diabetes diet sheet

Diet, Snacks & Cholesterol – Info Sheet from www.diabeticinfo.co.uk

www.diabeticinfo.co.uk

Diet, Snacks & Cholesterol

Regular snacks

By eating regular foods and snacks, following a

sensible diet and concentrating on healthy foods you will find it much easier to stabilise your blood

sugar levels.

Diet plays a huge part in controlling your diabetes. It is therefore important to be sensible and follow

recommended guidelines for maintaining a healthy diet. There are numerous leaflets available

containing very helpful advice and suggestions, many of which are available from Diabetes UK. In

addition, you can discuss your own individual

dietary requirements, with a registered dietician and this can be arranged through your Diabetes

Specialist Nurse or GP.

The diabetic diet

You may have heard already that the diet followed by Diabetics is the normal healthy diet recommended for everyone else and this is true. It is important for Diabetics to try hard to

follow the advice they are given with regards to diet, as it a key factor in balancing blood sugar levels. This need not be a chore and will in time, become such a routine, that you

will actually enjoy controlling your diet and will also become the envy of your friends and family. Once you get a feel for dissecting the information on labels on foods it will become

second nature.

In short, the Diabetic diet should be low in sugar, low in fat, based on starchy foods and

contain a regular intake of fruit and vegetables. It is accepted that good diabetic control has three key ingredients, diet, exercise and insulin.

Controlling your weight also helps you control your Diabetes.


The regular dietary principles are therefore:

• Eating regular meals and snacks containing starchy carbohydrates

• Reducing your sugar and salt intake and cutting down on fried and fatty foods

• Increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables

Starchy carbohydrates give better control of sugar levels, as they are absorbed slowly.

Regular snacks and meals help you to avoid low blood sugar levels. High fibre foods are also known to slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood.

You do not have to avoid sugar completely - it is a 'low sugar diet' - not a 'no sugar diet'. But you must regulate your sugar intake sensibly.

The occasional treat is of course acceptable. You can easily have a small thin slice of your favourite cake, rather than the large portion you used to have and instead of missing out

altogether. You will of course need the occasional sweet food to treat low blood sugar but you should not run your levels low in order to eat the wrong sort of foods.

Drinks that contain a lot of sugar will increase your blood sugar too fast so you should

choose low sugar or sugar free varieties, or plump for mineral water as a healthier alternative. It is recommended that we drink up to 3 litres a day (5 pints) to maintain a

healthy system and whilst this seems a huge amount you will be surprised how the quantities mount up. You may need to increase your fluid intake if you are seriously short

of this figure. Drinking plenty of fluids will help you feel more energetic and this will help your body immensely - it stands to reason, as you would not get far in your car without

petrol. Food and drink are vital body fuels and it is wise to improve the quality of them.

Do not be fooled into purchasing diabetic foods as they are expensive, high in calories and

fat and can have a laxative effect in some cases. There are no advantages to buying these so-called 'special' foods - so stick to a normal and natural diet.


Starchy carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates are slower acting sources of energy that help you stabilise blood

sugar levels. Try to eat them regularly throughout the day and include some at meal times. The best examples are bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals and fruit.

Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables provide fibre, vitamins and minerals essential to maintaining a healthy body. The overall aim is to have at least five helpings of fruit and vegetables each day.

Raw vegetables such as carrots make ideal snacks between meals, as do rye biscuits and of course - fruit.

Shopping

When shopping, choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, lean meat and oily fish such as

salmon, sardines, mackerel and pilchards and eat fewer sausages, salami and pork pies. Cut down on crisps and if you must eat them opt for low fat varieties. Choose low fat

yoghurts, but take care to check the carbohydrate content as it is often higher than ordinary yoghurt - diet yoghurt generally has less cholesterol, low fat cheeses and dairy

products. Chips should be limited to once a week and try oven chips as an alternative. Use low fat butter and margarine spreads and spread them thinly. Try grilling, baking or

steaming foods and if using fats and oils - limit these to small amounts.

Drink alcohol in moderation only and remember it LOWERS blood sugar levels.

Here is a quick guide to the labels on foods showing what is considered a lot and what is

considered a little per 100g:

A little A lot

Sugar 2g or less 10g or more

Fat 3g or less 20g or more

Saturates 1g or less 5g or more

Fibre 0.5g or less 3g or more

Sodium 0.1g or less 0.5g or more

Below is a helpful table of fruits, which shows what they contain:

Fruit Average Portion Sugar Carbohydrate Fat

Apple 110g 10.5g 10.5g 0.1g

Banana 100g 13.8g 15.3g 0.2g

Orange 160g 5.9g 5.9g 0.1g

Pear 150g 9.1g 9.1g 0.1g

These figures are courtesy of a brilliant book called 'Food tables and labelling' by A E Bender and D A Bender (Oxford University Press ISBN 019832815X)


'Food tables and labelling'

This is an excellent slim reference book and I highly recommended it. It contains hundreds

of foods in an easy to read table format, detailing what vitamins and minerals are present in those foods and in what quantities. It is extremely useful for assessing your vitamin and

mineral intake against recommended daily allowances and it will assist you in calculating whether you have any deficiencies in your diet.

