"Food has the power to cure, heal and strengthen our bodies."
From the times immemorial, Diabetes Mellitus has been a common occurrence in almost all the developing countries. The spread of this disease is owing to聽 the etiological factors. Even the gross changes in our lifestyle accounts for its spread. Diabetes is derived from the latin word which means “flow through” and mellitus means “honey” and clinically it is manifested by the overflow of sugar or glucose in the blood and urine.It is a chronic metablic disorder that prevents the body from using energy from carbohydrate. This inefficiency of the body to utilise glucose may be partial or complete in a diabetic.
Factors leading to Diabetes
There are some important factors which are related to Diabetes which need to be considered are –
a) Changes in Lifestyle聽
b) Stress
c) Malnutrition聽
d) Obesity聽
e) Physical activity
f) Metabolic and Endocrine Disturbances
Changes in Lifestyle
Major lifestyle changes result in changes in our metabolism. The first change in the metabolism is the increase or decrease in the secretion of our hormones. Majority of our life is governed by the hormones. Hormones are the game changers. Diabetes results when hormone insulin is secreted in insufficient amounts by the Islets of Langerhans of pancreas. Insulin is bestowed with the power of releasing energy from the consumed carbohydrates.
- Around 90 percent of people eat packaged food more than once a week.
- About 83 percent of children drink milk, food drinks and around 70 percent eat breakfast cereals such as cornflakes as their first meal of the day before going to school.
- Almost 60 percent of children aged between 14 and 17 years old eat packaged beverages or food at least once a day.聽
This alarming data shows a high incidence of debilitating diseases like diabetes, coronary heart disease, ulcerative colitis, Polycystic ovarian disease.聽聽
Stress Related Changes
Increase in stress is related to an increase in blood sugar level. An individual who is under physical and mental stress tends to release it by consuming food from outside. The outside food is mostly “Fast food” Fast food can be defined as ” Those foods that can be prepared quickly, made easily available in restaurants and snack bars”. These foods are high in calories, low in nutrients and prepared mostly by deep-frying, usage of excess cheese, and undesirable preservatives. Stress itself poses a threat to the body-
- Stress weakens the body’s immune system.
- There is a decrease in the lymphocytes of the body which decreases the body’s ability to fight off the infections.
- A weakened immune system causes anxiety that makes you susceptible to infections and frequent illnesses.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition refers to the state of the body in which the body is deprived of all the essential nutrients which are required to carry out all the body functions. Obesity itself is an indicator of malnutrition. In obese individuals, our body is in a positive calorie balance. It is the result of consuming calorie-dense foods which are deprived of all macro and micronutrients. In the state of malnutrition, the immunity of the body is low. Low immunity calls for diseases and infections. The constant increase in high blood sugar levels manifests that there needs
- to be conscious planning for chalking out a daily diet plan.
- 聽to look for a healthy choice of food.聽
- to incorporate those nutrients which decreases the sugar level in the body.
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Obesity
- Obesity is another health menace that leads to many metabolic problems. Obesity is mainly caused due to excessive intake of calories. If there is no way to expend the energy through physical activity there will be a positive calorie balance. An increase of 10 percent over the ideal weight or optimal weight is termed as obesity. Obesity also manifests unmindfulness, lack of self-love, self-care and self-reassurance. More adipose cells or fat cells in our body not only result due to high-calorie consumption but it is also caused due to endocrine imbalance and genetic factors. If your weight is increasing then you need to put your body on alert mode by-
- Checking your food habits -Overeating food or eating fattening foods is the primary cause of putting you on the web of obesity .
- Scan for signs of psychological and physiological stress on you.
- Lack of regular sleep pattern.
Physical Activity
An increase in physical activity brings about an increase in reduction in weight. A reduction in weight also tones up the muscles. Regular exercise also leads to an increase in oxygen intake which brings about the burning of calories. A combination of exercise and diet offers considerably more flexibility for achieving a negative calorie balance and accompanying fat loss than either exercise or diet alone. E.g Jogging, we burn 5.0 -5.8 Calories per minute but calories burnt in an hour is 300-350 calories.One should be careful not to overexercise as overexercising puts undue strain on the heart. For patients suffering from Diabetes, we recommend walking for about 25 -30 minutes in the morning. Any kind of physical activity also depends on the physiological state of the person.
