Is it safe to consume dates and honey for people with diabetes?

date trees and its fruits (illustration / public domain image)

Meal planning for diabetics (persons with diabetes) is an absolute must do. In planning meals, there are 3 patterns, which include:

Number of calories
Adjusted to body weight, height, age, physical condition, so it is very individual.

Type or composition of food
Choose foods with low glycemic index (called the glycemic index low if under 55) and the lower the glycemic load (glycemic load low if above 10).

Meal schedule
Eating with the schedule is divided into five to six times of the day, which includes three main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and two or three times for snack.

What about honey and dates? Honey is a type of foods that contain carbohydrates at 12 grams in a tablespoon, and provides 50 kcal. In addition, honey also has a glycemic index of about 87 (including types of foods with high glycemic index). Therefore honey still may be consumed, but only for seasonings, such as an extra or a mixture of seasonings for cooking.

Likewise dates, which is a fruit with an energy content of 50 kcal and 12 grams of total carbohydrate content of each three dates. There are several types of dates on the market, such as fresh fruit (which is not in the form of sweets) has a glycemic index of about 46 (come under low glycemic index), while dried dates have a glycemic index of 100.

So people with diabetes can still eat dates, as long as the as it's three fresh fruits a day, and it is not preserved or dried dates in the form of sweets.