Diabetic patients need to keep a track of food habits

December 26, 2014 11:48 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 03:41 am IST - HYDERABAD:

There is a new buzzword that is dictating the eating habits of diabetics, who are quite obsessive about keeping a track of their daily intake of carbohydrates, calories and sugar levels. Increasingly, in Hyderabad and elsewhere Glycemic Index (GI), which measures how carbohydrate food sources raise glucose levels, is being quoted by doctors, dieticians and diabetic experts.

While there is a talk about GI, more or less doctors accept that there is very little understanding and information available related to GI in food sources and impact on diabetics. According to physicians, GI is the measure of rise or fall of levels of blood sugar in the blood.

“It’s not just carbohydrates and calories, diabetic patients need to keep a track of food that is high or low on GI. Basically, GI measures how a carbohydrate containing food source increases sugar levels. Patients need to track all the three aspects,” says Dr. P. Usha Bala, a diabetologist and advisor, Diabetes Self Care Foundation, Hyderabad.

This, however, does not mean that a diabetic can keep over-eating a food source that is low on GI. There are instances where nutritious food sources have high GI like oats than chocolate. Therefore it is essential to strike a right balance of carbohydrates, GI food items and calories.

“Puri is very low in GI content but that does not mean that diabetics can consume it frequently or in large quantities. This dish is deep fried in oil, which adds a lot of carbohydrates that in turn is not good for diabetics. There should always be a balance,” Dr. Usha Bala suggests.

In general, patients should always try to avoid food sources that cause a sudden spike in blood sugar level and tracking GI can be a useful to record day-long blood sugar levels.

“GI is important while planning a diet for diabetics, women with polycystic ovarian syndrome and persons who are trying to lose weight. A high GI food can be consumed, but diabetics should make sure that they combine it with a food that has very low GI. This will surely have a balancing effect on blood glucose levels,” says naturopathy practitioner and Director, Vemana Yoga Research Institute, Dr. Satya Lakshmi.

Doctors point out that it is very important for diabetics to understand that no one diet will work for all. The diet plan should individual diabetes patients.

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