Diet and diabetes

Reasons for diet

• Weight control

• Blood glucose control

• Prevention and management of short-term and long-term complications of diabetes

Dietary recommendations for diabetes

• Eat starchy foods regularly

• Eat more fruit and vegetables

• Reduce animal or saturated fat

• Cut down on sugar

• Reduce salt

Balancing food choices

Eat starchy foods regularly

• Bread• Potatoes• Rice• Pasta• Cereals• Plantain• Chapatis

Eat more fruit and vegetables

• Fresh

• Frozen

• Tinned

• Dried

• Juice

Choose more high fibre foods

To help maintain blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels

• Fruit• Vegetables• Pulses• Oats

Helps to maintain a healthy gut

• Wholegrain cereals• Wholemeal bread• Wholewheat pasta• Brown rice

Reduce animal or saturated fat intake

• Use low fat milk• Use low fat spread

instead of butter• Use oil high in

unsaturated fat, eg olive oil, rapeseed oil

Use less fat in cooking

• Grill

• Dry-roast

• Microwave

• Steam

Choose the right sort of fat

SATURATED

• Full fat dairy produce (eg cheese, butter, full cream milk)

• Pies

• Biscuits

• Savoury snacks

• Lard

• Hard vegetable fat

MONO- UNSATURATED

• Olive oil

• Rapeseed oil

• Groundnut oil

POLY- UNSATURATED

• Sunflower oil (products)

• Oily fish

Cut down on sugary foods

• Not a sugar free diet

• Cut out sweets

• Cut out sugary drinks

Choose low sugar products

• Use diet or low calorie, sugar free drinks

Intense sweeteners

• Tablet

• Liquid

• Granulated

Avoid diabetic products

• Cost

• Laxative effects

• Focus on ‘sugar free’

• Still raise blood glucose levels

• Still contain same calories

Reduce salt intake

• Cut down on added salt

• Use alternative seasonings

• Look out for reduced/low sodium foods, eg bread

• Avoid salt substitutes

Eat regular meals based on carbohydrate:

Breakfast

Lunch or snack meal

Main meal

Weight management and diabetes

Be more active

Slimming tips

• Be realistic about your target weight

• Aim to lose weight gradually

• Eat regular meals

• Make small changes you can stick to

Drink alcohol in moderation

1 unit of alcohol is approximately:

1/2 pint beer or lager or

cider

1 small glass of wine (125 ml)

1 pub measure of

spirit (25 ml), eg gin,

vodka or whisky

1 pub measure (50ml) of sherry,

vermouth, liqueur or

aperitif

For more information on diabetes

Diabetes UK Careline

020 7424 1030

Monday to Friday

9am to 5pm

www.diabetes.org.uk