Diet plays a crucial role when you are suffering from diabetes. Equally, a dietitian plays an important role in prevention as well as management of diabetes. When it comes to prevention and self-management of diabetes, dietary and lifestyle changes are considered few of the most essential factors. Who are dietitians? Dietitians are qualified healthcare professionals who have extensive knowledge of nutritional properties in foods and its impact on patients. They apply the science of nutrition for diet counseling and encourage diabetic people to eat a healthy diet and nutritional foods. Dietitians are also excellent lifestyle coaches who teaches you how to live a healthy life by helping you make healthy food choices.
If you are a diabetic person and trying to prevent adverse health conditions and improve your health, here are why you should hire a dietitian:
Dietary guide
Keeping diabetes in control is possible only when the right diabetic diet plan is followed. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid are key when it comes to diabetes control and reversal. Generally, a diabetic diet should consists of 60% of carbohydrates, 20% of protein and 20% of healthy fats. In addition, diet for diabetes should include high-fiber foods, seasonal fruits, leafy vegetables, milk (minus cream), and buttermilk, which has to be consumed moderately. Having said that, following a general diabetic meal plan is not sufficient. Each diabetes patient is different so are his body metabolism, stage of diabetes, lifestyle, preferences, food intolerant, cultural beliefs and how far the patient can comply with the diet plan. So setting up a customized diabetes diet chart becomes crucial in consultation with a dietitian to control and prevent diabetes from moving into critical stages. A dietitian will not just create a healthy meal plan but also will help you to eat the right choices of food at what time of the day and how much you should have. And adjust your food chart and eating schedule from time to time, depending on your body’s response to the diet plan.
Watch on your calorie intake
Hiring a dietitian would help you to keep a watch on your calories intake. Whether you are savoring carbohydrates, protein or fatty foods, your professional dietitian would teach you how to count the calories so that you don’t cross the set limit. He would also teach you how to control your portion sizes and warn you against consuming excess of carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. Carbohydrates are the major culprit which increases the blood sugar level. Success of keeping diabetes in control largely depends on how well you can keep your food consumption under moderation.
Lifestyle intervention
Unhealthy lifestyle has been one of the major causes of preventable death. This scenario is prevalent around the world. People with sedentary lifestyle and obesity are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its associated complicated health conditions. Research has shown positive results, when lifestyle intervention has been made in prediabetes and T2DM patients. With lifestyle intervention, type 2 diabetic people were found to improve weight management, better diabetic control and reduced risks of cardiovascular diseases. However, making lifestyle changes all by yourself becomes extremely hard without a professional’s advice. It’s here your dietitian can help you to make few routine changes whether it is including a 30 minute walk every day or including few quick stretch exercises in every 2-3 hours, and helps you to improve your lifestyle for better diabetes control. The good part is, they examine your lifestyle first before suggesting anything.
Prevents from moving into next stage
Prevention is better than cure. The statement is apt when it comes it diabetes. Whether you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes patient, maintaining a proper balanced diet can help you control diabetes and from further worsening the condition. Consulting a dietitian right from the beginning can definitely do one major benefit, it would keep your complications under control, preventing from getting into the next stage of the disease.
