Question

Mrs. Cynthia Ritchie is a 45 year old female 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 245 lbs. she has gained 50 pounds in the past year. she has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. testing revealed that her a1c is 10.2. her blood pressure is 135/90. she complains of blurry vision. Mrs. Ritchie typically skips breakfast, eats lunch and a large dinner. her favorite foods include pasta rice and fruit. she would like to explore dietary interventions to improve her health and reduce her a1c.

Answer 1

Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high.

People with type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance. The body still produces insulin, but it’s unable to use it effectively.

In the present scenario, Mrs. Cynthia Ritchie is a 45-year-old female 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 245 lbs. she has gained 50 pounds in the past year. she has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. testing revealed that her a1c is 10.2. her blood pressure is 135/90. she complains of blurry vision. Mrs. Ritchie typically skips breakfast, eats lunch and a large dinner. her favorite foods include pasta rice and fruit.

*Dietary interventions to improve health and reduce her a1c.

All macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) can affect the blood sugar to some degree

Eat a balanced diet with proper portion sizes. She can load up on nonstarchy vegetables, but be mindful of serving sizes when eating fruits, lean proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates, like bread, potatoes, and other starches. Using a salad plate instead of a full-sized dinner plate can help prevent overeating. Avoid processed foods as much as possible, and say no to sugary sodas and fruit juice.

Stick to a schedule. Skipping meals, letting too much time pass between meals, or eating too much or too often can cause your blood sugar levels to fall and rise too much.

Very-low-calorie diets provide ≤800 calories daily and produce substantial weight loss and rapid improvements in glycemia and lipemia. When very-low-calorie diets are stopped and self-selected meals are reintroduced, weight regain is common. Thus, very-low-calorie diets appear to have limited utility in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and should only be considered in conjunction with a structured weight loss program.

Carbohydrates (carbs)

Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood sugar, She can get a benefit from following a low- to medium-carb diet (or even a ketogenic diet). The fewer carbs she follows to eat, the less insulin she needs to take, which makes diabetes management easier.Changes in serum triglyceride and HDL cholesterol were more favorable with the low-carbohydrate diets.

Proteins and fat:

While carbs affect blood sugar most significantly, protein and fat also have an impact. The key thing to be aware of is that when protein and especially fat is consumed with carbohydrates, the energy from the meal will be released more slowly, which means that the blood sugars will be impacted more slowly as well.