Nutrition of the diabetixo patient
The foods for diabetics are the same as those expected in a healthy and balanced diet; the substantial difference between the diet of the diabetic and that of the healthy subject consists in the lower tolerance with which one deviates from the recommendations contained in the guidelines for:
- Frequency of consumption of foods rich in refined simple carbohydrates and with a high glycemic index
- Portions of the same
Two simple tips regarding the consumption of foods for diabetics may seem insufficient, but in general they represent the two cornerstones of dietary therapy for the control of hyperglycemia.
What foods to choose?
As already mentioned, diabetic foods are the same as those expected in a healthy and balanced diet. To be precise, even the frequencies of consumption and portions do not differ much from the guidelines for a "balanced diet; however, common sense leads us to reflect on how much the lifestyle of a diabetic can reproduce these habits: not at all. , so much so that most of the time the therapeutic choice of foods for diabetics drastically moves away from the habits of these subjects. In fact, excluding genetic factors, often responsible for hormonal or receptor alterations, the pathogenetic components of type 2 diabetes mellitus are:
- Diet excessively rich in carbohydrates, especially simple refined and / or complexes with a high glycemic index (both consumption frequencies and portions that are too high)
- Excessive calorie intake relative to physical activity level (LAF)
- Incorrect distribution of meals with a preference for abundance in the evening hours
- Low consumption of vegetables, especially raw vegetables, and relative insufficient intake of WATER-SOLUBLE dietary fiber and antioxidants
Parallel diseases that often afflict diabetics:
- Overweight or obesity
- Dyslipidemias
- Hypertension
- Metabolic syndrome
- Related secondary complications
Foods for diabetics must provide suitable quantities of carbohydrates, limiting the excess in the diet. The distribution of carbohydrates provides for a share of 10-12% simple and about 50% complex; they must be distributed in the 5 daily meals, taking into account that peripheral insulin sensitivity is greater in the morning than in the evening, and that during sleep the body reduces energy expenditure by making post-prandial glycemic control less effective. Significant amounts of dietary fiber must be present in the diet in association to carbohydrate foods (eg.vegetables in the condiments of first courses or side dish together with bread), in order to modulate intestinal absorption and optimize glycemic control; to reach 30g / day of dietary fiber it is advisable to use whole grains or their derivatives.
To date, some professionals recommend freely consuming fruit and vegetables as they mainly bring fructose to the detriment of glucose; this habit is not entirely correct. Fructose is insulin independent ONLY within certain blood concentrations, beyond which insulin secretion becomes inexorable. Therefore, the consumption of fruit and some vegetables particularly rich in simple carbohydrates, such as potatoes, carrots and red and yellow peppers, MUST be kept within certain portions. Moreover, even if this monosaccharide is characterized by a low glycemic index (thanks to the slowness of the conversion into glucose), within the main meals it still contributes to the increase of the total glycemic load. Finally, it is advisable to drastically reduce or eliminate all foods of industrial confectionery production, allowing the consumption of honey and / or jams exclusively in breakfast.
Among the food recommendations for diabetics it is essential to eliminate all alcoholic sources due to the toxic properties that this nerve manifests at the level of all tissues, and the negative action it plays in insulin control.
As for industrially produced foods for diabetics, these are characterized by:
- absence of added sugars;
- replacement of traditional sweeteners (sugar and honey) with artificial sweeteners (polydextrose, acesulfame k, sucralose, tagatose, aspartame, saccharin, etc.) or polyalcohols (mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol, etc.);
- adding bran or other sources of fiber (such as inulin);
- reduction of fat and calorie content, compensating for the worst of organoleptic characteristics through the use of thickeners, such as guar gum, arabic gum, carob flour, alginates and xanthan gum;
- possible fortification of the diabetic product with vitamins and minerals (for example chromium picolinate).
