Diabetic Nutrition: Things to keep in mind

Fact: It is a known fact that Diabetes is a silent killer. It is also a fact that by controlling our lifestyle, increasing physical activity and being disciplined in terms of our nutrition choices, it is possible to keep the disease under control and at bay.

Movement is of prime importance. So to begin with, the patient has to ensure that they get a decent amount of movement into their daily schedule. Activities like a daily walk, yoga and strengthening workouts are a great way to kick-start the physical journey. Now, diet is key to keep the condition in check. I like to keep things simple, so lets talk about tips to keep in mind while planning meals for a diabetic:

1. Ensure that the patient eats regularly: Everyone should eat on a regular basis with focus on meal timing. More so with an individual suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. This is simply because eating every few hours helps stabilise and maintain a consistent blood sugar. If you have one big meal, and spend long hours without food, there will be a dramatic rise in blood sugar just post the meal and then a lack of energy as times passes. Hence it is important to continuously fuel the body at regular intervals.  

2. Eat your vegetables : Vegetables are a component of any healthy meal. They promote volume eating and are full of goodness providing you with fibre and micronutrients while keeping you full for longer. Vegetables provide you with fibre which enables control of blood glucose level, they support improved levels of healthy cholesterol and lower blood pressure. In addition, the fibre helps people feel full for longer reducing he snacking and thereby overall calorie intake as well. The key  to effective food management is to boost vegetable intake and reduce carbohydrate consumption elsewhere such as cutting down on sugary snacks etc. Ensure that you keep your tummy happy and full with an ample serving of vegetables at each meal.  Individuals suffering from this condition should focus on ample intake of low GI vegetables like raw carrots, Brocolli, tomatoes, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, egg-plant, spinach and celery. They should however consume vegetables with a high starch content such as beetroot, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rhubarb, corn, peas etc in moderation.

3. Plan Plan Plan :  Meal preparation is of prime importance. Having a well-planned and timed diet ensures that there is minimal digression from prescribed and required meal options. This means, that the body is well-fuelled through the day minimising hunger pangs and in turn reduction in snacking on unhealthy food and emotional eating. Effective meal planning ensures that you add more variety to your diet thereby improving balance in your meals. This ensures that the individual sticks to healthy eating patterns through the day, everyday which in turn will aid in the him/her in sticking to a sustainable diet pattern.

4. Eat Whole unprocessed Foods: The advantages of this are so many – effective weight loss aid as it eliminates the wasteful calories in processed food and an increase in the fibre which helps keeps you full for longer; unprocessed foods are natural and hence easier to digest – giving the body more energy to expend on activities other than digestion – with more energy to spend – it is easier for the individual to increase movement or get in a workout during the day and most importantly – processed foods have a lot of added sugar and preservatives in them to increase their shelf-life – going unprocessed eliminates these additives and stabilises the blood sugar levels in an individual.

5. Carry a rescue snack at all times:  There are times that patients may suddenly have a hypoglycaemic episode – this could happen due to various factors including and not limited to taking too much insulin or body’s response to the diabetic medicine, postponing or skipping a meal or snack, drinking alcohol or increasing exercise without making required changes in diet – in cases such as this, the blood sugar level drops causing fatigue, dizziness, blurring of vision, sinking feeling, excessive sweating, feeling irritable etc. In such a case, it is imperative that the individual eat something that immediately releases glucose in the blood eg. Sugar candies, granola, sugar cubes, jaggery, raisins, fruit juice.

6. Regulate Alcohol:  A diabetic is best to avoid consumption of alcohol as it can cause a hypoglycaemic episode. And even if you must consume it, ensure you do it in moderation and never on an empty stomach.

7. Portion Control: There is too much of a good thing, including healthy food. At the end of the day, a person suffering from diabetes needs to ensure that they are consuming only the required calorie intake to carry out activities of daily living. The best way to stick to this is to understand your measurements of food and stick to the portion sizes prescribed.

8. Sweets: Sweets in themselves have a large amount of sugar in them which releases into the blood stream really quick. This causes a dramatic rise in the sugar levels of the blood and which has a detrimental effect on an individual’s health. While an individual suffering from diabetes should be careful of their sugar intake – they can still enjoy the occasional dessert, as long as they are careful of the carborhydrate and sugar intake in their diet.

As is the case towards any sustainable form of change, a person suffering from diabetes should aim at incorporating lifestyle and diet changes into their routine. By being careful in the food intake and by being mindful of physical exercise – individuals suffering with Diabetes will be able to manage this condition effectively.