What is the first thing in the diet you think of when you see/hear the word diabetes? Sugar? Often I hear people with Type II diabetes saying “but I don’t add sugar to my tea or coffee and I don’t have sweets or sugary drinks”. Sugar or carbohydrates is certainly an important component, but is not the only contributor in diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is when the body is unable to utilise the glucose (sugar) in the body efficiently. This may be due to the body either not making any or enough insulin, or is resistant to insulin. There are three main types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2 and the third is gestational diabetes.
Imagine going to a concert. You have a building venue, different entrance doors to get in, and concert-goers that are keen to get in. You also need keys to open the entrance doors. Now take it one step further. In basic terms, the building venue is your entire body, and all the entrance doors are your body cells ready to take on board the glucose to be used or stored for fuel. The keys are the insulin. They open up the entrance doors to allow people (i.e. glucose) to get in. Insulin also acts as a monitor to regulate how much glucose the liver itself produces. Then consider, if there are not enough keys to open the doors, or the keys themselves don’t work very well at opening the doors, less doors would be opened and concert-goers can be left outside for a for a much longer time period. They can start to get angry and potentially cause a riot. This is the same for diabetes. If glucose levels are high in the blood, and are not well managed, they can cause their own riot.
Imagine going to a concert. You have a building venue, different entrance doors to get in, and concert-goers that are keen to get in. You also need keys to open the entrance doors. Now take it one step further. In basic terms, the building venue is your entire body, and all the entrance doors are your body cells ready to take on board the glucose to be used or stored for fuel. The keys are the insulin. They open up the entrance doors to allow people (i.e. glucose) to get in. Insulin also acts as a monitor to regulate how much glucose the liver itself produces. Then consider, if there are not enough keys to open the doors, or the keys themselves don’t work very well at opening the doors, less doors would be opened and concert-goers can be left outside for a for a much longer time period. They can start to get angry and potentially cause a riot. This is the same for diabetes. If glucose levels are high in the blood, and are not well managed, they can cause their own riot.
Who can get Diabetes?
Diabetes can occur at any age. Nineteen people are diagnosed with diabetes a day in New Zealand, with many more untested. There are also young children being diagnosed with Type II diabetes and on medication, which was previously unheard of.
How can I prevent Diabetes?
There can be a genetic predisposition to diabetes, though it can also occur with no family history. Regardless, it is important to first manage what you can control. This includes your diet, weight, activity levels, and managing your overall lifestyle. Focus on what you can change.
How do I get checked?
Discuss with your doctor whether testing would be right for you. Levels are then compared to what is normal, pre-diabetes and diabetes. Pre-diabetes, also known as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is borderline, where it’s higher than normal but not quite enough to confirm diabetes. It is crucial to manage IGT levels to avoid tipping over to the other side of diabetes.
Is there a special diet for diabetes?
There is no need to specifically purchase diabetic food products. In general, eating well for diabetes is the same as eating well for good health. This means the same diet for the whole family. You should always watch your fats, sugars and salt. Control your portions and always read the label.
Confused about how to manage your diabetes? Struggling to lose weight or keep your blood sugars under control? Contact me for an appointment.
