Diabetes is a common endocrine disease with a hereditary predisposition, known as "Xiao Ke" (thirst and wasting) in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia caused by various etiologies. In addition to carbohydrates, there are also abnormalities in protein and fat metabolism. Over time, it can lead to damage to multiple systems, causing chronic progressive lesions in tissues such as the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and blood vessels, resulting in functional defects and failure. The exact cause of diabetes is currently unknown, but it is widely agreed that it is not a single-cause disease but a syndrome of complex etiologies, related to diet, autoimmune factors, environmental factors, and genetics.
Nutritional Principles
Dietary Adjustment Goals: To approach or achieve normal blood sugar levels; to maintain a virtuous cycle of insulin and glucose metabolism in the body; to maintain an ideal body weight; to prevent and treat complications; to increase the body's resistance and maintain physical and mental health. For diabetic patients, sweets are generally avoided, rice cannot be eaten to fullness, and fruits cannot be consumed in large quantities.
Suitable Foods
1. Eat more foods rich in dietary fiber.
As people's living standards continue to improve, food processing has become increasingly refined, and a large amount of dietary fiber beneficial to health, especially water-soluble fiber, is lost. In the intestines, dietary fiber expands 30-100 times its volume when it encounters water. It can carry away waste from the digestive tract, increase fecal volume, promote bowel movements, and be beneficial to health.
2. Appropriately consume foods containing cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a raw material for synthesizing various steroid hormones in the human body and an important component of many nerve cell membranes. Reasonable intake is very important. However, high cholesterol is one of the promoting factors of atherosclerosis and also a major cause of myocardial infarction, stroke, and lower limb arterial occlusion in patients.
3. Eat more whole grains.
It has been proven that grains can alleviate the body's internal drive to raise blood sugar. Therefore, ensuring a long-term intake of staple foods is beneficial to the patient's body and helps stabilize blood sugar. This is the result of humanity's long-term dependence on grains, a factual life record in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a great creation of biological evolution and natural selection.
4. Provide adequate protein, and the protein-to-calorie ratio can be increased to 15-20%, but patients with complications such as hepatic coma or renal dysfunction should be treated as a special case.
5. Ensure a rich supply of B vitamins such as Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, and niacin from the diet to promote carbohydrate metabolism. Pay attention to providing foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, copper, iodine, and other minerals.
Dietary Taboos
1. Abstain from smoking and alcohol, and consume less salt.
Diabetic patients must absolutely avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake. Salt intake must also be strictly controlled, which is especially important for patients with diabetes complicated by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, kidney disease, or hypertension.
2. Avoid foods high in cholesterol.
The cholesterol content in mammalian meat is higher than in poultry, fatty meat is higher than lean meat, shellfish and mollusks are higher than general fish, and the cholesterol content in egg yolks, roe, and animal organs is the highest.
3. Avoid: White sugar, brown sugar, glucose, and sugar-sweetened foods, such as fructose, pastries, jam, honey, preserved fruits, ice cream, etc.
4. Consume in moderation: Potatoes, Chinese yams, taro, lotus root, onions, carrots, lard, sheep oil, cream, butter, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, egg yolks, liver, kidney, and brain.