Good, Bad and Ugly of Diabetic Diet!

Can I control Diabetes with Diet only?

Diet is a very important aspect in the treatment of Diabetes particularly the timing of it. At the beginning you may be successful in controlling Diabetes with diet only, but unfortunately a time will come when only diet won’t be enough, you will require medicine. This time is different for different people, for somebody this can be a few months while for others it may be a few years. It is very important to try with diet first; this will help you to understand the principles of diet and will convince you the need for tablet/Insulin for good control of Diabetes.

Can I follow a strict diet chart?

A strict diet chart is something we are not advocating these days. A diet chart is not only monotonous but also difficult to follow day in and out. A strict chart restrains your freedom to eat and also impossible to follow when you are out for social or professional reasons. Rather than a diet chart you should have meal plan.

What are the principles of diabetic diet?

Healthy eating is the key to success for which you need to know what to eat, how much to eat and what not to eat.

To eat or not to eat is not the question, how to make the right decision about eating is the question

We recommend three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and three snacks. You can space the snacks in between your meals according to your profession and life-style. There are six components in diet: Carbohydrate, fat, protein, mineral, vitamin and water. Restriction and distribution of carbohydrate throughout the day is important. The amount of calories in rice and wheat are the same, but protein content is high in wheat. Wheat has more fibre in comparison to rice.

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Dietary fibres are very important for people with Diabetes (food with high fibres such as bran, cereals, vegetables, fruits, brown bread, pulses like lentils, rajma, whole meal flour, etc), they make the absorption smoother and keep the bowel habit healthy. A mixed diet containing both rice and wheat is preferable.

Regular eating of salad and vegetables is good for nutritional balance. They are natural source of vitamins, minerals and fibres. If your weight is more than what it should be, you need to loose weight. Taking low caloric food and increasing food with high fibres can achieve this.

There is no bar to eat non-vegetarian food unless in special situation like kidney problem. Remember chicken and fish are better than red meat as the amount of saturated fat is less in them. If your cholesterol is high you better avoid yellow of egg and red meat

What should I take as snack?

You can make one of your own choices. A homemade sandwich will be the perfect one. You can take small amount of noodle, sprouts, a medium size apple or two non-sweet biscuits. Remember soft drinks have a very high sugar in it, so if you are fond of them take the diet one.

Will my blood sugars be normal if I do not eat?

No, it won’t. This is essential to realise, stopping eating is the worst possible thing to do when your sugar is not well controlled. Remember, whatever the blood sugar is, your body needs a balanced diet otherwise you will become malnourished and weak.

What if I skip meal?

Not a good idea at all, when you skip meals your blood sugar fluctuates and that is not good for control. Particularly in the teenagers, this is common and make sure you do not do this. Remember when you eat is as important as what you eat.

My job does not allow me to eat in fixed time, what should I do?

Most of the cases, this is an excuse for not being planned. You need to know how to organise your day. Days are changing and all of us are in much more stressful life than our forefathers. Competitions are increasing day by day but we need to look after ourselves so that we are in the best physical and mental state to be successful.

Do I need to stop eating out?

Certainly not, as long as you are not planning to eat out everyday! You need to know what is the right food and correct amount. Remember Alcohol has empty calorie and also with a drink we tend to eat more.

What to eat when I am not well?

If you cannot manage to eat your normal diet you need to match them with liquids. Please see the section on Sick day rule.

Can I have ice cream? Can I take artificial sweetener?

Occasionally yes, but do not make a habit of eating ice cream regularly. There are certain ice cream available now with no added sugar, but do not forget they have calories.

Certainly yes, artificial sweeteners are safe. Do not put them in cooking, they break down when heated. So they will not be sweet any more if you boil or fry them.

Can I eat fruit?

Yes, not only can, you should eat fruit regularly. This is a very old concept that in Diabetes you cannot eat fruit. You should know what fruit and how much you should eat. You should take 3 to 5 portions of fruit every day (One portion of food is 1 medium apple or 1 guava or 1 pear or 1 orange or 1 small banana or 12-15 grapes or 1 slice of pineapple or 1 small bowl of papaya, etc); you can choose what you like. It is better to avoid dry fruits as they have very high calories.

What are the food items I should avoid?

Foods to avoid – Direct sugar, jam, honey, and chocolate as they contain refined carbohydrate and blood sugar rises very quickly. Also it is better to avoid food with high saturated fat such as cheese, butter, ghee, solid cooking oils and hard margarine.

Do I need to take vitamin for Diabetes?

If you are eating a balanced diet, there is no proven rule for extra vitamin. Some people take them for mental satisfaction. Vitamin is not the treatment of uncontrolled Diabetes neither vitamin will help to control your Diabetes. If for some reason or other you are not able to take regular meal, i.e., you had an operation or you are unwell, you may take some vitamin for a short while.

Sample diet chart for vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet

These diet charts are only a rough guideline to your meal planning. Non vegeterarians can follow a veg menu also.