Adequate and Well-Balanced Diet

Foods provide energy; however, the amount of energy released by one type of food differs from that of another. A unit of energy is a calorie. Energy enables us to breathe, digest our food, move, perform our daily activities, express our emotions and help our hearts to function. An individual's energy needs differ with age, sex, body size and occupation. Energy is not the only dietary essential. It should alway^s accompany other important nutrients.

A balanced diet is one which supplies all the nutrients needed by a person to support life and good health, and if taken ill, to aid recovery. This diet should contain adequate protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and water.

A diabetic person requires the same food nutrients as a non-diabetic. However, in the body of the diabetic, carbohydrates and fats and to a lesser extent protein, are not metabolized in the same way as that of the non-diabetic. It is this difference which demands a controlled diet and, in many cases, the administration of oral hypoglycaemic drugs or insulin.

Thus the fundamental principle of a diabetic diet may be stated simply: It is a modification of a normal, well-balanced diet, and it is always based on the nutritional needs of an individual. His diet is expressed in terms of his total requirements of calories, and a ratio of these calories in grams of carbohydrate, protein and fat.

One may eat 3, 4, 5 or even 6 meals a day in which the amount of nutrients in each meal varies, but the total intake of each nutrient for the day must meet individual needs. The day's food is only then considered adequate for health.

Therefore, a well-balanced meal should provide sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals and fat. Most foods contain several nutrients. The adequacy of the diet can be safe guarded by the inclusion of as wide a variety of food as possible. Food choice is strongly influenced by experience and custom, in a way that usually results in a nutritionally satisfactory as well as tasty meal. It should include sufficient protein and plenty of vegetables and fruit. Carbohydrate and fat should be consumed in moderate amounts to satisfy the appetite and maintain a steady body weight.

An adequate diet can be made up in many ways as long as it incorporates the three food groups:

The above encompasses all foods. Additions such as sweets and fats, should be used sparingly, because they add excess calories.

Dietary control is essential for the diabetic; however, strict arithmetical calculations of calories are unnecessary. Measured amounts of food using usual household measuring spoons and cups will suffice for the well-instructed diabetic. An important consideration is the distribution of the food throughout the day. This is especially so for those on insulin. There is limited tolerance in which the body can handle a large load of nutrients all at once.