Preventing and Dealing with Prediabetes by Famhealth

Preventing and Dealing with Prediabetes

Functional medicine is a system approach which addresses the underlying cause of the disease. A functional medicine expert is a super generalist who aims to treat the body as a whole to suppress a disease condition. For an instance- A functional medicine expert will consider brain and gut connected and deals with body as a whole. Hence, functional medicine is also regarded as precision medicine.

According to Mona Johar a trained functional medicine expert-“Eating local, organic, and fresh food not only supplements good nutrition but also acts as a medicine to fight against many diseases”.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are high but are not enough to be regarded as diabetes. However, if remain unchecked and uncontrolled prediabetes usually converts to diabetes.

According to Mona – prediabetes results due to the combination of genetic, environmental and unhealthy lifestyle factors.

There are no obvious signs and symptoms which can result in prediabetes, however a periodic blood test is the only method which can detect the spikes in the blood sugar levels.

It is myth that fat people are prone to diabetes. Mona says that it thin individuals are at an equal risk. She terms thin people as walking time bombs or TOFI (Thin from outside and fat from inside). Fats is not visible in such individuals, however it gets accumulated on the internal organs which leads to serious complications.

Causes of prediabetes

Prediabetes primarily results from factors such as:

  • Poor diet
  • Toxins in the environment
  • Genetics

Mona addresses most of the concerns w.r.t food to curb prediabetes In spite of having a genetic predisposition towards the disease, genetic suppression for diabetes can be achieved by:

  • Eating healthy
  • Avoiding eating foods in plastics(minimize the use of plastics)
  • Avoiding sugary foods and drinks-which shoots the blood sugar levels
  • Including whole fruits and vegetables
  • Eating foods which are low in glycemic index such as high fiber foods(green leafy vegetables, cauliflower and fruits )
  • Refraining from foods high in glycemic index (e.g potatoes)

Mona says- Rule of the thumb is that high fiber foods are low in glycemic index e.g fruits and vegetables. She emphasizes on below mentioned points to prevent or deal with prediabetes:

Eating healthy

Art of stacking-Pairing the food appropriately-Just for an instance you are eating rice and dal, club it with foods rich in fibers such as vegetables and salads. Include proteins such as tofu. Non- vegetarians can add chicken, meat or fish.

  • Consuming sweets in moderation-Try consuming sweets in moderation. Gradually reduce your sweet intake. Mona says- According to research it takes about 14 days to fully curb the craving of a particular food. So do not give your body a shock and try eating foods in moderation.
  • Avoid artificial sweetners– Mona says – Artificial sweeteners can be regarded as poison. They attack our gut microbiome and kill good bacteria, which are essential for maintaining good health.
  • Prediabetics can include dates, coconut to replace the sugar in their diet

Healthy lifestyle

According to Mona leading a active life and a 30 mins of daily physical activity can reduce the risk of prediabetes. So one must include a minimum of 30 mins work out schedule in daily regimen.

Stress

Keep stress at bay. Stress not only contributes to prediabetes condition but also contributes heavily to other lifestyle chronic conditions.

Foods recommended for prediabetics 

  • Lean proteins
  • Foods rich in chromium like brocilli
  • Foods rich in magnesium like almonds, spinach and pumpkin seeds

Karela juice is an age old Indian method which is scientifically proven to prevent diabetes and has exceptional benefits in lowering down the blood sugar levels.

Whenever you visit a restaurant it is a good idea to:

  • Take time in understanding the menu
  • Take time to order
  • Select intelligently
  • Ask questions to the server
  • Customize food
  • Avoid foods rich in sugars and carbs e.g bread basket
  • Swap few items e.g remove french fries, avoid salad dressings instead use olive oil
  • Avoid fried foods like chilli paneer
  • Avoid cheesy pizza. Customize pizza and add more vegetables
  • Share your food
  • Eat fruit bowel instead of conventional desserts

Power foods to prevent diabetes:

  • Green Tea
  • Cinnamon
  • Coriander
  • Ginger
  • Sprouted foods

To read more on Diabetes, click on the link below.

