Dietary Advice for Patients with Diabetes
Effective management of diabetes cannot be achieved without an appropriate diet. All patients with newly diagnosed diabetes should receive educational advice from a dietitian as soon as possible after diagnosis.
For further information see (TDEP) - Tayside Diabetes Education Programme (available only via NHS Intranet).
Aims of Dietary Advice
- To provide knowledge of healthy eating
- To encourage lifestyle changes in order to reduce obesity and ensure optimal weight.
- To maintain blood glucose and lipids as near normal as possible.
- To reduce the acute complications of diabetes i.e. hypoglycaemia / hyperglycaemia.
Objectives of Dietary Advice
- To tailor dietary advice to suit individuals needs, taking account of eating habits, physique, occupation, culture and religious beliefs.
- To provide realistic advice.
- To provide dietary education to allow patients to understand their diabetes and to achieve independence in management.
Dietary Goals
- Ensure an adequate and balanced nutritional intake.
- Aim to provide 50% energy intake from carbohydrate by increasing intakes of complex carbohydrate / fibre rich foods.
- Limit rapidly absorbed carbohydrate intake.
- Ensure that complex carbohydrate foods (starchy foods) are eaten at each meal / snack.
- Encourage regular eating habits / meals.
- Reduce fat intakes to <35% of energy intake.
- Monitor body weight encouraging weight maintenance and weight reduction when necessary.
- Avoid hypoglycaemia.
Weight Reduction
Weight loss in overweight and obese individuals improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Aim for weight maintenance and modest weight loss i. e. 5-10 kg in one year, which can improve health outcomes.
General guidance on healthy eating should be advised initially:
- ncreasing intake of starchy carbohydrate foods.
- Increasing fruit and vegetable intake.
- Reducing fat intake.
- Reducing sugar intake.
- Reducing salt
- Safe and sensible alcohol consumption
Lifestyle
Patients should follow dietary advice as part of lifestyle modifictaion including appropriate exercise regimes and smoking cessation
