Measures To Take During COVID-19 If Have Diabetes

It was December 2019, when China reported an outbreak of a new virus. This infectious virus was named as novel coronavirus or COVID-19. As COVID-19 continues to spread in India and globally. It is important for each one of us to take the necessary precautions to help prevent infection and spread of the virus.

Individuals over 60 years of age and those with pre-existing medical conditions, including diabetes, are at the increased risk for complications. As a result, many changes in our daily lives are being recommended in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

Truweight cares for the community, hence as an indirect line of care for individuals affected by Pre-diabetes and Diabetes. Educates about how to manage diabetes during COVID-19 and take that extra precaution to minimise the virus spread and at the same build immunity to fight with it.

Have you checked your immunity levels?

Check Your Immunity Level Now

Diabetes during COVID-19 are one such concern that we will talk today giving you certain guidelines to follow during this lockdown period at home.

Nutrition And Gut Health

• Eat a balanced diet and try to eat at least 4-5 different fruit and vegetables a day. Consuming nutrient dense foods is one of the integral components of diabetes management.

It is important for individuals with diabetes to consume a balanced diet to keep their blood glucose levels stable and build immunity.

You can think about the Truweight Plate concept that consists of:

• • 50% Vegetables & Fruits: Consume 4-5 servings of Vitamin C rich fruits and green leafy vegetables
  • 25% Complex Carbs: Consume whole wheat Roti, Brown Rice, Millet preparations, etc
  • 25% Protein: Consume a variety of Dals, Legumes and Beans, Non Veg – Eggs, Chicken and Fish.
• The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends foods rich in nutrients such as proteins and vitamins like A, C, E, Zinc to strengthen the immune system.
• Load your body with Vitamin C rich and seasonal fruits like oranges, sweet lime, muskmelon, papaya, etc. You can simply squeeze lemon over a salad, soup, dal or snack.
• Include orange coloured foods in your diet that are rich in Vitamin A. Foods like carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes’, etc are few of those. 
• Zinc promotes healing, protein synthesis, growth of immune cells. Food groups that can supplement your body with Zinc are pumpkin seeds, beans, chickpeas, almonds, cashews, and products fortified with zinc.
• Minimise intake of highly processed foods like white bread, white pasta, and other refined flour preparations. 
• Utilise Indian Superfoods like Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic, Cinnamon, Fenugreek Seeds, Curry leaves, etc in your dishes; they come with more than one health benefits. 
• Garnish your soups, smoothies, and salads with more than one seeds like sesame, pumpkin, etc to supply your body with essential fats.
• Drink 20-30 ml of herbal decoctions daily to boost immunity (One decoction at a time, do not start all at once): 
  • Boil 3 gm Turmeric powder in water to make a drink (twice a day, 15 ml each)
  • Fenugreek/Methi seeds 1 tsp & boil or 5 gm of Methi seeds powder in water (Sip throughout the day) 
  • Boil 7-8 Curry leaves or 5 gm of curry leaves powder in water (drink this on empty stomach)
• Probiotics & prebiotics have been shown to promote specific aspects of health like
  • Enhance immune system
  • Aid better digestion
  • Aids in weight management
  • Regulation of body temperature, etc in senior citizens which is required during COVD-19 especially.[2]
• Consume curd and buttermilk during mid meals or along with your major meals to improve your gut health.

Take back your Immunity with our Immune Booster Diet plan

Lifestyle

As per Govt directives, individuals are advised to stay indoors, most of outdoor traveling or activities have come to halt. We must keep ourselves engaged in indoor activities like doing daily chores, cleaning, cooking, maintain discipline in our wake, sleep cycle and meal timings. 

