For a Safe and Healthy Diwali

 Sheela Paul &Rohini – Dietitians , MVH

Diwali is a very special day for millions of Indians living all over the world, and Indians come together as one single community to celebrate this grand festival. People start preparing for the celebrations a few weeks in advance but as the day approaches it becomes important to register a few important tips to keep it safe, enjoyable and healthy .

Diwali involves eating delicious food. People with diabetes may feel depressed as they cannot have rich food items and sweets for fear of spikes in their blood sugar level.  However, they can  still enjoy Diwali sweets and other food items that are made with artificial sweeteners, choosing them carefully  and eating  other  meals with minimum calories during the day so that they  can easily have one or two sweets that cannot  be avoided.

 It is important to monitor blood sugar levels and exercise regularly during this time if you plan to indulge a little.

 Calorie count of common Indian Sweets & some recommended exercises to burn those calories.

Gulab jamun
Calories/per piece: 150kcal
Exercise to burn  the calories: Walking  for 45 minutes at moderate speed
Rasgula      

Calories/per piece: 125kcal
Exercise to burn calories: 15 minutes of step aerobics.

Kajukatri     
Calories/per piece: 58kcal   
Exercise to burn calories: Running for 8 minutes

Burfi       
Calories/per piece: 142kcal   
Exercise to burn calories: Swimming for 15 minutes

Sooji ladoo 
Calories/per piece: 134kcal   
Exercise to burn calories: Cycling for 20min at the speed of 20km/hour.

Jalebi        
Calories/per piece: 200kcal   
Exercise to burn calories: Jogging for 20minutes.

Moong dhal ladoo        
Calories/per piece: 150kcal   
Exercise to burn calories:. Skipping for 20 minutes.

Coconut burfi        
Calories/per piece: 192kcal   
Exercise to burn calories: Playing badminton for 40 minutes

Make your Diwali special for yourself, your family and your friends. Happy Diwali

Celebrate a diabetic - Friendly Diwali

Sheela Paul &Rohini
-    Dietitians

Festivals are associated with happiness and merry making, food and drink. These festivals, however, are not very friendly to people with diabetes, who are often forced to make dietary changes. During festivals, people with diabetes are exposed to calorie –rich and unhealthy food, yet not allowed to eat them by family members who take on the role of‘diabetes police’.  However, people with diabetes can also celebrate festivals with the rest of the family without harming themselves.

Indian cuisine is rich in healthy, low-calorie, diabetes- friendly recipes and food preparations. A bit of creativity, originality and effort on the part of the family  can produce many diabetes friendly dishes.

Advancements in treatment options keep diabetics well and allow them to live a healthy life without complications.

Diet, exercise, medication and monitoringare the four pillars for maintaining glucose and insulin levels in the blood at all times.

About the Diet: 

 

A diabetic diet is not about abstaining  from food you love, but about making simple modifications. Choose foods like whole grains, pulses and nuts, vegetables, fruits and fat-free/low-fat milk products.

Eating at regular intervals helps to control blood glucose levels. Diabetics should have six small meals rather than 2 – 3 large meals a day. Limit fried foods, sugars, sweets, desserts, candies and refined foods.

Physical activity



Regular exercise is important for everyone, especially for people with diabetes. Around 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week is necessary to control blood sugar levels. It also burns excess calories and fat.However, exercise doesn’t mean spending hours at the gym or running for miles. It can even be activities like dancing, skipping, cycling, playing badminton and swimming. It is important to choose an activity that you enjoy and do it regularly.

Medication

People with type-2 diabetes are either on oral hypoglycemic drugs oron  insulin. Oral medications  are effective as long asthere are some  active insulin producing beta cells. Recent studies have shown that early and appropriate use of insulin not only prevents short-term complications but also reduces long-term effects of poorly controlled diabetes and slows down the natural progression of the disease. Diabetics should take medications as directed and should not drop or change drugs without consulting their doctor.

Monitoring

Check your blood sugar as often as your doctor suggests. Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels helps doctors to analyse the effect of food, exercise and insulin or medicine on you. Along with self-monitoring of blood glucose level, get an HbA1C test done every three months without fail.

