Milk bad for diabetes?

I counsel many clients who are in the pre-diabetes stages or are suffering from full blown diabetes. They are worried about table sugar and are ready to skip it in their morning cuppa or just quit eating sweets..But we have many doctors who know all about “nutrition” and “diet” and end up advising patients about their diets and project themselves that they know it all. I have heard doctors advising to skip sugar(okay acceptable), stop eating fruits(why on earth do they advise this) and stop drinking milk!!! These are the foods considered by doctors to be high in sugar. To tell you the truth, all foods contain sugars except for oils,egg whites,poultry and meats etc and also air and water. I ask my clients who want to have sugar free diets whether they want to live only on these foods and air and water. Then they realize that they were depriving themselves of the foods their body requires. If any doctor asks you to miss a complete food group in your diet, then he or she is misleading you.

Avoiding sugars is acceptable as most of our foods do provide us with natural or “hidden” sugars but avoiding dairy products is like a crime to the body. Milk and milk products are like elixir to the body. It has been proved that consuming low fat dairy products can help to reduce insulin resistance, than those who were avoiding dairy. The sugar present in milk products are lactose, which is also known as milk sugar, is said to be converted to blood sugar relatively slowly. This can help in blood sugar control and also help in reducing insulin resistance. (Pic showing a smart lady sipping on milk)

The protein present in milk too will fill you up and will prevent mid meal binges. If you are overweight, then you can opt for fat free milk products, but if your weight is under control, then you can opt for low fat milk, where the fat content is less than 2% of fat. The fat too will keep you satisfied and hence milk products can work as good snacks.

So how can you incorporate milk products in your diet…

• Add milk in your high fiber cereal for breakfast.
• Make smart choices for snack. Eat low fat yogurt with fruits for a snack.
• Add cottage cheese in your salad.
• Add low fat cheese in your sandwich…
• Drink milk after dinner as a post a dinner snack.
• Make low fat milk sweets at home for dessert.
• Make fruit smoothies with milk and you can also add low fat dry milk powder for the extra boost of vitamins and protein…

So do not skip dairy if you want to maintain your blood sugars…