You’ve probably already heard quite a lot in the news about diabetes in the UAE – there’s a warning or statistic released about as frequently as a new branch of Baskin Robbins pops up (in other words – a lot). The problem with this kind of information-sharing is that, well, sooner or later you start to tune it out. But a new initiative called Decide – an alliance of healthcare companies – is attempting to make people sit up and listen.
The problem of diabetes in the UAE isn’t going anywhere. Twenty five per cent of the UAE population suffer from the disease, and a large proportion of them have Type 2 diabetes, which is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise. To combat this, Decide Diabetes is launching an initiative aimed at educating people about how to eat more healthily. The alliance (which includes companies such as Astrazeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nestlé Health Science, Lifescan, and Medtronic) aims to provide support to diabetics and healthcare professionals in both treating and managing the symptoms of diabetes.
Since the organisation’s prime goal is to spread information about diabetes, Decide have launched a brand new website, which is packed with facts and advice about the nutritional aspect of managing the disease. Here you’ll find a wealth of information that can help – whether you are a diabetic yourself, a member of your family has been diagnosed or even if you just want advice on how to avoid contracting the illness. You’ll find articles on everything from balancing your diet to diabetic-friendly recipes and creating meal plans at this online resource.
The website will also act as a forum for diabetics to ask each other questions, share information and provide support, in the hopes of building a supportive and well-informed community. So whether you want to know whether it’s okay to eat sweets, you’re not sure what’s safe to snack on, or you’re keen to try some recipes to cook for diabetic friends, you’ll find it all there.
www.decidecommunity.com
Eat smart
Diabetic? Follow these top tips from www.decidecommunity.com for a healthy, balanced diet
• Eat three meals a day
• Make sure you space your meals evenly to help control your blood glucose levels
• Include starchy carbohydrate foods when you eat
• Try to include carbs that are more slowly absorbed (have a lower glycaemic index) as these won’t affect your blood glucose levels as much
• Cut down on fat, particularly saturated fats
• Choose unsaturated fats or oils, especially monounsaturated fat (eg olive oil and rapeseed oil) as these types of fats are better for your heart
• Eat more fruit and vegetables –aim for at least five portions a day to provide you with vitamins, minerals and fibre to help you to balance your overall diet.
• Include more beans and lentils – examples include kidney beans, butter beans, chickpeas or red and green lentils as they can help to control your blood fats
• Aim for at least two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish contains a type of polyunsaturated fat called omega 3, which helps protect against heart disease.
• Limit sugary foods. Using sugar-free, no added sugar or diet fizzy drinks/squashes instead of sugary versions is an easy way to reduce the sugar in your diet.
• Reduce salt in your diet to 6g or less a day
• Limit the amount of processed foods you eat (these are usually high in salt) and flavour foods with herbs and spices instead
