There is no reason why people with diabetes cannot include milk and milk products in their diet. In fact, milk and milk products can be a healthy choice as part of a balanced diet.  They provide important nutrients such as protein, calcium and vitamin D, which are important for bone health. However, it is important for people with diabetes to be mindful of their carbohydrate intake, including the carbs in milk and milk products. Choosing milk and low-fat dairy products can be helpful, as they usually contain fewer carbs and calories.

To know which milk products can be eaten in diabetes, we need to know about three things related to diabetes, nutritional value, pff value and glycemic load.

It is necessary for diabetic patients to know about the nutritional value of consuming milk products. The nutritional value of milk is very low because 85 per cent of milk is water. Now let’s calculate the pf value of milk. To calculate the pff value of milk, we have to add the nutritional value of fat, protein and water present in milk, which comes to around 94. According to the pff value diabetes patient can consume, milk can be included in the diet of diabetics.

Thirdly we see what is its glycemic load, very important parameter is the glycemic load, to calculate the glycemic load of milk, we use a formula where, glycemic load = total carbohydrate × glycemic index ÷ 100. 

The glycemic load of 100 grams of milk is 1.9 and the glycemic load of a glass of milk is 5, diabetic patients have to keep the glycemic load below 25, accordingly diabetic patients can include milk in their diet.

It’s also a good idea to monitor blood sugar levels closely and talk with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian about how to include milk and milk products in a diabetes management plan.