Healthy Eating

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month 854 471 BeckmanDev

ARTICLE SUPPLIED BY

DIABETES CARE CENTURION

November is National Diabetes Month, a time when communities across the world team up to bring attention to diabetes. This year’s focus is on taking care of children and teenagers who have diabetes.

 

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in school-age youth in the South Africa, affecting about thousands of youngsters under 20 years old. Regardless of their age, sometimes youth who have diabetes need support with their diabetes care. That is why it’s important to help your child or teen develop a plan to manage diabetes, and work with their health care team to adjust the diabetes self-care plan as needed. Here are some tips to consider for your child’s diabetes self-care plan.

 

Manage Blood Glucose Levels

Make sure your child or teen takes their medicines as prescribed, at the right time, and the right dose—even when they feel good or have reached their blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol goals.

 

Encourage Healthy Habits

Follow a healthy eating plan – particularly if your child is taking insulin. And make sure they get enough sleep and aim for regular physical activity. Children and teens with Type 1 Diabetes should also check their blood glucose levels before, during, or after physical activity.

 

Be Prepared for Emergencies

Your basic diabetes preparedness kit should always contain medical supplies and equipment, emergency and health care professional contact lists such as Diabetes Care Centurion, and a medication list, including doses and dosing schedules, and an allergy list.

During the current pandemic, it’s also a good idea to include face masks, hand sanitiser and disinfecting wipes to your emergency kit.

 

Monitor for Complications

Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce the risk for heart disease, vision loss, nerve damage, and other related health problems. The team at Diabetes Care Centurion can help you develop a plan to monitor for any problems.

 

Seek Mental Health Support

Children and teens may not be used to talking about feeling anxious or alone about their diabetes. The Diabetes Care Centurion team includes a Life Coach who can provide helpful advice for dealing with the adjusted lifestyle and the emotions that go along with the diagnosis.

 

For help and information, contact our team at info@diabetescare.co.za or call 012 664 7831

Read this before you buy your kids more cereal

Read this before you buy your kids more cereal 854 471 BeckmanDev

ARTICLE SUPPLIED BY

KILIAN, NIENABER & ASSOCIATES

In order to nourish their growing minds and bodies, it is vital that your children begin each day with a filling and nutritious breakfast. But, when your mornings look like an overwhelming, hectic explosion of trying to get things done before the day officially starts, you might feel as though there is hardly any time to stand in the kitchen and cook breakfast for the family.

 

Breakfast cereals are an easy solution and a great time saver. South Africa has a multitude of brightly coloured cereal boxes decorating the shelves of major retailers, many adorned with mascots that advertise fun and “healthy” flavours for kids – but shoppers should always be mindful of the amount of sugar in each serving.

 

Business Tech news recently evaluated 40 of the most popular cereal brands on store shelves, and they revealed that almost half of the cereals have sugar content that makes up a quarter of a typical serving.

 

Cereal brands are constantly changing their recipes to attract market share in a competitive space – which means that some brands change over time, new brands are introduced and others are discontinued. Many brands will add “healthier” multi-grain options, but just because it sounds healthier, doesn’t necessarily mean it is better.

 

For instance, in 2018, Kellogg’s changed the local recipe for Rice Krispies, turning the single grain, relatively sugar-free cereal, into a multi-grain vanilla-flavoured breakfast bowl with far more sugar. The new recipe pushed the total sugar content from 8 grams of sugar per 100g, to over 21 grams.

 

South Africa’s most sugar-filled cereal crown belongs to Bokomo, with the group’s Creme Soda flavoured Otees carrying a whopping 38.6 grams of sugar per 100 grams!

 

This is followed by Otees Mixed Berry, Kellogg’s Strawberry Pops, Coco Pops and Otees Chocolate Flakes – all of which have more than 30 grams of sugar per 100 grams.

 

The recommended serving size for a bowl of cereal is 30 grams, and this does not account for added milk or sugar, which could significantly change the sugar content.

 

South Africa’s health authorities have begun exerting a great deal of pressure on manufacturers to reduce sugar levels in their products, so the situation will certainly change over time. Still, cereals are a great option if your family doesn’t have the time for other breakfast alternatives. So, if you choose to eat cereal for breakfast, here are some tips to help you select a healthier options.

 

Limit the sugar

Try to choose a breakfast cereal with under 5 grams of sugar per serving. Read the food label to find out how much sugar the product contains.

 

Aim for More Fibre

Breakfast cereals that pack at least 3 grams of fibre per serving are optimal. Eating enough fibre can have numerous health benefits.

 

Pay Attention to the Portion Sizes

Breakfast cereals tend to be crunchy and tasty, and it can be very easy to consume a high number of calories, so try to measure how much you’re eating, using the serving size information on the packaging for guidance.

 

Read the ingredients list

Ignore the health claims on the front of the box, making sure to check the ingredients list. The first two or three ingredients are most important, as they comprise the majority of the cereal. While government regulations try to combat sneaky messaging from manufacturers, food producer still use tricks to hide the amount of sugar in their products. Some sugars are listed several times under different names, like fructose, glucose and sucrose.

 

Add Protein if Possible

Protein is a macronutrient that increases fullness and reduces appetite. Try adding greek yoghurt or a handful of nuts or seeds to the cereal for that extra bit of protein.