Diet & exercise | DIABETES SOUTH AFRICA

Studies have shown that physical activity can delay the progression of prediabetes to Type 2 diabetes, when combined with dietary changes. Regular physical activity significantly improves glycaemic control. In addition, it improves cardiovascular risk factors (cholesterol and blood pressure) and may reduce medication dosages, including insulin.

Regular physical activity may also improve symptoms of depression and improve health-related quality of life.

A recommendation of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity is given, with the aim of achieving and maintaining a heart rate that is 50 – 70% of the maximum heart rate. To determine your maximum heart rate, minus your age from 220.

Resistance training

In the absence of contraindications (back or neck problems), you should aim to do resistance training three times per week. Resistance exercise increases strength and vigour, reduces body fat, and increases resting metabolic rate.

The studies reporting the greatest impact of resistance exercise on HbA1C had subjects progress to three sets (with approximately eight repetitions per set) of resistance type exercises at moderate to high intensity (the maximum weight that can be lifted eight times while maintaining proper form).

If you wish to begin resistance exercise, you should seek initial instruction and periodic supervision by a qualified exercise specialist (biokineticist) where possible, to maximise benefits while minimising risk of injury. Not unexpectedly, studies have shown that resistance exercise with less supervision reported less beneficial impact on glycaemic control, insulin resistance and body composition than with greater supervision.

Walking

Walking is often the most popular and feasible type of aerobic exercise. For those who struggle with pain upon walking for any reason, semi-recumbent cycling may provide an alternative. Moderate brisk walking on level ground or semi-recumbent cycling would be an example of moderate aerobic exercise, while brisk walking up an incline or jogging would be vigorous aerobic exercise.

Also try to increase the number of activities of daily living, such as housework, gardening and walking around shopping centres. Ideally reduce sedentary time, particularly in the workday, by breaking up extended amounts of time spent sitting. Every hour or hour and a half move around for a few minutes.

Hypoglycaemia during exercise

Physical activity can cause hypoglycaemia in some individuals.

If your blood glucose tends to drop with exercise, consume some carbohydrates before starting to exercise. The exact amount needed will vary widely between people and can vary depending on the type of exercise, time of day and even the ambient temperature. Work with your doctor or DE to calculate what amount of carbohydrate works for you.

A useful rule of thumb is to add 250ml fruit juice to 250ml water and sip frequently during the training session. This is for a session of longer than 45 minutes. However, an individualised approach is usually needed. You shouldn’t exercise vigorously if the blood glucose level is > 15mmol/L as this can cause damage to your muscles.

Having social support (exercising with a friend, partner or in group classes) facilitates and aids in motivating regular physical activity.

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Header image by Adobe Stock

Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 10 – 15minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 SPAR Freshline onion, medium, chopped
1 SPAR Freshline jalapeño chilli pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 SPAR Freshline red bell pepper (chopped)
2 SPAR Freshline garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 Tbs chilli flakes (medium spicy) (adjust to your sensitivity to spicy foods)
½ tsp Sea salt
3 cups prepared Ina Paarman Chicken Stock (divided) (1 tsp powder to 1 cup boiling water)
3 cups white kidney beans (SPAR canned Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed)
600g SPAR Select Chicken Thighs – remove skin before cooking (The bones can be removed during the cooking process when shredding the chicken)
1 cup chopped SPAR Freshline broccoli (fresh or frozen)
½ cup SPAR Freshline coriander (chopped)
Additional water
1 SPAR Freshline lime, sliced in wedges

Method

Heat oil in a large pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeño and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Add garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and salt and cook for another minute until fragrant. If it starts to turn brown or burn, add a little water.
While vegetables are cooking, add a third of the stock and half of the beans to a food processor, or blend using a hand blender to puree the beans.
Add the remaining stock and pureed beans to the pot and stir to combine. Place the chicken pieces in the pot, cover with lid and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook at a gentle boil for 20 – 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the cooked chicken thighs from the pot and carefully shred the chicken with two forks or chop it finely. Return the chicken and any juices back to the pot with the remaining beans, broccoli, and coriander.
Stir to combine and season with additional salt if needed.
Allow soup to cook for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.
Add additional water if needed.
Divide the soup into bowls and serve with a lime wedge.
Enjoy!

Additional notes:

Leftovers – Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
No chicken thighs – Use chicken breasts instead.
Vegetarian – Omit the chicken and use extra beans (this will increase the carbohydrate).
1 serving is equal to approximately one cup of chilli soup.

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What is yoghurt?

Yoghurt is a popular dairy product made through the fermentation of milk with the use of yoghurt cultures. These cultures ferment the natural sugar in milk, called lactose.

Yoghurt is both delicious and nutritious, offering both high-quality protein and aids in meeting your daily calcium requirements, meaning it isn’t just good, but good for you too.

Benefits of yoghurt

It contains protein and nutrients, such as calcium and B-vitamins, and is also known to be a good source of potassium. It can aid digestive health, may strengthen the immune system and assist in weight management.

How to choose the best yoghurt for you

While taste might be a big deciding factor in what type of yoghurt you prefer, other health factors should be considered when choosing the best option for you.

Three of LANCEWOOD’s Low Fat Yoghurts are recommended for people living with diabetes or who may be lactose sensitive.

The nutritional table (below) of these yoghurts can be consumed as part of a balanced diet. They contain less than 6 grams of sugar per 100g serving, which is less than 1 teaspoon. They also contain protein, which could aid in reducing the GI of the yoghurt, potentially resulting in lower blood glucose levels.

