Why diabetics should skip honey, molasses

BY CORRESPONDENT

15th November 2014

Honey

Diabetic patients face more health threats as honey and molasses they use to replace ordinary table sugar are said to be also dangerous for their status.

 

The National Diabetes Programme of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced yesterday in Dar es Salaam that honey and molasses cause the pancreas to produce more insulin like ordinary sugar.

The majority of people suffering from diabetes have been using mostly honey as a replacement for sugar in tea, porridge and other drinks.

 

Previously diabetic patients were being prohibited from eating any kind of food with added ordinary sugar, but  recent research by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), showed that honey and molasses have the same negative impact to patients. The announcement by the government is a blow to patients who now have to seek alternative additives in place of honey and molasses, to avoid their health deteriorating.

 

The National Diabetes Programme Manager, John Gardner, said during activities to mark the International Diabetes Day held in Dar es Salaam that the two ingredients (honey and molasses) were a threat to diabetic people.

 

The only way to manage the disease positively is to abide by directives concerning foods that are proper to use.

“This is the best way to fight against the disease. Obtaining medical checkups and if possible starting treatment when the disease is at early stages is best,” he said.

 

Dr Gardner said an estimated 1.9 million Tanzanians are diabetic while only 500,000 are aware of the condition.

About 20 to 24 per cent of total diabetic patients are children and adolescents who are mostly affected with diabetes type one, he said.

 

The government has therefore set free medical treatments for such group (children and adolescents) in an effort to rescue the national manpower, according to the manager. 

 

For adults who are mostly affected with diabetes type two, he recommended physical exercises as a good antidote. 

 

For his part, the deputy chairperson of the Tanzania Diabetes Association, Ramadhan Mongi, urged parents to regularly check up their children’s health status.

 

Bed-wetting habits by children was a clear sign of diabetes which many parents simply take for granted on account of lack of awareness of symptoms of the disease, he said.

 

Awareness dissemination programmes are on the drawing board, he said, urging parents to take regular tests to ensure sustainable stable health.

 

Magdalena Matemu, the nursing officer at the Diabetes Department at Mwananyamala Hospital in the city, insisted on ensuring a balanced diet to tame the condition among infected persons.

 

She advised diabetic individuals to take five small meals a day where each meal is supplied with green vegetables. Vegetables, if cooked need to be with vegetable oil, she said, advising that meat should be eaten once a week. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN