Balancing the sweet act

Here’s help for diabetics to make appropriate food choices and include healthier sugars in creative ways

We have heard it several times – diet is key to managing conditions such as diabetes and obesity. The array of food that do not contribute to our health and nutritional requirements are many; and needless to say, we are spoilt for choice.

The amount of sugar consumed by a person is largely based on the intake of food. It is for this reason that diet has a direct influence on sugar levels. Sugars can seem like the ‘bad guy’ on the plate. However, since sugars and carbohydrates still contribute to a balanced diet; it is best not to entirely exterminate them from one’s diet.

Healthy food tends to be a bore, and creative tweaks help you consume what is required!

Healthy ways of eating fruits:

• Eat fruits raw or dried, or as a juice with no sugar added.
• Whole fruits have more fibre and are more filling, so it’s best to choose pieces of fruit more often than fruit juice.
• Avoid having more than one portion of fruit at once.
• Include whole fruits with breakfast cereals or as a snack item.
• Diabetics whose blood sugar levels are high should slowly reduce and abolish the habit of junk food consumption and slowly replace with healthier options such as salads, sprouts, vegetables and fruits, millets and healthy oils like rice bran oil.

Ways to manage good health:

• Maintain a regular meal pattern.
• Maintain a food diary to track your food intake on a daily basis. This is helpful for you and your healthcare team to observe the control and response to specific food items.
• Stick to 3 meals per day with snacks in between. Make sure the meals are not too heavy.
• Include a starchy carbohydrate food such as bread, cereal, potato, rice or pasta (eat the appropriate portion) at each meal.

These tips help not only to see results on the inside but also on the outside as it may allow them to lose weight and even reduce the dependence on medications if religiously followed.

With inputs from Dr Jaiprakashsai, Consultant Diabetologist from Hyderabad