|
Sugar Free Diet
| Sugar Free Diet
- Why “Sugar Free”? |
|
A “sugar free” diet is necessary when
someone is trying to lose weight or when one is found
to be diabetic. Diabetes is a condition in which the
body cannot use sugar normally. The food we eat provides
our body with carbohydrates and sugar. These carbohydrates
and sugars are then converted into glucose used by
the body for energy. Normally, the glucose in the
blood (blood sugar) is kept at a constant level. However
in people with diabetes, it rises above normal because
a diabetic lacks a hormone called insulin which is
produced by the pancreas (Insulin is a hormone that
regulates our blood sugar levels, without it, our
body is unable to use the blood sugar effectively).
Eating an appropriate amount of carbohydrate or starchy
foods which the body can cope with will help to rectify
this. This amount differs from person to person. To
help achieve a constant blood sugar level, the following
guidelines will help:
-
Avoid sugar and sugary foods.
-
Eat regularly (Do not skip meals).
-
Try to include a starchy food
with each meal eg. rice, noodle, bread, potato or
chappati.
-
Choose foods high in fibre.
-
Eat less fatty and oily foods.
-
People with Diabetes should
keep a check on their weight.
|
| Suitable Foods |
- Vegetables and salads
- Lean meat
- Fish
- Fruits (2 servings a day)
- Eggs and low fat dairy products in moderation
- Unsweetened drinks eg. tea, coffee, plain/mineral
water, sugar-free soft drinks
- Salt, pepper, vinegar, spices and herbs
|
| Starchy And Floury
Foods |
- Include one of these foods in every meal
- Rice – polished or unpolished
- Other cereals and grains eg. oats, bran, wholegrain
breakfast biscuits
- Noodles and pasta
- Flour and floury products eg. chappati, thosai,
idli
- Bread and biscuit
- Starchy vegetables eg. potatoes, tapioca, yam,
lotus root, corn etc.
- The same amount of starchy or floury foods must
be eaten at each meal
- This will help maintain a good sugar balance
- Have a variety of foods
- If you cannot eat because you are ill, then have
plain biscuits and a milky drink instead of a meal:
never miss meals or snacks
- Always take your diabetic tablets if they have
been prescribed for you
|
| Foods High In
Sugar |
Avoid these foods
-
Table sugar, brown sugar, rock
sugar, cane sugar
-
Jam, marmalade, honey, kaya,
syrup
-
Sweets, chocolates, lolly-pops,
ice-cream
-
Cakes and cream filled biscuits
-
Sweetened desserts eg. chendol,
ice-kachang etc
-
Canned fruits in syrup
-
Ordinary squash, fizzy drinks
and sweetened packet drinks
-
Sweet wine and sherry
-
Glucose and foods containing
glucose
-
Condensed milk
|
| Diabetic Products
|
These foods are not necessary as they contain Sorbitol
which has a laxative effect. Some diabetic products
may contain high fat content and hence are not suitable
for overweight diabetics. However, including these food
sometimes in your diet can provide variety.
REMEMBER, the emphasis is on weight
control and starchy food distribution. Many people develop
diabetes only after becoming overweight. Weight loss
alone may help control diabetes. So eat regular meals,
with controlled amounts of starchy food and foods which
are low in fat. If possible, exercise regularly. This
way, you will increase your chances of staying healthy!
|
|