The HbA1C level shows how well the blood sugar has been controlled during the previous 2 – 3 months. Also, get blood pressure, lipid profile, urine microalbuminuria and serum creatinine checked regularly to prevent further complications.

Lifestyle modifications

There are various day-to -day situations that can alter your daily routine and hence the best way to cope with diabetes is to take an active part in the treatment plan.

Acute illness: Illnesses like viral colds or flu, infections, dental problems, injuries, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea can disrupt your blood glucose control. In case of illness, glucose monitoring should be increased along with treating the illness. Also keep a check on the fluid intake during this period.It is better to visit your doctor if your blood sugar is too high or low. Emotional stress also affects blood glucose levels. Hence, it is better to stay at home when ill and take adequate rest.

Party time and festivals: People with diabetes can enjoy foods served at parties and festivals but in moderation. Don’t stop your medicines and monitoring on any occasion and practise portion control. Follow a regular exercise routine. Eating more during festivals can be compensated by moderate exercise.

Avoid smoking and alcohol. If you want to drink, then don’t drink on an empty stomach.Have a drink along with your meal. It is better to avoid fasting. But if you want to, it is essential to consult doctor your before you fast.

In a nutshell

• Follow your schedule of eating, activity, and medicine regime.

• Try to maintain optimum weight, activity, blood sugar level.

• Prevent hyper and hypoglycemia. Always carry a carbohydrate snacks to handle a low blood sugar level at anytime.

• Take food on time.

Understanding diabetes and keeping the balance between all four pillars remains the key to good health for people with diabetes. It is a disorder but you can manage it and live a happy life.

It is natural for people with diabetes to experience anxiety and fear because they have to constantly maintain their blood sugar levels. Therefore, a few changes in lifestyle and food habits along with proper medication and monitoring can help a diabetic lead a normal and healthy life.

Diabetes friendly Diwali- Enjoy your portion of sweet!!

 

Diwali is just around the corner and almost everyone in the country has started their preparations for its celebration. This festival of light is an excuse for many to indulge in binge eating especially sweets that rich in calorie.

Diwali is a time when variety of sweets, fried savories is served as a part of the rituals and it becomes harder for any individual especially a diabetic to take utmost care of his diet and blood glucose levels.

So let us know about the nutritional information of the commonly eaten Indian sweets, which will be of help to manage the diabetes.

Nutritive value per serving (1 piece)

Ways to keep your blood glucose under control

1. The first and foremost thing is to monitor your blood glucose levels before going for sweets if the levels are between 100-150 mg/dl choose either 1 piece Kaju katli /Barfi / Rasgulla/Jalebi or ½ piece of Gulab jamun (or 1 small Gulab jamun)/ Milk cake Mithai/ Mysore pak.

2. If your levels begin to go too high, keep a count of your calorie it’s important to cut down on carbohydrate rich foods like Rice/ Idly/ Pongal etc.

3. If you’re on insulin your blood glucose levels can go low as well as high and its important to be aware of the symptoms of high and low blood glucose levels. If you feel your levels are either too high or too low, do a blood glucose test and take appropriate action.

4. If your blood glucose levels are above 200 mg/dl you can choose sweets prepared with artificial sweeteners (Dezire).

Nutritive value per serving (1 piece)

5. When buying sweets choose from options that are made with natural sweeteners like dates or fig.

6. You can enjoy the traditional food varieties that are prepared during Diwali by making changes to the recipes. You can substitute the style of cooking to make dishes healthier.

Nutritive value per serving (1 cup -100 ml)

7. Choose your food options wisely and avoid fluctuations in your sugar levels. Control your portion size and choose grilled, baked or barbequed snacks instead of fried ones.

8. Diwali is a festival of giving, do not accumulate boxes of sweets or chocolates you may be tempted to binge on it. Eating sweets and fried savories can directly affect your blood glucose levels. Eating a small portion of these sweets will keep you healthy.

9. If you want to send gifts to your family and friends, try gifting fruits or juice hampers instead of the traditional sweets and savories. Spread the word of good health even during festivals.

