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I think by now most of us know what diabetes is, symptoms, risk factors, complications etc. Most of us think of diabetes, we only associate it with sugar and foot amputations. The American Diabetes Association newest guidelines recommend that screening for diabetes should start as early as 35 years old, compared to 45 years old which was the recommended age in older guidelines. Why is that? This is because of the increased rate of obesity and diabetes globally, both occurring at a younger age. Screening at an earlier age can help identify individuals with abnormal glucose regulation, promote an early start with preventive care and may reduce risk of the multiple complications following the onset of diabetes. It is important that we all assess our risks of developing diabetes by using a diabetes risk calculator available online.
It makes me happy to see more people engaged in physical activity when I take a walk at the beach. We need to include exercise as a vital component in our lives, take it as seriously as our religion. Many international health organizations recommend that individuals must engage in at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, exercise that involves all major muscle groups to prevent diabetes. This recommendation is also vital for diabetic patients where they should not go for more than 2 days with no exercise.
Exercise helps prevent complications of diabetes by controlling weight, lower blood pressure, lower harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raise healthy HDL cholesterol, strengthen muscles and bones, reduce anxiety, and improve your general well-being. Exercise also improves the action of insulin among diabetic patients.
Obesity is a major cause of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Africa is facing a growing challenge of obesity and overweight and trends continue to rise. Obesity rates are higher north of the Sahara and in Southern Africa. In Western Africa, the great news is obesity rates are still not very high, but slightly higher than Eastern Africa and the interior. Our dietary habits such as consuming energy-dense foods, lack of physical activity associated with rising urbanization or changing modes of transport are significant drivers of obesity globally. Lack of strong policies in key sectors including health, agriculture, urban planning, and environment to support healthier lifestyles also contributes to growing rate of non-communicable diseases which we neglect in our society.
In Sierra Leone, if you go to the local food market most of what is there is healthy and highly nutritious, the issue lies on how we use those foods to prepare our meals. Let us forget about going to the supermarket to buy expensive imported foods that are “considered healthy”. Focus on eating natural foods that have not been tampered with by humans! There are many foods at the store with labelled hidden sugars which we should be aware of. There are misleading food advertising labels like ‘sugar free’, light/fat free’ but still considered junk food! Always read your nutrition labels at the back!
Diabetic patients I manage have this mindset that eating healthy can be expensive, it is quite the opposite. Here are some tips to help you eat healthily on a budget:
- Shop smart, plan and make a list of healthy foods you can stick to in the supermarket or local market.
- Use the fresh fruit and vegetables you already have at home first, before buying more.
- Meal preparation means you can buy and cook in bulk, which will save you both time and money.
- Only buy what you need.
- A tip I give to myself is “Never go to the supermarket when you are hungry”.
Back to our main topic, here are the hidden side effects and sweet danger of sugar! Apart from weight gain and diabetes, excessive consumption of sugar causes bad skin (sagginess and wrinkles), depression, drains your energy, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, joint pain, fatty liver, heart disease.
My key message today in commemoration of World Diabetes Day is to include regular physical activity as your lifestyle, as an obligation you owe to your mind and body, know what a healthy food/ meal consists of and make a change today, let us cherish and respect our body.