Diabetics can feast, fast during Diwali & Ramzan

AHMEDABAD: With health consciousness on the rise, many diabetics and cardiac patients find feasting and fasting a difficult feat to perform during Diwali and Ramzan, a time when high-calorie food dominates the menu.
However, doctors now approach the issue with a more practical approach. They say that while festivities have to be enjoyed, patients should compensate their eating binge by not giving exercise and diet regimes the go-by.They warn that often a small piece of ‘mithai’ is safer than the unrestrained gorging of oily ‘mathias’, ‘fafras’ and other ‘farsans’which should be curtailed as they can increase blood sugar levels.
Apollo hospital diabetologist Dr Ramesh Goyal says, “Patients should enjoy their holiday, but not take a holiday from their exercise regime. They should have low calorie, low fat food. Those who fast during Ramzan should consult doctors if they are on diabetic medication,� he says.
He also says that diabetics can take sugar if they follow a certain regime. “The American Diabetes Association has recommended that sugar and sugar- containing foods can be a part of diabetic diet provided they are substituted for other calories already in the diet. This Diwali and Ramzan, patients can take sweets if they skip the rice or other high-calorie foodstuffs and maintain their exercise regime,� he said.
This year, many shopkeepers have started marketing their brand of ‘low calorie’ sweets. However, nutrition expert Rucha Mazumdar warns that there is no such thing as ‘low calorie’.
“Unbridled eating binge of sweetmeats and ‘farsans’, even if they come with the so-called ‘low calorie’ tag, can be dangerous. Diabetic patients should be careful as many of these entail use of oil and ghee even if they use sugar substitutes,� she says.
Diabetologist Dr Parag Shah warns against the tendency of many patients to self-medicate. “This can be dangerous and can result in a drastic drop in sugar levels as the effect of the drug may last 24 hours, while a foodstuff can be processed in the body in four hours,� he says.
“Mathias, fafras and all other ‘farsans’ that are common during Diwali pose a greater danger than a piece of ‘mithai’. Often a diabetic patient tends to eat a tiny bite of ‘mithai’, but goes overboard while eating ‘mathias’. This can increase the blood sugar level,� he says.
Dr Mayur Patel, a city-based diabetologist, says patients should avoid eating ‘mathias’ on an empty stomach. “This way they can prevent overeating. ‘Mathias’ can also be roasted instead of fried,� he says. “During Ramzan, the eating pattern changes and this accentuates the need to change the timing of their diabetic medication,� he says.
Dr Ina Patel says that for those who have to avoid sugar altogether there are many interesting recipes where alternatives of sugar can be used. “While ‘aspartame’ is used as artificial sweetener to prepare sweetmeats for diabetics, they can also prepare several dishes at home using ‘anjeer’, ‘khajur’ and other dry fruits. These dry fruits have natural sweeteners and they can be used with minimal oil and ghee. Icecreams too can be similarly made,� she says.