DIABETES MELLITUS: MISCONCEPTIONS

Are you making frequent trips to the bathroom at night? Experiencing extreme thirst, excessive eating, overwhelming fatigue, or blurry vision; or noticing that you keep getting infections, ask your doctor for a diabetes test. It could be diabetes mellitus; an early diagnosis can help prevent complications.

I have put this piece together as pre awareness for the world diabetes day 2015 which comes up on Saturday 14^th November 2015. 

My pastor gave a talk last Sunday in church on effective communication, he used the story of a man who was attending a conference out of town, The man was said to be satisfied with the service at the hotel and wrote and sent a mail to the wife, the mail read as follow ’’ Dear, the venue of the conference was superb, the lodging was fantastic and above all the female receptionist was pleasant, i wish you were her’’

The wife was said to be furious and suspicious of his husband having clandestine move with the receptionist. The man later read his mail over again, he had written i wish you were her instead of i wish you were here.

Many health workers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health educators and other health workers have at one time or the other given the kind of information in the story above to diabetics living a lot of them slightly confused without even knowing.

Diabetes is contagious

Truth: Diabetes is categorised as being a non-communicable illness meaning it cannot be passed on by sneezing, through touch, nor via blood or any other person to person means.
The only way in which diabetes can be passed on is from parents to their own children but even this is only a genetic likelihood of diabetes and not the condition itself.
Diabetes is not that serious:
Truth: In fact, diabetes causes more deaths than breast cancer and HIV/AIDS in the western world. There are conditions called diabetes emergencies which may lead to death.
Eating too much sugar causes diabetes:
Truth: Eating too much sugar does not cause diabetes. It is advisable to be moderate in all things; eating less sugar is beneficial to all.
People with diabetes have to eat a carbohydrate-free diet:

Truth: People with diabetes need to eat a diet that is balanced; They are not to abstain from carbohydrates completely as they are the chief source of energy. The amount or portion is to be reduced.

They are advised to avoid food items that are directly absorbed with little or no digestion like carbonated soft drinks and artificial juice, table sugar, etc as they tend to shoot up blood glucose rapidly.

Being overweight causes diabetes.
Truth: Just because a person gains weight doesn't mean she's going to get diabetes. There are many overweight people who don't ever get the disease. Around 20% of people with type 2 diabetes are of a normal weight, or underweight.

People with diabetes go blind and lose their legs

Truth: Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and also causes many amputations each year. However, those people with diabetes that control blood pressure, glucose, weight and quit smoking all increase their chances of remaining complication free.
Blindness and amputation are therefore preventable and the vast majority of people with diabetes will avoid blindness and amputation, by doing diabetic (blood glucose) checks periodically.

People with diabetes are more likely to be ill

Truth: People with diabetes are not more likely to have colds or other illnesses. The significance of illness for people with diabetes is that it can make the management of blood glucose levels more difficult which can increase the severity of an illness or infection.
Having diabetes means you must eat foods that are different from everyone else's.
Truth: People with diabetes don't need to follow a totally restricted diet but instead should try to follow the same healthful eating guidelines as everyone else, including choosing foods that are lower in fat, higher in nutrients, and contain an appropriate amount of calories,
Only older people get diabetes.
Truth: These days, children as young as age 5,children and adolescent are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but some years back children or adolescent were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes.
To help prevent diabetes in children, parents should try to encourage good habits for the entire family. That means less video game and TV time, more physical activity, less junk food, and smaller portions.

In conclusion, diet is a major form of diabetic treatment and should be adhered to, this is supported by Hipocrates, the father of modern medicine who said ‘’Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’’

Dietary Regimen: Diabetics are to take their breakfast between 7am-8:30am , lunch between  1:30-2:30PM and dinner between  6:00-7:30PM. In-between Meals 11am-12noon.

Diabetics are not to skip meals! if you're skipping meals. Missing meals, especially if you take insulin or an oral medication, can raise the risk of developing low blood sugar.

All vegetables, cucumber, garden eggs are very healthy and can be freely taken by diabetics.

No pineapple, sugarcane, mangoes & banana. Pounded Yam, Garri and Fufu if taken should be with extreme caution.

Moderate exercise at least 30 minutes in a day, 3 times weekly is good measure for controlling diabetes.

DIETARY CONTROL OF DIABETES  MELLITUS

TIMING OF MENU

Breakfast  7am -8:30am

Lunch  1:30-2:30PM

Dinner  6:00-7:30PM

In-between Meals : First  11am-12noon

FOODS TO BE TAKEN AS IN BETWEEN MEALS

• Carrots (2-3 pcs finger-sized)
• Apple (1 small size, costs about 50 naira)
• 1 or half grape fruit orange
• Pawpaw (hard one, 1 cup chopped)
• Watermelon (1 cup chopped)
• Orange (1 small size…costs about 20 naira)
• Walnut (Asala) 4-6 pcs…costs about 50 naira
• Kemos cracker biscuits 2pcs

NORMAL DIET

• Bread (2 slices of normal bread or 3 slices of wheat bread or 1/3 of Senegal bread…costs about 120 naira )
• Cornflakes (3/4 cup…dry portion)
• Swallows: Amala, Semo, Semolina – 1 cup ; Wheat, plantain flour 11/4 cup (1.25 cup)
• Eko (agidi) 1 wrap…costs about 20 naira + 1-2 moimoi (1 wrap + vegetables)
• Guineacorn pap – 1 cup + 1-2 moimoi (1.5-2 cups + milk)
• Unripe plantain – 1 moderate size + vegetable
• Yam 1.5 slices; Water yam 2-3 slices; Irish potatoes 2-3 pcs moderate size

FOODS THAT CAN BE FREELY TAKEN

• Cucumber
• Garden eggs
• All vegetables

FOODS TO BE TAKEN IN MODERATION

• Meat (lean meat)…1-5pcs per week
• Chicken or turkey (remove the skin)
• Fish (scaly fish…dried or fresh fish, stockfish/okporoko, kote, shawa, mackerel)
• Boiled Eggs…remove yolk(1-2 per week)
• Milk (skimmed milk e.g danoslim or marvel, soyabean powdered milk 2 tablespoon levelled/day.
• Tea (lipton, toptea, Eby’s tea, etc)
• Low cholesterol Vegetable oil

FOODS NOT ALLOWED

• Sugar, honey, pies, cake, sausages, Gala & pastries
• Fried foods (akara, dodo, fried meat, fried fish, etc)
• Beverages (milo, bournvita, ovaltine, chocolate drinks, carbonated soft drinks and alcoholic beverages)
• Melon (Egusi) and apon
• Fatty meat & fish

CAUTION !

• No pineapple, sugarcane, mangoes & banana
• No eba, fufu, lafun & iyan
• Do not skip meals!

Exercise at least 3-5 times a week for 30-45 mins .

This diet list above is a research work of  Dr Emma O'brien ,he can be reached via www.medicalpings.com