Correct lifestyleNUTRITION AND EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS

(English Version)

Il corretto stile di vita(LINGUA INGLESE)

How to control diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels (also known as blood glucose or glycemia), often associated with overweight or obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.

The challenge posed by diabetes is to modify one’s habits, choosing the healthier ones and rediscovering the pleasure of exercising and eating healthy and natural foods.

HERE ARE THE GOLDEN RULES:

2. Follow a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit, and adjust your fat intake

3. Exercise regularly

1. Be normal weight

Nutrition recommendations

ARE ALL FOODS THE SAME?

In order to live and function, the human body needs the energy provided by food. Different foods contain different nutrients, all of which are important for the body, including:

CARBOHYDRATES OR SUGARS:

These are the main source of energy and provide the best fuel for our body. This category of nutrients is particularly important for people with diabetes: once absorbed, they immediately affect blood sugar levels.

Depending on the speed with which they are absorbed, they are called simple or complex sugars.

• SIMPLE SUGARS tend to raise the blood glucose level rapidly; these are the foods that people with diabetes should be most careful about eating. Examples: sugar, honey, jam, sweets.

• Conversely, COMPLEX SUGARS, commonly known as carbohydrates or starches, take longer to be absorbed and cause a slower increase of blood glucose levels; these foods are therefore easier to consume. Examples: Cereals (bread, pasta, rice, flours, barley, spelt, maize, potatoes) and legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas).

FATS:

fats are used by the body mostly as reserves. You should be very careful with your intake of animal derived fats (e.g. butter, lard, bacon fat, the fat component of all cheeses), as they are rich in cholesterol and therefore are harmful to blood vessels. Vegetable derived fats (i.e. all oils) should be preferred.

PROTEINS:

proteins have a plastic function. They are contained in both animal origin foods (milk, eggs, meat, fish) and vegetable origin foods (legumes and cereals), which are very healthy sources of proteins because, besides being high quality, they are not bound to fat.

FOOD FIBERS:

These substances are contained in fruit, vegetables, legumes and in all whole foods. Although they are not nutrients, they have the ability to slow down absorption, particularly of sugar and fat, and therefore are very helpful for all healthy diets.

However, there are some exceptions: margarine, cocoa butter and coconut butter, though vegetable, are rich in cholesterol.

On the other hand, fish fat, though of animal origin, does not contain cholesterol and is rich in omega 3, which is very useful in preventing atherosclerosis.

What is a healthy diet?

To make sure you follow a good diet, you should consume:

60% CARBOHYDRATES

15% PROTEINS

25% FATS

American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2012. Diabetes Care 2012; 35 (supll. 1)

The foods that should be consumed most frequently are at the base of the pyramid; the closer to the top, the more limited is the amount of that food that should be present in a well-balanced diet.

Sweets

Red meat

Water1.5-2

liters per day

Wine 1-2 glasses per day

Cooking salt < 6g per day

Cold cuts

Eggs

White meat, poultry

Potatoes, legumes, fish

Ripe cheeses

Fresh cheeses

Olive oil

Milk and yoghurt

Bread, pasta, rice, polenta, whole cereals

Fruit and vegetables

The nutrition pyramid

Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 1995. Dietary guidelines for Americans. Report of the Dietary Guidelines.

What should I choose?

OLIVE OIL

PASTA, COUS COUS, BREAD (especially whole wheat bread)

(Fruit should be eaten in moderate amounts, especially if it is rich in sugar like bananas, figs,

grapes and melon)

LEGUMES

FISH

FRUIT

ABOVE ALL LOTS OF VEGETABLES

Choose more frequently

BUTTER

RICE and PIZZA

POTATOES

MEAT

SWEETS

ABOVE ALL LOTS OF VEGETABLES

Choose less frequently

Exercise does not necessarily mean going to the gym or the swimming pool or doing sports: it simply means moving all the time, everywhere, and every day more than yesterday!

Exercise

Exercise is good for everybody, but is particularly important for people with diabetes because it brings many benefits:

ENHANCES WELL-BEING

IMPROVES DIABETES CONTROL

IMPROVES WEIGHT CONTROL

CONTROLS ARTERIAL PRESSURE

HELPS PREVENT MANY COMPLICATIONS

A good walk can be the ideal workout: you can do it anywhere and adjust it to your own abilities. For best results, the daily amount of walking should be 3-5 km (30-60 minutes).

You can achieve this using a few little tricks:

• PARK AT SOME DISTANCE from where you are going

• DON’T TAKE ELEVATORS

• USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Weight TimeWalking Cycling Dancing House

cleaning

50-70 Kg 15’30’60’

57-80114-160228-319

75-105150-210300-420

56-79112-210224-314

47-6593-130

186-260

80-100 Kg15’30’60’

91-114205-228365-456

120-150240-300480-600

90-112180-224359-449

74-93149-186298-372

110-130 Kg15’30’60’

125-149251-297502-595

165-196330-391660-783

123-146247-293494-585

120-121205-243409-485

140-160 Kg15’30’60’

160-183320-366640-732

211-241421-481843-963

158-180315-360630-720

131-149261-298522-597

Activity/Calories burned (Kcal)

EXAMPLES:

Sports and Diabetes

People with diabetes can do any kind of activity. However, particularly if you take insulin, it is important that you discuss it with your diabetologist and follow his/her advice.

Remember:

Exercising lowers blood glucose levels during and after the activity. This is because your muscles use the sugar directly as nourishment for the additional effort. Therefore, it is important to check your blood glucose level before and after.

Also, exercising makes the cells more sensitive to insulin, therefore the same amount “works better”.

Hypoglycemia (excessive lowering of blood sugar) is always possible. Take sugar lumps with you for possible blood sugar drops.

You should drink plenty of water, especially if it is hot.

Which sports?

Aerobic sports are particularly suitable for diabetics, as they help more than others to burn calories and to improve blood glucose control and cardio-circulatory function.

Be very careful what kind of shoes you choose to exercise: they should not be too tight, have few seams, and be well cushioned.When you finish your activity, always check your feet for any lesions or blisters that need treatment

The 5 golden rules

Always take sugar lumps or drinks with sugar added (non-diet) to stop the possible hypoglycemia

Before starting any sport, check your blood sugar level

If it’s below 130, you should supplement with a little snack

If it’s over 250, it is best not to do any sports

1

2

Choosing to exercise after meals can also be very useful to achieve the best results in terms of metabolic control

Start exercising slowly and gradually

Before any sports activity, do some warm up exercises

3

5

4

ABC of insulinWHAT IT IS AND HOW IT IS USED

(English Version)

ABC of insulin(LINGUA INGLESE)

Correct lifestyleNUTRITION AND EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS

(English Version)

Il corretto stile di vita(LINGUA INGLESE)

ILLNESS, TRAVEL AND HOLIDAYS

Diabetes and special situations

(English Version)

Diabete e situazioni particolari(LINGUA INGLESE)

Complications

WHICH COMPLICATIONS, WHY THEY OCCUR,

AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM

(English Version)

Le complicanze

(LINGUA INGLESE)

Low blood

glucoseHOW TO RECOGNIZE IT AND WHAT DO TO

(English Version)

L’ipoglicemia

(LINGUA INGLESE)

What Is

Diabetes

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

(English Version)

Che cos’è il diabete

(LINGUA INGLESE)

The complete line of brochures dedicated to Diabetes is available for download from

www.lillydiabete.it

Also available in the following languages:

For more information please contact your doctor or call toll-free

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Diabetes and special situations

Correct lifestyle

ABC of insulin

What Is Diabetes

Low blood glucose

Complications

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