In the Philippines, diabetes is called the “silent killer” because people are often unaware of the complications of the disease, a result from unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

 

Can Sugar Be Green?

 

Every 30 seconds, a limb is lost due to diabetes. The disease affects almost 371 million people worldwide. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that unless rapid action is taken, 1 in 10 people will have diabetes by 2030. As of 2012, diabetes affects the lives of 9.7% of the adult population in the Philippines (source: Philippine Association of Diabetes Educators (PADE) )

Diabetes is a common group of chronic metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar (glucose) levels in the body due to defects in insulin production or function. With Diabetes Mellitus or Type-2 Diabetes, the pancreas secretes insulin, but there is a problem with the insulin receptors in the body’s cells. There may not be enough receptors, or the receptors may be insensitive to insulin. Diabetes Mellitus can be controlled by diet and, in some cases, by medication. If type 2 diabetes is not controlled, it can have a number of long-term complications: retinopathy, periodontal disease, heart disease, kidney, depression, brain and cerebral circulation, erectile dysfunction, peripheral nervous system (neuropathy), and foot ulceration and amputation. Therefore, it is important to control your blood-sugar levels even if you are not experiencing any symptoms.

 

What is the Green Secret for Diabetes II?

 

Avoid sweets and other simple carbohydrates. This includes cookies, candies, cakes, pies, ice cream, and white flour or white rice. Fruit also contains simple carbohydrates, so do not eat more than one or two pieces per day.

Eat complex carbohydrates and whole, unprocessed foods. Vegetables, whole grains (brown rice, barley, oats), and legumes (like mung beans, lentils, split peas) are made up of complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates require more time for your digestive system to break down into fuel. Limit consumption to no more than 1 cup per day of such starchy vegetables as potatoes, yams, peas, and corn; they are processed into fuel more quickly than other vegetables.

Eat more of your vegetables raw, and drink fresh vegetable juices.Dr. John Douglas of the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles found that raw vegetables are better tolerated by diabetics than cooked vegetables, and that raw foods help stabilize blood-sugar levels.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals, and include protein at each meal or snack. Diabetics do best eating several small meals throughout the day rather than two or three large meals. Eating more frequently, and eating a little protein at each meal or snack, helps keep blood sugar at a relatively constant level, which is far better than inducing big surges in blood sugar by eating a BIG meal.

Reduce your consumption of animal products. A healthy vegetarian diet lowers the risk of developing severe diabetes complications when compared with a diet that includes high amounts of animal products. Eat fish more often and only small quantities of meat and chicken.

 

Green Secret Juice for Healthy Blood Sugar (Make sure to scrub and wash well all vegetables and fruits before juicing)

• 1 medium vine-ripened tomato
• 5 string beans
• 2 small bunch of parsley or camote tops
• 1 cucumber
• 2 small calamansi

 

Cut the tomato into sections that fit to your juicer’s feed tube. Bunch up the parsley and juice with the cucumber, string beans and calamansi. Stir the juice and pour into a glass, drink.

Armed with the green secret, let us break the chain of amputations every 30 seconds! God bless you on your journey to health and wellbeing. For questions, please email me at [email protected].

 

 

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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