Healthy Eating for Weight Loss
Great news! The experts say a healthy diet for someone with diabetes is the same as a healthy diet for anyone else. It's normal, healthy food with plenty of fruits and vegetables, keeping your intake of fats, sugar and salt well in check. When you were first diagnosed, you probably had the chance to talk to a dietitian. They will have given you personal advice, tailored to you, so use that as a guideline. In general, you should eat a balanced diet based on a wide range of foods from the five main food groups:
- Carbohydrates
It’s important to base meals on carbohydrates to balance the insulin your body produces naturally, the tablets you take, or the insulin you inject. Carbohydrates that are found in starchy foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice, are broken down into blood glucose and used for energy. Some are absorbed more quickly than others and the ‘slow carbs’ really help with blood glucose control. - Fruits and vegetables
The government recommends eating five different portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Some fruits are fairly sweet, so try to spread your intake of fruit out over the day. This will help to avoid any sudden rises in your blood glucose levels. - Meat, fish and alternative protein (i.e. tofu)
Eat a variety of proteins and choose low fat options where you can, for instance:- Lean ham in preference to pork.
- Chicken without the skin.
- Lentils and beans.
- Milk and dairy
Dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and milk contain calcium, needed for healthy bones and teeth. Adults should look for the low fat versions. - Fats, sugars and salt
- Don’t cut out fats completely, but try to cut down on saturated fats like full fat dairy foods.
- Use herbs for extra flavor rather than salt
- Cut down on sugar where you can. Try some of the artificial sweeteners instead.
- Oily fish are good for you like sardines, mackerel, pilchards and trout.
- Watch out. Artificial sweeteners have no impact on blood glucose levels at all; so don’t use them if you feel hypo. Go for something with real sugar in.
Dieting tips
- Aim to lose no more than one or two pounds a week. The more slowly it comes off, the longer it stays off.
- Drink more water – about 2 liters each day.
- Keep an eye on portion sizes. Do you know what an average portion looks like? It can be quite surprising. One portion of uncooked pasta is roughly the size of a tennis ball – or the size of your fist.
- Many foods have low-fat alternatives which are much healthier than their full-fat counterparts.
- In restaurants, meals with the words ‘au gratin’, ‘carbonara’, ‘creamy’, ‘parmigiana’ and ‘tempura’ are often high in fats. Pick something else instead.
- Watch out for drinks. A typical large specialty drink from a café can be hiding as much as 25g (one ounce) of fat. Ask for a ‘skinny’ made with skim milk.
Let’s get going!
Weight loss is usually achieved by a combination of lots of little changes to your diet and more physical activity. If your heart sinks at these words, don’t despair. You don’t have to take up jogging or join a gym if you don’t want to. Just take any opportunity to be more active.
- Go for a walk.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Shop till you drop (but not ‘till you are hypo!').
- Park in the furthest parking space and enjoy a short bust of activity.
- Go and talk to your coworkers rather than picking up the phone.
Make time for food
There are many campaigns currently trying to get people to take more time in preparing good meals – and in effect choosing healthier options. Also, stopping to think about what’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner may help you make a better choice if fast-food is the only options. It’s not always practical to cook, but some fast foods are much better than others; ready prepared stir-fry vegetables, a low fat supermarket sandwich or a salad-bowl, for instance.
We’ve all grabbed a rushed lunch at our desks and eaten dinner in front of the television. If you can, sit down for a meal and eat it slowly. It’s said that you not only enjoy it more, you will actually eat less.
Try to look at weight loss positively. Talk to your friends and family and get their support. You’re improving your health right now and in the long run, so you’re doing something really positive. And enjoy the compliments when they start coming your way, as they will!
Important Notice: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.
DOC11716-Rev-A 04/08
