In diabetes diet plays an important role in the management of the disease. Let me summarize the diabetes process. This will help you understand why honey and sweet fruit should be avoided in the diet for people with diabetes.
Sugar finds its way from the digestive system into the blood, where insulin released from the pancreas helps break it down to release energy. This energy becomes available to the body for survival and other functions.
Insulin plays a blood sugar regulatory role. It prevents blood sugar levels from either rising too high. When blood sugar levels get too high, such a condition is hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia, on the other hand, is a low blood sugar condition.
Diabetes experts have indicated normal blood sugar levels for healthy people. According to the American Diabetes Association, the standard blood sugar level in adults’ fasting state should stay less than 100 mg/dl. A reading between 100 mg/dl and 126 mg/dl indicates that the individual is pre-diabetic. These are warning levels. They tell you that you are on the verge of turning diabetic. The peak blood sugar levels for non-diabetics measured two hours after eating should not exceed 180 mg/dl.
According to the American Diabetes Association, nutrient-dense foods are the best for individuals who have diabetes. The diabetes diet is recommended to include foods rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals but low in added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
These nutrients are available in non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, beans, lettuce, cucumbers, and the like. These should be consumed whole and minimally processed.
Apple, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, and oatmeal are other food recommendations.
Even Ayurveda, therefore, forbids people with diabetes to consume alcohol, milk and milk products, sugary drinks, clarified butter, butter, cheese, and yogurt in addition to meats.
Among fruits, the recommendations are fruits of Eugenia jambolana (common name- java plum or black plum), Borassus flabellfer (common name – toddy palm or wine palm), Embilica officinalis (common name- Indian gooseberry), pomegranate and Disospyrus malabarica (common name – Malabar ebony). Ancient Ayurvedic recommendations include fowl and deer consumption, fermented wines, honey, flaxseed, mustard oils, and Hordeum vulgare (barley) puffs. Pepper, turmeric, asafetida spices, and rock salt. (Sharma R. et al., 2014). TCM dietary recommendations contain foods found locally in China.
To learn more about natural solutions for diabetes, you can check this book here.