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Suggest Food And Diet For A Diabetic

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Posted on Tue, 27 Jan 2015
Question: Hello,

My mom is diabetic. She is on medicine but her sugar is not getting controlled so we started insulin recently. I would like to know what all are the type of foods she can eat during course of day. What are instant recipes she can cook for herself? She is in XXXXXXX and I would like to know what all options she has.

Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Thanks, XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Ajish TP (27 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Please share with us the medical details

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Welcome to HCM. Thanks for posting the question.

We need a little more information to answer your question better:

1. How long she is having diabetes?
2. What are the medications she is on? Type of insulin?
3. How is her diabetes tests - sugars, HbA1c, kidney liver functions?
4. Does she have any complications- diabetic neuropathy, eye disease, heart disease, stroke etc?

Diet depends on all these factors.
The general diet she can follow is frequent small feeds of low calories. 3 major meals and 3-4 snacks will help.

Regards
Dr Ajish TP
Consultant endocrinologist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Ajish TP (6 hours later)
She has had diabetes for 20 years now.
Medication is
Gluored forte 850
pioglucored forte
olmezest am 40/5
insuline - Humalog mix 25/75

diabetes tests are sugars, blood test
no complications so far.

I need to know what all she can eat -- like what kind of fruit is preferred, what grains, and what are few recipes to cook those. She does need to eat snacks but what are those she can consume as we need to know variety as 3-4 times she need to eat and can't eat same thing over and over again.

Is there anything available in market she can buy and keep handy and eat as snacks which would help her health. Anything can be bought online.


Thanks, XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Ajish TP (41 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Please see the detailed answer

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Welcome back.

You should know some basic things in diabetes, so that you can understand your diet better

1. The problem in diabetes is: the body is unable to utilise (metabolise) the food we eat, so that it get accumulated as sugar in blood. So treatment is aimed at improving the utilisation of food rather than restricting food, as food is required for all for health.

2. A fixed diet can increase blood sugar differently in different patients. If a patient take sweet and the blood sugars is still less than 180mg/dl - it is not really harmful to him. While if one take apple (a low calorie food) and the sugars go above 300 mg/dl it is going to harm him. So diet in every one depends on how sugars are, Only with careful glucose monitoring we can formulate a good diet.

A sample good diet tip

1. Have a good time table, eat at the correct time, correct quantity. How you eat is more important than what you eat.
2. Split the meals : Three major meals and 3-4 snacks will be ideal. Having 7-8 meals is more important than 3 times meal.

Start the day with a black coffee/ green tea with 2 sugar free biscuits.

Break fast - preferably before 8 am
2-3 iddli / Dosa / Chappathi / a cup of oats / 1 cup corn flakes with vegetable curry will do

Lunch:
Mixed meal : Salads, main course, vegetables
1 cup rice (parboiled), with vegetable curry, fish curry will do

Dinner :
Salads, 2-3 Chappathi / Dosa / Oats 1 cup , Vegetable curry will do

Snacks at 11 am, 3 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm
Either of the following

Fruits : 1 apple / orange/ small banana
Fluids : 200ml Lime juice, butter milk
Egg white : 1-2 egg whites
1 Brown bread vegetable sandwich
200ml vegetable soup

Good recipes of diabetes can be obtained from sites like allrecipes.com, simpleindianrecipes.com, http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes, etc

Monitor sugars and adjust the amount you can take.

Hope the information was useful.
If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.

Regards
Dr Ajish TP
Consultant Endocrinologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
doctor
default
Follow up: Dr. Ajish TP (1 hour later)
Thanks Doctor for your response. This answers my query.

Regards, XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Ajish TP (37 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Wishing you good health

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Great to know that the information provided by me was useful.

If you are happy with my answer, do write a positive review and a 5 star rating for the answer. Wishing your mom good health

Regards
Dr Ajish TP
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Ajish TP

Endocrinologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 819 Questions

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Suggest Food And Diet For A Diabetic

Brief Answer: Please share with us the medical details Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX Welcome to HCM. Thanks for posting the question. We need a little more information to answer your question better: 1. How long she is having diabetes? 2. What are the medications she is on? Type of insulin? 3. How is her diabetes tests - sugars, HbA1c, kidney liver functions? 4. Does she have any complications- diabetic neuropathy, eye disease, heart disease, stroke etc? Diet depends on all these factors. The general diet she can follow is frequent small feeds of low calories. 3 major meals and 3-4 snacks will help. Regards Dr Ajish TP Consultant endocrinologist