Unraveling the Truth: Debunking Common Myths about Diabetes

Here are some of the most common diabetic myths…

1. Eating sugar causes diabetes!

Now, keeping that in mind, what do you think happens when your diet contains too much sugar? There is going to be too much sugar in your blood system. When you are already living with diabetes this is extremely dangerous, as the little insulin being produced, that is in Type 2 diabetes, may not be sufficient enough to help the sugar get out of your blood system. 

If this continues for a long time, then the build-up of too much sugar in your blood can bring not only kidney damage but so many other complications as well. However, even if you are not diabetic, sugar alone gets you into developing obesity or being overweight which are risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. What this means is that too much sugar is a risk factor, its therefore safe to avoid or limit the use of foods that contain too much sugar, and added sugars for example ;

• cakes
• juices
• sweets
• soda
• other processed foods.

2. Only Overweight/Obese individuals get diabetes.

Weight management is a very important aspect of managing diabetes. living a sedentary lifestyle that includes fewer physical activities will definitely get you into being overweight and obese.

But then we have a lot more causes of diabetes including, a family history of having diabetes, and gestational diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, so the weight aspect is just one of them. You therefore can not straightforwardly say that only overweight and obese individuals will get diabetes, However, “prevention is better than cure”.

3. You cannot eat carbohydrates when you are diabetic.

There are 3 important things you need to consider when it comes to carbohydrates;

• How much carbohydrate are you eating?
• What kind of carbohydrates are you eating?
• How often do you eat carbohydrates?

You are therefore so wrong to deny diabetic Individuals carbohydrates because just like any other people they too need carbohydrates for energy and for general nourishment. 

In managing diabetes we, therefore, want to focus more on portion control and that is why we have so many methods of portion control including using the diabetes plate method, the food pyramid, using your hands for portion control, and so on and so forth. To be on the safe side, choose more whole grain carbohydrates with slow penetrating sugars because this will ensure that sugar gets into your blood system slowly and therefore prevent hyperglycemia. 

Also important is to eat small portions of carbohydrates, like a quarter of your plate being carbs, while half of your plate is vegetables. Avoiding simple Sugars from processed foods will be a big saver.

4. Diabetic Individuals should only eat diabetic food!

Is there a food you consider diabetic food? Have you ever heard people being advised to eat only diabetic food? What is being said here is that once you are diabetic, then you can only be restricted to diabetic foods, which is not exactly true. Now, what we recommend is a modified diet, just normal foods that are only modified to help a diabetic individual to maintain a normal blood sugar level. 

That is why we talk about portions, types, and frequency. We also want diabetic Individuals to have 3 main meals just like every other person, but only with healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, a cup of porridge, and a cup of milk in between these meals so that we make 6 eating times a day, of course, to prevent both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Therefore it’s not limited to but modified diet.

5. You will go blind and lose your legs when you are diabetic.

Too much of something is dangerous rather poisonous, so with poorly managed blood sugar levels, you are therefore at risk of developing diabetic complications including kidney failure, amputations due to slow wound healing, a reduced sensation due to nerve damage, and so on and so forth. So unless you are not with the best management team, and have poor compliance with medication, and poor foot care, then you definitely do not need to worry about developing diabetes complications.

6. Diabetic Individuals cannot participate in sports activities.

Still going back to hypoglycemia, over-exercising can easily get your sugars low quite fast. And as much as hyperglycemia is bad, hypoglycemia is very very bad and can lead to loss of life. While participating in sports activities, a diabetic Individual needs very close monitoring to avoid circumstances like those. We’ve already said we want diabetic patients to enjoy a normal life just like any other person, and sports activities are part of normal life.

7. Diabetic Individuals are prone to infections.

Sugar creates a very good environment for bacteria, so with poorly managed blood sugar levels, then you are definitely at risk of many different infections therefore you are better off following your diet, taking your meds appropriately, doing foot care, and exercising.