Fasting during Ramadan is known to have various health benefits. There is also a belief that fasting can normalize blood sugar levels in the body.
According to a clinical nutrition specialist at EMC Hospital Tangerang, Kristina Joy Herlambang. According to her, this assumption can be briefly called a fact but with some notes. It depends on the patient's condition, what their blood sugar control is like, and what their fasting is like.
This certainly does not apply to people who are fasting but consume a lot of simple carbohydrates when breaking their fast.
Consuming sweet drinks with high sugar content, foods with lots of flour containing sugar, low in fiber, no vitamin and mineral nutrients, and low in protein, makes fasting useless, and can even worsen the patient's condition.
On the other hand, if fasting is accompanied by wise consumption of healthy food, then this will be beneficial, including normalizing blood sugar levels.
If we fast properly, by consuming foods that are high in fiber, high in protein, fresh, contain high nutrition, and contain lots of vitamins and minerals, of course it will be beneficial and our blood sugar will actually be better.
Is Fasting Safe for High Blood Sugar Patients?
The condition of high blood sugar determines whether a person can fast or not.
It is necessary to know first how high his blood sugar is, so we have to see how his blood sugar control is. We look at his lab results, if his HbA1c is still okay, if his blood sugar control is good, actually fasting will be beneficial for him.
So we monitor and give suggestions on how to control food during fasting, when breaking the fast, during sahur, what is allowed and what is not, and what should be avoided.
On the other hand, for patients whose blood sugar is not stable and are still using insulin, patients must be very careful.
What foods are good for breaking fast and sahur?
Breaking the fast with drinks, water, coconut water, it is still safe. The first food can be with dates because even though it is sweet but it has other nutrients, there is selenium, zinc, fiber, and by chewing it slowly it increases blood sugar but the glycemic index is good.
This means that dates do not cause a spike in blood glucose in the body, so they are safe to consume when breaking the fast.
High Fiber and Non-Fried Foods
After breaking the fast, the next food that can be eaten is high-fiber ingredients that are not fried.
For example, fresh vegetables have a lot of fiber, lots of vitamins and minerals, and high fiber will help control blood sugar.
In addition to fiber, healthy protein and fat also help control blood sugar. So we try to get protein from natural food ingredients, if fish, then fish that is not dried, salted fish. So if possible, fresh fish, chicken, eggs, processed meat ingredients.
Reduce consumption of canned foods or instant foods that contain a lot of salt. Don't forget to choose complex carbohydrates, so that the spike in blood sugar is not too high until it drops and causes more complaints. Complex carbohydrates are foods that do not use much flour.
For example, rice, potatoes, tubers. If we just steam them, it's okay, but if the corn has become popcorn, the sweet potato has become sweet potato balls, that's different. If the processing is too far, usually the benefits we get are not that good.
The article was created based on the Healthy Monday program in collaboration between EMC Healthcare and Liputan6, with resource person Dr. Kristina Joy Herlambang, BMedSci (Hons), MGizi, Sp.GK (Clinical Nutrition Specialist Doctor at EMC Hospital Tangerang).