Diet for Diabetic Persons

Does a diabetic person has to intake food in small quantity regulary. Being orthodox and on religious belief , we undertake fasting. Advise if we can be on fast. we intake Fruits in a fast.
(October 20, 2010)

Medical diet for diabetic patients

Like any other nutritious and well balanced diet, a diet for diabetic people is based on eating a variety of healthy foods, in moderate quantities, at regular intervals throughout the day. A medically designed diet for diabetic patients is also known as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for Diabetes. Of course, diet menu diabetic foods should be low in fat, calories, cholesterol and most importantly sugar. Put simply, a diabetic diet can be described as a healthy eating program, which can help control the levels of sugar in the blood. This diet emphasizes on the consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.


Therefore, several people can benefit from following a diet for diabetic people, not just diabetic people.

In this diet, the quality of foods is more significant than the quantity. A higher consumption of calories is acceptable, if the foods can be classified as healthy carbs, heart-healthy fish, high fiber foods and “good” fats. At the same time, this diet highlights the foods that should be avoided, as they are bad. These foods mainly include saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and cholesterol.

Atkins diet diabetic version

The Atkins diet for weight loss has extremely popular around the world because of how successful some people have been in achieving their weight goals after switching over to this diet. However, the traditional Atkins diet was not quite right for diabetics and therefore, a separate Atkins diet for diabetic people was designed, in order to help people with type-2 diabetes. This diet is based on meal plans for three different levels of carbs consumption, which starts at 20 grams a day, slowly going up to 40 grams & 60 grams each day. This diet encourages the users to individualize their eating patterns, to correspond more with a suitable meal plan for diabetics. In the Atkins diet, guidelines for diabetics include:

• No restriction on the consumption of fat or protein
• Consuming no more than 4 ounces of cheese in the day
• Staying away from low-fat dairy products, as they are believed to be high in carbs

This diet has helped several people who are obese or overweight or have a sweet tooth and cannot resist sweets, in losing weight and decreasing not just their weight and sugar levels, but also the health risks that are associated with diabetes. However, there are several controversies that have been associated with the traditional Atkins diet as well as the Atkins diet diabetic version. Therefore it is important to consult a doctor, before switching over to these diets.

Diet menu diabetic food ideas

Given below are a few recipes that can be used in a diet for diabetic patients:

• Mexican chicken soup
• Avocado salad, with grilled chicken, sweet mustard vinaigrette and olives
• Pork tenderloin, with red cabbage
• Chicken kabobs with steamed broccoli and cooked rice
• Pasta primavera with vegetables and parmesan cheese

Diabetes is a very serious condition that should be monitored by a doctor at regular intervals. Therefore, it is important for a doctor to approve a switch over to a diet for diabetics or to any other diet for that matter.

Read useful information on atkins diet plan

Yes it is true to have divided meals and avoid fasting or binging of foods for people with diabetes. Management of diabetes involves a triad of diet, exercise and regular medications. Don’t forget to take your pills or insulin (depending on the type of diabetes you have). Regular meals at appropriate intervals are important for all type of diabetes, however this is more emphasized in type I diabetes. Exercise also plays an important role in managing the blood sugar levels in the body.
Avoid fasting as far as possible, and quit fasting completely especially if you are not able to manage your blood glucose well.
Just incase you need to do a fast coming under family pressure or religion, remember the following points regarding fruits –
- Some fruits like mango, custard apple, sapota, banana and grapes should not in taken in higher amounts as it tends to increase your blood sugar levels much faster (as they have higher glycemic index compared to other fruits).
- Other fruits can be consumed liberally (3-4 servings a day). Don’t eat fruits with meals and eat whole fruit with skin when ever possible (avoid fruit juices).