A Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus Diet
A doctor will usually prescribe diet as
part of diabetes treatment. A dietitian or nutritionist can recommend a diet that is
healthy, but also interesting and easy to follow. No one has to be limited to a
preprinted, standard diet. The guidelines for diabetes diet planning include the
following:
Many experts recommend that 50 percent to
60 percent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12 percent to 20 percent from
protein, and no more than 30 percent from fat.
Spacing meals throughout the day, instead
of eating heavy meals once or twice a day, can help a person avoid extremely high or low
blood glucose levels.
With few exceptions, the best way to lose
weight is gradually, namely one or two pounds a week. Strict diets must never be
undertaken without the supervision of a doctor.
People with diabetes have twice the risk of developing
heart disease as those without diabetes, and high blood cholesterol levels raise the risk
of heart disease. Losing weight and reducing intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, in
favor of unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, can help lower blood cholesterol.
