Diabetics, too, can have a varied diet

Till a few years ago, it was standard practice for nutritionists to hand out such lists to form the basis of meal plans.

Today, I wish to address this issue of planning for meals for diabetics. It is important for them to understand that much has changed. As with all change, there will be some benefits and some difficulties. The most important advantage is that their diet plans are no longer restrictive.

The “No-No Foods” list has been banished.

This means that a variety of foods are available to a diabetic. The difficult part is that it makes meal planning more complex.

A variety always helps in the long run. And an occasional treat can be accommodated if the one balances out the foods. While straying from the meal plan, a diabetic individual also needs to keep in mind volumes or portion size in relation to satisfaction levels.

For instance, it is possible to substitute a piece of chocolate cake instead of a potato or a fruit, provided the carbohydrate intake is not changed.

However, because we wish to ensure that the cake not increase the carb intake, its size will have to be much smaller than the potato or the fruit. But eating a tiny piece of chocolate cake may not satiate you as much as a large fruit. You are likely to feel hungry within an hour of eating the cake.

Hence I would like to strongly urge patients to exercise their choice only after comprehending whether such a substitution is worthwhile.

(To be continued)