MEDICINAL
chef Dale Pinnock said understanding the food we eat is key to winning the
fight against diabetes - a potentially deadly condition.
By DALE
PINNOCK
Up until
a few generations ago, Type 2 diabetes was something of a rarity. Now, it has
got to crisis point, placing an enormous burden on the NHS. I’m not casting
stones, but in the vast majority of cases, it is due to poor diet and a
sedentary lifestyle.
Unfortunately,
knowledge about nutrition is very poor in this country which is partly why we
are in the situation we are in, yet a little knowledge can be life-changing.
That is
why I have created a new type of nutrition school called the Sano School of
Culinary Medicine, where anyone can learn how to use food as medicine and how
to apply nutritional science in a practical way.
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It is
designed for anyone with a general interest in food and health. Understanding
how food choices can support health and help prevent diseases such as diabetes
is critical.
Even
doctors and frontline health care professionals, who I believe should get a lot
more dedicated training on nutrition at medical school, can better support
patients to protect against disease with the latest evidence-based science.
So what
can we do on a day-to-day basis to manage the condition or greatly reduce our
risk of getting it? Here are a few little changes that will make a big
difference to your overall health and wellbeing.
Fish on
plateGETTY
Increase
your intake of the all-important omega-3 fatty acids
KNOW
YOUR CARBS
Now, I’m
not saying you should go and start on the Atkins diet (although that may not be
that bad an idea for some people), but understanding what carbohydrates to
choose and how much is of vital importance.
The
number one thing to do is ditch the white stuff; white bread, white rice and
white pasta. These refined varieties have the fibre removed so take little time
to digest. This means they will liberate their sugar content rapidly, and that
our blood sugar levels will rise aggressively, causing the large blood-sugar
spikes we want to avoid.
The
multigrain varieties keep their fibre content. This means they take longer to
digest and liberate their sugar content much more slowly, drip-feeding blood
sugar rather than carpet bombing it. You also need to understand how important
portion control is with carbs.
The
simple guideline I give to people is to cut your usual portions in half. If you
have rice with meals, half your usual portion (as well as choosing brown). If
you are having a sandwich, try an open variety (the filling placed on top of a
single slice of bread). Make up the bulk of your meals with non-starchy
vegetables such as leafy greens, spinach or broccoli and protein that will keep
you feeling fuller for longer.
COMBINE
YOUR FOOD TYPES
Don’t
worry, I’m not talking about the weird dietary fad from the 80s, I’m referring
to a little mental checklist for you when you are composing meals. At each meal
first think about what kind of protein you’re going to have.
Ensure
you choose a good quality protein source at each meal. Eggs, cheese, fi sh,
poultry, meat, tofu, pulses and nuts; all these are wonderful protein sources.
The next thing to ensure is that your meal has a good source of healthy fats.
Oily fish, avocado and olive oil are all great choices.
When you
compose a meal of smaller portions of healthy carbs, non-starchy vegetables,
good quality protein and healthy fats, not only have you created a meal with
superior nutritional density, you have created one that takes some time to
digest. It is digested slowly and the fat sources slow gastric emptying.
The meal
liberates its energy slowly and steadily. This ensures a gradual rise in blood
sugar levels and a level of blood sugar that our body can easily manage and
that doesn’t place an undue burden upon the insulin system.
healthy foodGETTY
Understanding
what carbohydrates to choose and how much is of vital importance
INCREASE
YOUR OMEGA-3S
One
final tip that can take things that step further is increasing your intake of
the all-important omega-3 fatty acids. These fats have a huge array of benefits
to our health, from controlling inflammation to maintaining the structure and
function of key components of our cells. It is the latter that is relevant
here. Omega-3 fatty acids help to support the structure and function of insulin
receptors – the structures that insulin binds to, to tell our cells to take up
glucose.
However,
don’t be taken in by the claims that eating a few chia seeds and flaxseeds will
give you your omega-3. They contain a form called ALA that cannot be adequately
converted by the body into the active EPA and DHA fatty acids.
Eating
oily fish or taking a supplement will give you those important forms
pre-formed. These three simple steps can significantly reduce your risk of
developing diabetes or, if you have already been diagnosed, it will help you
control your blood sugar levels which is essential with this deadly condition.
And it all starts with a little bit of learning.
For more
information on the Sano School of Culinary Medicine visit
sanoschoolofculinarymedicine.com.
亞洲人天生易得「糖尿病」！食療專家揭開「三大降糖心法」：穩定血糖這樣吃，從此晉升「糖尿病絕緣體」！
亞洲人天生較易得糖尿病
糖尿病是併發心血管、肥胖、高血壓甚至癌症的重大慢性病，根據《台灣醒報》報導，台大醫院代謝內分泌科莊立民指出，亞洲人尤其是台灣人天生的「基因缺陷」，使得胰島素分泌功能天生較西方人更差。
莊醫師指出，全球糖尿病盛行率8.8%，台灣高達10%，意即每10人中就有1人罹患糖尿病，他認為東亞地區患者的「內臟脂肪」含量較高，糖尿病患者的胰島素功能也會降到只剩2-3成，這可能都與亞太地區人種的基因缺陷有關。
對抗糖尿病的三大食療心法
如何控制糖尿病，甚至透過日常生活作息來預防糖尿病的發生呢？英國新聞媒體《快報》引述食療專家Dale Pinnock 接受訪問時提出的「擊敗糖尿病三大心法」，Pinnock 指出，除了應該改變不良飲食習慣，以及久坐的生活方式之外，自主管理飲食，將是21世紀對抗糖尿病的重大法則。
1.碳水化合物份量減半
包括白麵包、白米飯、白麵調等，這些精製過的碳水化合物，會在體內迅速釋放糖份，導致血糖快速升高。哈佛公共衛生學報也曾提出吃白飯易升高糖尿病風險的報告。Pinnock 認為，預防糖尿病最簡明的方式，就是每餐少吃一半的碳水化合物，多補充非澱粉類蔬菜，包括深綠色蔬菜、菠菜、青花椰等，能延長飽足感並穩定血糖值。
2.慎選蛋白質及脂肪來源
有人認為糖尿病不能吃太多的蛋白質或脂肪？Pinnock認為這是不正確的，糖尿病患者應該適量攝取雞蛋、奶酪、家禽肉類、豆類、豆腐、堅果等，這些良好的蛋白質有較高的營養密度，可以保持血糖的穩定波動，另外，酪梨和橄欖油提供健康油脂，也是預防或改善糖尿病不可多得的優質營養。
3.增加omega-3脂肪酸
omega-3脂肪酸可控制身體發炎、保護細胞，尤其是對胰島素受體有保護作用，可幫助細胞吸收葡萄糖。不過，Pinnock認為某些研究宣稱奇亞籽或亞麻籽含有的omega-3脂肪酸，可維持人體機能，Pinnock說奇亞籽和亞麻籽的脂肪酸屬於ALA形式，無法轉換為DHA、EPA等細胞所需的形式，他建議仍是多吃深海魚類（鮭魚、鮪魚等）來補充omega-3脂肪酸效果較佳。
參考資料：Express, 台灣醒報
封面圖片出自：medley
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