Forbidden fruits, escapist pleasures… Until a few years ago, when there was a black and white view of diabetes with strict dietary restrictions, diabetics who succumbed to the temptation of forbidden foods often did so without any restraint, with serious consequences for their health.
Luckily things are now very different. Diabetes is no longer considered an inflexible disease but is recognised as having as many aspects as there are sufferers: above all, with such a personalised therapeutic approach, we now know that quality of life is essential to motivate diabetics to take good care of themselves. Good quality of life also (or especially?) consists of life’s little pleasures. So in terms of diet, we’re talking about a slice of cake, a sweet pastry, a square of chocolate, an ice cream…
There’s no point in demonising this or that food: people who carefully control their diet, like diabetics under good glycaemic control, know that it‘s not the food that‘s good or bad but how – i.e. when and, above all, how much - you eat it! For example, a glass of wine with your meal, if your liver permits it and your diabetologist and dietician agree, can be included in your daily diet calculations.
As with the diet of anyone who wants to live healthily, breaking the rules for a type 2 diabetes sufferer is a transgression whose effects can be limited with a little care: for example, if you want a slice of cake after your meal, you can try to avoid or eat less bread or fruit. Type1 diabetics will have specific strategies, developed and regulated by their medical team. As for us all, it’s important that the rest of the meal is well balanced and rich in fibre, which slows the absorption of sugar and limits increases in blood sugar levels.
While swapping one food for another is a good idea, another tactic is to eat sweet foods at the end of a meal, not on an empty stomach. In fact, the latter would cause a big jump in glycaemic levels. At the end of the meal, however, (especially if you’ve taken some insulin beforehand) the simple sugars present in sweet food are mixed with the other foods and absorbed far more slowly.
The diabetic’s psychological approach is fundamental. Transgressing the rules must be a treat: someone who’s learnt to accept their disease, is in good health and has excellent glycaemic control, will not only satisfy their palate but also boost their self-esteem and gain a positive sense of their ability to control and manage their diabetes. On the other hand, those struggling to accept their condition, especially the greedy, may view a small transgression as an overwhelming temptation, which might open the floodgates to a loss of control over their diet.