World Diabetes Day Logo
Here are 3 common myths regarding diabetes.
1. Diabetes is caused by high consumption of sugar.
This is only partly true. There are people who do not consume much sugar yet they get diabetes. Besides, all food once digested turn into sugar in your body. It's not just sugar that you must control, but the amount of food and the portion that you must be aware of.
To be on the safe side, avoid all refined sugar and processed food. Add to that you must also practise a healthy lifestyle like exercise on a regular basis, sleep early and manage stress.
This is not an advice for diabetics only. It holds true for non diabetics as well that is, if you want to avoid becoming part of the statistics.
2. Diabetes is not a very serious disease as it can be controlled by medication and insulin.
This is a very dangerous myth because I notice a lot of diabetics still eat like they normally do thinking the insulin and medication is enough to help them control their blood sugar. Take note that diabetes is an incurable disease. Once you have it, you have it for life.
With diabetes, you will eventually suffer from stroke, heart disease, kidney problems, and eye problems. It's what you must do NOW to slow down the effects so that you can delay these problems from happening too soon.
To do this, you would have to change your lifestyle. Eat low GI (glycemic index) food, control your portion, do exercise and manage your stress well. In this way, the medication and insulin you take in do not have to work that extra hard to control your blood sugar.
3. Diabetes can be spread or inherited.
Diabetes definitely cannot be spread from one person to the other like the common flu. But it can be inherited. However, not everyone who gets diabetes inherits it.
You are considered at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes if any of your first-degree relatives have diabetes. So if you are one of the unfortunate ones, all the more you must take really good care of your health. Do not wait - start the healthy lifestyle right now!
I remember I have blogged a little about diabetes before I left for my China trip. To refresh your memory, read it here. I had put up a list of popular food and asked you, my readers to guess the amount of sugar in each of them.
So here are the answers.
Mc Donald's sundae ice cream (180ml) - 10.3 teaspoons or 28.7% sugar
A&W Root Beer (325ml) - 7.6 teaspoons or 11.8% sugar
Coca Cola (325ml) - 6.5 teaspoons or 9.9% sugar
Ribena (500ml) - 65 teaspoons or 64.6% sugar
Kellogg's Corn Frosties (275g) - 19.3 teaspoons or 35.1% sugar
Uncle Tobys Muesli Bars (125g) - 16.8 teaspoons or 59.9% sugar
100 Plus (100ml) - 5.7 teaspoons or 8.8% sugar
Chipsmore Cookies (180g) - 13.3 teaspoons or 36.9% sugar
*Source : CAP Guide "How Much Sugar Is Hidden In Your Food"
How much sugar are you eating daily? According to American Heart Association, women should not take in more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day, whereas men should limit to 9 teaspoons a day. (This however do not apply to natural sugar found in fruits). Read the report here.
Based on their recommendation, it looks like by eating that McDonalds sundae ice cream, you would have exceeded your daily limit!
FIRST COMMENTER
wah, I got sofa today ah..... :P
Anyway, the Ribena is TERRIFYING! How come it has 65 tea spoon of sugar????????? O_O~
wah....A&W root beer got more sugar contain than coke.hmmm....
So sweet of you to post sweet awareness and it's terrifying to note the dangers of diabetes,thanks
Oh wow!!! I cannot believe that all these drinks and foods have so much sugar!!!! I must be a sugaraholic.
there is a lot of hidden sugar in our diets...so be warned people...and now you wonder why you have tooth caries too even if you dont eat sweets all the time =)
wow Ribena has so much sugar!
Take less of those stuff that you know has lots of sugar. Drinking plain water or natural juices is still the best.
Not good to drink Ribena. And one would've thought they are healthy! @_@
I take way more than 6 teaspoons. What with my morning Neslo, then teh tarik. 0_0
Might as well drink A&W than Ribena, eh?
What does that percentage mean?
Gosh Ribena 65 teaspoons?! And it is supposed to be made of natural fruits... Gosh!
So 100 Plus is the best lah~ Lowest of them all ahhaha!
Looks like no more McDonald's sundae! T.T Waaaaaaa!
So soft drinks and candy are the culprits huh. BTW you get 28g sugars from a serving size of 225g raw bananas.ക
source: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2
Looks like I got nothing right haha! Not even near :P. But least 100plus still less in my list too hahaha!
wah..100 plus has so much sugar too..
my grandma died of diabetes complications so we are very much wary of what we eat. thanks for additional info on the matter.
oh my foongpc, but how can i refuse those yummy sweet delicacies
by the way, i just posted something about PayingPost.com...if you know something about them please feel free to share your thoughts
http://bluedreamer27.blogspot.com
Trying to cut down sugar intake but hard leh...All the nice food is so tempting.
