A diabetic meal plan is a healthy eating plan which consists of balanced nutrition in the right amount of calorie requirement and the right amount of food types.

The aim of a diabetic meal plan is to help people with diabetes attain quality of life similar to healthy people by:

• making it easier to achieve blood glucose control
• reducing dependency on more diabetic medication or insulin injections
• reducing the risk of complications or hospital admission associated with diabetes
• achieving the same lifespan as normal individuals

Why is diabetic control important?

Diabetic control is important to prevent the following common complications.

• Peripheral vascular disease of the lower limbs causing ulcers and gangrene of the toes and feet
• Peripheral neuropathy causing numbness and tingling sensation of the toes and fingers
• Blindness due to diabetic retinopathy causing bleeding into the eye. Diabetes is most common cause of blindness in young adults
• Kidney failure. Diabetes is the most common reason why patients are on dialysis
• Heart disease
• Stroke

Why is body weight important in the control of diabetes?

Being overweight predisposes you to develop diabetes as well as making it harder for you to achieve good diabetic control because

• Fat makes it difficult for insulin to facilitate glucose to get into the muscle efficiently and as a result, the glucose remains unused in high levels in the bloodstream
• The pancreas then has to work harder to produce more insulin resulting in organ failure after 20-30 years of poor diabetic control

Losing as little as 5-10% of your weight can reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

What is an ideal Diabetic Meal Plan?

Food is the major influence on blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and as such patients must pay attention to the food components (particularly the carbohydrates), the amount was eaten and timing of each meal every day.

Choose foods with a lower Glycaemic Index (GI) as these foods do not give you a sudden surge in blood glucose after eating.

GI is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar (glucose) levels after eating.

Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed resulting in a big surge in blood sugar levels immediately after a meal. Low GI carbohydrates produce smaller fluctuations and are therefore ideal for diabetic patients.

Self-monitoring

Despite being on treatment, it is estimated that over 30% of patients DO NOT achieve good glucose pressure control despite being on medication.

As such, healthcare practitioners also recommend lifestyle modification which includes 30-60 minutes of exercise daily (click and read the article “How Much Should We Exercise Daily”) and self-monitoring. Do consult and connect with your healthcare practitioners such as your doctor, dietician or fitness trainers.

While at home, check your blood glucose regularly and take charge of your health. Do self-monitor your weight and blood sugar on TELEME TrackME Health Tracker mobile app.

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