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| Diabetes |
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What is diabetes?
A disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin – a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Normal sugar level in blood should be 70-100 mg/dl. Increase of sugar count above 110 mg/dl is called diabetes.
Causes
- Genetic factors – if one of your parents is a diabetic, your chances of being one by the time you turn 40, are 40%.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol, fats or sugar, overweight, drugs.
Symptoms
The commonest symptoms of diabetes are unusual thirst, frequent urination, loss of weight despite increased appetite and food intake, weakness and drowsiness, reducing vision and often itching and boils. There is not absolute cure for diabetes; but it can be almost completely controlled.
Recommendations
- For diabetes, diet restriction and light exercise like walking is a must as this controls the sugar level.
- A tablespoon of amla juice mixed with a cup of fresh bitter gourd (karela) juice taken daily for 2 months will reduce blood sugar.
- Dry tender leaves of the mango tree in shade. Powder and preserve them. Half a teaspoon of this powder twice a d ay in the morning and evening proves beneficial.
- Coarsely powder fenugreek seeds (methi dana) and have 1-2 teaspoons in the morning everyday. (Vary dosage according to individual tolerance level).
- Eating 10 fresh fully grown curry leves (kari patta) every morning for 3 months is said to prevent diabetes due to hereditary factors.
- Chew 8-10 basil (tulsi) leaves in the morning.
Guidelines of a Diabetes Diet
- Use the following fruits and vegetables sparingly and with caution: carrots (gajar), peas (matar), beans, sweet potato (shakarkandi), beetroot (chukandar), potatoes, jackfruit (kathal), banana, grapes (angoor), cheeku, leechi, custard apple (sharifa), dry fruits, mango, raisins (kishmish).
- Eat plenty of vegetables like lettuce (salaad patta), tomato and fruits.
- Foods rich in fibre should be preferred.
- Daily intake of calories should be restricted.
- Use proteins moderately.
- Milk and nuts intake to be restricted to the minimum whereas have plenty of curd and buttermilk (chhachh).
- Avoid all refined foods and sweets.
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.
- Three grapefruits taken 3 times a day by a diabetic (one who is not on insulin) will help him to get his sugar under control. In the juice form it is recommended that a diabetic consume ½ a litre of grape juice a day.
More suggestions to control diabetes
- Grind 4 tender green leaves of jamun with ¼ cup water. Strain and drink early morning for 10 days. After this have it for 10 days after every 2 months. It controls urine sugar.
- Take 60 gm (1/2 cup) of good, ripe jamun. Boil 1½ cups water. Add the jamuns to it and keep covered for 30 minutes. Mash the fruit well after 30 minutes and strain. Divide it into 3 parts and have 1 part each time, thrice a day.
- Take the seeds of jamun and peel to get the kernel from the seeds (guthli ki giri). Dry the kernels in the shade and grind to a powder. Take every morning and evening, ½ teaspoon with fresh water. Continue taking for 21 days.
- Dry some neem leaves in the shade for 2 or 3 days, powder them and store in a jar. Before going to bed at night, dissolve 1 teaspoonful of this powder in hot milk together with a few pinches of powdered cumin (jeera) and carom seeds (ajwain) for 30 days or more.
- It is good for diabetic patients if they frequently eat bitter gourd (karela). This will decidedly control diabetes and its complications. Frequently drinking the juice out of the leaves of the bitter gourd vine is also as effective.
- Eating dates (khajoor) helps to control diabetes. The sweetness of dates is harmless to diabetic patients.
Three ways to prevent diabetes
- Normalize body weight in relation to age and height.
- Walk briskly at least 4 kms a day.
- Control alcohol intake, kick the smoking habit and recue dependence on drugs.
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