5 myths that people with diabetes should not believe

There are three important steps a patient with diabetes should take in order to control their sugar levels: healthy eating, regular exercise, and medical monitoring with possible medication.

Although the third is often guided by a health care provider, the first two are lifestyle decisions that are not always properly guided and therefore sometimes taken correctly.

“We should guide patients more with details on how to pursue a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Issa Haddad, Obesity and Obesity related disorders specialist at the Fitness Clinic in Jordan on World Diabetes Day, at a press gathering organised by pharmaceutical company MSD.

In his speech, Haddad addressed 5 of the main myths that are often believed in by diabetes patients.

I can eat as much as I want as long as it does not contain sugar

Wrong! It is not the sugar that should be counted, the carbohydrates are the guilty charged. All carbohydrates increase the level of blood sugar. The more carbohydrates are consumed, the more insulin is needed to process the carbs and turn it into energy.

And, the more insulin is needed, the more is the pressure on the pancreas to produce this insulin. This pressure is what ultimately leads to insulin depletion, causing the blood sugar levels to rise.

Sugar is just another source of carbohydrates, Haddad explains. Sweets tend to have more carbohydrates in smaller packages. However, a potato, bread or cereal are bigger of size, and also contain carbs.

The good news is that diabetics do not need to avoid sweets altogether, they just need to plan ahead when these will be consumed and how many carbohydrates they contain.

Having a cup of fruits in the evening is good for me

“Having fruits in the evening is NOT good for you!” educates Haddad. “You can have vegetables in the evening, or chicken. But not fruits.”

The reason for this is that fruits contain carbs just as much as a starch of bread, Haddad explains. While a starch of bread contains 15 grams of carbs, a piece of fruit contains the same. And carbs should not be consumed in the evening.

It is all about timing, Hadded continues. “Simple calorie counting does not work for diabetics. It is very important to take into account when something is eaten, as the processing of carbohydrates slows down after noon and at its lowest in the evening. “

Therefore, fruits are best in the morning, as are bread, cereal, or milk.

I should eat lots of protein to stay healthy and strong

Protein is good for us, as it is needed to build and repair body tissue. This counts for all of us, and not only for patients with diabetes. “People with diabetes do not need to consumer more protein,” lectures Haddad.

In fact, too much intake of protein can result in heart disease, which is the number one complication that erupts among diabetes patients. Therefore, portion control is all the more important.

Most people need 5-6 ounces of protein foods per day, which is similar to a serving of meat with the size of a deck of cards. Vegetables are another source of protein.

I do not have to worry about eating fat because it does not affect blood sugar

Wrong again. We all have to worry about the intake of fats, so do diabetics. Excessive intake of fats, like that of protein, increases the risk of heart disease.

The risk of heart disease can be reduced by careful monitoring of the fat intake. A heart healthy diet is low in fat, saturated fat, salt and high in fiber, and includes heart healthy oils such as liquid vegetable oil instead of butter.

Any physical activity is good for me

For any person regular physical exercise is important. For patients of diabetes type II intense physical activity is recommended, meaning nothing less than 300 minutes of physical activity per week. Yes, that’s right, this means 1 hour of physical activity 5 times a day.

To complicate matters, this activity should be a combination of cardio and resistance training, something which is called circuit training. Only cardio or only weight training simply does not do the job.

The benefits of regular exercise are more than only weight loss, one of the common causes of diabetes. First, physical exercise lowers insulin levels, which improves the response of the target cells towards insulin, resulting in lower glucose levels.

Second, regular exercise lowers the total level of cholesterol, while increasing the level of HDL cholesterol. According to Haddad, recent studies have shown that HDL cholesterol and its protein ApoA-I both enhance usage of glucose and calories inside muscle cells, proving to contribute to the management of diabetes type 2.

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