10. Do not let festival be a reason to skip exercise. Follow your regular exercise regime to stay healthy. Look for ways to keep yourself active through the day. During festivals most individuals tend to eat calorie laden food, in such a scenario skipping exercise could strongly affect your sugar levels.

Sensible eating and exercising is not only important for diabetics but for every individual to enjoy the festival in a healthy way.

Wish you all a happy and healthy Diabetes friendly Diwali!!!!         


Posted by Dr.Vimala

M.V.Hospital for Diabetes

Chennai.

Fruit for People with Diabetes

Mrs.Sheela Paul &Ms.Rohini, - Dietitians
Diet Department.

 

People with diabetes should avoid fruits as they contain “a lot of sugar”.This is not true.
 

Fruit has been enjoyed by mankind from the very earliest of time. In terms of nutrition, fruits form one of the food groups in the daily diet and are very good sources of several vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and dietary fibre, especially the soluble fibre.  They are also good sources of antioxidants such as Vitamin C and β-carotene.

People generally judge a fruit by its “sweet” taste and believe that anything sweet increases blood sugars. However, it is not only fruits but any food source with carbohydrates that tends to raise blood sugars because carbohydrates are converted to glucose in our body. Excess intake of cereals such as rice, or idlis in a meal can increase blood sugars. So, people with diabetes can also eat fruits in limited quantities as they do rice or idlis. They are just another source of carbohydrates in the diet with plenty of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.

People with diabetes generally tend to choose fruits, which are less sweet in taste such as apple, papaya, guava over sweeter varieties such as grapes, sapota (Chikoo), etc. However, all fruits can be taken in their respective quantities based on the amount of carbohydrates they contain. For instance, a person can choose to eat one medium sized sweetlime or orange (200gm) or a small sapota  (70g) or one small banana or mango (50g).

So, people with diabetes can enjoy all types of fruit.

Another misconception about fruits among people with diabetes is that they can have fruits only when their blood sugar is under control. However, it is  not practical to check your blood sugar each time you decide to have a fruit.

It is one of the food groups to be included in the daily diet. 

Nutritional guidelines for diabetes that are based on sound scientific evidence from different parts of the world encourage intake of fruits in the daily diet. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it is the only food group that can providethe daily requirement of vitamin C in the diet.  

 How you can incorporate fruits in your diet.

• Including 1or 2 fruits (50 -100g) is recommended for everyone everyday.
• Limit portion sizes. 1 small fruit or ½ a big one or 1 cup of chopped fruit at a time.
• Choose  froma variety of fruits. So have not only bananas or mangoes or apple every day but also other fruits.
• Fruits can be a healthy and handy snack. Eat fruits as a snack rather than along with a meal. When fruits are taken along with a meal, it may increase the total carbohydrate content of a meal,thereby increasing post-meal blood sugars.
• Choose whole fruit and not juices  as fiber is lost in fruit juices and the satiety value in a whole fruit is much greater than  in fruit juice. 

Here are a few recipes :
Keep a tab on portion size

APPLE PIE

 Ingredients

• Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 apples( peeled,cored,andsliced)
• Sweetener as required  

Preparation

1. Roll 1/2 the pastry on a floured surface into circle 1 inch larger than the inverted 9-inch pie plate. Line the greased pastry plate.
2. Combine cornstarch, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sprinkle over the apple slices in large bowl and toss to coat. Arrange apples in the pie crust.
3. Roll the remaining pastry into a circle large enough to fit the top of the pie. Place over apples. Seal edges, trim and flute. Cut a few slits in the     top pastry layer to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven (400° F) for40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden and apples are tender.
4. Serve warm.

PINEAPPLE CAKE

 Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• A tin of pineapple ( drainedand crushed)
• Low- fat cake mix
• 1 tablespoon sweetener

Preparation

 1.Beat egg whites until foamy. Add drained pineappleand  then the cake mix.
 2.Spread mix in a greased and floured pan. Sprinkle with sweetener.
 3.Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.

PINEAPPLE  STRAWBERRYSALAD

Ingredients

• 2 cups low fat yogurt
  
• 1 ¼ fresh strawberries
• 1 ½  cups fresh pineapple

Preparation 

1. Divide and layer yogurt, strawberries and pineapple

Have a ‘Fruitful’ Day