Diabetes Singapore recommends that those living with diabetes eat foods with a low glycemic index. Examples of such food items include rolled oats, brown rice and high-fibre breakfast cereals such as natural muesli.

Hawker dishes such as fish soup can also be beneficial to those living with diabetes as it contains plenty of vegetables (i.e. fibre). However, avoid consuming preserved radish or ikan bilis as these contain high sodium concentrations.

Carbohydrate or Calorie Counting

One of the key steps you can take to prevent or delay diabetes is managing your carbohydrate consumption. Carbs contain sugars that the body turns into energy and can be found in foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, breads cereals fruits and dairy products such as milk and yoghurt.

Maintaining an accurate record of how many carbohydrates are in each meal using either a food journal or carb counting app can help ensure accurate dosing with mealtime insulin.

Avoid high-fat foods that could increase your risk for diabetes and other health problems, and aim for a diet with balanced amounts of proteins, carbs, fats and proteins – categories known as macronutrients – 50-60% should come from carbohydrates while 15-20% from fat and 20-30% from protein should comprise your calories. Consult a nutritionist or dietitian for assistance to gain an understanding of which foods affect glucose levels the most effectively.

Making Healthy Food Choices

An appropriate diet for people living with diabetes is key. A well-rounded meal should consist of carbohydrates (from fruits and vegetables), protein, and fats such as nuts, seeds and low sodium fatty fish – while being free from added sugars or saturated/trans-fats.

Reach for daily servings of fiber to help decrease your glycemic index and keep blood glucose at healthy levels. Choose foods such as quinoa, brown rice, chickpeas, beans and low-salt, low-salt packaged cereals to get started.

Fry foods should be avoided to safeguard both blood sugar and heart health. According to one recent study, people who consume four or more times weekly are at higher risk for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

To make healthier food choices, opt for soup-based noodles such as yong tau foo or sliced fish soup; opt for steamed, stewed, braised, baked or grilled dishes over fried foods; reduce salt usage with herbs and spices at both home and at the table;

Avoiding High-Fat Foods

Everyone should limit their intake of fat as it contributes to weight gain, increased glucose and triglyceride levels and may increase cardiovascular disease risk. People living with diabetes should especially pay attention when selecting high-fat foods since these often contain higher concentrations of saturated (meat, dairy products such as cream and butter, solid cooking fats like lard and copha) and trans fatty acids that increase cardiovascular disease risk.

If you decide to indulge in nasi lemak, select brown rice over white as it has a lower glycemic index. When serving up this dish, keep portions small – approximately one fistful or quarter of your fistful of rice – and avoid drizzles of dark soya sauce as this adds extra sodium into your meal.

Although making diabetic-friendly food choices may seem difficult, they’re definitely doable! Simply remember to balance meals with vegetables and lean proteins while sipping plenty of water instead of high-sugar drinks.

Choosing the Right Diet

Many people believe their food options will be severely limited when living with diabetes, but this is far from true. There are numerous local dishes in Singapore suitable for those living with this condition. When selecting foods to eat in Singapore for diabetics, avoid processed snacks with high levels of saturated fats and sodium content, which increase risk for heart disease while excess salt raises blood pressure levels significantly and could cause kidney issues.

If dining out, request less rice than is typically offered and reduce or forgo sambal chilli altogether. Instead, consider adding more cucumbers to your nasi lemak, rendang chicken, petai or cabbage dishes and selecting vegetable sides like bak kwai or satay instead of traditional fast foods like wings, eggs or cutlets.

Diets that provide nutritious proteins and fats, low-GI carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and heart-healthy fiber can be extremely helpful when managing diabetes. Before making any dietary adjustments it is advisable to consult a registered dietitian.