Diabetes diet tips
https://bioconblog.com/2016/12/29/how-diet-can-help-you-win-with-diabetes-part-2/
Q: People who do night shifts are often unable to follow a proper routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner. What is your advice for them?
How Diet Can Help You Win With Diabetes -Part 2
Geetha G H
Registered dietician, Certified diabetes educator,
Exercise sports nutritionist
In Part 2 of our series on 'Ideal Nutrition & Diet in Diabetes', Geetha G H answers some more questions
on how a healthy diet can help in ‘Winning with Diabetes’. She emphasizes the
importance of regular exercise in ensuring a happy, disease-free life and
explains why nutritional supplements are not a substitute to eating healthy.
Q: People who do night shifts are often unable to follow a proper routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner. What is your advice for them?
A: A person working late night or in night shift should try should also
practice dietary routine just as anybody else. Carbohydrate-rich foods are known
to induce sleep because of the release of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that is
vital for regulating moods, dreams, appetite etc), whereas eating protein-rich
food towards the end of the day makes you more alert. Eating a good combination
of carbohydrates with adequate protein in dinner is a good option for somebody
who works through the night. In the middle of the night, it is advisable to
drink a glass of milk or eat fruits and nuts to satiate hunger pangs. At the end
of the night shift, a person can consume a balanced breakfast.
Q: I live a sedentary lifestyle. Can you
suggest modifications to my lifestyle and eating habits so that I do not
develop diabetes?
A: For a healthy life, one needs to increase movement throughout the day
along, especially every half hour along with some planned moderate-intensity
aerobic exercise like walking, cycling, jogging, swimming etc throughout the
week. Alternate with weight-bearing exercises like strength training, yoga like
surya namasakar or exercise with resistance bands. Small household chores, planks
and push-ups that use your own body weight are weight-bearing exercises too
(calisthenics), which will increase bone weight and muscle mass.
Consume
a balanced diet of locally grown, seasonal foods as far as possible. Consume
3-5 cups of vegetables and at least 2 fruits. Hand pounded rice, millets are
good choices for whole grains. For vegetarians dals, legumes – pulses like
channa, rajma, lobia and steamed sprouts (raw form contain unfavourable
microbes) are vital source of protein. A handful of assorted nuts are a
satisfying snack. Non – vegetarians can consume whole eggs, oily fish and
dressed chicken. Choose healthy fats like extra virgin coconut oil (small
quantity), cold pressed sesame oil or mustard oil. Routinely change your oil
and cook different dishes in different oils.
Consume
plenty of plain water
Get
sun exposure at least 2 – 3 times a week between 10. 00 am and 2.00 pm
Moderate
the use of white rice, maida, sugar and sunflower oil
Restrict
fast food, baked items and commercial deep fried foods that are high in
transfats
Q: My mother, who is 66-years old, was diagnosed
with diabetes a couple of years back. Can you suggest a diet and exercise
regimen for her?
A:
It
is important to eat a balanced diet which has a combination of the various food
groups. Along with rice, millets and roti, it is important to eat dal, salad and
vegetables. There are some foods which are good for diabetics like oats,
barley, bitter gourd, and methi seeds. Black jamun is good for people with
diabetes. Latest research suggests apple cider vinegar helps in reducing blood
glucose levels. A tablespoon of vinegar over salad is good for diabetics.
Similarly chia seeds can be sprinkled on salads too. Roasted flax seed can be stored
in an air-tight container in a refrigerator and ground fresh as and when needed
to be made into chutney powder. Beans and pulses with skin are recommended over
dals.
American
Diabetes Association suggests 150 minutes of exercise, which is not more than
30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Also, she should do some yoga (weight-bearing)
and stretching exercises.
Q: Can nutritional supplements help control
diabetes?
A: A supplement is only an adjunct to normal diet. There is no
replacement to eating healthy. It is very important that diabetics or any
health conscious individual first understand the importance of eating right and
then choose nutritional supplements only if there is an absolute requirement.
e.g., in treating an existing deficiency in Vitamin B12 or Vitamin D. Diabetics
generally have Vitamin D deficiency despite adequate exposure to sunlight. The
human body can synthesize Vitamin D from sunlight especially when exposed to
the sun’s UV B rays between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. As adequate Vitamin D is
required for effective blood sugar control, supplements can be helpful in
bridging that gap. Similarly chromium supplements can help control blood sugars
and food craving.
