created: 30.09.2004
last modified: 30.09.2004
The most important things
Fat
Fat has always many calories. But monounsaturated fat can decrease the damage. Walnut, canola, olive and sesame oil consist of that kind of fat.
Caution: hidden fat!
Eat a little bit of sausage only, cut of the fat from meat. You should prefer low-fat cheese and dairy products. Sweets are all right, but only once in a blue moon and in small amounts. So, don't eat cake, chocolate or crisps on a daily basis.
Carbohydrates
The basic nutrition for diabetics is: fruit, vegetables, salad, cereals, wholemeal products, rice, pasta and low-fat dairy products. Eat five portions of fruit or vegetable each day, they provide lots of vitamins especially when uncooked. Cereals and wholemeal products give you roughage and minerals.
Sugar
30-50g of sugar a day are ok even for diabetics. But sugar should be consumed together with other roughage and nutrients. Carbohydrate free sweeteners are the better choice.
Beverages
Sugared drinks only make sense in case of a hypoglycaemia. Otherwise they make the blood glucose level raise too fast. If your blood fat, blood pressure and weight are all right even the occasional alcoholic drink is ok. In case of a severe neuropathy you shouldn't drink alcohol at all.
Diabetic products
What a temptation - cake, chocolate, and much more. But apart from the sugar substitution you should pay attention to the fat and carbohydrate these products contain.
Diet products
Although a product says "diet", that doesn't mean you can consume it without any limit. So, check thoroughly whether the fat and carbohydrate proportion meets your nutrition plan.
Bread Units
Often so-called bread units (BE) are the unit of measurement in a diabetic's nutrition plan. One BE equals 10-12g utilizable carbohydrates. But you shouldn't reduce your nutrition to these units; they don't give you any information about the amount of fat.
