Table of Contents
What is diabetes
Diabetic disease is a group of metabolic disorders that have the common traithyperglycemia, which is a high fasting blood glucose.
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
There is a type 1 diabetes mellitus o childhood diabetes that has an autoimmune genesis (ed. caused by an abnormal response of the immune system, which attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas responsible for the production of insulin) and diabetes mellitus type 2, also known as adult diabetes or dietary diabetes: this type of diabetes is characterized by a progressive loss of function of pancreatic cells responsible for the production of insulin, or the beta cells of the pancreatic islets.
Blood glucose values
Diabetes is diagnosed for fasting blood glucose values above 126 milligrams on deciliter (mg / dL) or for measurements taken at random during the day above 200 mg / dl. Those who have a blood sugar included between 100 and 125 mg / dl fasting and between 140 and 199 mg / dl throughout the day are not considered diabetic but insulin resistant or glucose intolerant. By this we mean that patients in this condition are in the time window preceding diabetes. In this case we speak of pre-diabetes.
The importance of making an early diagnosis lies in the possibility of reverse course, avoiding the appearance of a frank diabetes.
Onset of diabetes: role of nutrition and lifestyle
Diagnosis of diabetes is growing strongly, probably due to the impact that the lifestyle and diet typical of Western countries (Western diet) has on body weight and metabolic structure.
The eating habits of our ancestors were very different from those of today and the lifestyle was also different. Most work activities involved movement. One of the most important problems today is that linked to a sedentary lifestyleFurthermore, if it is true that moving little contributes to raising blood sugar levels by promoting insulin resistance, it is also true that a diet particularly abundant in simple sugars represents an additional risk factor.
Let’s think, for example, of the coffee that we are used to drinking in the morning upon awakening. If we add a sachet of sugar, the amount of glucose dissolved in our cup is equal to about 7 grams. The glucose molecule must not be digested but is assimilated directly in the mouth and through the short gastric route. Thanks to this rapid absorption, within a few minutes i 7 grams of sugar are found in the circulating blood. This condition can be considered to all intents and purposes a metabolic emergency: in fact, each of us has about 5 liters of blood in which there are about 2.5 grams of glucose and this translates into blood glucose values that are normally between 80 and 100 mg / dl. When, by drinking the cup of coffee with sugar, we encounter a rapid rise in blood sugar, the body begins to produce insulin just as quickly: insulin task is to favor the transport of sugars in the adipose tissue for the storage of excess calories. A diet characterized by an abundant presence of simple sugars leads, according to the mechanism described, to a progressive exhaustion of the ability to secrete insulin, which can be insufficient or inefficient.
From a medical point of view, therefore, it is precisely these repeated insults that lead to one slow but gradual progression towards dietary diabetes.
Nutrition and diabetes
Dietary rules for sufferers type 2 diabetes mellitus They are the following:
- pay attention not only to the quality of the food but also to the total amount of food eaten in order to return to a healthy weight or to maintain a stable weight if this is already adequate;
- prefer fresh fruit and vegetables as a source of carbohydrates;
- the complex carbohydrates of bread, pasta, rice and legumes must still be taken but preferably in the integral form so as to slow down the absorption of glucose in the intestinal tract;
- avoid theintake of simple sugars, for example the sugar in the cup of coffee;
- structure the meals so that the proteins are present together with fats and carbohydrates since the complexity of meals slows down the rate of sugar absorption;
- avoid in every way thefasting sugar intake;
- choose low energy density foods and high volume such as fruit and vegetables; these are foods rich in dietary fiber which, through the mediation of intestinal bacteria, promote the release of hormones capable of inducing a sense of satiety.
The diabetic subject is often a person who in his life has made a extensive use of simple sugars and carbohydrates in general. For this reason, the indication is to avoid the consumption of simple sugars.
THE carbohydrates should not be eliminated from the diet since these macronutrients contribute in a decisive way to meet the daily energy needs, but in the choice we must orient ourselves towards those complexes (bread, pasta, cereals) in the wholemeal version because the fibers are able to slow down the absorption of sugars.
It is also important balance the intake of carbohydrates with that of proteins within every single meal, because thanks to the slowed gastric emptying the post-prandial glycemic response improves considerably.
Foods to avoid
Based on what has been said so far, it is easy to draw up a list of foods to avoid for diabetics:
- fruit juices (even those that are defined as “without added sugars” because they represent in any case a concentrate of fruit sugars);
- sweets (biscuits, cereal granola, pastries, cakes, candies, chocolates…);
- refined pasta, bread and rice;
- sausages and processed meat;
- potatoes.
There is no doubt that the worst foods for diabetics are those of industrial derivations, poor in nutritional value and dietary fiber and on the other hand rich in simple sugars and saturated fats.
What to eat
What to eat in type 2 diabetes?
- pasta, bread and whole grains;
- seasonal vegetables;
- fruit in the wholemeal version (orange in wedges instead of in the form of juice and fruit with peel);
- low-fat meat;
- blue fish;
- fats of vegetable origin (extra virgin olive oil, oily fruit…).
The importance of dietary fiber
Nutritionists suggest a daily consumption of fiber equal to 35 g, while in Italy the average consumption is around 20 g.
But why is fiber so important? Why fiber:
- increases the sense of satiety and facilitates intestinal transit;
- leads us to chew longer;
- reduces the absorption of fats and cholesterol;
- reduces the absorption of sugars (which is why the consumption of whole foods is recommended for people with diabetes or with glucose intolerance);
- reduces the absorption of carcinogens and endocrine disruptors;
- significantly reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
The refined flours they are not suitable for people with diabetes. Being a food with a high glycemic index, tends to over-stimulate the pancreatic beta-cells responsible for insulin production.
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