Quick Summary so far

Eat regularly, include some starchy carbohydrates with each meal, choose high fibre versions, limit intake of sugars and sugary foods, reduce fat intake, use salt sparingly, do

not drink too much alcohol and aim to keep to your ideal body weight if possible.

For more detail about foods, diets and eating well with diabetes - contact your dietician, GP, Diabetes Specialist Nurse and Diabetes UK.

All carbohydrate increases

your blood glucose levels

Fruit sugar is known as fructose and milk sugar as lactose

There are two types of fat:

Saturated & unsaturated (polyunsaturated

and monounsaturated) fats

Reduce your intake – particularly

of saturated fat as it is linked to heart disease.

Choose unsaturated fats or oils,

especially monounsaturated fat, as they are better for your heart.

Eating less fat helps you lose weight and

also helps your diabetes control


It is recommended that you have 5 servings of fruit & veg every day

Here are some ideas - the latest craze is blitzing fruits to drink - whatever you prefer

Fruit & Veg

Whole fruits

Berries

Grapes and slices of tropical fruits Canned fruits in natural juice

Fruit juice or dried fruits Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables

Salad vegetables

Base meals on starchy carbohydrate foods with low glycaemic index

Oats Whole grain cereals and breads (my personal favourite is bite-sized shredded wheat)

Rye bread High fibre white bread

French stick Pitta bread

Wholemeal crackers

Pasta Basmati rice

Noodles Potatoes

Opt for lower fat dairy foods

Semi or skimmed milk

Low fat, diet or shape yoghurt Reduced fat or cottage cheese

Low fat or diet fromage frais Dutch Edam

Almost fat free milk puddings

Choose foods rich in mono unsaturates

Rapeseed, olive oil, groundnut oil (peanut)

Spreads based on mono unsaturated fatty acids (Bertolli is great!) Peanuts

Hazelnuts Almonds (it is reported that a small handful daily can assist in reducing cholesterol)

Oil rich fish, such as mackerel, salmon or sardines (unless you suffer from Gout!)

Choose lean meat, poultry, fish

Avoid diabetic foods - they are not necessary! They are

often high in calories and fat and can cause diarrhoea

and stomach upsets due to

the amount of sweeteners they contain!

An example of 5 helpings is -

1 apple 1 banana

2 tablespoons of veg

1 bowl of salad 1 small glass of unsweetened fruit juice


Breakfast options

Base your breakfast on starchy carbohydrates such as porridge and cereals that contain oats such as muesli, or add a handful of crunchy oat cereal to your favourite corn or bran

cereal Use semi-skimmed milk or fat free yogurt with cereals

Add fruit for fibre & vitamins

Bread is a great option (I normally have either 2 slices of toast or a bowl of bite-sized shredded wheat - both give a good stable blood sugar taking me through to my first mid-

morning snack) Granary or seed breads, such as oat or rye bread, high fibre white bread, pitta or bap

Occasional treats of a cooked breakfast are ok - you have to have a life as well! Choose low fat options and trim excess fat from bacon - & be sensible about portions!

Try weetabix, shredded wheat, rice krispies, shreddies, puffed wheat, porridge, unsweetened muesli (not sugar coated) cornflakes

Lunch options

Again base them on carbohydrate foods

Sandwiches or toast (bread as suggested above)

Lentils, beans, pasta, spaghetti, macaroni, pasta shapes, try wholemeal varieties, noodles,

soups, slices of lean meats Grated low fat cheese, carrots, cottage cheese, baked potatoes, oil rich fish, rice salads,

peppers Sandwich fillers are pretty good options these days - check contents

White or brown rice is suitable

Dinner options

Again base dinners on carbohydrates

Boiled new potatoes, roast potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, basmati rice, noodles, baked beans, butter beans or kidney beans, stews, hot pots, fish, poultry, add some protein for

minerals

Grill, or bake, make casseroles with lean meats and poultry such as beef, lamb steaks,

pork, chicken or turkey Steam vegetables, salad vegetables

Stir frys are excellent, rice dishes are fabulous Try tuna, pasta, spaghetti even occasional pizza is ok

Fruit based deserts are great - if you have them


Supper options

Once again carbohydrate based - something reasonably light

Small cereal portion Toast or bread

Quick table & more detailed table of Guideline daily amounts:

Each Day Women Men

Calories 2000 kcals 2500 kcals

Fat 70g 95g

Each Day Women Men

Calories 2000 kcals 2500 kcals

Fat 70g 95g

Saturated fat 20g 30g

Sugar 50g 70g

Salt Less than 6g Less than 6g

Fibre 16g 20g

Diet at a glance – Remember you can consult a dietician! Remember it is not a no sugar diet but a low sugar diet!

