Diabetes comes with a limited choice when it comes to selecting food. However, with the right guidance, you can enjoy food while keeping your blood sugar in control.
What Should a Diabetic Eat?
Foods that are rich in carbohydrates can increase your blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates include cereals, pasta, fruits, milk, and desserts, etc. Hence, diabetics are generally advised to avoid foods that are rich in carbohydrates. A meal plan is crucial for diabetics since it tells you what kinds of meals to eat. It should be sufficient to accommodate both your schedule and eating preferences.
A low-carb diet is typically recommended for diabetics since it may cause a sudden surge in blood sugar. In order to prevent these increases, kids are typically encouraged to eat low-glycemic foods.
What is a Low-glycemic Index?
For foods containing carbs, there is a rating system called the glycaemic index (GI). It demonstrates how rapidly each food lowers your blood sugar (glucose) level when consumed alone.
Every food item has a score. Whether or not someone has diabetes, the lower the score, the longer it takes for that specific food to elevate a person’s blood sugar levels.
The GI particularly shows how rapidly diets high in carbohydrates boost blood sugar levels when compared to those high in pure glucose (which had a score of 100).
The Glycemic index can help people in choosing the right food item in their daily diet and help them control their unwanted sugar spikes.
GI Scale
Low glycemic index: 1 to 55
Medium Glycemic Index: 56 to 69
High glycemic Index: 70 and above
Is There a Difference Between Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load?
The Glycemic index only indicates how quickly your blood sugar will rise after eating, not how high it will reach. On the other hand, the glycemic load also accounts for the amount of glucose in each serving to give you a precise picture of how the food you eat will affect your blood sugar levels.
For instance, the fruit may have a glycemic index of 80, which is relatively high, however, a single serving of that fruit (one cup) might only contain 11 carbs, giving it a glycemic load of 5. This means that it will cause a brief but modest increase in blood sugar. Hence, eating food with a low-glycemic index can be really helpful for you!
List of Low-Glycemic Food Items for People With Diabetes
- Oats
Rolled porridge oats are a low-GI breakfast cereal choice, scoring a GI of 55. Beta-glucan, a form of fibre with several health advantages, is found in oats.
Making porridge at home is simple. Simply combine oats with milk, or a plant-based milk substitute, and heat while stirring. When the milk has been absorbed by the oats and the mixture has thickened, the porridge is complete.
- Chickpeas
Chickpeas can be used in place of high GI foods like potatoes and white rice. You can use it as a quick and simple snack.
In a 2012 study that appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people with type 2 diabetes consumed one cup of legumes every day for three months as part of their carbohydrate intake. The daily legume eaters demonstrated higher drops in HbA1c readings and drops in blood pressure when compared to other trial participants.
- Kidney Beans
Because beans have a low glycemic index, they can balance out the glycemic index of your entire meal. Your meals become more healthy and suitable for diabetics as a result.
Given their high protein and fibre content, beans are regarded as particularly satiating food products. Food fibre is crucial for regulating digestion and slowing down the body’s absorption of nutrients. This ensures that the carbohydrates are effectively broken down and prevents the blood from becoming too sugary.
- Broccoli
The GI for broccoli is 15, which is relatively low. It is a great food for diabetes because it has very few calories and is a good source of fibre. Sulforaphane, which is present in broccoli, offer diabetics protection from this kind of cell deterioration.
Other Essential Food Items You Can Eat:
- In fruits, you can try strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.
- You can also eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, cauliflower, avocado, and carrots.
- Tuna, Salmon, chicken and sardines.
- Almonds, cashews, chestnuts, walnuts, chia seeds etc.
