Breakfast – A bowl of oatmeal porridge containing 200ml of skimmed milk topped with a sprinkle of chopped almonds and drizzled in a tbsp of Manuka honey, a banana and a glass of cranberry juice. This meal is well balanced as the oatmeal and milk contain carbohydrates not too much and not too little, the honey is a good substitute for sugar and is much more beneficial and the banana and cranberry juice provide him with 2 of his five a day containing key nutrients.
Snack one – A pack of soy crisps. Containing soy protein and fibre as a bonus these crisps are low in fat and calories. They provide a great alternative to the traditional high in fat potato crisps.
Lunch – A portion of wild salmon with ¾ cup of brown rice boiled with red kidney beans, with a bowl of tossed salad to side. This is a healthy well balanced meal containing carbohydrates for energy, protein form the salmon and a portion of his five a day containing key vitamins from the kidney beans.
Snack two – A portion of sugar-free jelly. This contains no carbohydrates and only 10 calories. It is also a great way of busting that sweet craving at no cost of daily carbohydrates.
Dinner – A mix of chopped vegetables including red peppers, onion, mushrooms, carrots and crunchy water chestnuts fried together with lean ground chicken, Asian spices and served in lettuce wraps. This is a starch free meal containing both protein and a variety of key nutrients from the diverse chopped veg.
Snack three – Avocado milkshake containing 142ml of skimmed milk and a tsp of Manuka honey.
D1 Justify how the two-day diet plan meets the dietary needs of the two service users
This diet plan should be easy to follow as it is made up of simple recipes. It includes foods that Bill has suggested he enjoys and also keeps in mind his request to have at least one sweet thing a day, to keep motivated on the diet. Both diets for each day contain the exact amount of carbohydrates that is recommended to have a day, due to his condition.
As a sufferer of type 2 diabetes he needs to watch his carbohydrate, fat and sugar intake, and by sticking to this diet he will be doing just that. Sticking to this diet will mean that he is no longer harming his body or worsening his condition by consuming far too many carbohydrates than his body needs.
The food contained in this diet is specifically chosen as they help to reduce the symptoms of type 2 diabetes like for example;
- The fat-free yoghurt contains naturally high-quality protein and carbohydrates which make it excellent in slowing or even preventing an unhealthy rise in blood sugar. According to research having a diet high in calcium not just from yoghurt but from other calcium rich foods, can reduce the symptoms of type two diabetes.
- Eggs are rich in quality protein but are still low in carbohydrates which make them a great choice of food to fill up and still control carbohydrate intake.
- Non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and peppers are all high-quality carbohydrates and will have a low impact on blood sugar. They are full of key vitamins and minerals and also contain a lot of fibre making them very beneficial and edible on a larger scale than you could with other foods.
- The wild-salmon is rich in omega 3 and omega 3 helps to reduce the risk of heart disease thus proving important for those suffering with type 2 diabetes, whose risk of cardiovascular disease is already significantly high. This is the case with almost every oily fish but the reason I chose wild salmon is because both they and sardines also contain a combination of healthy-fat and protein that slows down the body’s absorption of carbohydrates and keeps blood sugars on an even keel.
- Oatmeal is another food that I purposely included as it is high in both whole-grains and fibre. A diet rich in both whole-grains and fibre have been proven in studies to reduce the risk of diabetes by between 35 and 42 percent. It contains soluble fibre that slows the absorption of glucose from the food in the stomach, keeping blood-sugar levels low. The reason I recommend topping it with almonds is because they stabilize blood sugars further and add healthy fat and protein. Also almonds include magnesium which is instrumental in carbohydrate intake.
- Including beans in the diet is also a move I purposely made to reap in even more benefits as they raise the blood sugar levels slowly and they are of the high quality carbohydrates that are always better to choose from, rather than the low-quality carbs. They are packed full of benefits as they contain a combination of high-quality carbohydrates, soluble fibre and lean protein that all help to stabilize your body’s blood sugar levels and also keeps you from going hungry.
Following this diet has many benefits on Bill’s health and well-being and the information I have presented should give enough motivation for Bill to succeed however I will also list the bad effects of not following this diet and what could happen if Bill ignores his specific dietary needs.
Diabetes if ignored can pose great health problems and may even be fatal. Here are just a few health scares that could occur if diabetes goes untreated;
- Heart and blood vessel disease can occur due to consuming too much sugar, carbohydrates and fat which all contribute to increasing the levels of blood glucose. If this is done for too long it can cause heart disease. This is because the high levels of blood glucose in the bloodstream are prolonged so much so, that the blood and heart vessels start to become diseased, resulting in the blood being unable to flow properly to and from the heart and brain through the damaged vessels. The lack of blood flow will eventually then cause a heart attack.
- Diabetic Retinotherapy, this is the condition where the retina in the eye becomes severely damaged due to prolonged high blood glucose levels, that is caused by consuming far too many sugary and fatty carbohydrates. As explained above when there is a long period of high glucose levels in the blood stream then the blood vessels become damaged. Diabetic Retinotherapy occurs when the bloods vessels attached to the eye become damaged resulting in partial or permanent blindness.
- Diabetic Neurotherapy, this is when nerve damage is directly caused by diabetes. It causes many side effects including numbness and pain in hands, feet and legs. It can also pose a health hazard, as sensitivity decreases the diabetic will lose sensitivity to pain or temperature.
- Kidney disease is life threatening. It can occur when blood sugar levels sit above 130mg for a long period of time, affecting the body’s vascular system that is responsible in supplying healthy blood vessels that transport blood to and from the vital organs in the body including kidneys. Overtime the kidneys then become diseased.
- Other effects include strokes, hearing problems, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, skin and mouth infections, erectile dysfunction, sores and infections that lead to the amputation of limbs
My diet plan is also tailored to Bill, his weight and height. Sticking to this diet he is staying well within the limit of his daily 2255 calories a day. The diet takes into consideration that it is not easy to reduce the amount that he has been eating almost all his life, so it is packed full of food that will keep him fuller for longer and it consists of 3 regular meals and 3 snacks in between, so that he does not go through a space of time where he will be starved. Providing him with these fuller for longer foods at regular intervals will reduce the chance of him failing in making changes for life.