Navratri and Diabetes

Navratri and diabetes

The celebrations in Navratri draws the excitement among people and among the devotees it’s the time for nine days fasting. Fasting will help in cleansing and detoxifying your body and mind.

  

Being a diabetic, you should avoid excess of festive food as well as fasting. Diabetics are more prone to health risk. As it is the personal choice it is not desirable not to eat for a long time in fact small frequent meals are advisable to maintain the blood glucose level. Include more of fruits, vegetables and salads.

Consult your Diabetologist in Delhi before fasting 

You may need a change in medication or dosage modification of some medicines or Insulin if you have to fast. Some antidiabetic medicines (like Glimipiride, Gliclazide, Glibenclamide, Glipizide, etc..), and short acting and premixed Insulins are prone to cause hypoglycemia in absence of sufficient food intake whereas others may not. 

Choose wisely

Usually in fasting high calorie food intake is more like pakoras, papad, pooris, tikka, sabudana, buckwheat flour, etc.  All these are calorie rich and can quickly shoot up the blood glucose.

Try to include food cooked in less oil, and cooking methods to be adopted should be baking, grilling, or in non-stick pan

Also during fasting avoid caffeine beverages as they can be dehydrating and lead to difficulties, and hydrate yourself with plenty of water and beverages like lemon water, coconut water and buttermilk whole day.

One should check the blood glucose levels frequently when on fasting as you should be more careful about your health. Listed below few points which will help you to manage your diabetes well during fasting:

·         Drink any beverage or eat fruit after every 2 hour.

·         Consume milk and its products after every short interval.

·        Do consult your Diabetologist before fasting Don’t miss your medicine

·         If you feel hypoglycaemia or low sugar levels immediately take some form of sugar.

·         Modify the dose of  insulin as per the sugar levels

Holy Navratras - Fasting & Feasting

The holy Navratras are associated with prayers and fasting all over India.

But Fasting and Feasting have special significance for Diabetics.

During prolonged fasting when no food or water at all is taken, the blood glucose levels may drop down causing hypoglycemia (this is a serious complication and may result in irreparable damage to brain).
This may specially be aggravated in patients taking either insulin or on frequently used oral medicines like Glimeperide ( Amaryl etc. ), or Glibenclamide ( Daonil etc. ).

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia are:

Sudden weakness
Hunger
Palpitations( increased heart beat),
tremor of hands
Sweating on foreheadand hands
Difficulty in walking, performing simple tasks
Incoherent speech
Loss of consciousness
Seizures

If any of these symptoms occur immediately put some sugar/ glucose / candy / sweets or a bread slice in your mouth and if the symptoms still continue seek medical attention.

It is also important to take sufficient amount of water during fasting periods - to avoid dehydration and resulting consequences.


During the periods of "fasting" many special "Fast-foods" are consumed for some people it may cause excess rather than deficiency of calories and carbohydrates. Most of the foods consumed in north india are fried, fried potatoes, nuts, seeds, halwa made from Singhara ( dried water chestnut) atta Kottu atta ( Buck wheat flour ) and rock salt or fruits etc. while restricting the intake of regular food grains and pulses like wheat, rice, daals etc and common salt.

Consumption of fruits is highly beneficial and preferable for diabetics, But consumption of fried Starchy foods like potatoes and water chestnut ( Singhara/ Kottu atta) is not recommended as this may result in increased blood sugar and cholesterol.


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