HEALTH MATTERS
HEALTH MATTERS
Portion Size And Diabetes
By Kepha Nyanumba
We all possess the power of choice . It ’ s a fundamental human right and a major factor that has made us a super-sized society . The last 20 years have seen a “ normal ” food portion almost double , and more often than not we are eating more than we need per meal .
Unfortunately , it is not just the quantity of food we are eating that is the problem ; it is also the quality or macro-nutrients , such as fat , carbohydrates and protein . If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes , you may think that having diabetes means going without your normal family foods . The good news is that you can still eat your family foods , but you might need to eat smaller portions .
Over-eating not only leads to obesity , but it makes it much harder for us to control our blood glucose levels . Controlling portion sizes can be simple and practical and can help you manage your blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight , which can potentially reduce your need for diabetes medications .
Mastering Portion Control
Use these practical portion guidelines to help you stay in the right range : Buying smaller plates or using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate are good options for people with diabetes because this is a tangible portion control method that ’ s hard to circumvent . Be sure to fill half your reduced-size plate with vegetables or
Always ensure you don ’ t dine when distracted . People who eat while multi-tasking tend to eat more and find their food to be less flavor-ful . Skip the laptop , tablet , and smartphone screens and focus on food . When we eat free of distractions we can pay more attention to our portion sizes and the point in which we ’ re satisfied rather than simply feeling like we have to finish all the food in front of us .
Over-eating not only leads to obesity , but it makes it much harder for us to control our blood glucose levels . Controlling portion sizes can be simple and practical and can help you manage your blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight , which can potentially reduce your need for diabetes medications .
salad , one-quarter with a starch food , and one-quarter with protein . This is a great way to monitor portion sizes .
To avoid taking second ( or third ) helpings , keep serving dishes in the kitchen , not on the table . When you ’ ve finished your meal , wait a few minutes before getting up for more to make sure you ’ re actually still hungry .
But it ’ s important to read food labels carefully when monitoring portion sizes .
74 MAL23 / 18 ISSUE