According to
the WHO (World Health Organization) there are 347 million diabetics in the
world today, and this figure is projected to increase to over 500 million by
the year 2030. Of the diabetics that exist in the world at the present time, about 90% have
the Type 2 variety of the disease. Type 1 diabetics usually have the disease
from birth, or get it at an early age, and are insulin dependent because the
body has stopped producing this hormone which regulates blood glucose levels. Type
2 diabetics usually get the disease in middle or old age, and for this reason
it is also known as “adult-onset diabetes”.
Diabetes is
a chronic condition resulting from either the body’s inability to produce
enough insulin to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels, or the insensitivity of
the body to react to the amount of insulin produced. If the blood sugar level
in the body remains high for a sufficient period of time, it can negatively affect
the function of the heart, eyesight and limbs. In both the USA and UK, diabetes
is second only to road accidents as the cause of amputations. Lots of people
have died from health complications arising from diabetes.
It is
prudent to take some preventative measures against Type 2 diabetes, especially
if you are in one of the at-risk groups. Statistics on the disease has shown
that a person stands a greater chance of getting the disease if a parent has
suffered from It, you are overweight or obese; if you are of Afro-Caribbean or
Asian origin, or you are of middle or low class income groups. You can ask your
doctor to carry out tests if you consider yourself to be susceptible to the
disease. The main symptoms of the disease are: excessive thirst; frequency of
urination; muscle cramps; poor healing of wounds; itching; and eyesight
problems.
The bodily
organ that produces enough insulin to aid the metabolism of food is the
pancreas. If you take pre-emptive actions against getting the disease by
concentrating on diet, exercise and food supplements, you are insuring the
pancreas does not become overloaded thereby impairing its ability to function
properly. As the disease is caused by
the body becoming too acidic, there should be alkaline bias in the diet.
The diet
should consist mainly of raw natural foods. Vegetables such as kale, celery, cabbage,
watercress, lettuce, cucumber, chicory, onion, olives, beans, soybean, fruit in
general and especially apples, oats, grains and sprouted grains , beef liver,
egg yolk and wholegrain bread should constitute a major part of the diet. Natural
foods to be avoided are bananas, beets and potatoes. The latter have shown to
increase blood sugar levels rapidly. If you eat potatoes from time to time, do
so with their skins intact, which contain fibre which counteracts some of the
rapid increase in blood sugar levels.
Anything causing
a rapid rise in blood glucose levels such as sugar-laden soft drinks should be
avoided. Other foods to be avoided are chocolates, biscuits, jam, fruit syrup,
jelly, ice cream mayonnaise, honey and white rice. It is also best to avoid coffee,
cocoa and only take alcohol in moderation. Giving up smoking also helps the
whole body to function better.
Adequate
daily exercise is the second preventative measure that should be undertaken against Type 2 diabetes. This can involve walking,
jogging, cycling, swimming, going to the gym, or anything else that takes your
fancy. You will need to engage in a physical
activity of your choice for 30-40 minutes daily in order to achieve and maintain
an ideal weight. The time period involved daily can be split up into two or
more sessions if necessary. Two 15 minute exercise sessions 30 minutes after
eating a meal that contains carbohydrates, which convert to sugar in the body,
would be ideal.
Lastly, it
would be prudent to take a multivitamin and mineral tablet daily as insurance
against a deficiency in the diet having an influence on the development of
diabetes. Sufficiency in vitamins B2, B6, and the minerals chromium, manganese, magnesium and potassium
are vital in the fight against developing this chronic condition.
This is such an important topic, Kieran, thank you so much for sharing all of this info. So many foods these days have hidden sugars, so avoiding anything causing a rapid rise in blood glucose levels is can be a real challenge. Education and reading labels is key.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Mikayla. Yes,anything that makes your blood sugar move on an even keel, as opposed to up and down rapidly, will help and should be practiced daily.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine who read the above post asked the following question: " do all carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels when eaten ? ". The answer to the question is yes, but there are two types of carbohydrates:complex and simple. The complex type contain slow assimilation sugars and are found in peas, beans, lentils, wheat, oats, barley, wholegrain rice, fruit, vegetables and wholegrain bread.The simple type contain fast assimilation sugars and are found in soft drinks, chocolate, honey, jams, cakes, biscuits, candy, syrup and potatoes.
ReplyDeleteIn response to a point made on the above post in a diabetes forum, the fibre content of certain foods helps keep blood sugar levels stable. It does this by forming a gel in the intestinal tract to trap sugar for a period of time so it will be absorbed more slowly into the intestines. It is therefore beneficial to have some foods with a high fibre content in the daily diet.
ReplyDeleteMy previous posts titled “Why Fibre is Crucial In The Diet “ and “ Beware of White Processed Foods “ are relevant to the above post, and can be read in conjunction with it.
ReplyDeleteUseful information shared. I am very happy to read this article. Thanks for giving us nice info. Fantastic walk-through.I appreciate this post.
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ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post and quite disturbing particularly the WHO's prediction. If this holds true, millions of people will be added to the pool by 2030.
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Thanks for your comment Tim. Yes, the WHO's conservative prediction is for well over 500 million to have the disease by the year 2030, or circa 5% of the world's population. In some countries and age groups, the incidence of diabetes is running at well over 5% such as persons over 65 years of age in the USA.
ReplyDelete