Diabetics can eat sugar

Only a diabetic knows what goes on in the mind of another diabetic. It is not easy dealing with diabetes. First of all it is a disease which has no obvious symptoms. In most cases the patient is leading a fairly healthy life and some sudden serious problem leads to the diagnosis. 80% of the contribution to the disease is from your genes. To top it all managing sugars requires a good amount of consistency and self restraint, for the rest of your life. At times, failure is caused due to lack of accurate information.

Thorough, knowledge about the disease can help the patient relax and look at it more objectively. Most patients think that all sweets are off limits. Managing diabetes is not about avoiding sugars, it is about managing your carbohydrate intake for the medication you are taking, so that your blood sugars are under control most of the time. People try to do this for sometime but get tired of the constant control and watch by self and family. Without clear guidance it is not achievable in long term and therefore they rebel or give up.

 It is important to learn to count carbohydrates in a meal so that you can substitute it for a sweet treat once in a while. This keeps you from feeling discouraged during your blood sugar management. In India diabetics commonly avoid sugar in tea. But, they do not realize that a teaspoon full of sugar contains only 4-5 gms of carbohydrates whereas the milk in the tea itself has more carbs. Of course the milk is much more nutritional than refined sugar. But this knowledge can help you decide if you want to reduce your milk a little and take a pinch of sugar in your tea. Similarly one chapatti can have carbohydrates anywhere from 12 – 40 gms, depending on the size and thickness. So, stringently avoiding sugar and gulping down loads of chapattis, dal or beans, may not be the right approach. There is no doubt that there is difference between refined carbs and whole grains or fiber rich carbs. All carbs are not created equal. So, always follow age old nutritional information. But we need to strike the balance, so we can eat healthy as well as a satisfying meal. Eating our favorite food by substituting for some carbohydrates from a meal can help us stick to our meal plan even better in the long run. E.g. American Diabetic Association advices meal of 45-60 gms of carbohydrates. For one meal a week, you can eat a meal free of carbs like Grilled Chicken and Veggies (cauliflower, beans, broccoli, cabbage), then at that meal you can eat a whole cup(about 2.5 scoops) of regular ice cream which is approx. 35gms of carbs. And still be in your normal range.

If a patient is in denial about his disease, then this information can ease him. He can be handled by a sensitive family member or friend. Patient needs to be accompanied for the doctor visits and somebody needs to take charge of the diet and medication. The whole family needs to modify their eating patterns and diets, according to the doctor’s advice. Eating healthy is good for all. Diabetes is a lifestyle disease and is caused since our lifestyle has changed to a great extent from what it should have been.

Take the patent for a walk. Say,”Let’s go for a walk regularly”, rather than, “Why don’t you go for a walk”. Don’t leave him alone to fight the disease. Lend him a supportive hand to live with diabetes.

Some interesting links:
http://www.joslin.org/info/fitting_sugar_into_your_meals.html
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/newly-diagnosed/getting-started/top-13-diabetes-food-myths?page=9&sssdmh=dm17.739983&esrc=dlowte01_13

                                                                             

Food Adventures in Dubai

My trip to Dubai was very pleasant, but food was somewhat of a disappointment. I being a foodie, food is a major attraction of my vacation. From that perspective, this vacation was less than satisfactory. The traditional Middle Eastern cuisine can be summed up by saying that, it is a creative use of salt and pepper in various ways to flavor meats and fish, period. So is most of the American cuisine. But in there, the saving grace is the fat they use. They use a lot of butter, fatty meats and cheeses, which covers up for the lack in cooking creativity. Of course I am exaggerating a bit or maybe I am not!

In our stay in Dubai we tried to mainly focus on the local cuisine. We had Shawarmas(lamb and chicken) and kabobs (again lamb and chicken) a couple of times in food courts. And I thought, hmmm…they could do better, but ignored the feeling and gobbled it down. After some uneventful eating here and there, I was suggested a place called, WAFI Gourmet for good Middle Eastern food, by a local relative. This time it was not so much the food that struck me, but the service surprised me and not pleasantly. This was a fairly upscale restaurant, with food counters as well as ala carte menu. Prices were high but the service was average. This is not uncommon in Dubai, as tipping much is not a norm. When you come from India or even USA, where the waiting staff is extra polite 80% of the times, you feel the difference more. I will have to agree that the food was as good as Middle Eastern food can get. The khoobj or the freshly baked flat bread was an absolute delight. Hummus was sour, a little heavy on tahini. Meat quality was above average. I noticed an interesting addition here. Along with the grilled meat pieces there were grilled pieces of lamb fat. Since I like most fats, it was a welcome addition. Did I mention that the food prices in Dubai were pretty high! That is worth mentioning again.

A friend took us out to dinner in the Abra area, one of the nights. This was an authentic Arabic eating place where you see all the locals coming. Service was fast, prices were reasonable and food was good. They had brain, liver and tongue sandwiches, which I wasn't brave enough to try. Their Irani biryani was mild and flavorful. I still believe that the best Middle Eastern eateries are found in the West. One of my all time favorites is in downtown San Francisco. Their Shawarmas are to die for. Dripping with their heavenly sauce and loaded with meat. But that is America for you (abundance). Some of the Indian Hummus can give the Arabs a run for their money, at a fraction of their price that it would be in UAE.

On other days we had a couple of trips to Burger King and KFC. These are places where you expect the food to be standard. But there too it seemed, just ok. Burger King Burgers were slathered with insane amounts of ketchup. This was the experience on 2 separate occasions. KFC fries were limp and unseasoned. An 8” pizza in Pizza hut was covered only on the centre 4” part with cheese. I had my fill on my favorite Garrett popcorn, straight from Chicago, just the way they should be.

I bought a lot of good spices at the Spice Souk (market). I wish they would use some of those in their foods too. Just kidding! It was overall a good experience. An absolutely different culture, as compared to the West or Asia. Locals are on the ruder side, no matter what color they are. A mix of the whole world in one place at one time, even more than London or New York City. Tall buildings, huge malls, lots of gold, a mecca for shopping, and all the popular restaurants and brands from world over are here. Display of some of the best modern architecture at a short trip from India.