Foods for diabetics

UNDERSTANDING YOUR FOOD<br /> the ultimate educational resource<br /> TEACHER NOTES<br /> <br /> teachers’ notes S6.1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> S6. Food for diabetics <br /> Pupils are presented with basic information on the dietary requirements of <br /> people with diabetes and asked to find out more. They are required to <br /> produce a booklet for a diabetic (of their own age) which details diet, <br /> menus and a recipe. <br /> Research <br /> Information about diabetes is available from many different sources.* The <br /> amount of research will depend upon interest and ability. <br /> The overall aim is to produce a booklet which concentrates on the special <br /> dietary aspects of this condition. The booklet is to be aimed at the pupils’ <br /> own age group. Pupils are asked to design, prepare and test one dish in <br /> which an artificial sweetener is used. <br /> The most important and obvious area in a diabetic’s diet is the intake of <br /> carbohydrate. <br /> When someone without diabetes eats food which contains carbohydrate, <br /> the pancreas produces a correct dosage of insulin to cope with any <br /> glucose which eventually reaches the bloodstream after digestion of the <br /> carbohydrate. This is not the case with diabetics. <br /> Diabetics must balance the amount of carbohydrate they eat with the <br /> amount of insulin they are injecting and with the amount of exercise they <br /> are taking. They must try to keep the level of blood glucose as near <br /> normal as is possible. Both situations of too much blood glucose and <br /> too little blood glucose are potentially very dangerous. The diet of a <br /> diabetic is therefore of considerable importance. <br /> <br /> Designing menus <br /> Pupils are asked to produce menus but not to cook vast quantities of food. <br /> The aim of the exercise is to give a greater understanding of the special <br /> dietary needs of a diabetic, particularly in relation to carbohydrate intake. <br /> Diabetics are advised to adapt their existing diets rather than to buy <br /> specialist diabetic products. This should be reflected in the work <br /> produced by the pupils. However, the inclusion of the so called ‘diet’ <br /> drinks in a diabetic’s diet is encouraged since they do not contribute to <br /> blood glucose levels. You could carry out parts of the activity S5 Sweeter <br /> than sugar, page 73, to show this. <br /> The use of artificial sweeteners in tea, coffee, etc. is also recommended. <br /> These sweeteners, in granulated form, can also be used to produce <br /> puddings, cakes, biscuits, etc. and it is in this area that pupils are asked <br /> to develop their own recipe and product. <br /> <br /> <br /> KS4 <br /> project in food technology <br /> Timing - various <br /> Pupil activity sheet S6 accompanies <br /> this activity.<br /> <br /> FOODS FOR DIABETICS <br /> <br /> Diabetics do not have to drastically alter their diet. They do have to keep a much <br /> closer check on the food, particularly carbohydrate, that they eat. There are <br /> guidelines for them to follow. These include:- <br /> • Eat regular meals. Try to eat similar amounts of starchy foods from day to day. <br /> • Try to eat more high fibre (non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)) foods. The fibre in <br /> beans, peas, lentils, vegetables, fruit and oats is particularly good. <br /> • Cut down on fried and fatty foods such as butter, margarine, fatty meat and <br /> cheese. <br /> • Reduce the amount of sugar you eat by swapping high sugar foods for low sugar <br /> foods. <br /> • Try to get to the body weight that is right for your height and build and stay there. <br /> • Be careful not to use too much salt. <br /> <br /> Task <br /> Your task is to produce a Diet Booklet for Diabetics aimed to help them to eat a <br /> healthy diet for their special needs. Aim the booklet at your own age group. <br /> Suggestions for research: <br /> • Find out as much as you can about the dietary needs of a diabetic. <br /> • Carry out a survey of the information and products available to diabetics. <br /> This could include looking in supermarkets and chemists for specialist products and <br /> facts about diabetes. <br /> • Find special recipes for particular dishes. <br /> • Collect the labels of diabetic products or write down their ingredients. You can <br /> then compare them to their equivalent 'normal' product. <br /> It is not necessary that a diabetic diet should include specialist products. It is better to <br /> just adapt ordinary food. However, imagine that one of the days' meals includes a <br /> party, maybe for a birthday, at which guests will want to eat some special dishes. Some <br /> of these must be suitable for a diabetic and will contain an artificial sweetener. Your <br /> final booklet must contain menus (not recipes) for 2 days’ worth of meals. <br /> <br /> Plan, prepare, cook and market test one of the dishes from your menus which uses an <br /> artificial sweetener. The recipe for this dish should appear in your booklet. <br /> pupil activity S6