Proper Diet for Diabetic Patients

Adjust the Diet According to Each Patient and the Doctor’s Treatment Goals:

In the initial days or weeks, food should be weighed so that patients learn to estimate the weight of various foods relatively accurately.

This was the main content presented at the health seminar organized by the Hoa Binh City Health Club in collaboration with the TDCare brand on March 29.

Diet to Meet Energy Needs:

Energy needs are calculated based on body condition and the nature of labor.

The diet must ensure an adequate amount of protein, lipid necessary for the body, with carbohydrates accounting for 50% of the total caloric intake, protein 15%, and lipid 35%.

Some Practical Applications:

• Foods providing carbohydrates: 40g of bread, 25g of rice, 30g of noodles, 100g of potatoes, 60g of fresh cassava, 40g of beans, one medium orange, one medium banana, one apple, 100g of grapes, 250g of strawberries, one pineapple, one medium mango all provide the equivalent of 20g of carbohydrates.
• Foods providing protein: 100g of lean meat provides 15-18g of protein.
• Foods providing lipid: 100g of cooking oil provides 90-100g of lipid.

1. Starchy Foods:

Patients should eat types of bread without additives like black bread, brown rice, potatoes, taro. The amount of starch consumed by diabetics should be about 50-60% of that of a normal person. Regularly use coarse grains with minimal processing as the outer layers contain many vitamins and minerals beneficial for health. Cooking methods should primarily be boiling, baking, or stewing rather than frying.

2. Protein:

Minimize canned meat, pâté, sausages. Instead, eat fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, beans. Prioritize sardines and mackerel as they contain beneficial fats for combating cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Diabetic patients can eat pork and beef with the fat removed. Avoid chicken skin, duck skin as they contain a lot of cholesterol. Similar to starchy foods, cooking methods should be boiling, stewing, baking rather than frying.

3. Fats:

Limit fat intake; doctors recommend that cholesterol intake should be below 300mg per day, and saturated fats should be replaced with vegetable oils such as soybean oil, olive oil, sesame oil.

4. Vegetables and Fresh Fruits:

Diabetic patients should eat about 400 grams of vegetables and fresh fruits daily. Fresh vegetables and fruits help combat aging and provide the best supplements of vitamins and minerals. It is better to eat the whole fruit rather than just drinking the juice, as the fiber in fruits is an important component that reduces sugar levels, slows down sugar absorption, and prevents spikes in blood sugar after meals. However, not all fruits are beneficial; diabetics should avoid sweet fruits like grapes, mangoes, custard apples, and longans.

5. Sweets:

Sugary foods are a direct cause of diabetes, worsening the disease’s progression and increasing severe complications. Doctors recommend completely avoiding candies, sugary drinks, carbonated drinks, and alcohol. Diabetics should use artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and saccharin to reduce sugar intake while still enjoying tasty drinks.

Maintaining consistent meal composition and timing, combined with regular physical exercise, is the most effective treatment method. However, the specific diet must be tailored to each patient based on their weight, blood sugar levels, and whether they have complications. Therefore, consulting with the attending doctor is essential.

How to Diet?

• Forbidden foods: Sugar, sugar cane, all processed milk, coffee, candies, lemonade, canned fruits, fruit juices, jams, sweet soups, fat.
• Limited foods: Rice, fried noodles, rice noodle soup, tapioca noodle soup, bread, various tubers (sweet potatoes, cassava…), biscuits, sweet fruits.
• Unlimited foods: Meat, shrimp, fish, crab, fish sauce, vegetables, all types of beans.

For diabetic patients, blood sugar levels often rise after meals. Therefore, patients should eat multiple times and distribute the calorie intake appropriately in each meal. If on blood sugar-lowering medication, it is advisable to eat before sleeping or add snacks between main meals.

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