Medical experts say that healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living especially in diabetes. ENDURANCE ONOME writes on this
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes is a group of metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (high level of glucose in the blood) resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.
In Africa, Nigeria has the highest number of people with diabetes. According to WHO, Nigeria has the highest mortality rate from the disease. Approximately 1,218,000 people are affected and an estimated 3.85 million people have impaired glucose tolerance says International Diabetes Federation (IDF). According to Diabetes Association of Nigeria an estimate of 6 million people have full blown diabetes mellitus. The WHO/IDF report of 2011 alerted that diabetes mellitus will continue to be a major threat to public health beyond the year 2030.
According to Nutrition expert and registered Dietitian, Eneregbu Akunna Isobel, dietary management of diabetes involves being conscious of what we eat so as not to trigger the risk factors in diabetes.
“Protein intakes range from 15 to 20 percent of total calories for diabetics with normal kidney function and should be adequate in quality and quantity to maintain synthesis of body protein. Higher protein intakes are discouraged because they are detrimental to kidney function (may lead to diabetic nephropathy). Sources include lean meat, low fat milk, egg white, fish, legumes and more,” she said.
Eneregbu said that “People with diabetes have a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, and their guidelines for dietary fat are similar to those for others with high risks. Saturated fat (such as those found in butter, margarine, whole milk, fatty meat etc.) intake should be limited to less than 7 percent of calories, trans fat (found in deep fried foods, pastries etc.) intake should be minimized, and cholesterol intake should be limited to less than 200 mg daily.”
However, a larger percent of dietary should be derived from mono and polyunsaturated fats. These have a protective role against cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, almost all the diabetes association advise the consumption of two to three servings of fish (preferably oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna, shrimps etc. not the commercially fried fish filets) each week and plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. rapeseed oil, soybean oil, nuts and some green leafy vegetables).
The dietician explained that the amount of carbohydrate in the body affects blood glucose levels more than the source of the carbohydrate. “A consistent carbohydrate intake spaced throughout the day helps to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels and maximize the effectiveness of drug therapy. Eating too much carbohydrate at one time can raise blood glucose too high, stressing the already-compromised insulin producing cells. Eating too little carbohydrate can lead to abnormally low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia). Low-carbohydrate diets (less than 130 grams of carbohydrate per day) are not recommended,” she said.
Sources people with diabetes should derive carbohydrate from high fibre foods such as beans, green leafy vegetables, legumes, produce with skin like apple orange, and other whole fruits, whole grains (e.g. whole wheat bread, corn on the cob, oat bran.etc.) that have more moderate effects on blood glucose than do highly processed starchy foods. Sugar recommendations for people with diabetes are similar to those for the general population, which suggests choosing foods and beverages with little or no added sugar.
An important thing to bear in mind when choosing carbohydrate source is the rate of glucose absorption. Diabetics benefit from limiting foods that produce too great a rise, or too sudden a fall, in blood glucose. To aid their choices, the use of glycemic index, a method of classifying foods according to their potential to raise blood glucose is a handy tool. Some studies have shown that selecting foods with a low glycemic index is a practical way to improve glucose control.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes is a group of metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (high level of glucose in the blood) resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.
In Africa, Nigeria has the highest number of people with diabetes. According to WHO, Nigeria has the highest mortality rate from the disease. Approximately 1,218,000 people are affected and an estimated 3.85 million people have impaired glucose tolerance says International Diabetes Federation (IDF). According to Diabetes Association of Nigeria an estimate of 6 million people have full blown diabetes mellitus. The WHO/IDF report of 2011 alerted that diabetes mellitus will continue to be a major threat to public health beyond the year 2030.
According to Nutrition expert and registered Dietitian, Eneregbu Akunna Isobel, dietary management of diabetes involves being conscious of what we eat so as not to trigger the risk factors in diabetes.
“Protein intakes range from 15 to 20 percent of total calories for diabetics with normal kidney function and should be adequate in quality and quantity to maintain synthesis of body protein. Higher protein intakes are discouraged because they are detrimental to kidney function (may lead to diabetic nephropathy). Sources include lean meat, low fat milk, egg white, fish, legumes and more,” she said.
Eneregbu said that “People with diabetes have a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, and their guidelines for dietary fat are similar to those for others with high risks. Saturated fat (such as those found in butter, margarine, whole milk, fatty meat etc.) intake should be limited to less than 7 percent of calories, trans fat (found in deep fried foods, pastries etc.) intake should be minimized, and cholesterol intake should be limited to less than 200 mg daily.”
However, a larger percent of dietary should be derived from mono and polyunsaturated fats. These have a protective role against cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, almost all the diabetes association advise the consumption of two to three servings of fish (preferably oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna, shrimps etc. not the commercially fried fish filets) each week and plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. rapeseed oil, soybean oil, nuts and some green leafy vegetables).
The dietician explained that the amount of carbohydrate in the body affects blood glucose levels more than the source of the carbohydrate. “A consistent carbohydrate intake spaced throughout the day helps to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels and maximize the effectiveness of drug therapy. Eating too much carbohydrate at one time can raise blood glucose too high, stressing the already-compromised insulin producing cells. Eating too little carbohydrate can lead to abnormally low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia). Low-carbohydrate diets (less than 130 grams of carbohydrate per day) are not recommended,” she said.
Sources people with diabetes should derive carbohydrate from high fibre foods such as beans, green leafy vegetables, legumes, produce with skin like apple orange, and other whole fruits, whole grains (e.g. whole wheat bread, corn on the cob, oat bran.etc.) that have more moderate effects on blood glucose than do highly processed starchy foods. Sugar recommendations for people with diabetes are similar to those for the general population, which suggests choosing foods and beverages with little or no added sugar.
An important thing to bear in mind when choosing carbohydrate source is the rate of glucose absorption. Diabetics benefit from limiting foods that produce too great a rise, or too sudden a fall, in blood glucose. To aid their choices, the use of glycemic index, a method of classifying foods according to their potential to raise blood glucose is a handy tool. Some studies have shown that selecting foods with a low glycemic index is a practical way to improve glucose control.
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