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What Diet Should Be Followed By Diabetic Heart Patient?

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Posted on Mon, 11 Aug 2014
Question: Thanks!! What kind of diet should a person who gets diabetic seizures and has had a heart attack, be on? She is not from, nor does she live in the US, so I can't say what kind of medication she is on. Also, she has been told that she has kidney stones.
doctor
Answered by Meenakshi Attrey (40 hours later)
Brief Answer:
the diets are interrelated...

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for posting the query.

An individual with heart attack will need diet to control diabetes, cholesterol, weight and other risk factors. While on this diet, it is important to prevent low blood sugar incidences as diabetic seizure is primarily due to low blood sugar level. Therefore it is important to maintain a balanced food intake, in terms of composition and timings. To start with, make sure that you maintain the meal timings and composition. The second most important thing is to be regular with the exercises and other activities.
The following considerations will be helpful:

•     Include more fruits and vegetables in the diet
•     Avoid the refined foods and its products.
•     Avoid the carbohydrate rich foods, like starchy fruits ( banana, sapota, grapes, custard apple etc.), refined flour, plain sugar, refined fruit juices.
•     Control and maintain the portion size.
•      Check the fat intake,
Avoid: Butter, Cream sauce, Hydrogenated fat, Cocoa butter, Coconut fat, processed cheese and cream and other commercially baked food items.
Choose: Olive oil, Canola oil, Margarine that's free of trans fats and Vegetable Oils
•     Include Whole grains and pulses
•     Watch the sodium- Consider the following:
     Read the labels to check the sodium content of the food item.
     Stop adding table salt in the food.
     Avoid salted salads, pickles and papads.
     Packaged and preserved foods have the sodium based preservatives. The intake of these should be avoided as far as possible.
     Avoid taking the ready to eat snacks. These are generally from bakery, and thus are loaded with sodium.

Dizziness, blurry vision, palpitation, sweating, pale / clammy skin, feeling shaky, confusion, anxiety are common symptoms indicating her sugars are low. I would also advice her to keep sugar and sweets in handy. As hypoglycemic events are easily correctable, she needs to pop in sugar supply immediately. That would prevent occurrence of diabetic seizure.

The diet for kidney stones depends upon the type of stone. The dietary approach to calcium or oxalate or uric acid stones are different. I would suggest you to confirm the type of real stone that she has been diagnosed with. However, ensure regular physical activity and high fluid intake, to keep the urine dilute. This would avoid the stone formation.

Hope I was able to help.

Kindly feel free to ask further questions.

Meenakshi
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad
doctor
Answered by
Meenakshi
Meenakshi Attrey

Dietitian & Nutritionist

Practicing since :2004

Answered : 228 Questions

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What Diet Should Be Followed By Diabetic Heart Patient?

Brief Answer: the diets are interrelated... Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for posting the query. An individual with heart attack will need diet to control diabetes, cholesterol, weight and other risk factors. While on this diet, it is important to prevent low blood sugar incidences as diabetic seizure is primarily due to low blood sugar level. Therefore it is important to maintain a balanced food intake, in terms of composition and timings. To start with, make sure that you maintain the meal timings and composition. The second most important thing is to be regular with the exercises and other activities. The following considerations will be helpful: • Include more fruits and vegetables in the diet • Avoid the refined foods and its products. • Avoid the carbohydrate rich foods, like starchy fruits ( banana, sapota, grapes, custard apple etc.), refined flour, plain sugar, refined fruit juices. • Control and maintain the portion size. • Check the fat intake, Avoid: Butter, Cream sauce, Hydrogenated fat, Cocoa butter, Coconut fat, processed cheese and cream and other commercially baked food items. Choose: Olive oil, Canola oil, Margarine that's free of trans fats and Vegetable Oils • Include Whole grains and pulses • Watch the sodium- Consider the following:  Read the labels to check the sodium content of the food item.  Stop adding table salt in the food.  Avoid salted salads, pickles and papads.  Packaged and preserved foods have the sodium based preservatives. The intake of these should be avoided as far as possible.  Avoid taking the ready to eat snacks. These are generally from bakery, and thus are loaded with sodium. Dizziness, blurry vision, palpitation, sweating, pale / clammy skin, feeling shaky, confusion, anxiety are common symptoms indicating her sugars are low. I would also advice her to keep sugar and sweets in handy. As hypoglycemic events are easily correctable, she needs to pop in sugar supply immediately. That would prevent occurrence of diabetic seizure. The diet for kidney stones depends upon the type of stone. The dietary approach to calcium or oxalate or uric acid stones are different. I would suggest you to confirm the type of real stone that she has been diagnosed with. However, ensure regular physical activity and high fluid intake, to keep the urine dilute. This would avoid the stone formation. Hope I was able to help. Kindly feel free to ask further questions. Meenakshi