You rush out of your doctor’s office and you are diagnosed with diabetes. You are given a set of recommendations to lose weight, change your lifestyle habits, increase your steps, etc.  All that information starts to sink in your mind while you sit there and feel so dazzled and lost, so you start writing your to-do-list in your head:

1.  Research which diet to follow
2.  Stop eating bread, rice, pasta, chocolate , fruits and all the food you love because they are full of sugar
3.   Stop eating out with friends
4.   Go to the gym 2-3 hrs every single day
5.   Lose 15 kgs in 1 month

This overwhelming feeling is expected! I have seen this happen many times due to the many internet articles and blogs about diabetes and healthy eating. It becomes hard to decide who to trust, what to eat and what to avoid.

What is the best diet to manage your diabetes?

With all the ongoing research, there is simply no one size fits all eating plan that works for everyone. It is a combination of so many factors, such as your weight, genetics, sleep quality, stress levels, lifestyle routine and insulin sensitivity, all of which need to be taken into consideration to craft a personalized plan that suits your nutritional needs. That being said, the best diet is the one that is tailored to you.

You should always take into consideration your lifestyle trends, your daily routine and the best fit for you. Before adopting any kind of diet, always ask yourself these questions:

Is this a sustainable way of eating?

Is this going to stress me out or will I look forward for my meals?

No matter the results you aim to achieve, be it quick weight loss or better blood sugar control, if you will not be able to commit to it in the long term, then it’s probably not the best way of eating for YOU.

Rather than labelling food as good or bad, think about them as having higher or lower health benefits. Listen to your own body and watch how certain foods affect your blood sugar levels.

As individuals can have different glycemic responses to the exact same food, GluCare’s unique diabetes management platform helps us manage patient’s food choices to obtain more optimal glycemic control. We are able to, in near real-time, look at a patient’s dietary choices and analyze responses to glucose and weight changes, and communicate with our patients via our app. This helps us manage our patients much more effectively in comparison to sporadic in- clinic visits. As a dietician, I am able to be part of your journey in adjusting your diet, and alongside the rest of my clinical team, reinvent the way a dietician and diabetic patient would generally interact.

So turn your panic alarm off, start slow and set goals to enjoy eating a variety of nutrient dense foods. Remember the key word: Moderation. Blood sugar can be well controlled when a variety of foods, especially carbohydrates, are consumed in appropriate amounts and distributed properly throughout the day.