WAH OMG ribena has 65 spoons??? or 6.5?
Eh but Sundae is not very sweet wor.
Ribena is scary weh.
What a scary facts. I took some corn flakes in the morning
Wow! Ribena takes the trophy!
Yummy sundae ice-cream!
For some people, the other extreme is to totally cut out sugar resulting in hypoglacaemia.
Good info, Foong. Thank you for sharing.
Btw, surprised that Uncle Toby's has so many spoonfuls.
thanks for the 3 informative facts!! but i think i somehow am aware about them also~~ hehe :)
wow, i thot the McD sundae is horrible.. not until i scroll down and saw the Ribena!! can't imagine eating 65 teaspoonful of sugar!!! *freaked*
hmmm, my friend once told me ice lemon tea from the fountain is more fattening than coke, guess i know why, it's the amount sugar contained inside..
and you never blog about in average, we Malaysian is taking 24 teaspoon of sugar per person a day?? =.="
i love rebina...
oops! =P
kenwooi.com
Thanks for the information and statistics on diabetes, foongpc.
It's amazing how diabetes wasn't that popular when the world was undeveloped centuries ago, and now it's a leading disease with all the processed food we have now.
OMG please double check on the Ribena ok! I drink that pretty often! :( And thanks for the enlightening read Foong!
c'est la vie, congrats you are FC here! I was also shocked with the high sugar content in Ribena. I wonder if that Ribena is the concentrated one and you need to add water - if that is the case, then that should explain the high sugar content.
gabriel, that's a surprise right? I always thought Coke had very high sugar content! But it's just one teaspoon difference, so both are almost just as bad!
cheahs@n, you are welcome : )
health nut wannabee mom, yes it's quite shocking! I guess most of us are sugarholics without realizing it!
manglish, yes lots of hidden sugar in our diets that we are not aware of. I think we are so used to eating them we don't even realize how unhealthy they are!
mei teng, yes it's a shocker! Good advice - drink plain water or natural juices are the best!
lina, the only thing that makes Ribena healthy is the added Vit C, which I think is so little that you can get more Vit C from eating fruits! Anyway, the high sugar content will cancel out all the health benefits if there are indeed any!
Neslo and teh tarik definitely adds up to more than 6 teaspoons of sugar, but if you workout regularly, then I think still not too bad : )
Yeah, might as well drink A&W - it's nicer than Ribena anyway! Haha! But then again, we don't know what are the other unhealthy ingredients in A&W - sugar is just one of them! : )
khengsiong, I think the percentages mean the percentage of sugar content in that particular food or product.
ladyviral, who says Ribena is made of natural fruits? I think only the advertisers say so, haha!
Yeah, 100 Plus is better, but plain water is the best!
Well, still can indulge in your McD sundae once in a while - I like it too! - maybe you eat half only? Share the other half with your hubby. Haha!
bananaz, interesting statistics about bananas! And why am I not surprised this info came from bananaz! LOL!
It's OK to eat lots of bananas cos the sugar in bananas is naturally occurring sugar which is not harmful like refined sugar. However, diabetics still need to be careful when they eat fruits like bananas because their body cannot control blood sugar properly.
ladyviral, yeah not even near, but at least you tried! That reminds me, should be mailing you the present I promised you soon. Any change in address? : )
wenn, all soft drinks and sports drinks are loaded with sugar. I have yet to find one that is not : )
lawstude, sorry to hear about your grandma. Yes, diabetes is a very serious disease which can lead to lots of health complications! So we should do all we can to avoid it! : )
bluedreamer27, it's hard to refuse I know, but you better try for the sake of your health! Anyway, you can always enjoy those sweet delicacies, just limit your portion and do more exercise : )
PayingPost.com? OK, will visit your blog soon : )
superman, it's hard of course, but you have to try for the sake of your health. You don't have to totally boycott all the sweet food, just eat less of them and do more exercises. For a start, you may want to cut down on those white rice? They are more lethal than white sugar : )
xin, no it's not 6.5, it's 65! : )
che-cheh, not very sweet does not mean it does not contain high amounts of sugar. Sometimes taste can be quite deceiving.
If you think white rice is not sweet, then you'll be surprised to find that white rice spike your blood sugar more than white sugar!
borneo falcon, scary indeed and most Malaysians are still ignorant! Corn flakes? Don't take too much of them - maybe once in a while, not everyday for breakfast : )
happysurfer, yeah the sundae ice cream is yummy! Actually I prefer McD Sundae cone. Haha!
I don't think it's a good idea to totally cut out sugar, but maybe they can cut out processed sugar and only take sugar from fruits and honey.
