Diabetes is a chronic illness and often diet management is an issue. If we keep our blood sugar under control a majority of complications can be avoided. India is land of festivals which is expressed by eating and making sweets. I will share some near best sweet options for diabetics which can help them in satisfying their sweets craving at the same time wont increase blood sugar levels to alarming levels.
- Coconut Laddu: Use desiccated coconut, milk, jaggery and make laddus. Coconut has high fibre content. This sweet has low glycaemic index which leads to less sugar rise.
- Dry Fruits Barfi: Use dry fruits like Almond, walnut, Pistachio. You can add some amount of dates and fig for sweetness. Nuts increase insulin sensitivity.
- Oats Besan Laddu: Use Oats, besan/ gram flour, jaggery. it is fibre rich.
- Moong Dal Laddu: Moong contains high fibre and protein content. it reduced glucose spike.
- Ragi Halwa (Finger Millet) : It has low glycaemic index. Use less quantity of ghee.
For sweetness jaggery or stevia can be used but in small quantities. Some things to keep in mind while taking sweets. Portion control of sweets is must. Be it any sweet, only 1 small piece in a day is enough. Also sweets should be taken post meal to avoid blood sugar spike. Post meal walk of around 30 minutes helps control blood sugar levels by around 20-30%. Along with it regular home blood sugar monitoring is to be done. Consult your doctors if sugar levels are deranged. All medicines and insulin should be taken on time.
If you have associated heart, kidney, nerve and eye disease it is better to avoids sweets altogether.
Remember diet control, physical activity, timely tests, regular monitoring and medicines can help keep this disease under control and lead a healthy life.
Dr. Pooja Baradia
MD Medicine