Diabetic Q&A

Have a question about healthy living and nutrition? Ask us here and we’ll get an answer for you!

How does exercise impact my blood sugar?

Regular activity is as key a part of managing diabetes as proper meal planning, regular monitoring and taking medication as prescribed. When you are active, your cells become more sensitive to insulin, which means that your body can work more efficiently. During exercise your cells also remove glucose from the blood using a mechanism totally separate from insulin. So, not only does exercising consistently lower blood glucose, it also improves your blood glucose control overall.

Top tip:

Get moving and get the most out of your exercise routine by incorporating strength training (to build muscle and body structure), cardiovascular training (to improve heart health) and flexibility training (to ensure supple limbs and range of movement).

How often can I eat eggs?

Eggs are relatively high in cholesterol, yet there is now enough evidence to suggest that we can eat an egg a day without a detrimental effect on our blood cholesterol levels

The South African food-based dietary guidelines allow for 4 eggs per week and here’s why:

• Eggs are a source of protein and several essential nutrients.
• Although eggs are relatively high in cholesterol – 210mg per large egg (50g) – they have a low saturated fat content.
• Many of the studies linking eggs to high blood cholesterol levels and poor heart health are now criticized and considered to be weak.
• New evidence suggests that eating eggs is associated with satiety (feeling fuller for longer), good weight management and better diet quality.

So, if you enjoy eggs, go ahead, include them in your diet.

Just remember:

• Prepare your eggs with no extra fat by boiling, poaching or scrambling them.
• Limit your egg intake to 1 egg per day. And, if you have raised blood cholesterol levels, limit your intake of animal fats and increase your vegetable, fruit and fibre intake.
• Egg whites contain no cholesterol. So, if a recipe calls for a few eggs, moderate your cholesterol intake by using two egg whites in place of one whole egg.

This information was brought to you by www.picknpay.co.za

Pick n Pay is committed to promoting health and wellbeing among South Africans and employs the services of a registered dietician to provide food and nutrition related advice to the public. For your nutrition and health related queries, contact healthhotline@pnp.co.za or toll free on 0800 11 22 88

For more fantastic information on diabetes and nutrition, visit Pick n Pay’s Health Corner.