Sweets, chocolates, toffees, fudge, mints can be eaten as treats occasionally, best after a meal - be

sensible about portions - a small slice of cake on a special occasion is better than not having any! Grate cheese to use less & try low fat varieties such as Edam & Gouda

High fibre foods are beneficial as they slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood

Increase your fruit & veg intake

Have a balanced varied diet and enjoy your food

Cut down on fried and fatty foods Cut down on crisps - opt for low fat versions

Try grilling, baking or steaming foods

Limit chips to once a week or try oven chips

Opt for plain biscuits such as Rich Tea or Morning Coffee

Fruit or raw veg is a great between meal snack - celery, pepper and carrots are good examples


Snack ideas - these are ideal as an alternative to a digestive biscuit

Fruit

1 apple 1 orange

1 peach 1 pear

1 nectarine 1 small banana

10 grapes

15 cherries 2 plums

2 kiwi fruit

Yoghurt

1 diet yoghurt or 2 Shape fruit Fromage Frais

Bread & Biscuits

1 wholemeal shortbread biscuit 2 low fat water biscuits

1 low fat Matzo cracker 3 low fat Hi-Lo crackers

2 Jacob's cream crackers

2 low fat crackers 1 oatcake

2 rich tea 5 cheddars

3 TUC biscuits 1 small pancake

2 rice cakes 2 Ryvita

1 slice wholemeal bread

Crisps & Nuts

1 packet low fat crisps 1 packet of Walkers Quavers

1 pack of 25g Twiglets

1 pack of 3oz Mini cheddars 1 pack of Walkers French fries

Cool tip!

During Summer when everyone else is eating ice

creams and lollies - you do not have to miss out!

Try making your own

lollies with sugar free drinks! It works!


Snacks

I recently discovered some very tasty Wholemeal Crackers made by Fox's that are ideal for diabetics and also suitable for vegetarians.

They come in 250g boxes and contain five individually wrapped 4 biscuit portions...one or

two biscuits being enough as a snack....I have bought a miniature lunchbox to house a 4 biscuit pack which is ideal. It takes up little space and keeps the biscuits fresh. This is a

superb snack option

Basic per biscuit nutritional details are as follows:

Protein 1.1g

Carbohydrate 7.5g (of which Sugars) 1.7g

Fat 2.6g (of which saturates) 1.0g

Fibre 0.9g Sodium 0.081g

58 Calories per biscuit

www.foxs-biscuits.co.uk


Cholesterol

Having high levels of cholesterol is one of many risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Smoking, being overweight, being inactive and not following a healthy diet are also factors. Your cholesterol levels should be monitored on a regular basis and controlled in order to

help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is the fatty substance, which is produced in our bodies. It is found in foods of

animal origins like dairy products, egg yolk, meat, fish and poultry. Foods containing the highest amounts of cholesterol include egg yolks and organ meats such as liver and

kidney. It is important to improve your chances of having a long and healthy life and a few basic lifestyle changes will assist in lowering your cholesterol.

A book that will help you assess the amount of cholesterol in your diet is-:

"Food Tables & Labelling" by A E Bender & D A Bender ISBN 0198328141

As always, you should consult your GP or dietician for dietary advice, but here are some useful pointers:

Fibre plays an important part in lowering cholesterol.

Here are some examples of foods high in fibre:

Grains: Brown rice, wholemeal pasta, wheatgerm, unprocessed bran and oatbran

Cereals: All-bran, shredded-wheat, oatbran and oatmeal

Fruit: Oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, without the membranes or skins removed

Dried Fruits: Apples, apricots, prunes and raisins

Vegetables: Dried beans and peas, celery, carrots, broccoli, green beans, peas, cabbage,

asparagus, cauliflower and corn

Raw vegetables: Celery, carrot, broccoli, cucumber, lettuce


Fats and cooking oils

There are 3 main types of fat: Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated

Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, monounsaturated fats can help reduce levels and polyunsaturated are the most effective in lowering cholesterol levels. Butter is best

avoided; olive oil should be used only in moderation and ideally use sunflower oil or

polyunsaturated margarine wherever possible.

Here are some examples of foods containing the different types of fat:

Saturated fats (Raise cholesterol levels):

Butter, beef, cheese, chocolate, coconut, coconut oil, egg yolk, lard, milk, palm oil, poultry

Monounsaturated fats (Can help reduce cholesterol levels):

Avocado, cashews, olives, olive oil, peanuts, peanut oil, peanut butter

Polyunsaturated fats (Most effective at lowering cholesterol):

Almonds, corn oil, cottonseed oil, fish, hazelnuts, margarine, pecans, safflower oil, soybean

oil, sunflower oil.

If you have done all that you can in your diet adjustments and cholesterol levels remain higher than your GP would like to see you may need tablets - normally called statins to

help keep your cholesterol down. These tablets are taken at night to reduce any build up of cholesterol during the day.

Changing from Two injections to Four is one of the

best moves you can make to help control your diabetes and give you more freedom with your diet –

check out the Info Sheet “From Two Injections to Four – The Best Move I Ever Made!” by Paul Foreman


Below is a Snack Carb Amounts Mind Map which can be used as a starting point to learn

various carbohydrate amounts in snacks.

Followed by a Glycaemic Index Mind Map


To see more Mind Maps by Paul Foreman visit the

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