Diabetes

[scott h]

EXERCISE!!!! Most Filipinos I see are extremely active up until the age of 21-25...basketball, dance groups, throwing flip flops at empty cans :hystery: . It seems once they are married with kids very, very few Filipinos take vigorous exercise. You will see the upper middle class play golf and tennis, but I believe they are in the minority.

[Kuya John]

When I was courting my wife to be, she told me she like walking.

What she didn't tell me was she mean't around the shopping mall's

[Methersgate]

We are seeing the impact of new foods on a traditional culture that got by on rather few calories. 

 

Put the upper middle classes, with their American golf and tennis habits, on one side.

 

Ordinary people were farmers and fishermen, working hard to get the food, clothing and shelter that they needed.

 

The idea of doing additional work, like walking, was, and remains, quite alien to them, and walking in the sun and getting (horrors1) brown is even worse - "I don't want to look like a peasant!".

 

Because food was normally in short supply, every opportunity to gorge on free food is to be taken.

 

Very sweet and highly salted foods are popular because tastes are not highly refined. 

[frosty (chris)]

Also the untold amount of Coke the locals like to drink.

[Kuya John]

Enormous amounts of white rice is a killer.

 

While researching another subject came across this one

 

http://www.newser.com/story/198845/heres-how-much-arsenic-is-in-rice.html

 

and this one!

 

http://www.newser.com/story/154359/consumer-reports-rice-has-too-much-arsenic.html

Edited November 19, 2014 by Kuya John

[jpbago]

And if you think that is bad, driving is even worse:

 

http://www.manilatimes.net/breaking_news/filipinos-more-likely-to-die-in-road-mishaps-than-of-diabetes-or-tb/

[roddavis]

I've got it! Been a diabetic for the last 4 years. Started with metformin till that stopped working, then on to insulin slow/ fast acting. Was able to keep numbers in the normal to moderate levels. Since retiring here in the PI, the cost of $250/month is starting to drag my monthly allowance down.

Has anyone looked into alternative assistance from the local fruits and vegetables. Seems the Calabash fruit(miracle fruit) seems to keep the sugar levels down also an anti-oxident for cancer. The bitter melon cooked with sitaw(long beans) and pork also help control sugar. The dried leaves of the calabash help with high blood pressure. Anyone else know of some other veg/fruits that I can incorporate in my diet?

[chris49]

14 hours ago, roddavis said:

I've got it! Been a diabetic for the last 4 years. Started with metformin till that stopped working, then on to insulin slow/ fast acting. Was able to keep numbers in the normal to moderate levels. Since retiring here in the PI, the cost of $250/month is starting to drag my monthly allowance down.

Has anyone looked into alternative assistance from the local fruits and vegetables. Seems the Calabash fruit(miracle fruit) seems to keep the sugar levels down also an anti-oxident for cancer. The bitter melon cooked with sitaw(long beans) and pork also help control sugar. The dried leaves of the calabash help with high blood pressure. Anyone else know of some other veg/fruits that I can incorporate in my diet?

Bitter melon? Is that Ampalaya? I asked Gina, she's not sure. Same family so should be low GI.

Ampalaya is low GI (Glycemic Index). Any low GI food eg yams, sweet potatoes, ube, all similar, from the root crop family are all low GI.  Now contrast that with a fruit. like mangoes. A ripe mango is almost all fructose, but a green mango the crunchy ones is low GI, and so on with all fruits. Generally avoid, but you might eat the low fructose unripe ones.

Original raw oats are low GI. Instant oats less so and the fiber content is less. But plain oatmeal is quite hard to consume without milk and sugar. Unless using soy milk,or skimmed milk, but no sugar.

So bottom line here: low GI index foods are better. High fructose is out but eg an unripened banana is ok. All processed foods are high GI, so they are all out. Most common breakfast cereals even with healthy labeling are also out.

As for the Insulin you are probably taking NPH or Lente, probably NPH, with an addition of a small dose of Regular Insulin, twice a day? Or once. Probably twice.

$250 USD a month=12, 000 pesos is a healthy chunk out of a retirement income, so definitely a problem. Then there's test strips, syringes, needles and etc. I would advise you of 2 options.

1. Have you tried Generics Pharmacy for all those needs? 12k is too much, I think you could reduce that.

2. Are you a 13 a visa holder Permanent Resident? You might drop in with your wife to a local government hospital. She may request you to be put on the DOH Insulin Program. You will pay, but it's at a reduced cost. Permanent Residents are given by law the same privileges as citizens, except property ownership. That's my angle here.

[RBM]

28 minutes ago, roddavis said:

I've got it! Been a diabetic for the last 4 years. Started with metformin till that stopped working, then on to insulin slow/ fast acting. Was able to keep numbers in the normal to moderate levels. Since retiring here in the PI, the cost of $250/month is starting to drag my monthly allowance down.

Has anyone looked into alternative assistance from the local fruits and vegetables. Seems the Calabash fruit(miracle fruit) seems to keep the sugar levels down also an anti-oxident for cancer. The bitter melon cooked with sitaw(long beans) and pork also help control sugar. The dried leaves of the calabash help with high blood pressure. Anyone else know of some other veg/fruits that I can incorporate in my diet?

While not exactly on topic this may be of interest. http://www.raphavalley.com

We went there for lunch last Sunday, delicious to say the least. Being a natural skeptic was somewhat on guard  when we met Doc Albert. My thinking was this is some what of a hard sell, could not of been more wrong. He is a qualified medical doctor whom after a serious bout of sickness turned into a natural food an health guru. His research, knowledge and ability to explain it all in layman terms astounded me. Hard sell? There was no sell!!,

He is 59 and looks years younger, fully recovered and all from natural means. He touched on the benefits of eating healthy foods such as what he sells in the resto.....wonderful tasting vege food and very varied. How ever he emphasises herbs, we listened for hours as he explained the many benefits, his research and knowledge astounded us.

Eventually I informed him a dermatologist in Cebu prescribed me meds for a fungal infection on my chest which cost P5500. He explained a very simple way of preparing some common herbs and applying to the chest 3 times a day. Now after 1 day I have improved some 75%. I am wondering if to good to be true, we shall see.

We texted him today for some additional information, instant reply and said, just text or call any time. He stated there are many natural treatments for diabetes and pretty much everything...He loves to share his knowledge and zero charges. 

Guess we have all heard similar stories, me to, first time though from a medical doctor advocating natural health healing and strongly criticising big pharma.

Its not cheap to stay at his small center how ever if one wants incredible tasty vege foods and touch of paradise in comparison, isolation and silence  it could be considered. We paid around P2000 for 3 people, 3 course meal, plus 2 drinks, delicious extreme and had a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gratefuled]

It's easy to point the finger at the Philippine diet and diabetes but in the states you will find the daily diet of most is not much better. Different yes, but not better. In the states, we just have better medical coverage to pay for our diabetes, obesity, heart conditions, liver, and kidney problems, to name a few.

Junk food is a major cause of many health problems. Coffee and doughnuts for breakfast. Many different choices of junk for lunch and dinner and anytime in between and after. In the states.