Good morning and thank you so much for your feed back. Today we are going to look at Diabetes and see how we can control it and reduce its effects.
First, what is Diabetes? Diabetes Mellitus is a condition where excess Sugar is deposited in the blood. This could be as a result of a deficiency in the production of insulin. This deficiency may be due to the inability of the pancrease to produce insulin. An overwhelmed pancrease i.e. the sugar is too much for the insulin produced can cause Diabetes (this can be caused by fast foods. These meals are heavily laden with carbohydrates which end up as sugars in our bodies).
Symptoms of Diabetes include feeling of tiredness, frequent urination and sometimes weight gain. In treating this ailment many times the diet restrictions are so much, one begins to wonder; what exactly do I eat? Am I going to be on medication for life? Yes, medications for life may be inevitable, however if you make a few lifestyle changes, that may not be the verdict in your particular case.
Some of those life style changes include:
1. Daily Exercises: This may be tough initially, so I suggest a 10 mins brisk walk for a start.
2. A green vegetable Juice first thing in the morning, preferably wheat grass or barley max juice.
3. For breakfast there are a number of options.
Things to avoid include
a) White bread and
b) Sweetners, especially the artificial ones.
One sweetner that is very good is cinnamon. According to webmd this is helpful in production of insulin. Elkris oats are also great as morning cereals and due to a substance called betaglucan it serves as a great control for blood sugar.
4. Include fiber in your meals, preferably green vegetables like Ugu, Bitterleaf, cabbage, cucumber and okra. Before lunch and dinner have a bowl of vegetables.
5. Fruits are essential and can be added to your green juices, however pineapples and bananas should not be taken due to their high sugar content.
6. Chromium is also a great supplement which helps lower blood sugar. Next week I will map out a suggested meal plan a diabetic can use. Weight loss is also essential in the management of Diabetes. One thing I can guarantee is that the few steps I outlined above will also help in losing weight.
Disclaimer: The advice above should not replace your current antidiabetic medication or doctors advice, this is in addition to what you are currently doing to achieve a diabetes free life. Ensure that you go for consistent hospital checkups and check your blood sugar regularly.
Dr. Rebekah Olofin
(The Legal Doc.)
