Diabetes is a chronic problem, and induces a lot of fear in people’s mind. The reason is that diabetes increases a person’s risk of heart disease, kidney problems and strokes tremendously and the risk of death in diabetics is almost double that of a non-diabetic person of similar age.
The first question that is asked after diabetes is detected is about the right way to eat? Here is the exact medical advice on a good diet for diabetics:
1) The first advice people give you is to avoid sweets totally but the fact is people with type 2 diabetes need to maintain a healthy weight and Body mass index (BMI) in the healthy range of 18-24.9. For achieving this it is important to maintain a healthy, balanced diet 80-90% of time and as part of a healthy meal plan, desserts or other sugary stuff are not totally off limits as long as portion size and calories are kept in mind.
2) Coffee dinking on a regular basis may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes due to the antioxidants present in coffee. Caffeine may not be responsible for its benefits. So decaffeinated coffee would benefit as much but avoid the milk powder or sugar as they add to empty calories and weight gain.
3) Avoiding high sugar or high salt diet would not help much In diabetes control as they themselves are not risk factors for type 2 diabetes. If any of them, by way of water retention or calories is leading to obesity, it contributes to the risk of diabetes.
4) It is best to eat a variety of colours in your diet as in fruits and vegetables, consume whole grains, beans, nuts and lean meat like chicken and fish. It is important to keep a track of total calories as weight management is central to diabetes control.
5) Look for glycemic index of foods- it tells you about how quickly a particular food will be converted to sugar in the body. Foods with low glycemic index are good for body as they are slow to turn into sugars and avoid a sugar rush in the body. Adding fibre and acids like lemon juice and vinegar lower the glycemic index and are beneficial. If you like pasta, avoid overcooking it as it increases the glycemic index and eat preferably whole wheat ones. Also preferably avoid over ripe fruits like bananas as the riper they are, higher is their glycemic index.