Diabetes and Diet Is There A Connection?

Once again the government raise the fact that ever increasing waist lines are the cause for type 2 Diabetes increasing in the UK.  This has been a known fact for the last 15 years, and yet the fact that diet is a major contributor to this avoidable illness has been a slow one to tackle. 

It is shocking to find out that most Doctors have minimal nutritional training, and therefore are unable to give suitable advice to a patient with diabetes type 2 or who are borderline.  However, if they began working with their health colleagues who are trained in nutrition, such as Nutritionists and dieticians this can be overcome.  

A Nutritional Therapist may be working with a healthy individual in order to prevent disease, or they be working with a sick individual to ease and minimise symptoms of a developed disease. 

One way of distinguishing dieticians and nutritionist from nutritional therapists is to under that that the nutritional therapist often help minimise health system as opposed to focussing on the cause and treatment of the disease itself (like that of registered dieticians and medical doctors). 

One thing I would observe having been on the end of the health service  with my mother who was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in her early 70's many years ago, was the diet she was given to follow by the dietician did not reflect her west indian cultural foods. 

This caused me to look at her diet, and indeed my own also, makes sense right, if my mum was diagnosed, then there is a high possibility I might be too in the future! Through Nutritional training and online research  I changed how and what she ate, and when, as well as swapping bad things out and good things in, knowing what food combinations to put together and including more exercise in her regime.  Over a period of time my Mother was removed from off her diabetic medication by her GP as she no longer appeared to have the illness, it was and is still being controlled through her diet.  

Other clients who were borderline type 2 have come to me for advice, and support and through looking at their habits, foods they eat, and when and how often we have managed to change their health outcome, lose weight and lose the threat of diabetes. 

I help clients from different cultural backgrounds who have diabetes and work with their own cultural foods and ways to help them improve their symptoms, along with them working with their GP. 

If you suffer from Type 2 Diabetes or are borderline, or it runs in your family,  contact me to see how I can help you. 

Early Symptoms: 

• Increased thirst
• Urinating more often, especially at night
• Extreme tiredness
• Blurred vision
• Genital itching or regular episodes of thrush
• Wounds and cuts that take a long time to heal
• Losing weight without trying
• Many people have Type 2 Diabetes for years without realising it because the early symptoms can be mild. If you think you have Diabetes, see your GP as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce your risk of developing complications later on.

Sourced from NHS website.
Here is the article from the BBC news around Diabetes, what are you thoughts or your views on this? 
BBC NEWS ARTCLE

Colette Morris
Nutritional Therapist, IICT,  SacDipl, (Diet & Nutrition)
Health Coach
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Manage and Lose Type 2 Diabetes Through Weight Loss

• So, What is Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. 

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin or not enough insulin to help glucose enter your body's cells, or where the insulin that is produced does not work properly. Insulin is also produced in the liver. 

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar and allows glucose to enter the body's cells. The body uses glucose for energy, we need this energy to move around, play, work and live life in general.  It is vital for life. 

When we eat carbohydrates, the body breaks this down into glucose.  However if the body cannot use the glucose properly as fuel, it will build up in the blood.  

Having a sensible diet and exercise routine can help to control diabetes and where you have type 2, can improve your sugar levels altogether.  It is advisable to contact your GP or dietician when starting on a weightloss programme to seek advice on what levels of insulin is required and what times of the day. 

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks insulin producing cells and is unable to produce any natural insulin.  People with this type of diabetes need to have insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels. 

There is no known way of preventing Type1.  The most effective way of treating this type of diabetes requires the use of insulin. 

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin properly or not enough.  People with this type of diabetes can control it with diet and exercise, but may have to also take medication in the short term if they are unable to control their diet and exercise regime. 

• Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90%-95% of diabetes cases and is usually associated with older age, obesity and physical inactivity, family history of type 2 diabetes, or a personal history of gestational diabetes.

Most people with this type of diabetes are overweight, or have a bad diet or both.  It is treatable through diet and exercise and watching your blood sugar levels until they return to normal, you will need to seed the advise of a Doctor or dietician.  

Other Factors on Diabetes

Sugar levels can also be affected by exercise, stress, climate, time of day and many other factors, making it difficult to judge the amount of insulin needed, which can sometimes lead to blood sugar levels rising too high (going hyper) or dropping too low (going hypo). 

What is a Hypo?

Going hypo (or where you blood sugar levels are too low) might happen because the person has either taken too much insulin, not had enough to eat, taken part in unplanned 

exercise or drunk alcohol. However, sometimes there is no apparent cause.

Some example signs of a hypo include an (abnormally) pale face, confusion, glazed eyes, lack of concentration, slurring of words, unusual behaviour e.g. anger, sweating, becoming 

quiet or withdrawn. 

What to do if someone has a Hypo

If this happens the person needs to eat something sweet immediately, either a fizzy drink, fruit juice or chocolate, or a glucose tablet. 

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• Diabetes Facts and Numbers
• 3.2 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the UK
• 630,00 people in the UK have the condition and don't know it. 

• 25.8 million children and adults in the United States - 8.3% of the population - have diabetes.²
• 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.²
• 13.0 million, or 11.8% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes.²
• 12.6 million, or 10.8% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes.²
• Diabetes contributed to 231,404 deaths in the US in 2007.²
• $245 billion: Total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the United States in 2012.²
• Only 5% of people with diabetes have type 1. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that may be caused by genetic, environmental, or other factors.²
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• ^{*Excerpts from Diabetes.org.uk}

Diabetic Meal Plans

There are some really good guidelines for diabetics out there on the internet, and according to how many calories you are asked to follow. 

Diabetic Meal Plan

Free Recipes

BodybyVi Meal Plan

When using the Bodybyvi meal replacement shakes for weight loss, as a diabetic you need to ensure your blood glucose levels are even throughout the day.  

Breakfast:

You can have a 300ml shake for breakfast, add the vi-trim product as this will help to balance your blood sugar levels. 

Mid Morning:

Nutra Cookie

Lunch:

fish, chicken, turkey with salad or vegetables, small jacket potatoe

Mid Afternoon: shake

Dinner: Regular meal, just portion size this. 

Ensure you drink lots of water, the recommended amount is 2 litre or 8-10 glasses per day.  If you do a workout in between, make sure you increase your water intake and also your carb intake. 

If you have found this article useful, please feel free to share, and leave me a comment below with your diet solutions and suggestions for diabetics and exercise plans. 

PS Great resource for exercise plans can be found here: Diabetic weightloss exercise plan

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