In order to achieve normal metabolism in diabetic patients, some form of dietary measures are always recommended. A well balanced diabetes diet is just one part of a balanced natural diabetes treatment plan.
The main aims of diet control are listed below:
1. Avoid hyperglycemia
2. Minimize fluctuations in blood glucose levels and reduce overall blood glucose
3. Achieve weight reduction in obese patients to reduce insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia
4. Avoid hypoglycemia and weight gains that are commonly associated with drugs such as insulin
5. Avoid diets that may aggravate diabetic symptoms. For example, diabetic nephropathy may become acute in case of a high protein diet. These diets are known as atherogenic diets in medical parlance.
Two broad classifications of diet used in the treatment of diabetes are low energy weight reducing diets and weight maintenance diets. In the case of obese patients, a diet with low refined carbohydrate, high unrefined carbohydrate and less total energy content would result in increased insulin sensitivity and consequent decline in blood glucose.
Low energy weight reducing diets:
These are diets used for obese diabetic patients. These diets would provide a 500kcal reduction in daily intake and can cause a weight loss of around 0.5 kg per week. In obese diabetic patients it is often advised to skip snacks in between meals.
Weight maintenance diets:
These are for diabetic patients with a normal BMI. These are ideally high in carbohydrate and low in fat. The total calorie intake is not reduced in these diets.