Q: My parents have diabetes. Though I
exercise regularly, I am not able to regularly monitor and control my diet. Do
I have a risk of developing diabetes?
A: Some lifestyle diseases are genetic. So when parents are suffering
from diabetes, children have a higher probability of developing the disease. When
you know that you run a risk of developing lifestyle disease, you ought to take
preventive care to eat healthy and moderate or restrict junk food, sugar,
alcohol, salt. You can also make small changes to your regular diet by opting
for hand pounded or any unpolished rice instead of white rice; cut down excessive
consumption of tea, coffee and switch to green tea with lime; or opt for limited
quantity of brown sugar, honey or stevia over white sugar. When you’re hungry
try and eat a combination of fats and proteins. Chana chur, roasted soya (occasionally)
and roasted peanuts, roasted Bengal gram along with skin, assorted nuts are
good for snacking. Watermelon and pumpkin seeds, seasonal fruits like guava,
orange, pear and apple that can be easily carried along should be substituted
for samosa, bajji, puffs or chaat.
Q: Exotic foods like avocado and kale
are considered good for health, but are sometimes difficult to find. Can you
suggest some substitutes for these?
A: The nutrients offered by exotic foods can often be found in locally
available seasonal produce. Kiwi can be switched with amla and guava that are
plenty in winters, economical and are the richest source of vitamin C. Avocado
offers good fat in the form of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). You can get these in nuts like walnuts, almonds,
cashew, olives, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, til, chia, khus khus
& dark green leafy vegetables.
Kale
has higher calcium bioavailability due to lower oxalate content. Oxalates
reduce calcium absorption. Dairy products on the other hand are the richest
source of calcium, but bioavailability of calcium is dairy is very complicated
due to nutrient-nutrient interaction and formation of calcium oxalate and
calcium phytate. You may opt for broccoli, our Indian cousin cauliflower or any
other dark green leafy vegetable that offers the same nutrients as magnesium, vitamin
A, vitamin K and more. However the oxalate content of Kale is low and it can be
replaced with mustard greens which is also low in oxalate content.
Meal
Plan for Diabetics:
DIABETIC MEAL PLAN (VEG)
On rising: fenugreek – 1tbsp, skim milk – 1c
Breakfast: ragi and oats dosa- 2 medium size , tomato
chutney – 1c, dal / sambar – 1c or curd 1 c
Mid-Morning: papaya / apple– 1c or 1 glass flavoured
buttermilk
Lunch: jowar roti – 1 no, hand pounded rice – 1c, lobia
curry – 1c, greens poriyal – 1c, green salad - 1c with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Evening: green tea with lime – 1c
Snack: Sprouts salad with pomegranate and a handful
assorted nuts – walnuts, almonds, cashew (approx 30 g)
Dinner: pulka (multigrain) – 2 no.s, kootu with bottle
gourd – 1c, curd – c, salad – 1c
Bedtime: 1 glass skim milk with kakra – 1 no
DIABETIC MEAL PLAN (NON-VEG)
On rising: Fenugreek powder – 1tbsp, skim milk – 1c
Breakfast: All bran wheat flakes or oats (sprinkled with chia seeds or flax seeds) – a
small bowl, skim milk – 1c, 1 egg ( whole), cut figs 2-3 no.s
Mid-Morning: papaya – 1c + 10 almonds
Lunch: Pulka – 1 no, brown rice – 1c, sardine/mackerel
tava fry/curry 1 – 2 pieces, gobi peas curry -1c, green salad with 1 tbsp apple
cider vinegar
Evening: green tea + roasted channa chur – a handful
Snack: Smoothie (fruit/curd) – 1c
Dinner: chapathi – 2no.s, chicken curry – 2 pieces,
karela vegetable – 1c
Bedtime: 1 glass skim milk with whole grain cracker - 1
no.
