Diabetes Diet: Is Intermittent Fasting Safe Choice For Diabetics? Expert Answers

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is the type of eating plan that includes limiting your calorie intake and eating on right time time. There are different ways to do it, some restrict the calorie intake, while others restrict eating at night or during certain time of day. The article exposes whether its beneficial for people who have diabetes or not. Lets find out.Also Read – Diabetes: 5 Healthy Detox Drink Recipes To Maintain Blood Sugar levels

Nutritionist Sonia Bakshi says “For diabetic, Intermittent Fasting ie. cutting out meals and/or restricting entire food groups can cause nutritional deficiencies. When you really deprive the body of nutrients, your body not only breaks down fat but muscle as well.”  She also mentioned 5 reasons why diabetics should not opt for Intermittent Fasting. Also Read – Weight Loss Mistakes: 5 Reasons Why Intermittent Fasting is Not Helping You

5 HEALTH REASONS WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING IS NOT SAFE CHOICE FOR DIABETICS:

1. Skipping whole meals can result in poorer blood glucose control, not to mention issues such as fatigue and reduced energy and, thus, an increased risk of injury.
2. Skipping meals may also cause diabetics to make poor diet choices, which can have the opposite effect on their waistline and blood sugar. If you haven’t eaten for hours, you may be more inclined to reach for a carb-heavy pastry or plate of pasta, for instance.
3.  A plan that severely restricts a person’s calories or asks them to skip meals can be hard to stick with long term too. While weight loss might happen in the short term, but the risk of putting weight back on is always there, which in turn increases the risk for diabetes complications.
4. A big risk of Intermittent Fasting for people with diabetes is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. It doubles the risk for hypoglycemia in people with type 2 diabetes and is hence life threatening.
5.  Management of Blood sugar can be a real concern with intermittent fasting for people with type 2 diabetes. That’s why it’s important to discuss intermittent fasting with your physician, monitor your blood sugar closely, and know that your medications may need to be adjusted as well. Your dietitian and endocrinologist can help guide and support you through this.

Instead, it is safer to decrease your portion sizes, increase your physical activity between meals, and make healthy food swaps if you have diabetes. Also Read – Is Jaggery Good or Bad For Diabetes Patients? Here’s What We Know