European University of Lefke (EUL) Health Sciences Faculty Nutrition and Dietetics Department Head Asst. Prof. Dr. Nazal Bardak Perçinci gave information on the subject of “Nutrition in Diabetes”.

“Diabetes is a chronic, broad-spectrum metabolic disorder that requires continuous medical care, in which the organism cannot adequately benefit from carbohydrates, fats and proteins due to insulin deficiency or defects in the effect of insulin. Perçinci said, “Diabetes is accepted as an important health problem with its global and national prevalence reaching alarming levels.”

Perçinci said that diabetes management is a team effort and continued as follows; Physicians, dietitians, nurses and other health professionals, who are team members, participate in the treatment in relation to their areas of expertise and support the individual with diabetes, who is at the center of teamwork to ensure metabolic control. The aim of nutrition therapy is to provide necessary information for the self-management of individuals with diabetes, to develop self-management skills, to develop solutions for existing problems, and as a result, to provide metabolic control and improve quality of life.

The nutritional therapy process stages are a systematic approach to providing high-quality nutritional therapy. Perçinci listed these steps, which consist of four interrelated steps, as follows; nutritional assessment, nutritional diagnosis, nutritional intervention, and nutritional monitoring and evaluation.

Perçinci said, “For diabetics, it is necessary to start by looking at healthy eating habits, choices and timings,” and made the following suggestions:

• Getting rid of the idea of starvation for weight loss, getting an energy close to their daily energy needs for the healthy functioning of the systems.

• Adhering to the timings of meals and snacks as much as possible.

• Paying attention to the consumption of plant-based foods (These foods contain fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants.

content is rich, calorie content and glycemic index are low).

• Paying attention to the brands and contents of the consumed foods, especially packaged foods.

Perçinci said, “The nutrients in our food are grouped into six groups according to their chemical structures and functions in the body. These; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. While carbohydrates, proteins and fats provide energy to our body, vitamins, minerals and water do not contribute to energy. Within the framework of balanced nutrition principles, 55-60% of daily energy should be provided from carbohydrates, 12-15% from proteins and 25-30% from fats, and daily fiber consumption should be 14 g for every 1000 kcal energy intake and has included the following:

Carbohydrates: Cereals, starchy foods, legumes, milk, yogurt, buttermilk, fruits and vegetables can be given as examples of foods containing carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. A significant portion of the daily energy requirement is met from carbohydrates.

Proteins: In animal foods such as red meat, fish, chicken, milk, dairy products and eggs; Proteins found in plant foods such as legumes, grains and vegetables enable the development of body tissues and their repair when necessary.

Oils: oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and soybean oil; margarine, cream, mayonnaise; also meat products such as salami, sausage and pastrami; Nuts such as hazelnuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds are foods with high fat content. Saturated fat (solid at room temperature; butter, margarine) and unsaturated fat (liquid at room temperature; sunflower oil, corn oil, olive oil)

Unsaturated fats; monounsaturated (olive oil, hazelnut oil), polyunsaturated fat (sunflower oil, corn oil, soft bowl margarines).

The amount of fat added to the meals, breakfast oils, cream, and cream should be reduced and half-fat products should be preferred instead of full-fat to reduce the amount of saturated fat, which is called invisible fat in the composition of foods such as meat, milk and cheese.