One of the key factors that cause people to be surrounded by diseases is neglecting health, especially regarding “food”, because we often choose tasty food over nutritious food.
Diabetes is a condition where the body has higher than normal blood sugar levels. “Food” therefore affects the severity of the disease because everything we eat directly impacts blood sugar levels.
Check first… Are you diabetic?
To choose food suitable for the body, we must first know if we have any underlying diseases. Besides checking whether blood sugar levels are within the normal range, we must also observe ourselves for symptoms indicating diabetes. The symptoms that increase the risk of diabetes are as follows:
- Frequent hunger, eating a lot
- Unexplained weight loss
- Dry throat, frequent thirst
- Frequent urination, especially at night needing to get up multiple times
- Itchy skin
Food for diabetic patients
Food for diabetics must consist of nutrients that are good for health and beneficial for controlling blood sugar levels. Mostly, these are vegetables and non-sweet fruits, including foods low in calories and fat. Foods that raise blood sugar levels should be avoided. Additionally, portion control and eating at regular times are important to prevent blood sugar levels from fluctuating too much throughout the day.
Good food… suitable for diabetic patients or those with high blood sugar
- Vegetable group
such as morning glory, kale, lettuce, bitter melon, legumes, etc. Vegetables provide low starch and sugar but high fiber, which helps block the absorption of sugar and fat. - Fruit group
such as guava, papaya, apple, tangerine, pomelo, rose apple, etc. But choose fruits that are less sweet and high in fiber.
Recommended amount is 3–4 servings/day
- Milk group
Should drink plain milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, soy milk, choosing sugar-free formulas.
Recommended amount is 1–2 glasses/day (250 ml each)
- Rice, starch, and grain group
Should eat brown rice, unpolished grains, whole wheat bread.
Recommended amount is 8–9 tablespoons/day
- Meat group
Should eat fish, lean meat without fat or skin.
Recommended amount is 12 tablespoons/day
(Whole eggs can be eaten if blood cholesterol is not high, about 2–3 eggs/day)
- Fat group
Should consume foods cooked with rice bran oil, soybean oil, corn oil rather than other oils.
Recommended amount is no more than 6-7 teaspoons/day
Foods diabetic patients should avoid
- All kinds of sweets
- Fried and fatty foods
- Sweetened beverages, sweetened milk, soda, sweetened drinks, fruit juices with added sugar, energy drinks, and alcoholic beverages
- Preserved fruits such as candied, jammed, pickled, dried with honey, and canned fruits
- Fermented foods, dried foods, very salty foods, canned or packaged foods such as fermented soybean paste, fermented tofu, fermented fish, pickled vegetables
Although diabetes is a chronic disease, patients can have a better quality of life by simply paying attention to their health, exercising regularly, and most importantly… being mindful of food choices and cooking methods, eating only nutritious food in appropriate amounts. With just this, “diabetes” is no longer a worrisome disease.
Because “good food” is the best medicine for our body
