With the arrival of Ramadan, people with chronic diseases, especially diabetes, often become undecided about whether to fast or not. Since the effects of diabetes may vary from person to person, patients should not decide whether or not to have diabetes without consulting their doctor. Diabetic patients, whose doctors do not recommend fasting, should pay attention to some tips in order to avoid health problems.
Here are the tips to help diabetic patients spend Ramadan comfortably;
After-meal sugar intake. attention
The general nutrition principle of diabetic patients should be 3 main meals and 3 snacks. A fasting diabetic patient takes in too much sugar from the foods he eats at iftar and sahur after a long period of fasting. This causes the blood sugar level to rise above normal. Higher-than-normal postprandial blood sugar may also increase the risk of heart disease. While the insulin hormone produced in the pancreas is secreted normally in healthy people after a meal, insulin is not secreted at sufficient levels in diabetic patients. For this reason, people with diabetes should not suddenly introduce too much sugar into their bodies and put their pancreas in a difficult situation. People should divide their meals to reduce the burden on the body of suddenly eating large amounts of food.
The nutrition program of diabetic patients during Ramadan should be as close to the normal diet as possible. Iftar meals should be light but designed to ensure blood sugar balance. It would be more appropriate to start iftar with breakfast foods such as cheese, tomatoes and olives or light meals such as soup, and continue with other meals after about 15 minutes. At iftar, light soups and vegetable dishes should be preferred instead of heavy, fatty, fried and animal foods. After iftar, you should have another snack containing fruit, approximately 2 hours before going to bed.
Hidden threat hypoglycemia
Staying hungry for a long time while fasting can cause some health problems in people. It may happen. Fluctuations in patients' sugar balance during Ramadan cause health problems in the short and long term. The most important danger of long-term fasting is hypoglycemia. It is an excessive decrease in blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is blood sugar falling below 60 mg/dl. It is important for patients to listen and pay attention to the recommendations of doctors and dietitians on this issue.
Sahur should not be neglected
It is not right for diabetic patients to fast without getting up for sahur. The foods consumed during sahur are as important as getting up for sahur. Foods that will maintain blood sugar balance throughout the day should be included in sahur. These foods may be milk, yoghurt, cheese and eggs with high protein content. Salty foods consumed at sahur may increase water needs throughout the day. For this reason, salted olives, pickled products and salty cheeses should be avoided. At the same time, the grain products consumed at sahur should be whole grain. Whole grain products have a low glycemic index value. For this reason, they provide appetite control by preventing fluctuations in blood sugar throughout the day.
Water consumption should be careful
Staying dehydrated for a long time may negatively affect kidney functions. In order to protect the kidneys, which are organs that can be negatively affected by diabetes, you should drink enough water between iftar and sahur; It should not be forgotten that this amount, which varies from person to person, is at least 2-2.5 liters on average. Water should not be drunk quickly in one gulp. Rapid water consumption may cause sudden expansion of the gastrointestinal tract, sudden drop in blood pressure, resulting in dizziness and fainting. Water should be drunk slowly, sitting and sipping.
Water should not be consumed too much during meals. Because excess water in the stomach can dilute stomach acid and make digestion difficult. More attention should be paid to this, especially in iftar meals where meat is consumed.
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