There are generally two types of attitudes towards diet among diabetes patients: the first type is the ignorant and fearless type, who have no knowledge of nutrition, do not manage their three meals a day, and are not afraid of high blood sugar. The second type is the overly cautious type, who constantly learn various nutritional knowledge, have a very serious attitude, but their approach is extremely extreme (such as weighing every meal of rice with a scale). Both of these extreme behaviors are not conducive to controlling diabetes. Today, we will focus on the second type, the overly cautious type of dietary control. The reason why it is called overly cautious is due to the following reasons.
Extreme 1: Strict control of staple food
For example, some diabetes patients would only eat two ounces of rice a day. In fact, diabetes patients should not be afraid to eat staple food because of the fear of high blood sugar. If blood sugar is high, the dosage of medication or insulin needs to be adjusted, not the diet. Because diet is determined by factors such as individual body size and exercise level, not by blood sugar levels. Many diabetes patients after getting the disease experience weight loss, emaciation, anemia, malnutrition, lack of muscle strength, and weakened immune ability, which are often not caused by diabetes itself, but due to overly strict dietary control.
Extreme 2: Strict control of fat
For example, some patients are afraid to eat meat, do not eat fatty meat, and do not dare to eat red meat (such as pork, beef, lamb) that is rich in heme iron and high-quality protein. Let's talk about oil. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends a daily oil intake of 25-30 grams per person. Obese diabetes patients or patients with other complications should reduce the amount appropriately, but not excessively. Because fat can provide more energy, promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K), and enhance the elasticity of the skin, etc. Long-term low-fat, low-cholesterol diets can increase the fragility of blood vessels and make them more prone to rupture, leading to brain hemorrhage and other complications.
Extreme 3: Strict control of fruits and vegetables
For fruits, some people are afraid to eat them after being diagnosed with diabetes. In fact, when blood sugar control is stable, it is completely acceptable to eat some fruits as snacks.
As for vegetables, not only should they be eaten more, but also a variety of types. It is recommended to eat at least 3 ounces of leafy vegetables, 2 ounces of other types of vegetables, and 1 ounce of mushroom and algae vegetables every day. It is best to have 6 different types of vegetables every day, with different colors complementing each other. When distributed among three meals a day, it can meet the needs of adults for vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and dietary fiber.
Friendly Suggestions
Nowadays, the emphasis on dietary control for diabetes patients is not on quantity control, but on balanced diet. Therefore, we remind the "overly cautious" patients not to be too strict in terms of diet, which may severely reduce their quality of life and make their days "miserable". This will also not be conducive to maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Therefore, diabetes patients only need to control their diet appropriately. There is no need to completely avoid staple food, fruits, or fatty meat. The most important thing is to have a balanced diet and consume them appropriately.
