Posts

Showing posts from June, 2020

What are the Things We Dos and Don’ts in Diabetes? By Dr V Mohan, Chairman, and Chief Diabetologist

Image
The first line of management of all patients with diabetes is healthy eating and regular physical activity. Medications are second-line treatment measures if diet and exercise fail to achieve adequate control. Medication in diabetes can either be oral tablets (oral hypoglycemic agents or OHAs) or insulin injections. A diabetes person's diet need not be a complete deviation from the normal diet. The nutritional requirements of a person with diabetes are the same as in the person without diabetes. However, the nutrient intake has to be tailor-made based on the age, sex, weight, height, physical activity, physiological needs and current dietary history and routine of the patient. Healthy eating is the cornerstone of therapy for diabetes mellitus. An individual with diabetes can often manage his condition by diet and exercise alone. When a patient with diabetes neglects this important aspect of diabetes management, then his/her blood sugars become uncontrolled.

How to Control Diabetes and Diet? By Dr V Mohan, Chairman, and Chief Diabetologist

Image
Diabetes mellitus affects the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, fat, water and electrolytes. Treating a disease with the food you eat is one of the most important aspects of caring for people with diabetes. For individuals with type 2 diabetes, dietary management is the initial and most important step to treat the disease. For individuals with types 1 and 2 diabetes, food intake is an integral part of medication decisions. The nutritional needs of every individual vary with the individual differences in physical patterns, lifestyle habits and personal likes and dislikes, and many others. Therefore, individual nutritional needs should be personalized, taking into the consideration personal variables like a person's age, activity level, current weight and body style, individual food habits and the family diet pattern, cultural preferences and lifestyle. Earlier diets for diabetic individuals consisted of very low carbohydrate content. This has changed in the past few