Yeah, Uncle Toby's muesli bars are really sweet! But I guess the fibres in the muesli may somehow slow down the absorption of sugar so that it may not necessarily spike your blood sugar faster than say, Coke! : )
SK, you are aware but choose to ignore right? haha!
Yes, the amount of sugar in Ribena is shocking! So stick to your McD Sundae - just kidding! : )
Yeah, you might be right about the ice lemon tea : )
No need to blog about how many teaspoons of sugar we Malaysians are taking - it's all in the news! Haha!
But seriously, if we don't put a stop to it, diabetes is set to be an epidemic here.
kenwooi, you love ribena? You are in danger! Red alert! : )
shingo T, yes diabetes was almost unheard of in the olden days, but now as we eat more and more processed food, it has become a killer. The sad thing is, younger and younger people are getting diabetes nowadays.
iamthewitch, I have double checked and it's confirmed. Ribena contains 65 teaspoons of sugar.
However, I think it might apply to the concentrated form where you need to dilute with water. In that case, it's not that bad. But is there such thing as concentrated form of Ribena? I won't know cos I don't drink it.
foong,
you didn't drink Ribena growing up? I chugged Ribena like no tomorrow when I was small. My parents and grandparents think it is healthy to drink it compared to plain water because of all the Vit C goodness.
Anyway, I think I have to limit my 100-Plus intake also. Always like to drink one after my workout. :D
Ya ya ya, no ice cream. You should also stop going to any buffet too, Foong! Of course, once in a while should do no harm.
aiyo...lately I got a soft touch of MCdonald sundae and been eating 1 per week... for 3 weeks (3 cups) i have to stop already ;(
btw, my dad has diabetes and so was my uncles....
and the prevalence of DM in Msia is increasing alarmingly. know why?
just go to any shop, order the drinks, and you'll see why.
wah, din really realize white rice is even more damaging than white sugar... to think tat i've been asking for more rice for my chap fan... @.@ scary...
i started to reduce my sugar intake...i din know 100 plus drink got so high of sugar ler...darn...
I drink coffee without sugar... :p Dude, maybe you need to write a notes to Oldtown to ask them reduce their sugar in the coffee... coz we ain't want diabetes... :p
Just like you said said in my journey GDM post, everything we eat turns into sugar. We really need to practice healthy eating because foods nowadays are not as healthy as old times.
happy monday foong!
Yupe! We really need to be careful with the amount of food we stuff into our body right? :D
Yep! Although it can be controlled by insulin, I think it is still very serious because you need to take your medication on time. :)
But well...at least better than cannot control right?
Yeah! Not everyone can inherit it. Unless both parents have dominants genes lar. :D
OMG! My fav Chipsmores contains so many sugar? Gosh...who cares. :D
LOL on Tekkaus comment. Ya, when it comes to our fave food, who cares whether it's bad or not. :D
Some more, if the world is gonna end 2012, might as well enjoy life! :P
now you make me worry. haha. dad got it and it is very serious. he was in hospital for 3 months. the doc took off his left foot toe. pity him.
what i hate about diabetes is it can't be cure. i thought every disease got its cure?
I have seen many people who suffers from diebetes....better reduce intake of sugar and carbohidrates. There are cases of virus attacking and killing all the Langerhans cells that produces insulin....thus the victime became diebetic!
u are correct with ribena there. not many parents knew abt the high sugar content found in it. if only they knew ..... it's really really bad for the kids
shit!!! so much in 100 plus!!!!!!!
and i tot uncle toby's are healthy food.
I thought 100 Plus is good? Hmmm
Foong foong,
Sweet tooth always wins eh? :P
When it comes to that... who cares about the content? hahaha!
Oh true plain water is the best, but our body need the sugar once in a while too :).
My address is the same no change yet, oh but you don't have to send me anything. I didn't guessed it right at all! I wonder why I didn't managed to get that site you found all this from when I search haha >.<; But it wasn't the prize I am after, was the knowledge :P.
oh no those are my fave food! :-D
esp Chipsmore Cookies and Mc Donald's sundae ice cream! I love it!!!
nothing beats my green tea for sure. those beverages are way too sweet for my liking anyway.
but when it comes to ice-cream, i throw caution to the wind. forget about the high sugar content, can i have the sundae, pls?
this post serves as a great reminder to all diabetics out there.
lina, no I drank milk growing up, not Ribena. Haha! But I did drink Ribena occasionally.