https://famhealth.in/infocus-detail/diabetes

Diabetes Recipe – Tropical Banana Freeze

Diabetes: Tropical banana freeze by Famhealth

Serves: 4, Time taken: 10 minutes plus 1-hour freezing

Nutrition Facts
Makes 4 Servings (Amount per Serving)
Calories (kcal)189.8
Protein (g)2.3
Carbohydrates (g)33.6
Total Sugars (g)17.4
Dietary Fibre (g)3.8
Fat (g)7.2
Saturated Fat (g)5.2

1 tbsp Grated fresh, frozen or desiccated coconut4 Bananas, peeled

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

100ml/3 fl oz Coconut milk

1 tbsp Honey

1 Lime, juice only

Steps:

  1. Slice the bananas into 2.5cm/1” pieces, lay them on a baking tray and freeze until hard (at least one hour)
  2. Dry fry the coconut and sesame seeds, stirring frequently, until browned
  3. Just before serving, take the bananas from the freezer and place in the blender with the coconut milk, honey and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Serve in small glass bowls, garnished with the toasted coconut and sesame seeds.

Note

The Glycaemic Load (GL) of banana depends on the variety of banana, where it was grown, and most importantly, how ripe it is. Choose slightly underripe bananas and the GL can be low as 11, and even the mean of 10 studies was only 12.

For more related recipes, click the link below.

Diabetes

6 best alternatives: diabetes sugar cravings

Johnny Johnny yes papa … eating sugar no papa, open your mouth ha ha ha. Isn’t this famous old poem “so true” for many of us? Well, sugar cravings can be smartly handled and satisfied by natural effective alternatives, read on to find out.

 

Indulge in fresh and seasonal fruits:


  

Eating fruits is not only beneficial for your health, but the natural “fructose” content in fruits satisfy your “sugar cravings” too. Fresh and seasonal fruits like berries, avocado, cherries, pear, apples, grapes, mangoes, bananas, pomegranate, kiwi etc…. are readily available in the market and can be used as fillers/minimeals in diabetes diet plans. Adding fruits to your cornflakes for breakfast can be a great way to replace sugars totally. But remember packed and processed fruits should be avoided as they carry “hidden sugars” which may spike your blood glucose level.

 

Add Flavour to your meals:


  

Spices and herbs can do wonders to your diabetes meals. Why stick with the bland and boring taste, spice up your meals. Add a pinch of cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cumin, white pepper, black pepper, red dried chill or chilli flakes etc and have a great tasty meal. This will not only satisfy your taste buds but also keep you away from sugar cravings.

 

Looking for a drink?


  

Do you quench your thirst with high sugar aerated drinks? Replace it with low fat milk, fruit juices, coconut water (rich in minerals and antioxidants) or simply water. Quenching your thirst with water is the best way to cut out on sugar and calories. Research hints replacing high sugar drinks and mock tails with non-soda drinks not only help you curb sugar cravings but also helps the extra calories away.

 

Aroma & beverages


  

We all love our tea’s and coffees’. Mostly we are recommended by our dieticians to consume it minus the “sugars” but did you know adding aroma to beverages can curb sugar cravings. Scientific studies reveal that adding jasmine leaves or cardamom powder in your tea can curb sugar cravings to a larger extent.

 

Reward yourself


  

There will be occasions where you will want to pamper yourself, research hints a tiny portion of “dark chocolate” rich with cocoa will not only satisfy your “sugar tooth” but also help you in keeping your sugar cravings under control. Scientific studies also reveal that “Dark chocolate” keeps you away from depression and elevates your mood. You are advised to check with your doctor/dietician about the portion sizes. Exceeding the recommended portion sizes may lead to spiking of blood glucose levels.

 

Eat frequently


  

American Diabetes Association suggests, eating frequent meals in intervals keeps sugar cravings in control and also helps you in losing the weight. Also eating frequently and keeps your blood glucose levels in control.

 

To read more on Diabetes, click on the link below,

https://famhealth.in/infocus-detail/diabetes

Citations www.diabetes.org Diabetes new Zealand magazine www.webmd.com