Tips for including the foods in planning meals for Diabetics
Incorporating the foods from all the food groups needs careful planning and mindfulness.聽
1- Gram flour added in the multigrain atta increases the protein content of the food.
2-Cooking methods in which there are fewer chances of leaching nutrients should be used to cook foods. Such cooking methods include broiling, grilling, steaming.聽
3-Whole pulses and raw vegetables should be used in combination with wheat flours so as to make dal roti and vegetable cutlet (Tava roasted).
4-Starchy foods like wheat, jowar, bajra, ragi etc should be aten . These foods do not allow sugar level to rise.
Foods to be Avoided
Foods avoided聽
1- Sugar, jaggery , sweets, candies , jams , jellies etc.
2- Pedha, burfi, rabdi, ice-creams, gulabjamuns, rasogolla.
3- Fried Preparations
4- Nuts and oilseeds such as coconut oil聽
5-Vanaspati, ghee, cream, margarine聽
6- Fatty meat cuts, organ meats like liver, kidney, brain, etc.
7-Shell fish like shrimp, lobsters, mackerel, oysters聽
8- Bakery products such as cakes, doughnuts, pastries, sweet biscuits etc.
聽5 simple diet plans that help you in improving your Diabetes Mellitus聽
Day 1 High Fibre Diet
Early morning聽
Lukewarm water – 1 glass
amla- 1 in number
Breakfast聽
vegetable oats – 1 bowl
curd – Half a bowl
tea (without sugar)- 1 cup
Midmorning
lime juice (without sugar)- 1 glass
Papaya – 1 bowl
Lunch
Ghia chana dal – 1 cup
Missi roti – 1 in number
mix vegetable – 1 bowl
Lemon juice without sugar – 1 glass
Evening Tea聽
Sautee soya chunks -6 in number
Tea( without sugar)- 1 cup
Dinner
Peas and spinach Tava roasted cutlet – 2 in number
Day 2-Moderate Protein diet
Early Morning聽
Lukewarm water- 1 glass
Breakfast
Wheat vegetable upma- half a bowl (25gms)
curd with bathua -1 bowl
Tea without sugar – 1 cup
Midmorning
Tender coconut water – 1 glass聽
Whole carrot – 1 in number
Lunch
Sambhar – 1 bowl
Ragi idli – 4 in number (80 gms)
Evening Tea聽
unsweetened Tea – 1 cup
sprouts salad – 1 bowl
Dinner
Soup – bowl
Beans peas vegetable – 1 bowl聽
Roti – 1 in number (20gms)
Day 3 - Low Glycaemic Index diet
Early Morning
One glass of water with soaked Methi dana- 1 glass
Breakfast
Methi peanut poha -1 bowl
curd – 1 small bowl
Midmorning
Papaya and Guava salad – 1 bowl
lunch
Kalachana gravy – 1bowl
spinach corn – half bowl
bajra roti – 1 in number
Evening tea
unsweetened tea – 1 cup
Kala chana dumplings – 2 in number
Dinner
Cauliflower peas vegetable –1 bowl
Makki ki roti – 1 in number
Day 4 -Low fat low cholesterol Diet
Early Morning
Lukewarm water with fenugreek seeds- 1 glass
Breakfast聽
veg quinoa – 1 bowl
coriander chutney
Midmorning
Buttermilk – 1 glass
Lunch
Spinach Rajma curry – 1bowl
Pumpkin vegetable with methi dana- 1 bowl
chapati – 1 in number
Jamun – 50 grams
Evening Tea聽
Tea ( without sugar)- 1 cup
veg oats – half a聽 bowl
Dinner聽
Broccoli coriander soup -1 bowl
Methi thepla or thin methi roti – 1 in number
Day 5 - Vitamin Rich diet
Early Morning聽
Lukewarm water with lemon – 1 glass
Breakfast
Ragi porridge without sugar- 1 bowl聽
soaked almonds – 6 in no.聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽
Midmorning
Buttermilk – 1glass
Guava -1 in number
Lunch
Cabbage vegetable – 1 bowl
Whole moong dal- 1 bowl
chapati – 1 in no.
Evening Tea聽
Tea ( with less sugar) – 1 cup
besan dhokla – 4 in number
Dinner
Rice mung dal khichadi – 1 bowl
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