Watch your food to keep diabetes away
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April 06, 2016
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Diabetes, a major lifestyle disease, has undoubtedly become the most challenging health condition of 21st century. It is often called a “silent epidemic” since there are no early symptoms of the disease as such, and it is diagnosed after reaching a more serious stage.
“India stands second with 92 million cases of diabetes”
India has seen a major rise in the incidences of diabetes cases and predicted to reach 101.2 million cases of diabetes by 2030. The race with China seems evident even in this case and India stands second and Right now, about 92.3 million people in India have diabetes.1
Healthy diet can help you in both preventing diabetes and also managing diabetes well. Here are 5 home based ideas to keep diabetes away.
5 Home Based Ideas to Keep Diabetes Away
It need not be true that you stop enjoying good food, if you are at a confirmed risk of getting diabetes or if you experience symptoms of it. The first thing is to start eating more at home. But will it do all good? Not Really. You need to surely watch your recipes all day and design your own meal plan according to your health goals. Here are some things you can do easily.2
“Coffee, Green Tea and diet rich in vegetables and whole grains are the best strategies to follow at home”
Go Veg
Research shows that a low calorie vegetarian diet helps in keeping diabetes away. A diet with vegetables and whole grains has higher levels of fibers and lower cholesterol and saturated fat levels compared to a non-vegetarian diet. Non-starchy vegetables like green beans, bean sprouts, beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, green peas, radishes, onions, tomatoes, turnips can be included in the recipes3.
Love Your Coffee avoid carbonated drinks
Coffee can have a positive effect in reducing blood glucose. Although in the short term one might experience an increase in blood glucose level, but prolonged consumption of coffee increases insulin sensitivity and hence lowering glucose levels. Of course you should avoid sugar, milk and cream in your coffee if you wish to keep diabetes away.4,5 Coffee 4 or more cups/day decrease risk of diabetes by 47%.6 Soda in any form is extremely harmful because it promotes weight gain and reduces the body’s ability to absorb glucose.
Citrus – The Best Fruit
Including citrus fruits in your daily diet for fighting diabetes is a great idea. Free radical damage and Inflammation are two of the harmful side- effects of type 2 diabetes. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit and berries enhance insulin sensitivity of cells and give a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. This helps in fighting and preventing free radical damage and inflammation.
Low-fat diet
Low-fat in your diet is extremely helpful in decreasing blood sugar levels, bringing down HbA1c levels and decreasing cardiovascular disease risk. So, avoid fried food, pastries and other bakery food and anything that is high in fat. Research shows low-fat diet can have impact on long-run, up to 4 years.6
Try Natural remedies
Using natural home remedies like methi or fenugreek seeds, karela or bitter gourd and cinnamon can prove very effective and natural in controlling diabetes. You must, however check with your doctor and don’t stop your medication while trying these remedies7
The content developed by Scientific Angle Publications LLP
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purpose only. Please consult a qualified doctor before taking any decisions regarding recommendations in the article or for more information.
References:
- Gupta M et al. Diabetes in India: a long way to go. Int J Sci Rep. 2015;1(1):1-2
- Home remedies for diabetes, by Reshmi AR, May 9, 2015, Times of India - Health and Fitness
- Neal D. Barnard, MD et.al., A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Improves Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Care August 2006 vol. 29 no. 8 1777-1783
- Rob M. van Dam, PHD et.al., Coffee, Caffeine, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A prospective cohort study in younger and middle-aged U.S. women Diabetes Care February 2006 vol. 29 no. 2 398-403
- Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju et al., Changes in coffee intake and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes: three large cohorts of US men and women, Diabetologia, online April 24, 2014, DOI 10.1007/s00125-014-3235-7
- Evidence-based nutritionguidelinesfor the prevention and management of diabetes. Diabetes UK.