A diabetic patient faces a challenge in controlling blood sugar levels, hence some foods may be better for him compared to others. In this report, we discuss a group of popular foods in the Arab world and their suitability for diabetics.

Here we will talk about lentils, beans, chickpeas, falafel prepared from chickpeas and taamia prepared from beans.

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which there is a rise in blood glucose, as a result of a lack of secretion of the hormone insulin, and then it is called type I diabetes, or as a result of increased cell resistance to the hormone insulin, and then it is called type II diabetes.

Type II diabetes is more common, affecting adults who are overweight and sedentary, while type I diabetes affects young people and occurs as a result of the immune system attacking and destroying the beta cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin.

The five foods that we will talk about belong to the legume family, and are rich in dietary fiber and vegetable proteins, and also contain carbohydrates.

Glycemic index

To compare these foods, we'll use the glycemic index, a number that indicates how much blood sugar rises after eating a particular food.

The glycemic index ranks foods on a scale of 0 to 100 based on how fast and how much blood sugar levels are raised after eating. Foods with a high glycemic index, such as white bread, are digested quickly and cause significant fluctuations in blood sugar, while foods with a low glycemic index, such as whole oats, are digested more slowly, leading to a gradual rise in blood sugar.

Foods with a glycemic index of 55 or lower, foods rated 70-100 are considered high in blood sugar, and medium-level foods have a glycemic index of 56 to 69.

The lower the glycemic index of a particular food, the better it is for a diabetic.

The following is the glycemic index for these foods, noting that these figures are approximate and general, and vary depending on the method of preparation of the variety, the duration of frying and the added oil or tahini:

  • Lentils: 44
  • Chickpeas Love: 28
  • Ground chickpeas with tahini: 25
  • Love beans: 40
  • Fava beans: 30
  • Falafel prepared from chickpeas: 65
  • Taamia prepared from beans: 40

It can be seen that all the previous foods are low or medium glycemic index, and the least is ground chickpeas with tahini.

On the other hand, falafel has the highest glycemic index.

Ground chickpeas with tahini

This means that ground chickpeas with tahini can be considered the best for a diabetic. However, this does not mean that other foods are not good, but rather that they are suitable and do not raise blood sugar significantly.

But the diabetic patient should pay attention to the fact that eating a lot of any food may raise blood sugar, for example, you can eat two tablespoons of ground chickpeas for breakfast with a slice of bread, but eating a full plate with a large loaf of bread and tea with sugar will certainly raise blood sugar.

Every year on November 14, the world celebrates World Diabetes Day to raise awareness and deal with the disease.