South African
COOKBOOK FOR DIABETES
DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY FOR ALL
Hilda Lategan RD (SA)
Tafelberg
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FOREWORD
Being diagnosed with any illness can cause a great deal of anxiety, particularly if this also forces you to change your food and eating habits. Enjoying eating is a natural need and for most of us eating is part of our daily routine.
When you are required to change your lifestyle and also adapt your eating habits for the sake of better health and quality of life, you may become discouraged if you do not have the knowledge and skills to prepare these meals, especially if you have always been of the opinion that healthier food is insipid and tasteless.
At the request of Tafelberg Publishers I selected the best recipes from my two previous cookbooks, South African Cookbook for Diabetes and Insulin Resistance Parts 1 and 2, and added new information, as well as other tried-and-trusted recipes. The purpose of the recipes in this book is to help you prepare meals for the entire family that not only have a lower glycaemic index (GI), but also contain less fat and fewer kilojoules, and are healthy and easy to prepare.
Notwithstanding the title, these recipes are also safe and suitable for controlling increased blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, increased blood pressure, gout and low blood sugar, and promoting healthy slimming.
Thanks to my daily consultations with patients I am very aware of the tendency among South Africans to eat fatty takeaways and junk food when time is limited to prepare meals. Consequently most of the recipes in this book are intended for easy and nutritious meals, between-meal and late-night snacks, which are prepared with ingredients that are generally familiar, available and affordable.
This cookbook does not replace a visit to a dietitian. When you have your meal plan that has been calculated according to your personal and unique needs, you will be able to put the recipes and information in the book to much better use to control your blood sugar levels.
I hope that this book will help you to enjoy tasty and nutritious meals that will control your blood sugar and blood fat levels and will promote good health and the best quality of life for you.
Enjoy!
Hilda Lategan RD (SA)
INTRODUCTION
It is estimated that approximately 366 million people throughout the world have diabetes and according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) it is predicted that about 552 million people will suffer from diabetes by 2030. These figures are frightening and higher than previous predictions.
In South Africa it is estimated that by 2015, 3,5 million people (approximately 6% of the population) had been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, it is estimated that about 5 million South Africans are pre-diabetic because of insulin resistance, which contributes to increased blood sugar levels, although these levels are not high enough for such individuals to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. On average, it takes seven years before a person with diabetes is diagnosed, by which stage complications of diabetes may already be present due to the disease. Most South Africans with diabetes have type 2.
Despite these scary figures, it is encouraging to know that diabetes is not an isolated, unknown illness that affects only you and your family, and that medical science, nutrition information and medication are available to help control it.
Early diagnosis of diabetes together with proactive treatment is important to prevent long-term complications and to ensure a better quality of life and life expectancy. A person with diabetes whose condition is controlled, is not ill and he or she is able to live an active and happy life without complications. Like any other person, someone with diabetes should aim to maintain a healthy lifestyle and should exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, consume alcohol in moderation and have adequate rest and relaxation.
How does diabetes originate?
Insulin is the hormone which transports glucose into body cells and helps to transform it into energy. Insulin is also involved in the conversion and storage of unused glucose and energy in the form of body fat.
Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot control its blood sugar levels efficiently because the pancreas (the gland which produces insulin) produces too little or no insulin. There are also cases where the pancreas does produce insulin, but it is not used efficiently, and such cases will be discussed under type 2 diabetes below.
In cases where too little or no insulin is present, glucose cannot be properly taken up into the cells. Blood glucose levels consequently rise and the blood becomes thick and “syrupy”, while some of the excess glucose is excreted in the urine. A high blood glucose level is dangerous and can cause serious complications if it is not treated.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
The symptoms of an uncontrolled high blood glucose concentration include:
1.Overwhelming thirst because the body tries to dilute the glucose in the blood so that it can be excreted by the kidneys. This process leads to excessive excretion of urine and can eventually cause dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
2.Tiredness and weakness because too little glucose reaches the cells where energy is produced.
3.Body pains and flu symptoms as a result of metabolic malfunction and inflammation.
4.Blurred vision because the changes in blood sugar levels increase the pressure in the eyeball, while the position and shape of the lens in the eyeball also change.
5.Pins and needles sensation in the feet and hands because of damage to the terminal nerve endings.
6.Ravenous hunger, a need to eat all the time and loss of weight because glucose is not being taken up efficiently into the body cells and transformed into energy. The body then breaks down its own fat and protein (muscles) to meet its own energy requirements.
7.Itchy skin, infection and delayed wound healing because of the advantageous growth medium for bacteria and other organisms that is created by the presence of sugar.
8.Coma: loss of consciousness, which is a dangerous condition.
An unhealthily high blood glucose level and diabetes mellitus are diagnosed when the capillary blood glucose concentration equals 7,1 mmol/litre (fasting) and 11,1 mmol/litre (2 hours after a meal or at random) and when the measurement of the HbAlc > 6,5% over a three-month period.
The blood glucose concentration can also drop to levels that are too low (lower than 3,5 mmol/litre) if too much insulin is injected or if medications, such as diabetic tablets, are not taken according to prescription, when the prescribed meal plan is not followed, if meals are skipped, if unplanned physical activity demands more energy than has been provided for in the meal plan, or if alcohol is consumed without a snack or subsequent meal.
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