Nutritional Management of the Patients with Diabetes

Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is an integral component of diabetes prevention, management, and self-management education, however, the basic principles of nutritional management are often poorly understood by both clinicians and their patients.Individuals with pre-diabetes or diabetes should receive individualized MNT as needed to achieve treatment goals, preferably provided by a registered dietitian familiar with the components of diabetes MNT. The goals for MNT are outlined in this review for short-term (four to six weeks) and long-term outcomes pertaining to glycemic control, lipid management, blood pressure regulation, weight maintenance, and exercise recommendations.The role of nutrition and the development of a medical nutrition therapy plan such as caloric intake in proportion to amounts of dietary carbohydrate, the use of the glycemic index and glycemic load in dietary management, recommendations for dietary macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber, sodium, and alcohol consumption for a patient with type 2 diabetes are discussed here.My intention is that this paper will provide a comprehensive overview of current clinical recommendations concerning medical nutrition therapy in type 2 diabetes.