Diabetes And Food: The Dos and Don’ts

When it comes to food, life is not as simple for a diabetes patient. But, this does not mean that diet has to be bland and lifeless, instead, it means that persons with excess blood sugar has to take a bit of extra care when choosing their food. Here are few handy tips, regarding different kinds of foods, that might help a diabetic patient in choosing a safe yet ‘vibrant’ diet.

Watch croissants, garlic and cheese breads, and danish parties because they are high in fat. High fat is extremely harmful as the excess fat gets stored up under the skin and might even contribute to blocking of arteries. This can lead to heart disorders, which would be an added risk factor for patients with diabetes.

The same logic applies to the following suggestion also. Try and avoid adding fat to your bread or crackers in the form of margarine, butter, cheese, dressings, spreads and fatty meats.

Sauces are also a potential source of fat and other harmful substances that might not be in the best interests of a tightly controlled blood sugar regime! Hence it is extremely important to be careful about the kind of sauces you add to pasta or rice. Make them a point to keep them low in fat.

Another issue that a diabetic must be aware of is the kind of oil that he/she uses for cooking. It could also mean that he/she should know what kind of oil is contained in the foods that he/she buys. For e.g. nutrition experts would tell u that some instant noodles contain palm oil, which is a saturated fat and should be avoided.

Most often people wouldn’t think of what is contained in a food item. They simply think that it is safe. Best example would be a commonplace item like fried rice. At first glance, it contains mostly rice, which is nothing but carbohydrate and starch. Nothing blatantly harmful, but nobody cares to think about the amount of oil and fat present in a bowl of fried rice. Hence it would be best advised to try and avoid fried rice because it is high in fat.

One of the commonest mistakes that people make is to assume that everything natural is safe. So they take it for granted that fruits are safe and can be taken in any amount. But the fact of the matter is that fruit juices are high in natural sugar and if taken in large quantities, it is as harmful as eating sugar candies.

Same is the case with dried fruits. They are concentrated carbohydrates and the problem with carbohydrates is that if taken in excess quantities, they drastically increase the amount of blood sugar and can lead to serious problems like hyperglycemia.

High blood pressure is an associated complication in people with diabetes. This makes it inevitable that people with diabetes try and avoid food items that might contribute to raising blood pressure. Hence it is important to check the salt (sodium) content of canned vegetables or seasoned frozen vegetables. Similarly, watch instant, packet or tinned soups because many are high in salt.

Nutrition experts would tell u that many bought stocks and stock powders are high in salt so use sparingly.

It is known that sausages, bacon, pork bones, brisket and salami are high in fat and salt so it is better and healthy to go for low fat varieties. Similarly tinned meat, smoked fish etc. can be high in salt, so make sure that you read the nutrition label.

Fat is the single most dangerous thing that a diabetic should watch out for and avoid as far as possible. Avoid excess use of cheese or sour cream in food or choose reduced fat varieties. One simple suggestion that can be kept in mind is, remove skin from chicken before cooking or eating.

If you are diagnosed with a high cholesterol level, then it is important to watch out for foods containing excess cholesterol, egg being one such example.

Following are other tips that might help a diabetic patient in choosing a danger free diet that is in keeping with the suggestions of his/her doctor.

• Try and avoid chocolate and nut spreads as they are high in fat and sugar.
• Avoid most dressings, sauces and pickles because they are often high in salt (sodium).
• Be aware that sodas and ‘fizzy’ drinks are usually high in sugar.
• Avoid iced, chocolate and cream filled biscuits and cakes because they are high in sugar and fat.
• Watch lollies and sweets because they can raise blood sugar levels.
• Potato chips, corn chips, fried snacks should be avoided because they are high in fat and salt (sodium).
• Pies and pastries are high in fat.
• Try and avoid reduced cream or sour cream dips because they are high in fat.

These are some of the things that might help a diabetic in deciding what kind of food he/she must avoid from his/her daily diet. But consulting a doctor or dietician is important and must not be overlooked.