Medications And Supplements

• If any supplements or medications prescribed by the physician, continue the same. Do not change the dose of medicines without physician’s knowledge. Check if you can consult them online. 
• Discuss with the physician and take a multivitamin supplement daily one for a month.
• You can supplement your diet with Vitamin D supplement (once a week for a month).
• Discuss with your coach or physician to start with probiotic supplement like Darolac or Velgut. 
• Take Chyavanprash 0.5 tsp each in the morning & evening to manage your blood sugar spikes (only for Diabetes, there should be 30 mins of gap in your medication intake)

Sleep

• Research suggests that adequate sleep helps in improving T cells (Immune cells) production in the body to fight against infections. We therefore advise an average 7-8-hour sleep. 

Eating habits

• Meals can be split in 3 Major meals and 2 snack meals, ideal gap between each meal should be 2-3 hours. Now that you are at home, you can practice early dinners, say by 8-8.30 PM.
•  Avoid smoking and alcohol intake, since these habits are detrimental to your health. 

Stay Active

• Increasing mobility in important for both diabetes and weight management. 
• Walking after each meal for 15 to 20 mins also helps in increasing blood flow and nutrient transport to body 

Exercise

• It is great if you can manage to walk for 30 mins in your apartment lobby or premises, veranda or inside the house.
• Exposure of 30 mins to sunlight between 7 AM to 10 AM helps in improving Vitamin D in the body. 
• You can also practice simple Yoga asanas to improve flexibility in your body.

Stress Management

• Lockdown may induce anxiety since we are not habituated staying indoors. Research has shown that anxiety and stress during the Isolation and Social distancing affects sugar levels.
• Simple techniques of breathing, Pranayama and Meditation helps in controlling stress levels. 
• Other techniques like listening to music and reading books also help in coping with stress and anxiety. 

Other Practice

Practice warm salt water gargling technique twice a day; morning and in the evening.

Diet Plan

TIME	Plan 1	Plan 2	Plan 3	Plan 4
Early Morning	Herbal tea + Almonds(5)	Ginger Tea + Walnuts(2)	Sukku coffee/Fennel tea+ 1tsp seeds	Sukku coffee/Fennel tea+ 1tsp seeds
Breakfast	Idli-3/dosa-2 + Mint chutney+1 cup sprouts/egg whites-2	Veg poha with lemon + 1 cup sprouts/egg whites - 2	Pesarattu or Dal chilla-2 + Tomato garlic chutney + 1cup sprouts/egg white-2	Dhokla-5 pieces/Appam-2+Coriander chutney + 1 cup Chickpeas chat
Mid Morning	Sweet & Salt Nimbu Pani	1 cup Papaya	1 cup Mixed fruit bowl	Vegetable Juice + Roasted seeds
Lunch	1 cup bell pepper salad + 2 Wheat Roti/Brown rice -1 bowl + 1 cup Paruppu Rasam + 1 cup Veg poriyal Buttermilk (dried ginger powder)-200ml	Wheat roti-2/ Bhakri-2+Paneer matar subji 1cup + Mixed Veg salad - 1cup Buttermilk-200ml	Brown rice pea pulao/brown rice khichdi – 1 cup chicken gravy/ rajma masala - 1cup + Cucumber raita - 1cup	Wheat roti -2 / millet roti – 2 Palak kadhi / palak paneer - 1cup + pickled veggies Buttermilk (dried ginger powder)-200ml
Evening	Masala tea - 1cup Boiled sundal -1cup / beet hummus	Green tea -1cup Roasted makhana -1cup / sprouts tikki - 2	Green Tea - 1cup Boiled green pea / kala chana chaat-1cup	Lemon Tea -1cup Puffed millet bhel chat-1cup
Dinner	Cabbage soup -1cup Wheat dosa -2 / ragi dosa -2 + Thoothuvalai Chutney - 3tsp + Sambar - 1cup	Mixed veg soup Thalipeeth-2/1bowlRagi porridge with buttermilk	1 cup Sauteed Sprouts with veggies + Veg whole wheat upma/millet upma-1 bowl	Soup - 1bowl Masala Dal -1cup Stuffed vegetable Roti – 2 + 1 cup Raita
Bedtime	Milk with turmeric-1cup	Cinnamon and turmeric water - 1cup	Milk with cinnamon turmeric - 1cup	Cinnamon and turmeric water - 1cup

