World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on 14 November. The good news is that diabetes can be managed easily with food. You! takes a look...
health
World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on 14 November. The good news is that diabetes can be managed easily with food. You! takes a look...
They say that food can be the most powerful form of medicine - and that’s definitely true when it comes to managing diabetes. While medications and insulin injections help, what you eat also has a major impact by keeping blood glucose levels stable, and can help ward off complications. Certain foods contain powerful nutrients that can help control blood sugar, regulate appetite, and protect your heart, which are all especially important when you’re dealing with Type 2 diabetes. What you eat can help you control and fight your diabetes. Incorporate these healthy foods into your diet:
Get carb-smart: A lot of people assume that if you have diabetes, it means you have to cut carbohydrates completely out of your diet. That’s not true. You can still eat a moderate amount of carbs on a diabetes diet so long as your choices are ‘carb smart’. The number one thing to do is ditch the white stuff; white bread, white rice and white pasta. Switch from wholemeal bread to wholegrain, swap processed cereals for oat-based porridge or natural muesli and swap rice for pasta or noodles. You also need to understand how important portion control is with carbs. The simple guideline is to cut your usual portions in half. If you have rice with meals, half your usual portion.
Add fibre: Because fibre-rich foods require more time to digest, the nutrients in them are released more slowly - which means they have a moderating effect on blood sugar levels. Multiple studies have confirmed that increasing fibre intake helps with both short- and long-term blood sugar control. Good sources of soluble fibre include beans, oatmeal, apricots, oranges, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and ground flaxseed.
Green vegetables: Nutrient-dense green vegetables - leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and other green vegetables - are the most important foods to focus on for diabetes prevention and reversal. Higher green vegetable consumption is associated with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Non-starchy vegetables: Non-green, non-starchy vegetables like mushrooms, onions, garlic, eggplant, peppers, etc. are essential components of a diabetes prevention (or diabetes reversal) diet. These foods have almost nonexistent effects on blood glucose and are packed with fibre and phytochemicals.
Love your legumes: Legumes of all sorts - chickpeas, cannelloni beans, kidney beans, and lentils - are a great addition to soups and salads. And this low-fat, low-calorie, high-fibre, high-protein food helps to reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease. The fibre slows the release of glucose into your bloodstream, which prevents the blood sugar spikes that make you feel hungry.
Carrots: Carrots are one of nature’s richest sources of beta-carotene, which is linked to a lower risk of diabetes and better blood-sugar control. Sick of raw sticks? Make some ‘fries’ by slicing carrots into thin strips, scattering on a baking sheet, and flavouring with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400¡F (200¡C) for 40 minutes.
Beans: When menu planning, think ‘bean cuisine ‘at least twice a week. The soluble fibre in all types of beans (from chickpeas to kidney beans) puts a lid on high blood sugar. Beans are low in GL (low glycemic load) and hence its consumption is associated with reduced risk of diabetes.
Nuts & seeds: Snack on a handful of raw, unsalted nuts; add chopped almonds to cereal; or add a handful of toasted walnuts to a salad. Because of their high fibre and protein content, nuts are ‘slow burning’ foods that are friendly to blood sugar.
Like nuts, seeds of all types like pumpkin, sunflower, sesame are filled with good fats, protein, and fibre that work together to keep blood sugar low and stave off heart disease.
Fresh fruit: Fruits are rich in fibre and antioxidants, and are a nutrient-dense choice for satisfying sweet cravings. Eating three servings of fresh fruit each day is associated with an 18 percent decrease in risk of diabetes. For those who are already diabetic, they must stick to low sugar fruits like berries, kiwi, oranges, and melon to minimise glycemic effects.
Apples: Put these at the core of your diet. Apples are naturally low in calories, yet their high fibre content fills you up, battles bad cholesterol, and blunts blood-sugar swings. Eat them whole and unpeeled for the greatest benefit, or make a quick ‘baked’ apple. Enjoy with yogurt and oat bran sprinkles for a nutritious dessert, or serve over oatmeal for breakfast.
Increase your omega 3: It helps to support the structure and function of insulin receptors - the structures that insulin binds to, to tell our cells to take up glucose.
Eating oily fish will give you those important forms pre-formed. The single deadliest complications of diabetes is heart disease, and eating fish just once a week can reduce your risk by 40 per cent.
Go slow on salt: Seasoning your cooking liberally is actually wrong. About 50 per cent of people with diabetes also have high blood pressure, and a diet high in salt can exacerbate this. High blood pressure can also increase the load on the kidneys. People should stay away from adding salt to meals. Replace salt with other flavours: lemon juice, lime juice, chilli, garlic, onion, curry powder.
Make breakfast a priority: Missing breakfast can worsen insulin resistance, the underlying problem in type 2 diabetes. Prolonged fasting can actually make glucose level go up. Studies show people who miss breakfast make poorer food choices and eat more later in the day. So have foods in breakfast that keep you going, such as porridge topped with nuts or wholegrain toast with an egg.
