and their timing need not be determined.
Hypoglycemia must be recognized in time and counteracted with emergency carbohydrates. Individual food selection is possible here. However, the diet should also be healthy, balanced, varied and low-fat.
The diabetic’s daily diet should correspond to the general recommendations for a healthy diet. Again, there are no absolute taboos in the choice of food. However, it is important to point out that the consumption quantities of foods with a high proportion of saturated fatty acids and trans-unsaturated fatty acids should be kept as small as possible.
That means to eat animal, fat-rich food and finished products as rarely as possible and if then to prefer the low-fat variants. With simple or several times – unsaturated fatty acids (in rapeseed oil, olive oil, sunflower oil) can be somewhat more generously accessed. The diet should also include fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, wholemeal food, lean milk and dairy products, lean meat and lean meat products and fish. A sufficient fluid intake (under normal conditions 1.5 to 2.0 l of calorie-free drinks) should be ensured in any case.
