a lot on your plate

So this week Fela who is a type II diabetic asks about the sugar in our drinks and if he can drink them. You may think that diabetics need a different type of diet than the rest of us but it's not true. There's something that's called the eatwell plate (shown above) and this shows you the types and proportions of foods you should be eating to have a healthy balanced diet. The eatwell plate is a guide for diabetics and the rest of the population. So whether you have diabetes or not you should be eating a diet that's low in fat, added sugar and salt. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is important as is including some starchy foods as part of a meal such as bread, potatoes, cereal, pasta and rice.

Diabetics should aim to getting at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetable portions just like everyone else. innocent smoothies are made from at least 80g of crushed fruit and 150ml of juice and counts as 2 portions of fruit.

As our smoothies are 100% fruit, the amount and type of sugar in smoothies is the same as you would find in 2 portions of fruit i.e. fructose, sucrose and glucose . As smoothies contain whole crushed fruit they are also a source of fibre. Fibre is important as it can help to lower the glycaemic index of a food. The glycaemic index value of a food indciates the amount a food increases your blood sugar once you've eaten it.  Diabetics should try and eat foods that have lower glyacemic index as this won't affect blood sugar levels as much. Some fruits have a low GI (i.e.pears) other fruits have a medium GI (bananas) and some have a high GI (watermelon). Our smoothies have a low-medium GI just like fruit and so are suitable for diabetics.

Please keep on letting me know all your health and nutrition questions by filling out our short form here.

dr shilps

Comments

[Emma]

Shilpee, surely smoothies are very concentrated ie alot of fruit goes into making them, so 1 glass actually contains more natural sugars than 2 pieces of fruit? Do dietitians not recommend diabetics (both types) to only take 1 small glass of smoothie at a time because even though it is natural sugar, it will still raise blood sugars? Thanks!

[Hugh K. David]

I actually asked Innocent about this via email last year - I was diagnosed Type 2 in Spring 2006. The concentration of sugars in a smoothie might be statistically ok to take in with the fibre etc., but every diabetic is different, and I know I find that so much concentrated fruit sugars make my levels rise dangerously quickly. I used to love Innocent, but if I want one now I have to buy, pour a small amount and dilute it to be able to absorb it safely. This definitely isn't much use when you're on the move and just want to pick up something from a kiosk to drink on the go.

Once I find a veg pot locally, I'm going to test those as well, see how I fare, or if they need something brown or wholemeal to help it go down.

[dr shilps]

You're absolutely right David in that every person is different and you've got to eat and drink in a way that works best for you.

Let me know how you get on with veg pots. I don't think you'll need anything brown or wholemeal as all our veg pots are a great source of fibre.