What is an appropriate diabetic diet?
Every day, dietitians are asked what the appropriate diet is for a person with diabetes who lives in a long-term care setting, such as a nursing facility. Naturally, this can be a confusing subject since, over the years, there have been many different opinions on this topic. In the past, it has been thought that strict diets were the way to go when managing diabetes. However, studies have shown that a calorie-restricted diet can have a negative impact on the resident’s food intake. Strict diet modifications have led to eating less at mealtimes, which can result in increased snacking on unhealthy foods. It can also lead to the resident consuming very little or nothing at all, and this is never a healthy option. Current Standards of Practice The current diet model for those with diabetes is to provide a consistent amount of carbohydrates at each meal, each day. Studies have shown that carbohydrates from sugars are no more rapidly absorbed than carbohydrates from starch when included as p
