When you're a diabetic, healthy eating is the key

Because most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, weight management and reduction should be the major consideration. The good news is, if you are overweight, you benefit from even a small weight loss. Weight loss markedly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and prevents the progression of pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes. It can also reverse the failure to respond to drugs for diabetes that develops after responding at first weight loss can increase life expectancy, help lower blood pressure and improve energy levels and mobility.

The benefits of weight loss are seen rapidly, even when relatively little weight has been lost. A rapid fall in blood glucose occurs as soon as the energy intake of the diet is reduced. Over time, the blood pressure declines and the cholesterol falls. The triglycerides drop and the good cholesterol (HDL) rises. Even a modest reduction of 10 per cent of body weight has a significant positive effect on your coronary artery disease risk.

Unfortunately, your genetic make-up has a significant influence on your ability to lose weight and on the amount of weight you lose. Several studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes lose less weight than people without diabetes. This can be disheartening and frustrating — especially when trying to explain not being able to lose weight to less-than-sympathetic workmates, family, friends or diabetologists. But, hang in there — even when weight loss isn’t possible, weight maintenance is an excellent goal, and you can certainly implement measures to improve the quality of your diet, weight loss or not.

Considering Carbohydrates

Diabetologists recommend that carbohydrate that’s high in fibre and low in fat should contribute between 40 and 50 per cent of your total daily kilojoule intake. An important part of achieving this target is avoiding the sources of carbohydrates that contain lots of kilojoules, but offer little nutritional value.

You probably already have some idea about which carbohydrates only provide ‘empty’ kilojoules. Some examples include cakes, biscuits, sweet pastries, honey, jam, ice-cream and sweet yogurt, chocolate, soft drinks, cordials and sugar added to drinks and breakfast cereal.

The best carbohydrate choices for you are those that are highest in fibre and lowest in fat — studies have shown that a diet featuring these types of foods can lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

Fibre is the part of a food that’s not digestible and so adds no kilojoules but has health benefits. Fibre is found in all fruits, vegetables and cereal grains, and the more unprocessed the grain (or fruit or vegetable), the higher the fibre content.

Choosing Proteins

Protein is used by the body for growing and repairing tissues. For this reason, it was thought that you could build your own muscle by eating lots of protein (actually, you build up muscle by exercising). Although children and young adults need more protein because they’re growing, adults need relatively little in order to maintain their current level of muscle.

Protein in your diet comes from chicken, pork, beef, eggs, milk and other dairy foods, nuts and legumes (or pulses). The protein component of these foods doesn’t raise blood glucose levels.

For most adults, two moderate-sized serves of protein per day are sufficient. Because milk, yogurt and legumes are sources of protein and carbohydrate, they can be included in the diet to satisfy your requirements for both food types.

If you’re unsure about the mix of carbohydrates and proteins that’s right for you, see your specialist diabetologist for an individualised assessment.

Don’t Allow Diabetes to Let You Down

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which blood sugar (also called glucose) accumulates in your blood. The full name of the disease, diabetes mellitus, literally means “honey diabetes.” Since the time of ancient Greece, people have noticed a sweet or honeyed smell in the urine of those affected by the disease.

There is no cure for diabetes. However, diabetes can be controlled. Controlling diabetes means keeping your blood sugar at levels that are the same as—or close to—those of a person who does not have diabetes.

There are two primary kinds of diabetes, and the cause of your elevated blood sugar depends on which kind of diabetes you have.

TYPE-1 DIABETES

Type 1 diabetes used to be called “juvenile diabetes” because it normally occurs in people under the age of 30. If you have type-1 diabetes, your pancreas no longer produces insulin, a vital hormone that helps your body turn sugar into energy. Without this essential hormone, the sugar in your system accumulates in your blood. Type 1 diabetes is considered to be an “auto-immune” disease. It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the pancreas and destroys its ability to make insulin.

Although family history plays a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, 90 percent of the people who get it have no family history of the disease at all. No one knows for sure why it strikes some people and not others. People with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin to control their blood sugar. Consultation with diabetologists is particularly helpful because of their expertise in diagnosing diabetic patients. 

TYPE-2 DIABETES

Type 2 diabetes used to be called “adult onset” because it normally occurs in people over the age of 30.

Type 2 diabetes is more likely if you have a family history of diabetes. It is closely related to excess weight and a lack of physical activity. African-Americans, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Asians, and Native Americans are all at high risk for type 2 diabetes.

Although type 2 diabetes normally strikes people over the age of 30, it is on the rise among children. Diabetologists think this is directly related to a lack of physical activity and the increase in obesity among the young.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your pancreas still makes insulin. But it may not make enough, or your body may have become resistant to it. The first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes is exercise and weight loss—many people can control their blood sugar levels with exercise and diet alone. There are also oral medications that can be used to treat the disease. Type-2 diabetes tends to be progressive and a substantial number of people with type 2 diabetes ultimately need to take insulin to control their blood sugar.