Type 2 Diabetes | 9 Diabetes Diet Myths Answered

Diabetes Diet Myths Answered – Truweight’s Senior Nutrition Coach Sushmita Mukherjee

Diabetes is one of the rising health concerns in India. The major diabetes symptoms are like Frequent urination than usual, Growing excessive thirst and prolonged dryness of the mouth, Developing blurry vision, Weight loss at an alarming rate, Prolonged healing of cuts and wounds, Extreme tiredness. Although Diabetes is considered as incurable, following a healthy diet has found to improve these diabetes symptoms.

snacks for diabetics, food for diabetics, diabetes food chart, diabetic food list, diabetes diet chart, Diabetes, a rising concern, not just in India but in the entire world as well, is very much misunderstood. There are different myths about Diabetes that people often believe, however, aren’t true. Our Nutritionists bring to you 6  such myths about Diabetes that we should definitely know.

1. Myth- “Eating sugar causes diabetes”

It has been stated by the American Diabetes Association that consuming sugar alone doesn’t only cause diabetes. There are many other reasons for developing Diabetes and in fact, Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics whereas, Type 2 diabetes is caused by heredity. That is why eating sugar doesn’t always have to be the reason for causing Diabetes.

2. Myth- “Say No to Diabetes“

People with or without Diabetes often have the misconception that carbs should be deleted from their diet plan for good. But that is not the truth. Carbohydrates give us the energy to perform voluntary functions like walking, driving, talking as well as involuntary functions like respiration, blood circulation, digestion etc. It is never the carb alone rather the type of carb, quality and quantity of carb are what is very much important for those with diabetes.

Have more of fiber-rich foods like whole grains such as Jowar, bajra, ragi, brown or red rice, vegetables and fruits, legumes, beans etc.

3.Myth-“Diabetic people can never have rice”

Are you too one of those who believe, you should totally ban rice because of Diabetes?

This isn’t true, rice is a major food in our country, so totally banning it can turn your diet upside down. That is why choose the healthier rice types like unpolished or semi-polished rice and avoid white rice. For eg- brown rice or red rice can be good options for diabetics. Brown rice is better than white rice not only as it has more fiber but also nutritionally more rich in B vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium. Also, the GI is low in brown rice.

4. Myth- “Potatoes cannot be consumed if diabetic.”

Again, potatoes are thought to be another big enemy of Diabetes. However, you don’t have to totally ditch them . The key is to find healthier alternatives to have potato. The recommended quantity will be 50 g which is a small sized potato or if medium sized, take ½ portion

Another healthy alternative for potato is the Sweet potato. You can have them to meet your potato cravings.

5. Myth- “Say goodbye to sweets and desserts forever.”

Okay, this one is really interesting. Whenever we find our blood levels fluctuating, we close all doors to our favorite desserts.

But the fact here is that we don’t have to completely say no to sweets. According to the National Institutes of Health, restricting yourself too much may eventually lead to binge eating or overeating. So the most important part is not to restrict rather control the portion size. So, you can take a small portion for example, in case of ice cream can have 1 or 2 tbsp once in 15 days.

6. Myth- “For Diabetes, fruits should be restricted”

Since fruits are often sweet to taste, people with Diabetes stop consuming fruits. But is it true?

Well, according to American Diabetes Association, all fruits are allowed but you will need to keep in mind that fruits with high glycemic index need to be taken in a smaller portion.Therefore, limiting the amount, you can enjoy your favourite fruits, irrespective of Diabetes. Our Nutritionists recommend that daily one fruit should be consumed either as mid morning snacks or as pre-workout meal can be consumed.