Diabetes & Diet

If you have diabetes (or is in a pre diabetic status), your blood glucose may rise too high if you eat too much. If your blood glucose goes too high, you can get sick.

Your blood glucose can also go too high or drop too low if you don't take the right amount of diabetes medicine.

If your blood glucose stays high too long a time, you can get heart, eye, foot, kidney, and other problems. You can also have problems if your blood glucose gets too low (hypoglycemia).

Keeping your blood glucose at a healthy level will prevent or slow down problems in diabetes.
 

Remember Your Normal Blood Sugars:

Fasting: 80-110 mg/dl
2 hours after eating meals: 80-140 mg/dl

How to keep blood glucose at a healthy level; the 'BIG' question!!
It's simple if you just keep in mind the following basic guidelines,

• Eat about the same amount of food at about the same time each day-Try to be consistent in the total calorie intake and the balancing of basic food groups: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Your blood glucose goes up after you eat. If you eat a big lunch one day and a small lunch the next day, your blood glucose levels will change too much. So the size of portions as well as the timing is important.

• Do not skip meals or snacks because if you don't eat regularly while on diabetic medication; you can develop hypoglycemia or low blood sugar and this fluctuation of sugar itself is harmful to health.
   

• Take your medicines at the same time each day. What you eat and when, affects how your diabetes medicines work. You should discuss with your doctor the best times to take your diabetes medicines based on your meal plan and daily routine.
   

• Exercise at about the same time each day, provided that you do not have a heart problem. Exercise is an important part of staying healthy and controlling your blood glucose.
   

• Test your blood sugar routinely-self monitoring of blood glucose is the best tool to avoid low or high blood sugar and provide guidance for eating.

So what to eat and what to avoid…

You'll be happy to learn how many different food items a person with diabetes can enjoy once you get into the habit of eating healthily; not only you, your whole family would benefit!

Your regular meals should be based around starchy carbohydrates like rice, bread, grains, pasta, cereals, starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams, like in other healthy individuals. Whole grain bread, cereals and whole- wheat flour, red raw rice is high in fibre though not fattening and they help to fill you up more easily.

Vegetables and fruits give you vitamins, minerals and fibre with very few calories. Try to eat vegetables raw or steamed rather than fried or tempered. Avoid adding fats (oil), sauces, salad dressings, but you can season with herbs and spices, which have got few or no calories. Fruits are an essential item in a daily meal and should be eaten raw as pieces or as juices with no added sugar.

Meat and meat products, fish and eggs can be included in your daily meals in small quantities as they give you energy, vitamins and minerals. Cook meat, fish in low fat ways like steam, broil, bake, grill or roast rather than frying, tempering to cut down on fat intake. Try to avoid peanuts, cashew nuts, and cheese as they contain lot of fat. You may use fat free or low fat milk and plain yoghurt to ensure your calcium intake.

So how can I please my sweet tooth?

It's okay to have a sweet once in a while but mind the size of the portion. You can use artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame if you wish to. Refined sugar (white sugar) is high in calories and it's bad for everyone.

What about salt?

Excessive amount of salt or sodium in blood can raise your blood pressure and it is important for people with Diabetes to protect their circulatory system. Restrict the amount of salt used when cooking and watch out for hidden salt in processed food. Always choose fresh food over canned food.

What if I am too sick to eat?
When you are sick with flu, cold, fever, and diarrhoea etc. naturally your appetite would be poor but your blood sugar may go up due to the stress of the illness and other reactions of the body. So it is important that you continue to take the same amount of insulin and/ or diabetic tablets as you always do. Lot of diabetics stop their diabetic medication when ill and the appetite is poor thinking that the blood sugar would go down. If possible you should check your blood sugar more frequently because your sugar may be very high though you're not eating much. Blood sugar can be very low if you have been vomiting throughout.

If you are unable to eat your normal meals, make sure that you take plenty of liquids including water, tea without sugar, soup, rice kanji etc. if you have vomiting or diarrhoea and unable to retain anything, then you need to contact the doctor. Always keep a source of sugar at home, in your office, in the car in case you develop low blood sugar and need to revive yourself. This can be in the form of fruit juice, glucose powder, tea with sugar, soft drinks etc.

Alcohol…May I?
People with diabetes should try to drink alcohol only in moderation. A reasonable amount is 2 units for women and 3 units for men each day. One unit of alcohol (8 g of ethanol) equals half a pint of beer, one single spirit, and one small glass of wine. Never drink on an empty stomach and always have something to eat with your drink.

It is much easier to control diabetes if you are not overweight. So try to get to a healthy weight and stay there. Talk to your doctor, dietician or diabetes educator about your meal plan, daily calorie requirement and how to adjust your self because after all eating is something we all enjoy!