3 F’s: Fat, Fibre and Fitness – Diabetes Mellitus

The amount of fibre in your diet, the type of fat you choose and your fitness level are three key concepts to help people manage their diabetes.  Diabetes Mellitus is defined as a chronic disease in which there are high levels of sugar in one’s bloodstream.  When sugar levels are too high in the blood, the sugar begins to scratch along the lining of your blood vessels, causing scar tissue, potentially leading to further complications affecting one’s eyes, feet or skin.

A 2010 Stats Canada report indicated there to be just under 2 million individuals, amongst males and females over the age of 12, affected by diabetes.  This does not include the undiagnosed cases of diabetes, which population-based studies have identified to be 1 in 3 people.  Being overweight or obese, eating few vegetables and fruit products and lack of physical activity have been key findings highlighting the prevalence of the disease.

Under normal circumstances, the human body is able to make and use the hormone insulin, which is released from the pancreas, to help move sugar from the food we eat to our brain, working muscles or to cells for storage.  Under normal working conditions, our body is able to release a base amount of insulin (“basal insulin”) to help keep our blood sugars steady throughout the day.  During meal times, our pancreas releases additional insulin (“bolus insulin”) to help with the added load from meals and snacks (depending on the amount of sugar in these sittings).

There are many types of diabetes:  Type 1 Diabetes has a genetic disposition linked to it and often has an earlier onset in life.  Individuals living with Type 1 Diabetes are not able to make any insulin, and therefore, need to inject themselves with insulin based on the amount of sugar coming from their meals and snacks.  Gestational Diabetes is a diabetes-onset during pregnancy.  Most often times, with proper education on balancing meals, including fibre in the diet, balanced meals and continuing with light activity, Gestational Diabetes can be well-monitored.

The 3 F’s have the biggest impact on Type 2 Diabetes, in helping to manage the disease and preventing further complications.  Type 2 diabetes is very specific to each individual presenting with the disease.  Some people with Type 2 diabetes are on a very small medication dose, while others may be on many types of medications and/or have to inject some insulin as well.  In type 2 diabetes, an individual is often still able to make some insulin, but either their pancreas doesn’t release it as it should, it doesn’t get stored properly or taken up by the cells that need it properly.  It is very important for those living with type 2 diabetes to have proper follow-ups and learn the key strategies that will help them manage their diabetes, as this is highly attainable.  By choosing a high fibre diet, choosing foods with a lower Glycemic Index, blood sugar levels have been shown to stay stable for a longer period of time, causing less spikes in blood sugars (hazardous over a long period of time).  Just like cardiovascular disease, choosing a diet that includes more mono– and polyunsaturated fats, and less saturated and trans fats helps in preventing further complications that are associated with diabetes.  Finally, being physically active helps in managing diabetes in a number of ways: using the sugar from the food we eat, as well as making us more insulin sensitive, or better able for our muscles to uptake the sugar from foods.

Remember, sugar (carbohydrate) comes from grains and starches (ie. bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn), fruits and vegetables, milk products (ie. milk, yogurt) and convenience foods, baked goods, confectionary and most snacks.  Most often people living with diabetes think they just need to refrain from eating any of these foods.  That is not the case.  People simply need to understand which foods provide our bodies with sugar (since our brain and muscles require sugar to perform their best), and learn strategies to monitor their portions and choose the better sugars over those that tend to cause more harm when eaten in larger quantities in the long run.

All in all, these 3 F’s also help to manage an individual’s weight which is a huge component in managing and/or preventing any type of chronic disease.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-229-x/2009001/status/dia-eng.html

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/diabetes-diabete/index-eng.php

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/

http://www.diabetes.ca/

http://www.diabetes.ca/for-professionals/resources/nutrition/glycemic-index/