Veges the best weapon to combat diabetes
Today is World Diabetes Day. The world is in the grip of an alarming increase in diabetes, mainly type 2.
In New Zealand, we are keeping up with global trends.
The number of people who developed diabetes grew by nearly 10 per cent last year, meaning on average 50 more people were diagnosed every day.
Diabetes New Zealand says that if this continues, in less than a decade nearly 400,000 Kiwis will have diabetes and it will cost our country more than $1 billion a year in healthcare.
Unlike type-1 diabetes – an autoimmune disease – type-2 diabetes is generally caused by lifestyle and occurs when the insulin produced by the body does not work properly, or the body cannot produce enough insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels.
Obesity is one of the largest preventable causes of type-2 diabetes.
Type-2 diabetes can be controlled and its development prevented with healthy eating and exercise.
When it comes to cooking, you can make almost any meal diabetes friendly.
Give vegetables a leading role. Include at least two serves of vegetables in your meal. One serve is equivalent to half a cup of cooked vegetables or one cup of salad. Add lots of grated vegetables to sauces, soups and baked dishes.
Add a portion of lean protein. Protein helps lower the total glycaemic index (GI) of the meal and helps you feel full longer.
A serve of protein could be two small eggs, 120 grams of tofu, 100g chicken, beef, lamb or pork, 120g fish, 40g (about two slices) reduced-fat cheese or half a cup of lentils, chickpeas or beans.
Choose moderate amounts of carbohydrates. Keep the glycaemic load of your meal down by using smaller portions of starchy vegetables, grains and legumes.
A serve of carbohydrate is one cup of cooked pasta or noodles, one small wholegrain bread roll, two slices of wholegrain bread, one cup of cooked couscous, cup of cooked brown rice or basmati rice, cup of quinoa, one small potato, one medium kumara or one medium corn cob.
Add a little healthy fat. Healthy fats help lower the GI of the meal. Examples include 2 teaspoons of pesto, 1 teaspoon of plantbased oil, 2 teaspoons of crushed or sliced nuts, 10g avocado, a tablespoon of hummus or 2 teaspoons of salad dressing.