Every person with diabetes is aware that they must adhere to a strict diet. The most important condition for diet is the complete rejection of sweets. But what about fruits? Indeed, despite their sweet taste, they have a beneficial effect on the body.
More recently, dates were considered a banned product for diabetes. But here the expression is appropriate that there should be a measure in everything. In this article, we will answer whether it is possible to eat dates for diabetes and in what quantity. And also we will analyze the pros and cons of using this product.
Diet features
There are many formulas and guidelines on the Internet for people with diabetes about what bread units are and how they can be calculated. But most of these calculations are quite complicated. Therefore, there is a very simple association that helps calculate the allowed amount of nutrients. To do this, just look at your own hands.
The amount of carbohydrate that a diabetic consumes per day should be equal to the size of one or two clenched fists. The volume depends on the level of physical activity, lifestyle activity and characteristics of the course of the disease.
The largest amount of protein is found in meat or fish. The size of the piece should be no more than the size of the palm of the patient, and its maximum thickness is equal to the thickness of the little finger.
Fats should be eaten the least. Their reception should be limited to the size of the extreme phalanx of the thumb.
Most people with diabetes should eat vegetables. There should be so many of them in the diet so that they can fit on both palms. Fiber-rich vegetables are recommended: tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and others.
Allowed Products
Before you figure out whether it is possible to eat dates for diabetes, you need to understand what foods are generally allowed with this ailment.
- Unsweetened whole grain baked goods.
- Low-fat soups: vegetarian or on bone broth from vegetables.
- Low-fat types of meat and poultry: rabbit, turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, veal.
- Boiled, baked or steamed fish of any kind.
- Vegetables can be consumed almost any. It is only necessary to limit varieties rich in starch: potatoes, carrots, beets. It is better to give preference to vegetables with a high fiber content: cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, onions and more.
- Among fruits and berries you can eat unsweetened varieties: apples, cherries, plums, peaches, currants. Dried fruits, grapes, pineapple, melon, banana are allowed in limited quantities.
- Groats: buckwheat, pearl barley, brown rice, wheat groats.
- Eggs, but in strictly limited quantities.
- Low fat dairy products.
- Confectionery with sugar substitutes. With a mild form of diabetes, a piece of chocolate, a little ice cream is allowed.
- Butter: butter in limited quantities. Vegetable (sunflower, olive, corn) is more useful for a diabetic.
- Drinks: tea, special coffee drink, juice without sugar.
Prohibited Products
Patients with diabetes should exclude the following foods from the diet:
- Sugar and honey, instead of which you can use sugar substitutes.
- White bread and pastries from butter or puff pastry.
- Candies. There are special sweets for diabetics that use glucose substitutes.
- Fatty types of meat and fish.
- Fatty dairy products.
- Rich soups on meat broth.
- Freshly squeezed or regular juices with sugar.
What beneficial substances does sweetness have
Dates are dried palm fruits that grow in the Middle East. The calorie content of 100 grams of this product is 292 kcal. This is a fairly high-calorie product. But, despite this, it contains many useful elements.
It consists of the following trace elements and nutrients:
- pectin;
- amino acids;
- vitamins A, B, C;
- beta carotene;
- folic acid;
- manganese;
- iron;
- calcium;
- magnesium.
Product benefits
The affirmative answer to the question of whether it is possible to eat dates in diabetes mellitus allows us to give their rich composition. Due to the presence of a large number of micro and macro elements, they have such useful properties:
- increase the level of health of the body;
- reduce fatigue;
- reduce the amount of low density lipoproteins in the body, thereby reducing the risk of developing atherosclerosis;
- improve blood flow;
- increase the elasticity of the vascular wall;
- activate the immune response, thereby increasing the body's resistance to infectious agents;
- activate blood formation processes;
- favorably affect vision;
- contribute to an increase in endorphin production, as a result of which the mood rises.
Product harm
Many people are worried: "Is it possible for patients with diabetes to eat dates?" Although an affirmative answer was previously given, in some cases its use can be dangerous.
The following are conditions in which the inclusion of dates in the diet is strictly prohibited:
- type 1 diabetes mellitus in severe form, decompensation stage;
- type 2 diabetes with concomitant diseases;
- age over 55 years, since the activity of enzymes necessary for the digestion of food is reduced;
- established allergy to dates, since their use can lead to severe reactions;
- the presence of concomitant chronic diseases, as they themselves worsen the course of diabetes.
In what quantities is allowed to use
Answering the question of whether it is possible to eat dates for diabetes, it is worth saying that studies on this subject have only recently begun. A large number of useful elements in the composition of the product nevertheless tipped the scales towards the use of this dried fruit.
In addition, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to use dates in diabetes mellitus also depends on the severity of the process and the type of diabetes. So, with an insulin-dependent type with a severe course and a high level of glucose in the blood, it is necessary to completely exclude this product from the diet. And if a person suffers from diabetes, which is well compensated by tablets, the use of dates is permissible.
The benefits of using dates for diabetes is possible only from one to two pieces per day. Ideally, eat them no more than several times a week. Absorption of more of this sweetness will lead to an increase in blood glucose and worsen the course of the disease.
Before introducing a product into the diet, it is imperative to ask your doctor if you can eat dates for diabetes!
Selection tips
If you received an answer from your doctor that you can eat dates for diabetes, you need to choose this dried fruit correctly. Since its useful properties are preserved only when properly stored and transported.
Fresh, useful dates should in no case have:
- cracks in the skin, as harmful microorganisms could get into them;
- white plaque, which is crystallized sugar and appears during improper storage and transportation;
- too shiny surface, indicating that the seller uses paraffin oil.
Is it worth it to use dates for diabetes, it's up to you. But before making a decision, be sure to consult your doctor. Any changes in the diet of a patient with diabetes should be closely monitored.