Diet dos and don'ts for

diabetics!
Priya Khanna, Seema Tarneja | March 15, 2005
his is the concluding part of a two-part
series on diet tips for the diabetics, by
dietitians Priya Khanna and Seema Tarneja:
Part I: Diabetics, heed these diet tips!
Diabetes ellitus is a chronic etabolic
disorder in which the body fails to con!ert
sugars, starches and other foods into energy"
Many of the foods you eat are norally
con!erted into a type of sugar called glucose
during digestion" #he bloodstrea then
carries glucose through the body" #he
horone, insulin, then turns glucose into $uic%
energy or is stored for futher use"
&n diabetic people, the body either does not
a%e enough insulin or it cannot use the
insulin correctly" #his is why too uch glucose
builds in the bloodstrea"
#here are two a'or types of diabetes:
1" Type 1
#his is popularly %nown as (u!enile )nset
Diabetes"
*ere, the body produces little or no insulin" &t
occurs ost often in childhood or in the teens
and could be inherited"
+eople with this type of diabetes need daily
in'ections of insulin" #hey ust balance their
daily inta%e of food and acti!ites carefully with
their insulin shots to stay ali!e"
2" Type 2
,lso %nown as ,dult )nset Diabetes,
this occurs around -5 to .0 years" #he
ore coon of the two types, it accounts for
about /0 per cent of the diabetics"
*ere, though the pancreas produce ade$uate
insulin, body cells show reduced sensiti!ity
towards it"
#ype 2 diabetes is usually triggered by obesity"
#he best way to fight it is by weight loss,
e0ercise and dietary control"
1oeties, oral edication or insulin
in'ections are also needed"
2 Symptoms of diabetes
*ere are a few:
30tree thirst and hunger
4re$uent urination
1ores or bruises that heal slowly
Dry, itchy s%in
5ne0plained weight loss
5nusual tiredness or drowsiness
#ingling or nubness in the hands or feet
6hether #ype 1 or 2, diabetics need a balance
of diet and e0ercise"
*ere are soe foods you can eat, and soe
foods you ust a!oid!
Foods yo mst a!oid!
i" Sa"t
1alt is the greatest culprit for
diabetics" 7ou get enough salt fro
!egetables in inorganic for, so reduce the
inta%e of inorganic salt"
ii" S#ar
1ucrose, a table sugar, pro!ides nothing but
calories and carbohydrates"
,lso, you need calciu to digest sucrose"
&nsufficient sucrose inta%e ight lead to
calciu being leached off the bones"
1ubstitute sucrose with natural sugar, li%e
honey, 'aggery 8gur9, etc"
iii" Fat
30cessi!e fat inta%e is definitely not a good
habit"
#ry and e0clude fried ites fro your diet
totally"
:ut, reeber, you ust ha!e a sall
$uantity of oil to absorb fat-soluble !itains,
especially !itain 3"
i!" For non$!e#etarians
#ry and stop the inta%e of red eat
copletely"
#ry to go in for a !egetarian diet" &f you
cannot, decrease the consuption of eggs and
poultry"
7ou can, howe!er, eat lean fish two to three
ties a wee%"
!" %ho"e mi"& and prodcts
#ry to switch to low fat il% and its
products li%e yogurt 8curd9"
;eplace high fat cheese with low
fat cottage cheese"
!i" Tea and coffee
Do not ha!e than two cups of the con!entional
tea or decaffeinated coffee e!ery day"
#ry to switch to herbal teas"
!ii" %hite f"or and its prodcts
;eplace these with whole grains, wholewheat
or soya breads and unpolished rice"
!iii" Foods 'ith a hi#h #"ycemic inde(
,!oid white rice, potatoes, carrots, breads
and banana -- they increase the blood-sugar
le!els"
Specia" food for diabetics
i" )itter #ord *karela, ampa"aya+
#his !egetable contains a high dosage
of 'plant insulin'" &t lowers the blood-sugar
le!els effecti!ely"
*a!e the 'uice of three to four karelas early
orning on an epty stoach"
,s a !egetable, too, it can be ta%en on a
regular basis"
+owder the seeds of karela 8easuring 1
teaspoon9, i0 with water and drin% it"
ii" Fen#ree& *methi+
&t is the ost coon food used to control
diabetes"
<ulp a teaspoonful of these seeds with a glass
of water daily"
1oa% the seeds o!ernight" *a!e the water in
which the seeds were soa%ed"
7ou can a%e
a chutney with methi seeds" 7ou can also eat
the sprouted, dried and powdered, or i0
the in wheat flour to a%e chapattis"
iii" Indian b"ac&berry *jamn+
#his fruit is !ery effecti!e in pre!enting and
controlling diabetes"
+owder the stone of the fruit and eat it --
it contains glucoside, which pre!ents the
con!ersion of starch into sugars"
i!" ,ar"ic
#his is used to lower blood-sugar le!els"
<arlic is rich in potassiu and replaces the
potassiu which gets lost in urine"
&t also contains =inc and sulphur, which are
coponents of insulin"
#a%e about three to four fla%es of freshly
crushed garlic daily"
!" -nion
:ecause of its diuretic and
digesti!e properties, onion wor%s
against diabetes"
;aw onion is ore useful"
!i" F"a(seed
#his is the richest source of )ega - fatty
acids"
&t helps control diabetes because it aintains
the sensiti!ity of the cell ebrane,
facilitates insulin, and thereby the upta%e of
glucose by the cells"
!ii" Fibre
1oluble fibre, found in apples,
%idney beans, oateal, soyabean,
etc, help control diabetes"
#hese aid slow digestion and absorption of
nutrients, resulting in a slow and steady
release of glucose"
#hey soa% up e0cess bile acids found in the
intestinal tract, the sae acids that are
con!erted to blood cholesterol"
#hey also help epty the stoach and trigger
satiety that can help #ype 2 diabetics to
achie!e weight loss goals"
!iii" .innamon so"tion
6ater e0tracts of cinnaon ha!e been found
to proote glucose etabolis and
reduce cholesterol"
7ou can boil cinnaon stic%s in water and
drin% this water"
i(" /ntio(idants
Diabetes is often associated with conditions
li%e heart disease, diabetic retinopathy,
iune deficiency and %idney disease"
Many are caused by free radical
daage" #herefore, a%e sure you include
antio0idants, especially !itain > 8leons9, 3,
seleniu, =inc and chroiu 8:rewer's yeast9,
in your diet, as they ha!e been shown to
control blood sugar le!els"