Time was when I could eat almost any food
without worrying about its effect on my health. But as I grow older my diet, my
lifestyle and my state of mind have an impact on my health and wellbeing. My body’s
immune system is not as strong as it used to be when I was young.
Several years back I was diagnosed with type
2 diabetes. To deal with it, I have to follow my doctors’ advice on medications
and matters related to the disease. Knowing that I had the disease was bad news
for me because diabetes is not curable, and if left untreated and uncontrolled
can lead to serious health complications such as going blind, being amputated
in the legs, having a heart disease and stroke, having a kidney problem and
having a nerve damage.
I have been to several doctors for
consultations and medicine prescriptions. I have also made researches in the
internet about the disease and the doctors’ guidance and my research have
helped me a great deal to manage the disease. The following paragraphs are my
layman’s action in dealing with my illness.
Diet
The cause of type 2 diabetes is the excess
sugar in the blood stream because the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Therefore,
decreasing sugar level in the blood is a key to bring the blood glucose back to
the normal level.
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Eliminate or minimize my sugar
consumption. I get rid of table sugar and shun the
consumption of commercial food products with added sugar in them such as
three-in-one coffee, ice creams, cakes and pastries, candies, sweetened
chocolates and drinks such as coke, canned fruit juices, sports drinks and
other sugary drinks.
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Minimize my carbohydrate
intakes. Carbohydrates are essential food nutrients
that provide energy for the body to function, but too much of it is not good
for a person with diabetes since the body will convert excess carbs into sugar
thus spiking his blood glucose level. As a Filipino my main source of carb is
rice and consumption of it must be controlled since rice has too much carb. At
present I have reduced my rice consumption to just about 1/3 of what I used to
eat when I was still a non-diabetic.
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Eat lots of vegetables. My veggies include carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, okra, ampalaya,
eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper and green leafy ones such as cabbages, camote
tops and saluyot. I also eat fruits such as apples, oranges, mangoes, bananas,
avocadoes and local seasonal fruits.
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Eat mainly fish and eggs
as my main sources of protein. Eating fish is
healthier than eating red meats such as beef, pork, and eggs are cheap source
of protein. I also consume red meat to include chicken in limited amount.
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Choosing healthy edible oil. I avoid vegetable oils specially in frying because they can cause
inflammation in the body which can exacerbate diabetes. For cooking, I only use
coconut oil which is said to be a healthy oil as well as extra virgin olive oil
(EVOO}which is rich in omega 3 fatty acid. The latter is said to be the best
and the healthiest edible oil there is, but it is expensive in the Philippines.
EVOO goes along with my bread as a dipping, my other bread fillings are cheddar
cheese and peanut butter.
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Avoid drinking alcohol and
smoking. I am fortunate that as a person I don’t
consume alcoholic drinks or smoke cigarettes, the habits that can worsen
various illnesses such as diabetes.
Care of
the pancreas
The pancreas is an organ of the body which
produces enzyme to digest food especially protein, and makes the hormone
insulin which help control blood sugar. It is therefore imperative to make it
healthy to maintain my good health. But as a person ages, his pancreas will not
be as efficient as he was in his younger years.
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Having light meals for my
breakfast, lunch and supper. Large meals are not
good for a person with diabetes because they will put much stress to the
pancreas.
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Having multiple but light
meals. In my research, it is suggested that it is
more desirable to have four or six light meals including snacks than having 3
large meals. But for me, I opt for just three light meals each day.
Healthy routines
Having desirable routines to follow every
day is good for my health. One of them is to be physically active always.
Similarly, having adequate rest is needed by the body to reinvigorate itself. Sedentary
lifestyle can lead to boredom, weight gain and the acquisition or worsening of
illnesses.
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Having a regular exercise. I used to jog regularly to be physically fit. At my older age I
want to maintain that routine, but my rheumatic knee won’t allow it anymore. In
lieu of jogging I do a lot of walking either near my house or in the malls. I am
also doing body stretching, high intensity exercises such as pushups and
mountain climbers, and light dumbbell exercises to minimize degradation of my
bones and muscle mass because of aging. I do these in an almost everyday basis
except Sunday. My exercise session last for about an hour. I alternate the days
when I do high intensity exercise and body stretching.
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Having enough sleep. The quality of sleep can have impact with people having health
issue such as diabetes. A person should have at least a 7-hour sleep a day to
be healthy. I am always trying to achieve that amount of time when I sleep.
However, for me, the quality of sleep that I will have, is also affected by my
state of mind and the mood that I am in on a particular evening. It is my habit
to sleep early so that I can wake up and get up early in the morning to
monitor my blood sugar and to exercise.
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Blood sugar level monitoring. Constant checkup of my blood sugar level is a necessary measure in
managing my illness. Without it I wouldn’t be able to know when my blood sugar
is rising and what actions should I take to bring it back to normal. A
glucometer is a small investment for that purpose. In my house I always do a fasting
blood sugar glucometer test early in the morning to monitor my blood sugar
level.
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Bi-annual blood chemistry
test. Twice every year, my blood chemistry test
also includes HbA1c which is a measure of my average blood sugar level for the
past two or three months.
Positive state of mind
Having a healthy diet and having desirable
routines are not complete healing process without dealing with the
psychological aspect of the health issue. Chronic mental stress can also spike
blood sugar level and worsen one’s health. Controlling the mind to be always on
the optimistic state is easier said than done. Demise of love ones, bankruptcy
of a company where one works with, financial difficulties, break up of romantic relationship, behavior
of people around us, are happenings which are mostly beyond one’s control. And they
can give him stress or depression.
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Managing negative emotions
or feelings. Anger, jealousy, envy, hate, anxiety
are some examples of negative feelings that are stress makers. Negativities can
make my stress hormone called cortisol high for a prolonged period which can
also raise my blood sugar level. Getting along with others is a simple way to be
in a good state of mind.
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Avoid focusing or thinking on
stressful things that are beyond my personal control. Matters beyond my control should be better left ignored as they
are because too much thinking on them can give me stress.
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Thinking positive always. Positive outlook in life brings about desirable feelings and
emotions. It will enable a person to be successful in most of his endeavors
that can make him happy. Happiness brings about a good state of mind which is
also conducive to a person’s good physical health.
With my own effort and with the help of my
doctor for her prescribed medicines and guidance, I have been able to bring my blood
sugar to a normal level for quite some time; thus, preventing the occurrence of
serious health complications caused by diabetes. However, I still continue to
take my medicines because, as health experts say: diabetes is an incurable
disease. And I will take their words for it. Despite my disease, I feel that I
am in good health. I am living a normal life as if I don’t have the disease at
all, and that I am as physically strong as other healthy persons who are my
contemporaries.
