Nutrition and weight control are important aspects of maintaining and improving overall health, particularly in individuals with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes is caused by several factors including obesity or excess weight. Diabetic individuals can safely diet to lose weight, which may also improve the symptoms and progression of their metabolic disorder. The University of Maryland Medical Clinic advises replacing unhealthy calories with nutritious foods suitable for a diabetic diet, removing excess calories and continuing all prescribed treatment. Seek advice from your doctor or nutritionist regarding the best foods to eat when dieting with diabetes.
Step 1
Add more fiber to your diet to lose weight and control blood sugar levels. Fiber-rich foods, such as whole-wheat breads and pastas, oatmeal, barley, legumes, lentils and seeds, reduce hunger and provide long-lasting energy for better weight control. These foods also have a low glycemic index, which means they help maintain slow, balanced increases in blood sugar. This prevents spiking glucose levels, fatigue and insulin secretion imbalances in the body.
Step 2
Control your carbohydrate intake for weight and diabetes management. Carbohydrates from foods greatly affect blood glucose levels. Though they are part of a balanced diabetic diet, you must consume them carefully. Measure carbohydrates in your daily meal plan. Use a diabetes carbohydrate chart available from your dietitian, to plan your meals. Discuss the total number of carbohydrates you need with a nutritionist or dietitian. Balance a simple carbohydrate with a complex carbohydrate -- for example a starch such as brown rice with a grain such as whole-wheat bread. Avoid excess carbohydrates by replacing processed foods with whole foods such as vegetables and eliminating white, processed breads, pastas and white rice from the diet.
Step 3
Eat antioxidant-rich foods to decrease inflammation and damage due to diabetes in the body. Add brightly colored, fresh, raw foods such as tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, eggplant, apples, plums, berries and dried fruit to your diet. These provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to facilitate healthy digestion and improve metabolism for better weight control. Talk to your nutritionist or dietitian about the types and serving portions of fruits that are suitable for diabetics.
Tips and Warnings
- Monitor your blood sugar levels daily to ensure that you are getting a balanced diet and managing your diabetes. If you are overweight, even small losses in weight can help to reduce the risks of heart disease, stroke, vision loss and nerve damage due to diabetes. Set realistic goals and make healthy eating a daily habit and not a crash diet plan.
- Weight loss should not exceed 0.5 to 1 lb. a week, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Things You'll Need
- Diabetic meal plan
- Food scale
- Carbohydrate content food chart
- Blood sugar monitor
