Deepavali falls on 8 November this year, and for many families in Ipoh that means open houses and tables full of murukku, ladoo, payasam, thosai and rich curries. If you or someone at home lives with diabetes (kencing manis), a common worry is whether the festival now means saying no to everything. For most people, it does not.
Much of what people hear about makanan untuk kencing manis (food for diabetes) rests on myths, such as rice being banned or honey being a “safe” sugar. This guide sets those myths against the facts, in line with public-health guidance from the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM) and the World Health Organization. It is general knowledge-sharing, not a personal eating plan.
Makanan untuk Kencing Manis: What Diabetes-Friendly Eating Really Means (Food for Diabetes)
Diabetes is a long-term condition in which the body has difficulty keeping the sugar in the blood within a healthy range. Type 2 diabetes is very common in Malaysia; family history, extra weight around the waist, low activity and diets high in sugar and refined starch all play a part, as explained in why Malaysians are at high risk of diabetes.
There is no single list of “allowed” and “forbidden” foods. What matters most is the overall pattern: how much carbohydrate is eaten at once, how often sweet foods and drinks appear, and what else is on the plate. KKM’s Malaysian Healthy Plate, “suku-suku-separuh”, is a simple guide: a quarter of the plate for rice, thosai, chapati or other grains, a quarter for protein such as fish, chicken, eggs, dhal or tofu, and half for vegetables and fruit. It works just as well on a banana leaf at an open house as at home.
Kenapa Kencing Manis Tak Boleh Makan Nasi? Rice Myths vs Facts (Why Can’t People With Diabetes Eat Rice?)
Myth: People with diabetes cannot eat rice at all. Fact: Rice is not banned. Like thosai, chapati, bread and noodles, it is a carbohydrate the body breaks down into sugar, so the amount on the plate matters more than whether it is there at all. A large mound of white rice with little else raises blood sugar more than a quarter-plate portion eaten alongside dhal, vegetables and fish.
Myth: Brown rice and thosai can be eaten in any amount. Fact: Wholegrain choices such as brown rice, or white rice mixed with brown, add fibre and are generally a better everyday choice. Thosai, made mostly from rice batter, is also mainly carbohydrate. Both still count, so portion size matters.
Murukku, Ladoo and Payasam: Enjoying Festive Sweets and Snacks
Many Deepavali sweets are made with sugar, jaggery, condensed milk and ghee, and murukku is a deep-fried snack made mainly from rice flour. They can still have a place on the table:
- Pick your favourites rather than tasting everything at every house.
- Keep portions small and share. Half a ladoo shared with a cousin, or a few pieces of murukku on a saucer, goes a long way.
- Have sweets with or after a meal, not as a stand-in for one.
- Pace the open-house visits. By the later houses, plain water and good conversation are perfectly polite, and a small packet can be taken home for another day.
- Jaggery and palm sugar are still sugars, even in homemade sweets.
Teh Tarik, Coconut Water and Honey: The Hidden Sugar in Festive Drinks
Drinks add up quickly over a day of visits.
- Myth: “Kurang manis” means low in sugar. Fact: It only means less sugar than usual. Teh tarik, kopi and rose syrup drinks made with condensed milk or syrup still carry a fair amount.
- Myth: Honey is a healthy sugar for diabetes. Fact: Honey is still a sugar and affects blood sugar much like table sugar.
- Myth: Coconut water and juice are just water and fruit. Fact: Both contain natural sugars, and juice has lost most of the fibre of whole fruit.
- Reading labels. “No added sugar” means none was added during processing, not that the drink contains no sugar.
Plain water, and tea or coffee without sugar or condensed milk, remain the simplest everyday drinks.
Buah untuk Kencing Manis: Whole Fruit, Juice and Durian (Fruit for Diabetes)
Fruit belongs in a healthy eating pattern for people with diabetes. Whole fruit brings fibre and vitamins along with its natural sugar, which is why a piece of guava, orange or papaya is generally a better choice than a glass of juice. Spreading fruit across the day also helps.
Very sweet fruits such as durian, mango and rambutan are not off limits, but small portions matter. Durian is also rich in fat and energy, so sharing one with family, rather than adding it on top of a table of sweets, is sensible. More durian myths are covered in is durian high in uric acid?. Dried fruit and fruit in syrup are more concentrated in sugar.
Movement, Sleep and Routine Over the Festive Days
- Move after meals. A short, easy walk after a large meal, around the taman or between houses, helps the body use the sugar from that meal.
- Protect your sleep. Late nights can increase appetite and make routines harder to keep.
- Keep meal times roughly regular, rather than skipping meals and then eating a very large dinner.
- Drink plain water, especially in the Ipoh heat, and be mindful of smoking and alcohol, which add to heart and blood vessel risks.
Anyone with a diabetes plan from their doctor should ask their own doctor, before the festive days, how changed meal times fit into that plan. Medicines are always a decision for a doctor, and this article gives no advice about them. For questions about your own diabetes risk, see the walk-in GP clinic in Silibin, Ipoh page.
Go to the nearest emergency department or call 999 if someone with diabetes is vomiting and cannot keep fluids down, is breathing fast or deeply, or becomes severely drowsy or confused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Susu untuk pesakit kencing manis: is there a special milk for people with diabetes? (Milk for people with diabetes)
Plain, unsweetened milk can fit into a balanced eating pattern, while condensed milk and flavoured milk drinks carry a lot of added sugar. Whether a specialised milk product marketed for diabetes suits a particular person is something to discuss with a doctor or dietitian.
Boleh ke pesakit kencing manis makan madu? (Can people with diabetes eat honey?)
Honey is a sugar, not a healthier swap for one. A small amount counts towards the day’s overall sugar, just like sugar stirred into tea.
Boleh ke pesakit kencing manis minum air kelapa? (Can people with diabetes drink coconut water?)
Coconut water contains natural sugar, so a small glass now and then is different from drinking it all day. Some packaged coconut drinks also have added sugar, so check labels.
Can people with prediabetes eat rice?
Yes. Smaller rice portions, half the plate filled with vegetables and fruit, regular activity and reaching or keeping a healthy weight are the habits public-health guidance points to for lowering the chance of prediabetes becoming type 2 diabetes.
Should I change my diabetes plan for Deepavali?
Do not change anything in your plan on your own. If your meals or routine will look very different over the festive days, speak to your own doctor beforehand, because medicines are always a decision for a doctor.
For further information, you are welcome to call 012-943 3882 or walk in during opening hours.