Small Changes, Big Impact: Managing Diabetes Through Diet

What is diabetes?

There are 3 types of diabetes namely type1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes as well as gestational diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and is described as a medical condition that occurs when your body is unable to manage blood glucose and keep it at normal levels of (4-7 mmol/l) before eating and (5—10 mmol/l) after eating. This happens when your body cannot make insulin or enough insulin to help lower blood glucose levels when they go up after eating. 

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Signs and symptoms:

• You pee a lot 

• You are always thirsty 

• You are hungry all the 􀆟me 

• You unexpectedly lose weight 

• Your skin becomes very dry 

• Your vision blurs 

• You heal slowly 

What causes diabetes?

• Genetics—if there’s family history of diabetes in your family there are high chances for you to be diabetic.

• Lifestyle— the type of food we eat and drink daily as well as sedentary life style.

• Obesity

• Insulin resistance

• Hormonal imbalance/ disease

Long term effects:

• Diabetic foot

• You become blind

• Heart attack

• Hypertension

• Stroke

• Kidney disease

• Damage to the nerves

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Nutritional intervention:

Starch

Choose high fiber starch such as brown bread, brown rice, oats porridge. All bran e.c.t, as they keep you full for longer and prevents constipation. furthermore, choose Low GI starch as they release glucose slowly into your blood.

Dairy Products

They include foods such as milk, yoghurt and maas. These foods have starch and protein in them hence when eaten in large amounts they will have an effect on blood glucose levels.  Choose low fat or fat free dairy products as the fat content is low which reduces risk of developing high cholesterol levels.

Protein Foods

They include foods such as meat, chicken, fish and eggs as well as foods such as beans, lentils and soya. When eating meat or chicken choose lean/low fat cuts by removing the visible white fat on meant and removing the chicken skin before cooking.  Fish is naturally low in fat and is good for our body. Tinned or grilled fish can be used but the way you prepare it is important opt for grilled/ Eggs can be limited to 1 per day or 3 per week (If you do have high cholesterol). Boil, scramble or poach your eggs instead of frying.  Beans, lentils and soya products are protein sources from plants. These products contain a fair amount of starch as well as protein so when you are eating them remember to decrease your starchy portion of food slightly to accommodate for the starch in these products.  These can be used in the lean/dried form. 

Vegetables and Fruits

Can be divided into starchy and non-starchy vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, mielies, butternut etc.  contain a lot of starch and should be eaten in your starch portion of your meal. Non-starchy vegetables can fill up half of your plate. The bulk of your meal should be non-starchy vegetables.  These can be had.  You can only have one fruit a day and that fruit should be the size of a tennis ball. A banana should not be over ripe.

Fats

Fats consist of unsaturated (healthy) and saturated (unhealthy) fats and trans fats (unhealthy). Healthy fats are plant-based fats—These can be eaten in small amounts.  When cooking use sunflower/canola oil and limit it to 1 teaspoon per person eating the meal. 

Drinks

Only sugar free drinks are allowed and must be limited to 2 cups/day such as: 

Coke light, coke zero, sprite zero

Pepsi light, Pepsi Max 

Sweeto and Brookes low cal 

Alcohol

It is advisable not to drink alcohol more especially beer and ciders because it is digested into starch and fat.

Foods to avoid

Avoid foods are refined sugars such as chocolates, biscuits, ice cream, potato chips, sweets, fried chips, baked cakes, sugar coated cereals, so􀅌 drinks, squash juices, fruit juices, alcohol, sugar in tea or coffee.

Low GI

When buying starch, ensure to choose Low GI starches with the logo below.

Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water daily.

Staying well hydrated is an essential part of managing diabetes. Water plays a key role in helping the body regulate blood sugar levels and maintain overall health. While a general recommendation is to aim for around 2 litres of water per day, individual needs may vary depending on activity level, climate, and overall health.

Exercise

Regular physical activity is one of the most effective lifestyle tools for managing diabetes. Exercise helps the body use insulin more efficiently, improves blood sugar control, and supports overall health. It does not have to be intense; consistency matters more than intensity. Recommendation is at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly.

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