Dos and Don’ts for Diabetics

Dietary and lifestyle habits are the major cause for the onset of diabetes and its after effect. Having diabetes can change your life completely and you need to take good care of your health, even the smallest food choices can throw off one’s blood sugar levels, therefore, managing diabetes takes constant work to stay healthy and fit. So, if you are new to diabetes and are terrified of eating something wrong, then you have come to the right place to help tackle diabetes easily. Here are some dos and don’ts and a sample diet plan for diabetics that can help them easily manage and control blood sugar levels.

The dietary dos for diabetes

It is necessary to understand the importance of the following small yet significant steps that can help in controlling your blood sugar levels and other complications. The important dos for diabetics are:

• Include high fibre foods regularly like spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, sprouts, green leafy vegetables.

• Opt for fruits with less sugar content and more antioxidants like apples, papaya, guavas, jamun, pomegranates, berries, citrus fruits, cherries, plum, and peaches.

• Try to have complex carbohydrates like whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, oats, ragi and muesli in your diet instead of simple carbohydrates like white rice, white pasta, white bread, refined wheat flour, raw sugar

• Instead of refined/ processed products go for fresh and healthy food options

• Have smaller meals at regular intervals with low salt content as it helps to decrease the total glucose load and ther risk of other complications as well.

• Use low-fat dairy versions of milk, yogurt, and cheese as they are rich in proteins, calcium, vitamins and mineral content.

• Increase daily fluid intake and ensure that 90% of it is water.

The dietary don’ts for diabetes

It is also crucial to know about the foods that can adversely affect the health of a diabetic person. The foods that you must avoid are also listed below:

• Avoid red meat and choose lean meat or fish instead, try to cook with less oil and salt.

• Avoid deep fried foods(pakodas, puri, samosa, and chips) as they have high calories.

• Avoid full cream milk it can raise cholesterol and glucose level in the blood.

• Avoid foods that are high in GI (glycemic index) like potatoes, mangoes, white rice, banana, chikoo, pasta, and white bread.

• Avoid sugar and its related food items like cakes, doughnuts, sweets, halwa etc.

• Avoid alcohol as much as possible as it increases the blood triglycerides and the glucose level in your body.

• Never skip your meals, instead try and have smaller meals at regular intervals.

Over to you

Only a few changes in your dietary habits can help you stay healthy and fight diabetes. All you need is a smart diet plan and a little discipline to stick with that plan. Try incorporating these dos and don’ts in your daily life and experience the change yourself. Here’s a sample diet plan that you can try if you’re finding it challenging to design a proper meal plan. This will help you keep a strict schedule and give you an idea of the kind of foods you must have during the day.