Diabetes requires a serious review of dietary habits. It is especially important to control the amount of carbohydrates. Patients have to carefully monitor the amount of carbohydrates, therefore, most of the diet should be vegetable dishes. Diabetes is divided into three types, the second being the most common. The first requires insulin injections, the second type ailment, if the diet is correctly formulated, manifests itself less and does not require injections. Patients’ quality of life improves dramatically if they follow the instructions of a nutritionist. That is why doctors first of all pay attention to the organization of nutrition for patients.
The content of the article
What is therapeutic nutrition based on
Since diabetes mellitus is associated with an increase in the level of glucose in the blood, patients must strictly control the amount of fast carbohydrates. Their presence in the composition of the product determines what the concentration of sugar will be after a meal. Sharp jumps cause glycemia, which in the worst case causes a coma. The diet helps to keep the sugar level in the norm, which means that it does not allow unpleasant consequences to develop. To facilitate the choice of products, special tables are compiled, which indicate the glycemic indices. The main principle of making a diet for diabetes of any type is to limit the use of foods that cause sudden jumps in sugar:
- Actually, sugar;
- Honey and molasses;
- Preserves and jams;
- Sweets, baked goods;
- Pasta;
- Semolina and some others;
- Sweet fruits, etc.
Vegetables have one important advantage – due to the presence of fiber in the composition, carbohydrates from them are broken down slowly, so the glucose level does not rise instantly. With diabetes mellitus, it is imperative to include vegetables in the diet.
Not all vegetables are equally safe for diabetics and it is important to control their volume. The patient needs to keep strict records of the calorie content of foods and their glycemic load.
List of vegetables that are allowed for diabetes
Vegetable dishes become the basis of nutrition in diabetes mellitus, but it is impossible to include all cultures without a deep understanding of the issue. The glycemic index indicates how your blood sugar will rise over time. It is expressed as a percentage. The comparison is made with the value, which is the concentration of sugar in the blood, two hours after ingestion of 50 grams of pure glucose. A low level is considered not exceeding 55%, an average – up to 70, a high one goes over seventy.
Diabetics are often advised to target low GI values. However, in order to prevent hypoglycemia and serious deterioration of the condition, diabetics should have a small amount of sugar or food with a high glycemic index. It is important to understand what effect specific foods have on blood composition. It is strictly forbidden for a diabetic to starve.
The benefits of vegetables for the diet
Eating vegetables with diabetes mellitus allows you to:
- Compensate for the lack of nutrients;
- Accelerate the course of metabolism in the body. Due to the composition, the reserves of insulin stored in the pancreas are consumed less intensively, therefore it is not depleted;
- Saturate the body with amino acids, essential minerals and vitamins;
- Tone the body;
- Improve lipid metabolism;
- Reduce the amount of toxins and waste products;
- Lower blood glucose.
Nutritionists recommend including vegetables in your daily diet, because with diabetes, the use of hormonal agents will become unnecessary. Thanks to vegetable dishes, the blood composition improves, the work of the digestive tract is stabilized, which also affects the general condition and vitality.
High glycemic index
Among vegetable crops there are those with a high index. With diabetes mellitus, some of these vegetables can be eaten, but in small quantities – up to 80 grams per day. Types of vegetables:
- Pumpkin (included in the body’s insulin metabolism);
- Beet;
- Corn;
- Swede.
Affects nutritional quality and glycemic load: the amount of carbohydrates per serving. A low value indicates little effect of the product on increasing glucose. The secret of a diabetic diet is to combine foods correctly, reducing the overall GI of the resulting dish – adding vegetable fats and proteins.
Potato dishes are not recommended for diabetics. It is low in fiber, but high in starch and high in carbohydrates.
Low glycemic index
A small GI is a signal that you do not need to especially limit the use of such products. This list includes the following vegetables:
- Zucchini are rich in trace elements, help stabilize carbohydrate metabolism;
- Eggplant helps to flush out toxins and fat;
- Salad;
- Cauliflower;
- Spinach;
- White cabbage lowers glucose levels;
- Broccoli is rich in amino acids, the composition strengthens the circulatory system;
- Onions contain vitamins, phytoncides;
- Bell pepper contains many vitamins;
- Radish;
- Avocado improves lipid metabolism;
- Jerusalem artichoke;
- Parsley, celery, etc .;
- Cucumbers. It has a high content of nutrients;
- Legumes;
- Asparagus. It contains a lot of folic acid, there are useful vitamins.
Among legumes, any other than legumes are suitable for a diabetic’s diet. The GI of beans is 80%. The amount of carbohydrates in other legumes is large, but they are broken down slowly, which makes it possible to get optimal nutrition without the risk of glycemia, so that they can be eaten with diabetes. Red peppers help reduce cholesterol levels. Cabbage juice lowers glucose.
Vegetables in the diet of diabetics are also important because the substances they contain affect well-being, activating a number of processes in the body, strengthening the immune system, etc.
Cross out from the diet
It is clear from the above information that not all vegetables should be included in a diabetic’s diet. Some of them provoke unpleasant consequences. Not recommended:
- Eat potatoes, as there is a lot of starch in the tubers, which contributes to an increase in sugar levels;
- Boiled carrots, they act similarly to potato tubers;
- Beets are too rich in sugar;
- Onions in raw form and in large quantities – worsens the condition of the cardiovascular system or can affect the functioning of the digestive tract.
With care, tomatoes are included in the daily menu, although they are rich in a number of amino acids that are useful to the body.
How to cook vegetable dishes properly
For diabetics, it is important both what foods to eat and how to prepare them. Vegetables for diabetes mellitus are eaten only with a little heat treatment. The fact is that prolonged baking or boiling can break down complex carbohydrates, which causes the GI of the resulting dish to grow.
Long-term heat treatment increases the glycemic index of the vegetable.
You should not use pickled or canned foods for food, as they contain salt, which provokes an increase in blood pressure indicators. The most useful for diabetics are raw vegetables and fruits. They retain all the nutritional value and the full range of nutrients. Suitable dishes are fresh vegetable salads. They are supposed to be seasoned with sauces based on unsweetened natural yogurt or oil with a little vinegar. No mayonnaise or fatty sour cream is used. Another way of consumption is vegetable juice. Nutritionists consider juices useful from:
- Parsley;
- Sldereya;
- Ogurtsov;
- Sweet pepper;
- Tomatoes (limited).
In small quantities, vegetables are used to prepare side dishes or first courses. Heat treatment that retains maximum benefit includes boiling or steaming. In the diet, it is recommended to alternate vegetables with each other so that nutrients are supplied in the greatest volume. It is strictly forbidden to include fried foods in the diet, this also applies to vegetables with diabetes. Frying, especially deep-fried, increases the glycemic index of foods.
Boiled carrots significantly increase the level of glucose, because of it, the amount of bad cholesterol also increases. Do not eat boiled beets, they instantly raise glucose.