Diet forms the most essential part in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Success and failure with any drug that lowers blood glucose level depends on dietary adherence. Planning a diet for a diabetic is simple, once the essential components have been designed according to one’s height, age, weight, activity, sex and nature of diabetes.
Calories Requirement
(Recommended KCal/Kg of the body weight)
| Sedentary activity | Moderate activity | Strenuous activity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal weight | 30 KCal | 35 KCal | 40 KCal |
| Overweight | 20 KCal | 30 KCal | 35 KCal |
| Underweight | 35 KCal | 40 KCal | 45 KCal |
For children, the calculation of calories is as follows:
100 calories daily + 100 x age in year.
Calories Distribution:
The approximate recommended: ClIO, Protein & Fat distribution is as follow:
Carbohydrates = 60 – 70% (or 65%)
Fats = 15 – 20% (or 20%)
Proteins = 15 – 20% (or 15%)
Calories break-up:
| 3 meals a day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| 1/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| 5 meals a day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Lunch | Evening tea | Dinner | Bed-Tea |
| 1/7 | 2/7 | 1/7 | 2/7 | 1/7 |
Fibre content of the diet:
Major source of fibre in the diet are cereals, vegetables, fruit and certain nuts, vegetables and fruits being rich in moisture, constitute only 5% fibre. In the study made to find the effect of legumes on blood sugar level, it is noted that Rajmah, green gram chana lowers the plasma glucose considerably because of their high dietary fibre content.
Recommended Fibre Allowance in Diabetes:
1 gm. fibre for every 15 gms. of carbohydrate over and above the normal dietary fibres requirements.
Diabetic Diet
Instructions:
- Weight should not exceed your expected ideal weight.
- Do not starve yourself. You may take the free foods from the list.
- Divide your whole day’s ration into 5 to 6 means of identical/equal quantity and nutrients, rather than having 2 to 3 major means.
- Exercise is good for the diabetic and should be a part of daily routine but any additional physical activities arising on any particular day should be adjusted through your diet on treatment.
- Feast and fasts should be avoided.
- Cereals are principle source of carbohydrates and should be consumed in prescribed amounts, use of mixed whole grain cereal is desirable.
Free Foods:
Plain tea and coffee, nimbu pani, clear soup, plain aerated soda, vinegar, diluted khatti lassi, kheera, kakkari, tomato, mull, karela, sag and leafy vegetables.
Foods to be taken in prescribed amounts:
Wheat atta, gram atta, rice beans, milk, curd, paneer, chicken, fish meat, fruits and vegetables.
Foods Prohibited:
Organ meat, liver kidney, heart, brain, sausages, bacon, salami, pork, egg, yolk, sugar, gur, honey, glucose, syrups and all sweets.
Foods to be Avoided:
Ice cream, pudding, mango, banana, sitaphal, kishmish, grapes, chikoo, khajur, dry fruits, nuts, alu, shakarkandi, kachalu, chukander, fried foods, pickles in oils, alcohol and wines cakes, pastry and maida articules pineapple.
