‘Bananas are too sweet’.
‘You can no longer eat sweet potatoes.’
‘Green banana is too starchy.’
Once you have diabetes everyone gives you nutrition advice saying you have to limit all the foods you know and love. Today, we want to let you know that you can enjoy all these foods and more as part of a healthy diet while maintaining your blood sugar levels.
We should start by sharing where these myths started.
Carbohydrates are foods that have starch, sugar and fibre. Carbohydrate foods include sweet potato, yam, cassava and plantain. The type of carbohydrates and amount you eat at each meal is important. This myth stemmed from people believing carbohydrates must be completely avoided or limited to manage or prevent diabetes.
It is true that having too many carbohydrates at one time can cause your blood sugar to go high, but it does not mean you have to avoid them, especially our local staples. You can still enjoy your ground provisions and stew, cou cou and Bajan soup with dumplings.
Healthy carbohydrates which help manage diabetes are high in fibre, help you to feel full and help lower your blood glucose levels.
These can be found in:
Staples – porridge made with cornmeal, oats, barley, brown rice, sweet potato, yam and cassava
Vegetables – okra, eggplant, carrots, spinach, and other leafy greens
Fruit s- guava, golden apple, pomegranate, mango, banana, pawpaw, and melon
Legumes, nuts and seeds – kidney beans, lentils, pigeon peas, cowpeas, flax seeds, peanuts and cashews
We at Bajan Diet Designs can determine how much carbohydrates are suitable for you. Click here to discover more today.
