Nutrition in diabetes: the doctor gave advice and dispelled myths

Patients with diabetes need to be especially careful about nutrition. Endocrinologist, deputy chief doctor for the medical part of the health care institution "Minsk City Clinical Endocrinology Center" Elena Otlivanchik on the air of the talk show "PRO HEALTH" on the YouTube channel "SEE AND LIVE" answered popular questions and dispelled some myths, writes sb.by. Can diabetes be caused by sweets?

There is an opinion that if you eat a lot of sweets, diabetes will develop. Commenting on this claim, the doctor noted:

- No, you don't have to. It is worth paying attention to the total calorie intake. If you consume carbohydrates in large quantities, but at the same time you have a lot of physical activity and a normal body weight, diabetes will most likely not develop. On the other hand, you need to remember that when we constantly consume easily digestible carbohydrates throughout the day, the blood sugar level rises every time, there is a constant stimulation of the beta cells of the pancreas. The constant desire to make them work can lead to exhaustion.

Keto diet and intermittent fasting

Eliminate carbohydrates Elena Otlivanchik also does not recommend - in this case, the body is rebuilt to another mode of operation and begins to eat at the expense of ketone bodies. This approach is no longer healthy. For patients with diabetes, the keto diet is contraindicated.

- In addition, with diabetes mellitus of the first type, starvation is absolutely contraindicated. When we talk about diabetes of the second type against the background of obesity, there is an opinion about the usefulness of therapeutic fasting. But it should take place only under the supervision of doctors, preferably in a hospital, the specialist added.

The optimal number of meals per day

According to the doctor, with diabetes of the second type, three main meals per day are enough. If there is excess body weight, obesity, you can do without snacking.

- With diabetes mellitus of the first type, it is more difficult to keep glucose levels in the target range. Such patients are often advised to snack. And patients with diabetes of the second type can do without them. The daily calorie content should also be calculated to reduce body weight, Elena Otlivanchik emphasized.

She stressed the importance of breakfast:

Breakfast is mandatory for everyone. Studies have shown that the refusal of breakfast slows metabolic processes to almost 30 percent. We also need to remember that if we don’t eat breakfast, we automatically eat more for dinner. And then the circle closes: in the morning I do not want to eat, because I overeat in the evening. Then don’t eat again in the morning and go to dinner. It is advisable to eat breakfast within two hours after waking up.

What should be the diet Elena Otlivanchik shared some tips for drawing up a diet for patients with diabetes:

- I am against categorical prohibitions, but you need to minimize the consumption of easily digestible carbohydrates and saturated fats. But the right sources of protein and fiber should be mandatory. This, for example, vegetables, fruits, porridge. We need the right approach to nutrition. There is no scientific evidence that a particular product should be present in the patient’s diet every day. And let's not forget the water. With dehydration of the body, all metabolic processes are disrupted. At the same time, there are restrictions in its use for patients with chronic heart failure.

Watch the PRO HEALTH project on the Watch and Live YouTube channel every Sunday at 12:00. Specialists in various fields will answer popular questions of concern to everyone in simple language and with humor. The doctor explained how diabetes itself to control blood sugar and why low levels are more dangerous