The natural diet therapy for Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes is due to inadequate secretion of insulin by the 'islets of langerhans' with subsequent disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism. Insulin is essential for the combustion of carbohydrate with production of energy and also for their storage. Normally about 4 gms of insulin is found in circulating blood. The rest of carbohydrate intake is used for production of heat and energy or is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. If insulin is not present in sufficient quantities, these combustion and storage doesn't take place and the levels of circulating glucose will be greater resulting in hyperglycemia and glucose is excreted in urine. The pathological changes in diabetes can be defined in technical terms as enhanced non-enzymatic glycosylation of tissue proteins due to continuous exposure to high glucose concentrations and accumulation of large quantities of Sorbitol (reduced product of glucose) in tissues.

Predisposing factors

Heredity: genetic factors have been found to be involved in the occurrence of diabetes. Normally these familial tendencies develop diabetes in the person before the age of 40 years.

Age and Sex: Diabetes occurs to persons of all ages and both the sexes. However greater percentage of the cases occurs in men of over 40 years.

Stress: Stress is also found to play an important role in development of diabetes.

Symptoms:

The symptoms for diabetes is vast and for sake of simplicity, I have summarized it into

1. saccharin impregnation of the urine known as melituria
2. excess urinary secretion (polyuria)
3. excess thirst(polydypsia)
4. inordinate appetite (polyphagia)
5. General emaciation and gradual loss of weight
6. exhaustion and fatigue
7. dry, parched and clammy mouth

The chief symptom is excessive flow of urine. The specific gravity of diabetic urine may be as high as 1050. The Colour of urine is pale straw or greenish tint. The urine in the morning will be highly colored.

Treatment

Insulin is effective in all forms of diabetes mellitus and is a must for insulin dependent type (IDDM). Many non insulin dependent diabetics (NIDDM) can be controlled by diet. The aim of the treatment is to strengthen pancreas so that it respond accurately to the normal fluctuations of sugar in the blood. Diabetics taking insulin should not stop at once. A strict regimen of diet and exercise can be successful so at some point insulin can be discontinued. Childhood onset diabetes may be difficult to cure, but this treatment may lower the amount of insulin required to maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Diet plays a crucial role in treatment of diabetes. The diabetic patient can start with lacto-vegetarian diet. Avoid excessively oily, fatty and sweet food. Choose a diet of high complex sugars available in whole grain products. It is always better to eat small quantities of food 4 or 5 times a day rather than to have large meals. The last meal should be atleast 3 hrs before bed time.

The main considerations in diet therapy for diabetes is to look for

1. calorie requirements
2. the proportion of calories from carbohydrates, fats and proteins

Calorie requirements

The calorie requirements for a diabetic should be 5 percent less than the actual requirements for the patients BMI. For example, the calorie requirements for a sedentary person of 55 kg would be 2400Kcal. But after deducting the 5 percent for the diabetic individual the actual requirement is 2280Kcal.

Protein, fat and carbohydrate proportion in the diet

Diabetics generally will have negative nitrogen balance, so protein content should be twice as much as for normal persons. The proteins should provide 25 percent of calories in the diet. The daily intake of carbohydrates should not exceed 40 percent to avoid Ketonuria. The fat intake can be adjusted depending on the weight of the person. Generally fats should provide 40 percent of calories but can be reduced to 20 percent for obese persons. One multivitamin tablet can be included in the diet.

A simple Diet for diabetics

Morning

• Lemon juice in lukewarm water

Breakfast

• Toast with butter
• Cornflakes with milk
• Any fresh fruit
• Boiled egg (for non-vegetarians)

Lunch

• Vegetable soup
• Steamed vegetables
• Cooked rice or chappathi or bread according to appetite
• Cooked dhal
• Mutton or fish curry (for non-vegetarians)
• A glass of buttermilk
• Fruits

Evening

• Fresh fruit or vegetable juice

Dinner

• Similar to lunch

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