What are the "tips" for diabetic patients when eating?

Author: Wen Lina, Chief Nurse, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Wu Xueyan, Chief Physician, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

As we all know, diet control is very important for diabetic patients, so much so that some people are overly anxious and dare not eat anything because they are worried about their blood sugar level. In the long run, this may eventually lead to malnutrition.

However, some patients think that although their blood sugar is high, they do not feel any discomfort and can eat and drink as they please. However, long-term high blood sugar level can cause various complications.

Today, we will introduce the dietary issues that diabetic patients are most concerned about:

1. What should diabetic patients pay attention to when choosing staple foods?

Carbohydrates include staple foods, vegetables and fruits, and they should account for 50%-60% of the total calories per day. Therefore, if you eat too much staple food, you should eat less other carbohydrates.

It may be okay for one or two meals, but over time, if we don’t eat vegetables or fruits, the nutrition will be unbalanced, so we must make a balanced nutritional combination.

Therefore, it is recommended that patients choose a combination of coarse and fine staple foods. White rice and white flour are fine grains, while potatoes, taro, yam, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc. are coarse grains, which can be eaten together.

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Because whole grains have relatively low calories, the combination of coarse and fine grains is both delicious and nutritious, and is beneficial for blood sugar control. The amount of food intake can be appropriately increased based on the total calories.

2. What should diabetic patients pay attention to when eating fruits?

For diabetic patients, if blood sugar control is particularly poor, it is recommended that patients do not eat fruit for the time being.

If your blood sugar is under control, you can selectively eat some low-glycemic-index fruits, such as watermelon, strawberry, kiwi, apple, orange, etc. These are all low-glycemic-index fruits.

As for fruits with high glycemic index, pineapple, longan, lychee, etc., try not to eat them. This is because after these fruits with high glycemic index enter the gastrointestinal tract, they are quickly absorbed and digested, and their ability to convert into blood sugar and the speed of blood sugar rise are also relatively fast, which makes blood sugar rise quickly and is not conducive to blood sugar control.

In addition, try to eat fruit between meals as a snack.

Of course, I also want to emphasize that you should eat small meals frequently and don’t eat too much at a time. For example, if you have an apple, don’t eat it all at once. You can cut it into pieces and eat it several times, eating a small piece each time. This is better.

3. Can diabetic patients eat sugar-free foods at will?

Just from the name of sugar-free food, everyone would think it is beneficial for diabetics and they can eat more of it.

But in fact, sugar substitutes are added to sugar-free foods, which can achieve a relatively high sweetness and a better taste with a very small dosage.

However, sugar-free foods also contain more carbohydrates, fats, etc., which will eventually be converted into sugar after consumption.

Especially for highly processed foods, their glycemic index will be higher, and all of these must be calculated into the total calorie intake throughout the day, so sugar-free foods cannot be eaten casually.

4. What kind of cooking method is suitable for diabetic patients?

For patients with diabetes, it is recommended to cook by steaming, boiling, mixing cold, stir-frying, braising, and stewing. The taste should be as light as possible, and the salt intake should be limited to no more than 6 grams a day.

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It is not recommended to eat some fried foods because these foods contain a lot of oil and fat, are high in calories, and are not conducive to the patient's blood sugar control.

Moreover, frying and deep-frying will destroy the protein and vitamins in the food, leading to nutrient loss. Deep-frying and deep-frying of food, if the frying time is too long, may cause carcinogens to be produced.

5. How can diabetic patients eat better when going out?

In fact, it is recommended that patients with diabetes eat at home as much as possible, because when eating at home, the proportions of oil, salt, meat and vegetables are easier to control.

If you must eat out, there are a few things you need to know:

First, pay attention to the choice of dishes. Try to choose dishes that are good for blood sugar control, such as dishes with less oil and salt, and mainly cooked by steaming, boiling, or cold dishes. Try to eat less fried or pan-fried food. Also avoid the intake of beverages and desserts.

Second, it is best to plan your meal times first. Because diabetic patients use different hypoglycemic drugs, some need to be taken before meals, so setting meal times can help you accurately grasp the time to take the drugs, which is more conducive to blood sugar control.

Third, if eating out, patients can increase their exercise appropriately. For example, if the dining place is not too far from home, they can try to walk home; or they can play some games after the meal to burn some calories.

Fourth, patients are advised to eat a few bites of low-glycemic index foods before meals, such as oats, beans, milk, yogurt, strawberries, kiwis, etc.

Because after we eat a few bites of food, we will feel full after a while, so we will not eat a lot of other food during the meal.