Welcome to the Activ Living Podcast. This is a health and wellness podcast that can help you stay healthy during the pandemic and prepare for life after lockdown too. Diabetes is a comorbidity with Covid-19 and India is quickly becoming the diabetic capital of the world.

During the pandemic in India, the overall case fatality rate of people with comorbidities, like diabetes and hypertension, stands at 17.9% whereas for those without comorbidities, it was 1.2%.

In this episode of the podcast, Supriya Arun, a certified nutrition expert, highlights some common misconceptions about diabetes. She highlights the wrong practices many patients follow as part of their diabetic diet.

The first myth to bust is that substitutes for sugar are always healthy. While jaggery, brown sugar, dates, and other options are healthier, they too increase your blood sugar and must be consumed with caution.

Rotis are not healthier than rice, even though it may seem so. In fact, one cup of rice has the same amount of carbohydrates as two thin rotis. What really matters is including more vegetables in your diet to reduce the glycaemic index of these foods. Tune into the podcast for a more detailed explanation.

While the first step of a diabetic diet is to completely get rid of oil and fats, it’s not the right approach. These are still important elements in a balanced diet. Supriya Arun explains how much oil and which types of oil are good for you.

Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast. This is another common practice in a diabetic diet to control blood sugar levels. Healthy eating is more important than eating less.

And lastly, don’t forget to check your blood sugar at different times during the day. This is an important part of living with diabetes and checking your sugar levels at varying intervals during the day can help you get a better understanding of your health.

Stay tuned for more health updates with our Activ Living Podcast You can also find regular and useful advice on fitness, nutrition and mindfulness on our blog