Probiotic Recipes

1.Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 medium cauliflower, florets cut into small bite-sized pieces 
• 2 medium carrots, cut on a sharp diagonal into 1⁄8” thin rounds
• 1 small white or yellow onion, sliced into very thin rounds 
• 2 chillies, sliced into thin rounds 
• Garlic cloves, quartered – 6
• Plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Salt – 1 tbsp
• Honey – 1 1⁄2 tbsp
• Leaf – 1 bay
• Oregano – 1 tsp
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: 

• Pack the cauliflower, carrots, onion, jalapeños, and garlic into a quart-sized wide-mouth mason jar. Place the jar in the sink since you will be pouring hot liquid into it soon. 
• In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, honey, bay leaf, oregano, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, then carefully pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar. You should have enough to completely submerge the vegetables (and maybe a little extra). Tuck the bay leaf into the side of the jar. 
• Let the pickles cool to room temperature (about 1 1⁄2 hours) before gently tapping the jar to remove air bubbles. The pickles should be well pickled and ready to consume at this point. If you are not eating them right away, securely fasten the lid and refrigerate for up to a month.

2. Kambu Ragi Koozh / Ambali (fermented, vegan, gluten-free) 

Ingredients:

• Whole kambu or Bajra – 1 cup 
• Ragi flour – 1.5 cups
• Water for cooking – 4.5 – 5 cups 
• Salt to taste 
• Chopped onion (Optional)

Instructions:

• Soak the whole kambu or bajra for an hour.
• Rinse and let it air-dry for a couple of hours.
• Then use a mixer and grind to a coarse rava/broken grain consistency. Add water to the broken kambu. Add the ragi flour and mix well. Set aside till it ferments. Overnight does the trick. 
• Boil the water, add salt, and add the fermented grain mixture to it. Keep some more water aside.
• In case the porridge becomes too thick, add water as required. Allow it to cook till it thickens and flour gels together. Set aside till it cools completely.

3. Fresh Turmeric Root and Mango Ginger Pickle in Lemon Juice 

Ingredients:

• 150 gms Fresh Mango Ginger 
• 150 gms Fresh Turmeric Root
• 1/3 Cup Lemon Juice (~5 Large Lemons) 
• 4-5 Green Chillies (optional) 
• 1/2 tsp Salt 

To Store:

Clean, dry, air-tight glass bottle 

Instructions:

• Using a few drops of oil, grease your palms. This prevents the turmeric root from staining your palms.
• Peel and chop the turmeric into thin slices. You can also julienne them.
• Peel and chop the mango ginger into thin slices. You can also julienne them. 
• Cut the green chillies into 1/2′′ pieces.
• Add the mango ginger slices, turmeric root slices, green chillies, lemon juice and salt to a clean, dry, glass bottle.
• Use a spoon and mix well.
• Close the bottle and let the pickle rest for 2 days. 

Conclusion

Diabetes and COVID-19 are one such topic that has been discussed in the current period of lockdown. People with diabetes have to ensure that they are taking certain measures to manage their health because staying home and the lockdown is depriving us of certain availability.

While we have proposed certain guidelines for people with diabetes during COVID-19 pandemic. It is in your hands to provide your best to work on your health. Make sure to not risk your health during this period since all the medical services are dedicated towards the COVID-19 patients.

Even if you find difficulty with health, take good precautions to protect yourself from getting caught with COVID-19. As it is dangerous to overcome this virus effect if you have medical conditions like diabetes.

The pandemic could still go on for a while, but you cannot ignore your health or of anyone you care who has diabetes. For if you are not aware of, most of the fatalities of COVID-19 have had other medical conditions in them like diabetes, heart disease etc.

Do not be the person who regrets after the result. Make your life healthy and immunity as strong as possible.

The post Measures To Take During COVID-19 If Have Diabetes appeared first on Truweight Blog.

from Truweight Blog https://ift.tt/2yoY5A5