LANCEWOOD^® No Sugar Added Low Fat Blackberry & Cherry Yoghurt – the goodness of fruit yoghurt without compromising on taste, the perfect guilt-free snack without the added sugar.

LANCEWOOD^® Lactose Free Low Fat Plain Yoghurt – a lactase enzyme is added to breakdown the sugar (lactose), naturally found in milk. The addition of the enzyme aids the digestive process for lactose sensitive people, so they too can still enjoy LANCEWOOD’s quality yoghurt.

Delicious and versatile, LANCEWOOD^® Low Fat Plain Yoghurt is lower in fat and higher in protein, ideal for adding a healthy and tasty twist to any meal.

Individualised nutritional advice should be given by a registered dietitian. These approaches should be based on metabolic goals and a holistic assessment of your desires, and respectful of your ethnic, cultural and socio-economic needs.

A variety of different dietary approaches have shown to be effective in diabetes management, including low-fat-, low-glycaemic index-, low- carbohydrate (carb)- and Mediterranean diets. Evidence doesn’t suggest that any one diet offers greater weight loss or improvements in glycaemic control.

Low-carb, high-fat diets require special attention due to their increasing popularity. Studies have shown promising results on decreasing glucose and HbA1c in diets that contain about 130g of carbs a day.

Monitoring and regulating carbohydrate (carb) intake remains a key strategy for glycaemic control. Carbohydrate intake (both quality and quantity) should be individualised and guided by personal glucose control targets. A dietitian will help assess how many carbs your body can tolerate and then help you to attain a healthy balanced eating plan.

Carbohydrates from wholegrains, legumes, milk, vegetables and fruit should be used instead of refined carbohydrates with added sugar, fats and sodium.

It remains a general health recommendation that saturated fat be limited. If a high fat diet is followed, the fat should come mostly from unsaturated fat from plant sources.

The overall quality of the prescribed eating plan should be considered. The synergistic effect from a variety of nutrients reduces the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes.

What constitutes as a quality eating plan?

The recommendation	The reason
High intake of fruit and vegetables: Minimum of five portions per day (2 fruit and 3 veg, ½ cup is one portion).	They provide fibre that enhances the feeling of fullness. Phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals combat oxidative stress which causes disease progression and reduces longevity.
Starchy foods should be wholegrain: corn, barley, pearl-wheat, rolled oats, unrefined maize, wild/brown rice and wholegrain breads.	Contain B-vitamins, vitamin E and fibre that improve glycaemic control and enhance satiety.
Eat more fish, especially fatty fish with a high omega 3 content, such as sardines. Aim for two servings of 100g a week.	Low saturated fat content, good source of protein, omega 3-fatty acids, selenium, magnesium and vitamin D.
Eat more legumes, including soya beans, a variety of dry beans, lentils and chickpeas.	Promote healthy cholesterol and are a good source of fibre and protein.
Use low-fat, sugar-free dairy products.	Provide calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Good source of protein with a low saturated fat content.
Eat more vegetable sources of fat like nuts and seeds, avocado pear, olives, plant oils (canola, olive, sunflower).	Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Reduce intake of commercially hydrogenated fats; commercially deep-fried foods, fast foods and baked items contain high amounts of trans fatty acids.	Trans fatty acids raise total and bad LDL cholesterol, decrease good HDL cholesterol, and increase inflammation.
Reduce intake of processed meats and fatty red meat: bacon, all types of sausages, polony and deli meats.	High content of salt, nitrates, haem-iron and saturated fat.
Reduce intake of sugars: table sugar, honey, sugar sweetened beverages, fruit juices, sweets, desserts and baked goods.	Poor nutrient content contributes to poor glycaemic control, lipid profiles, obesity and inflammation.
If alcohol is consumed, it should be in moderation: wine, spirits, beer etc. One unit* per day for women and two units per day for men.	A high intake aggravates glycaemic control, hypertension, and triglycerides.
Try not to add salt to food.	The incidences of hypertension and heart disease are increased with high sodium diets.
Vitamin supplements should only be taken if you have a proven deficiency.	There is no evidence to support the routine use of such products.
Non-nutritive sweeteners	Reduce overall calorie and carbohydrate intake if substituted for sugar or honey. They are considered safe if used in moderation.

*One unit of alcohol is equivalent to either: 340ml beer/cider; 120ml wine; 25ml spirits.

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Header image by Adobe Stock

AVERAGE VALUES	No Sugar Added LF Blackberry & Cherry	Lactose Free LF Plain Yoghurt	Low Fat Plain Yoghurt
Energy	196 kJ	189 kJ	196 kJ
Protein	2,8 g	3,0 g	3,5 g
Glycaemic carbohydrate	5 g	5 g	6 g
of which total sugar	2,6 g	1,3 g	3,8g
Of which total lactose	/	<0,1 g	/
Total fat	1,5g	1,3g	1,0g
of which saturated fat	0,9 g	0,8 g	0,7g
Cholesterol	5 mg	4 mg	3 mg
Dietary fibre#	0,9 g	<0,5 g	<0,5 g
Total sodium	34 mg	38 mg	41mg
Calcium	90,1 mg	101 mg	113 mg

Category: Diet & exercise

Physical activity

Resistance training

Walking

Hypoglycaemia during exercise

Chicken, Chilli and White Bean Soup

Ingredients

Method

This recipe is brought to you by:

What is yoghurt?

What is yoghurt?

Benefits of yoghurt

How to choose the best yoghurt for you

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Healthy eating

What constitutes as a quality eating plan?