I think it's OK to drink 100 Plus after your workout but I would limit it to half the can : )
januskieZ, will visit soon, thanks : )
jam, as you said, once in a while it's OK. So I go to buffet once in a while! Haha
chrisau, I think it's OK to indulge once in a while. Maybe not once a week, but once a month? Or if you want to indulge once a week, just eat half the cup and make sure you exercise regularly : )
j2kfm, yeah everyone seems to order teh tarik or coffee or ice lemon tea these days! And almost all other types of drinks are sweet in nature. For me, I order a glass of plain water! Haha! But I do have my cup of teh tarik or other nice drinks occasionally. I think it's good to indulge once in a while. And if you exercise regularly, you can indulge more often! : )
autumn, oh yes! White rice spikes your blood sugar more readily because it has higher GI (glyceamic index) compared to white sugar. So reduce your white rice and add more vegetables! Or switch to brown rice : )
vialentino, good to know you are starting to reduce your sugar intake. Every little bit helps! Mostly all sports drink have high sugar content. I guess 100 plus is OK if you drink it right after a strenuous work out! Just drink half will do, not all : )
TZ, two thumbs up for coffee without sugar! Haha, is it just OldTown that have very sweet coffee? How about Starbucks? Or Papparich? Or Kluang Station? etc. etc?
ayie, you are absolutely right! Practise healthy eating is very important but it can be tough sometimes, don't you agree?
tekkaus, yes, portion control is important. Especially for diabetics.
You like Chipsmore? Haha! I used to like it a lot last time. But have learnt to control my eating habits. I don't eat much cookies nowadays, because cookies are high in GI and makes me go fat in no time! : )
lina, I don't think 2012 is end of the world yet, so must control! No need to abstain from your favourite unhealthy food, just eat a bit less and not as often and exercise more lah. Still can have a happy and enjoyable life like this, no? Better than have your toes cut or hands amputated later because of diabetes - how to enjoy life later?
faisal, oh so sorry to hear about your dad! You must make sure he goes on a very strict diet! No choice lah, once you are a diabetic, you are cursed for life. And you can never really enjoy all the good food that you previously could.
That's why I always advise people to watch out on their diets and exercise regularly. If they want to continue to enjoy all the good food, they better do this if not sure regret - I guarantee!
Every disease got its cure? haha! Of course not! Cancer, AIDS have no cure what! What are you talking about?
pete, yeah really pity those who became diabetes because of virus attacks! Really sad...
johnny ong, we should actually do something about this high sugar content in Ribena! It's going to eventually kill a lot of people! I see so many people drinking Ribena like it's a health drink!
zewt, haha! Uncle Toby's is thought to be a healthy food. A lot of so called healthy food are in fact not healthy! have to always check on the ingredient and sugar content besides others like transfat etc.
joshua, well I think it's OK to drink 100 Plus right after a work out when your body is in need of sugar. But not during any other time. Still, I prefer plain water : )
oh it's hard foong, believe me! I'm on it now for my pregnancy.
ladyviral, haha yes sweet tooth always win! But must take care also lah, so that we can eat more sweet food! Haha
OK, I won't send you anything at this moment in time, cos cannot find a suitable gift. Maybe next time when I have a better gift for you : )
monica, you like Chipsmore and McD sundae ice cream? I don't fancy Chipsmore that much but McD sundae is heavenly! : )
life ramblings, you and your green tea! Haha!
Yeah, ice creams are nice! Wonder who can resist ice creams? : )
ayie, hang on there! 3 more months right? Then you can indulge! LOL!
now counting 2...on my 7th month!!!
Thanks for sharing this myths I like it so much I have unknown about this myths before reading this blog.
Smith Alan
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Diabetes is reversible. I am talking about the most common form of diabetes which is type 2.
I have reversed it in so many cases myself and there are documented cases of thousands of people who have reversed diabetes with the help of experts.
Glucose is the sugar which is used by every cell of the body to produce energy. This is carried by a hormone insulin to most of the cells. When sugar levels are high, the cells do not allow sugar inside and that is when we say Insulin has become ineffective. i.e. Insulin sensitivity has come down and the condition is known as Diabetes when excess sugar starts to circulate in the blood.
Even the fat cells no longer store sugar. So any activity which burns energy will make your insulin sensitive and push glucose inside the cells reducing your sugar levels in the blood. When the intake of sugar is reduced, a similar result is observed.
It takes a long time for the body to reverse diabetes and the body needs a lot of nutrients, as in a diabetic State the body is depleted of many nutrients.
Diabetics are prone to infection and other chronic diseases like kidney failure, heart disease etc.
Therefore it is important that you reverse the diabetes with a controlled and customized diet and not by yo yo dieting like reducing food intake. I definitely think that every parent needs to check out the site www.DiabetesReversalTactics.info if you’re serious about reversing your type 2 diabetes.
Good luck!
Nabila
I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have…. normal blood glucose levels