Healthy eating for the South Asian community

1 Healthy eating for theSouth Asian communityFINAL 2/3/11 13:47 Page 1 ContentsIntroduction3 Your diet and diabetes3 The role of carbohydrate5 Your questions answered6 Ten steps to eating well8A Healthy balance11 Getting the balance right12 What s on your plate?14 Managing your weight16 eating out, special occasions and fasting18 Know your labels20 Further information22 About Diabetes UK23 FINAL 2/3/11 13:47 Page 23 IntroductionThis booklet offers general guidance about Healthy eatingchoices for people within the South Asian community withType 2 diabetes. Balancing your diet when you have Type 2diabetes can be challenging but it is important.

2 Makingsensible food choices and adapting your eating habits willhelp you manage your diabetes and help protect your long-term health. Whether you have the condition, or know orcare for somebody with Type 2 diabetes, we hope you willfind this information steps to balance your diet, as outlined in this booklet, willhelp you control your blood glucose levels, blood fats (includingcholesterol) and blood pressure. This booklet is also a good startingpoint if you need to think about managing your weight. You're likely to have lots of questions about your diet and we vetried to answer the most common ones in this leaflet.

3 Speak toyour dietitian if you have any further concerns. Your diet and diabetesWhat is diabetes?Diabetes is a common life-long condition where the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high as it cannot be usedproperly. This is because the pancreas does not produce any or notenough insulin, or the insulin that is produced doesn t work properly(known as insulin resistance). Insulin helps glucose enter the body scells, where it is used for energy. Glucose comes from digesting carbohydrate from various kinds offood and drink and is also produced by the liver. FINAL 2/3/11 13:47 Page 34 There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 1diabetes develops when the insulin-producing cells have beendestroyed and the body is unable to produce any insulin.

4 Usually itappears before the age of 40, and especially in childhood. It istreated with insulin, either by injection or pump, a Healthy diet andregular physical activity. Type 2diabetes develops when the body doesn t produce enoughinsulin or the insulin that is produced doesn t work properly. Usually it appears in people aged over 40, though in South Asian and Blackpeople it can appear from the age of 25. It is becoming morecommon in children and young people of all ethnicities. Type 2diabetes is treated with a Healthy diet and regular physical activity,but medication including insulin is often s important to have good glucose control when managingdiabetes.

5 Because of the link between eating carbohydrate andblood glucose levels, we have answered some common questionsabout carbohydrate on the following is carbohydrate?The two main types of carbohydrate are as follows: 1. Starchy carbohydrates include foods like bread, pasta, chapatis,potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals. 2. Sugarswhich can be categorised as: natural sugar, eg fruit sugar known as fructose and milk sugar known as lactose added sugar,includes table sugar (eg caster, granulated ), glucose andhoney. Sugars canoften be identified on food labels as those ingredientsending in 2/3/11 13:47 Page 45 Why is carbohydrate important?

6 All carbohydrate is converted into glucose and will have an impacton blood glucose levels. Therefore, some people with diabeteswonder if it would be better not to have any carbohydrate in theirdiet to keep their glucose levels under control. This is notrecommended as: glucose from carbohydrate is essential to the body, especially thebrain high fibre carbohydrates, such as wholegrains and fruit, also playan important role in the health of the gut some carbohydrates may help you to feel fuller for longer. How much do I need?The actual amount of carbohydrate that the body needs variesdepending on your age, weight and activity levels, but it shouldmake up about half of what you eat and drink.

7 For good healthmost of this should be from starchy carbohydrate, fruits and some dairy foods, with no more than one fifth of your totalcarbohydrate to come from added sugar. FINAL 2/3/11 13:47 Page 56 Your questions answeredCan I still have rice in my diet?Yes, starchy carbohydrate such as rice should be included inall your meals. Basmati and easy-cook rice are better choicesif you have diabetes as they are absorbed more slowly sohave less of an effect on your blood glucose levels. Try notto have too big a portion see pages 12 13 for more it true that I shouldn t eat bananas, mangoes or grapes?

8 No. All fruit is good for you. eating more fruit can reducethe risk of heart disease, some cancers and some gutproblems. Eat a variety of different fruit and vegetables for maximum there any herbal remedies that can control my diabetes?Generally herbal remedies are not recommended, as there isno evidence to suggest that they are safe. They cannot curediabetes and shouldn t be used to replace medication givento you by your doctor. QACan I still have some sugar in my diet?Yes. eating sugar doesn t cause diabetes and people withdiabetes do not need to have a sugar-free diet. It s okay tohave foods like mithai and cakes occasionally alongside ahealthy diet.

9 Remember sugary foods provide empty 2/3/11 13:47 Page 67 What traditional savoury snacks are consideredhealthy?Many traditional snacks, such as chevda, kachori, ghathiaand papad tend to be fried, and high in calories and healthier alternatives such as roasted chana, bakedpapad and steamed dhokra. Avoid adding extra oil on is not my first language. Where can I findfurther information in my language?Information in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urduabout all aspects of diabetes can be found on our You can also attend diabeteseducation programmes or talks in your language askyour healthcare team about what s available in your d like to use a sweetener instead of sugar in mytea but I ve heard that they aren t safe.

10 Is this true?All sweeteners have to undergo rigorous safety tests beforethey can be sold in the UK. The government sets safe limitsand surveys groups of individuals to see whether they areexceeding these limits. At the moment there is no evidenceto suggest that the general public is exceeding these 2/3/11 13:47 Page 78 Ten steps to eating wellEat three meals a day. Avoid skipping meals and space out yourbreakfast, lunch and evening meal over the day. This will not onlyhelp control your appetite but will also help control your bloodglucose each meal include starchy carbohydrate foodssuch as rice,chapatis, bread, pasta and breakfast cereals.