Nine Food Myths on Diabetes

MYTH 1: Diabetics should not eat rice but have roti instead.

FACT: We eat white rice only after cooking. Cooking makes the rice very easy for the stomach to digest. This causes a spike in blood sugar levels. Roti made of whole wheat flour (atta) is a better alternative. But consuming more than 3 standard size roti is just as dangerous as atta is also made up of the same components as rice called ‘carbohydrates’.

MYTH 2: You have to stop eating everything you like if you are diabetic.

FACT: Diabetes should not stop you from consuming a high variety diet. Certain no-nos for a diabetic are refined flour or maida, white polished rice, sugar, honey, jaggery, and sugarcane juice. Other than these, it all comes down to portion size. Consuming more than five varieties of food in small quantities for every meal is the best way to keep your blood sugar level at normal and also enjoy the foods you want.

MYTH 3: Diabetics cannot eat meat.

FACT: Animal foods like beef, pork, and mutton are very high in saturated fats. They also have high cholesterol which is very harmful for diabetics. But non veg foods like chicken (without skin), fish, eggs, local river snails, crab, shrimps,frogs, and insects can be considered diabetic friendly.

MYTH 4: Fruits are sweet and should be avoided by diabetics.

FACT: Not all fruits need to be avoided. Ripe or over ripened fruits, fruits high in glycemic index like mango, banana, papaya, and grapes should be avoided. Other than these, fruits that are low in glycemic index are apple, watermelon.

MYTH 5: Diabetics should avoid “Green tea”.

FACT: Green tea is full of antioxidants and has little to zero calories. It is perfectly okay to consume green tea, and in fact, should be considered as  ‘filler meals’ for overweight diabetics.

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MYTH 6: Diabetics should snack on dry nuts and fruits

FACT: Dry fruits like raisins are a good source of iron but they are NOT diabetic friendly. Nuts and seeds are very high in fats, even if they are ‘healthy fats’ and therefore should only consume about a handful a day.

MYTH 7: You should avoid carbs if you are diabetic

FACT: The human body needs carbohydrates for its functioning as well as maintenance. It is what kind of carbs to consume and avoid that you need to consider. Complex carbs or carbohydrates like atta, brown rice, parboiled rice, green leafy vegetables, and oats are good sources of complex carbohydrates. One should avoid maida and products made of maida like cakes, biscuits, white bread, buns, rusk, etc., roots and tubers like potato, sweet potato, tapioca, yam, kochu, white rice, sticky rice, local rice, etc.

MYTH 8: Healthy smoothies from natural sources are safe for diabetics

FACT: The more blended your foods are, the easier it is to digest. The easier it is to digest, the higher the risk of glucose spike.

MYTH 9: Being on a diabetes diet makes you feel weak and tired.

FACT: Many people after their first diagnosis turn to  an extremely strict diet by avoiding all kinds of food.. They are also consulted by the healthcare professional on what ‘not to eat’ rather than ‘what to eat’. This has a huge psychological effect on the person who often feels that there is nothing for a diabetic to eat. Another reason could be the fear of the health repercussions of diabetes that a person becomes extremely strict on their diet. Both scenarios lead to less consumption of food leading to a condition called ‘hypoglycemia’. Hypoglycemia causes the opposite of diabetes causing low blood sugar levels in the body which leads to symptoms like tiredness, lethargy, dizziness, mood swings, etc.

Tajungrenla Longkumer

Research Scholar

Indian Council of Medical Research- National Institute of Nutrition