Eat sensibly, stay healthy
ISIDINGO ACTRESS WATCHES HER DIET
AS AN actress of a popular soapie, Keketso Semoko has to attend numerous celebrity parties and glamorous award ceremonies where tables overflow with every delicacy imaginable.
This cannot be easy for someone who has Type 2 diabetes. But Semoko, who is well-known for her role as Ma Agnes in the SABC3 soapie Isidingo, approaches her medical condition with a stern determination to look after her health.
“I always pack a snack or a peanut butter sandwich. If what is served is not what I ’ m allowed to eat, I go to my car and eat my snack,” the 48-year-old Semoko says.
Recently, her positive outlook and openness has led her to being appointed an ambassador for Changing Diabetes, a national movement sponsored by healthcare company Novo Nordisk.
In March, Semoko took part in the Novo Nordisk ’ s Diabetes Media Cookout where she was joined by 2012 Masterchef runner-up Sue-Ann Allen.
Semoko was diagnosed with diabetes seven years ago when she went for her annual medical checkup.
“The doctor asked me to come back the next day to do another test because he found sugar in my blood,” she says.
Semoko has tried very hard to avoid becoming a diabetic because her brother and father are diabetic too.
“Knowing that it ’ s in your family doesn ’ t make it easier because you take the journey alone. Yes, you get the support. If I run out of needles, I call my brother and he brings me some, but it ’ s still hard,” Semoko says.
She says having diabetes is not the end of the world nor is it a death sentence.
“All it needs is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle and a bit of insulin on the side. Life can be as fulfilling and as much fun as if I did not have diabetes.
“I believe if I always keep this in mind, I will stay healthy for much longer and so be able to do all the things that I want to do and to experience life to the fullest, ” she says.
Semoko says that people ’ s attitude to health is unfortunately not very pleasing.
“Often, people simply neglect to eat healthily,” she says.
She adds that people need to do more than just take medication.
Semoko maintains that there are lessons to be learned from her experiences over the past seven years.
“I now understand better how my body functions. I always have to imagine how my body processes the food I eat and that makes me more mindful of doing the right thing for longevity,” she says. mahopoz@sowetan.co.za