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1. Maintain A Healthy Weight
If you are overweight then losing even a small amount
of weight can have dramatic effects in helping to control
your blood sugar and overall health. You should aim
for the OK range on the BMI chart. If this is not practical
or achievable, aim for 10% weight loss. This would
benefit your health and make your diabetes easier to
control. |
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2. Eat Regularly
It is important that you eat regularly, which in turn
should remind you to take your medication regularly.
At a minimum this would mean breakfast, lunch and your
evening meal. Some people may be encouraged to have
snacks between meals. People, who eat small meals/snacks
frequently, tend to have better blood sugar control. |
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3. Include Slowly Absorbed Starchy Foods
Eat plenty of slowly absorbed starchy foods - some foods
such as oats, beans, dahl and pulses can help control
your blood sugar. Do not cut down on starchy foods
such as, bread, chapatti, rice, pasta and potatoes.
Many people believe that if you have diabetes, you
should eat less of these foods. That is not the case,
you should carry on enjoying these foods in the amounts
you currently eat them.
These following foods are slowly absorbed,
low in fat and should be included in your diet
more often:
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| Cereals |
Bread |
Fruits |
Beans |
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| Rice |
Barley |
Pasta |
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4. Fruit & Vegetables
Try to include vegetables and fresh fruit at each of
your meals – this is important in trying to protect
your heart. Aim for 5 portions of fruit and vegetables
each day, these can be fresh, frozen or tinned. The
following foods give you an example of what is a portion:
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| 1 small apple |
1 kiwi |
1 small orange |
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| 1 cup of
strawberries |
1 cup of raspberries |
½ a pear |
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| 2 small plums |
½ a cup of orange juice |
½ a cup of apple juice |
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5. Cut Down On Fat
Cutting down on the fat in your food will help protect
your heart. Replace high saturated fat sources with
mono-unsaturated fat sources. Your dietitian can
advise you about this.
Why cut down on Fat?
Probably the most important thing you should do is to
try to cut down on your fat and oil intake. Two of the
major aims of the diet are to reduce the risk of heart
disease and reduce your weight. Fats and oils (no matter
what kind) in large amounts are bad for your heart. The
general message is to eat less of these. They are also
very high in energy so, reducing your use of fats and
oils will help you lose weight.
Which foods are high in fat?
There are visible fats - the fat that you can see in
or on foods, such as cooking oils, which also includes
all the vegetable oils, ghee, lard, butter margarine,
meat fat and dripping.
Hidden Fats
Also there are foods that have hidden fats, such as,
biscuits, where it is not obvious that the food is high
in fat. In general, you should try and cut down on fried
foods and snacks such as samosas, and high fat foods
that come from 'Take Away' or convenience meals. You
should try and remove the fat from your meat, and perhaps
use less butter, margarine, and ghee in your food.
Try a low fat spread instead
You should try and encourage your family to move from
using full fat milk to a lower fat milk, such as semi-skimmed
or skimmed milk and reduce the amount of cheese that
you eat. Make yoghurt using skimmed milk or buy low fat
types. Cream and chocolate covered biscuits and cakes
should only be eaten on occasions, as should pies and
pastries. |
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6. Cut Down on Sugar
Cutting down on the amount of sugar you eat will make
your blood sugar easier to control. |
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7. Cut down on Sweetened Beverages
Choose water and diet soft drinks as your preferred beverage
when you are thirsty. If you are going to drink a fruit
juice, choose one that is made from 100% fresh juice
such as a 1/2 cup of apple or carrot juice. |
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8. Include Oily Fish
All fish is very good for you, and there is evidence
to suggest that oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines,
mackerel, and herring, have a positive effect on the
health of your heart. Aim for at least 1-2 portions
of oily fish per week. |
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9. Cut Down on Salt
Cutting down on your salt intake will help to control
your blood pressure. Try substituting other herbs and
spices instead. |
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10. Keep Active
Try to include some regular exercise in your daily routine.
Keeping active can help strengthen your heart as well
as:
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help maintain an ideal body weight |
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decrease blood fats |
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decrease blood pressure |
NB: It might be advisable to speak to your Doctor
before you start any exercise regime, remember to start
gently and gradually increase the amount you do.
These ten points can be summarised by imagining a plate.
At meal times most peoples’ plates consist of large portions
of meat, fish or eggs. These high fat foods often cover
half of the plate, leaving very little room for vegetables
and fruit and starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta,
chapattis and yam. |
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HEALTHY ‘BALANCED’ MEAL
We recommend that the amount of vegetables and fruit
are increased in your meal and that the amount of meat,
fish and eggs is reduced so that they make up the smallest
portion of food on your plate. In this way the fatty
foods you eat are reduced.
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Changing
the proportions of food in this way leads to a healthier meal. |
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