Daughter’s backyard garden keeps diabetes away

Karishma Kumar is a living testimony on what backyard gardening and consumption of fresh vegetables can achieve for those who have diabetes. A decision she reached and was committed to 20 years ago to start healthy living from home because her parents are both diabetic is reaping rewards.

The Aspire Network executive was a participant at the Second Non-Communicable Diseases and Diabetes Congress yesterday

Ms Kumar said that the best way to prevent amputation from diabetes is to live a healthy lifestyle.

“We were spending about $500 to $600 on diabetic medication every week so we came up with the backyard gardening concept to produce more fresh vegetables,” she said.

“Actually, this backyard gardening also encouraged my parents to go out and do some exercise which kept them fit.” Ms Kumar said that from the time her parents started eating the home cultivated vegetables, they never went through complications in diabetes.

“I also started to post on Facebook for the young generation to see and practise the same thing I did for my parents,” she said.

“After my post, a lot of my friends on began to do backyard gardening and posted it up, this way it increases awareness.”

“Family members play a vital role when it comes to a person having diabetes.

“Both my parents feet got infected and they were told that there are chances of cutting off their toes, but we refused and I personally ensured that we nurse my parents at home,” she said.

We were spending about $500 to $600 on diabetic medication every week so we came up with the backyard gardening concept to produce more fresh vegetable. Karishma Kumar Workshop participant