The first treatment point, indicated by the endocrinologist after confirmation of the diagnosis of "diabetes mellitus," is a nutrition adjustment. The diet is strict, eliminating the use of foods with a high glycemic index, contributing to increased glucose levels. However, there are exceptions to all the rules. So, the question of whether it is possible to eat honey in diabetes mellitus, some doctors respond negatively, others, on the contrary, recommend this product useful in all respects to their patients. Why? Let's understand.
- Arguments against"
- Arguments for"
- What are the forms of diabetes you can eat honey?
- Consumption norms
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Arguments against"
Considering the question, whether to use honey in diabetes or not, it is necessary to take into account the fact of a very high glycemic index of the product (82). The main danger - a sharp jump in sugar, which is fraught with deterioration of the patient's well-being. This is the first and main argument for the ban on honey in diabetes mellitus.
The second reason is the high content of carbohydrates. When diabetes is recommended low-carbohydrate diet, even small disorders of the diet can trigger a sharp increase in blood sugar. There is no categorical prohibition, however, you should take honey with extreme caution, following the body's response to sweetness.
Honey is very high in calories. Given that obesity in diabetes is one of the most frequent complications, high caloric content of the product becomes another reason why it is not recommended to eat such a patient.
Attention! Honey is categorically contraindicated if the sugar level is much higher than the allowable rate.
If you use honey uncontrolled, misused to treat, you can cause harm to the body. This is especially true for people with hypersensitivity or an allergy to bee products.
Arguments for"
Sweet with a constantly elevated level of sugar in the blood - an absolute taboo. But not all. Honey with type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) does not fall under the ban.
Yes, honey is very sweet, much sweeter than sugar beet or cane sugar. However, it contains only about 30% of glucose. The main part of carbohydrates is represented by fructose (40%).
Important! Honey in the diet of a patient with diabetes may be included only with the permission of the attending physician.
The factor of glucose tolerance, plus, a significant argument "for" in favor of whether it is possible to use honey in diabetes, is due to the presence of chromium in the product. This microelement helps regulate carbohydrate metabolism, supports the functioning of the pancreas, which synthesizes the hormone insulin.
The high amount of nutrients in the honey make it an extremely necessary food, an indispensable medicinal product used in the treatment of various diseases. If there are no serious limitations, people with diabetes should eat honey regularly, if only because there are:
- ascorbic acid, necessary to maintain the body's defenses;
- vitamins of group B - are necessary for normal functioning of the nervous system;
- irreplaceable organic acids, a complex of amino acids, without which the normal operation of all systems is impossible;
- natural minerals;
- microelements (zinc, manganese, potassium);
- protein.
The unconditional benefit of honey in diabetes is confirmed by the enzyme glycosidase entering into its composition. With controlled consumption of the product, the level of sugar not only does not increase, but decreases by several points.
What are the forms of diabetes you can eat honey?
When deciding whether to eat honey for a diabetic patient, the doctor estimates the severity of the disease. In mild forms of diabetes, when elevated glucose levels can be reduced by dietary intake and drug therapy, this product is not forbidden to eat. In the severe course of the pathology, complications of diabetes, the inability to achieve a stable process compensation, you can not use sweet.
When the patient is in a stable state, it is allowed to introduce honey into the diet for type 2 diabetes mellitus (insulin-independent diabetes) and type 1 (insulin-dependent diabetes), but in strictly limited quantities. As clinical practice shows, this useful product, when used systematically, allows you to stabilize blood pressure, reduce the glycated hemoglobin level by at least 2%.
In some women, hormonal changes that are characteristic of pregnancy may be accompanied by a decrease in the synthesis of insulin. Diagnose a condition called gestational diabetes or diabetes mellitus in pregnant women.
Low-carbohydrate gluten-free diet for such pregnant women is mandatory. Sweet, heavy carbohydrates are forbidden to use. As for whether honey is possible with gestational diabetes, the recommendations of the doctors are the same as for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There is it possible, but a little (about 1 tbsp. l. per day).
Consumption norms
The permissible daily norm of the product is from 1 hour. l. up to 2 tbsp. l., which is determined by the doctor individually for each patient. It is important to know, not how much you can afford to eat sweet for the day, but how to choose the right honey and what to use it for.
Criterias of choice:
- Absolute naturalness. No additives in the form of sugar syrup should not be. Buy is desirable only for bona fide, reliable sellers.
- Degree of maturity. A young product contains less nutrients, so it is recommended to use mature honey.
- Percentage ratio of fructose and glucose. In diabetes, you need to choose a high fructose variant, which can be easily distinguished from highly glucose in terms of the rate of crystallization. In a product containing more glucose, the crystals are formed quickly. A product with a high content of fructose lasts longer than it remains liquid or does not crystallize at all.
- Grade. In diabetes, the best varieties are: acacia, from a spray, a cornflower of a rough, pink sow. It is not recommended to use lime, rapeseed, buckwheat, drop variety.
The optimal variant of eating - to add to cereal, combine with dairy, sour-milk products. You can drink honey, diluting it with liquid (drinking water, tea, compotes).
Advice! If there is honey in honeycombs, the rate of assimilation of the product will decrease. Carbohydrates will be absorbed more slowly, so the risk of a sharp jump in blood glucose will decrease.
The main thing to remember is that under the influence of high temperature, the beneficial properties of the product are almost completely neutralized. Therefore, it should be added only in warm (up to 60 degrees) dishes and drinks.
If you strictly follow all the rules, the sweet gift of nature will not only harm the body, but it will also provide essential help in stabilizing the patient's condition, treating and stopping the progression of diabetes. Can I get diabetes from honey? No. The occurrence of the disease is affected by factors that are only partially associated with food behavior. The use of this beekeeping product on the development of disturbances in the endocrine system is not reflected.
