Nutrition and diabetes: putting guidelines into practice

Dietary recommendations for the management of diabetes have changed over the past 10 years. There is now a reduced emphasis on the importance of carbohydrate in the diabetic diet. The first move away from carbohydrate restriction came in 1982 when the British Diabetic Association published its 'Dietary recommendations for diabetics for the 1980s'. This document suggested that the diet for people with diabetes should be based on a high intake of complex carbohydrate and fibre, with a restriction of fat intake. This article discusses the impact of these recommendations on different nutrients, and demonstrates, through the use of a case study, how these can be put into practice.