Mengurus Diabetes

Ketika membayar zakat fitrah, seorang pembayar bertanya adakah boleh dibayar dengan kadar beras yang dikhaskan kepada pesakit Diabetes? Baru saya tahu sesungguhnya teknologi pemakanan ini telah menghasilkan beras yang kurang kandungan kanji. Berikut adalah sedikit sebanyak soal jawab yang dikirimkan melalui emel kepadaku oleh PharmaNiaga.

Bagi kebanyakan PUZ, kadar zakat dikira sama rata tanpa mengambil kira gred beras yang dimakan. Jika zakat yang diurus oleh MAIDAM di Terengganu, beras digredkan dan kadarnya berbeza-beza.

MANAGING YOUR DIABETES DURING RAMADAN

Even if you have diabetes, it is still possible for you to fast, provided your diabetes is well-controlled. To fast safely, it is best that you understand more about how fasting affects the management of your diabetes. Below are answers to some common questions that may give you a better understanding when it comes to fasting in people with diabetes.

Q: I heard that people with diabetes have to be extra careful when fasting during Ramadan.
Can you explain why and what we have to watch out for? Fazleena R, Kuala Lumpur

A: Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, it is equally important for you to be extra careful with your blood glucose level when you opt to fast. (Note: Please always check with your doctor first if you can fast or otherwise). Due to not being able to eat and drink during the day, your blood glucose may drop to very low levels (especially if you are on oral medication or insulin). This may cause you to experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia such as sweating, palpitation and dizziness. If you start to feel any of the symptoms above, you are advised to break your fast immediately before you experience something even more serious such as confusion or loss of consciousness. When you experience these symptoms, it is also best that you check your blood glucose to make sure that your blood glucose level is really low and if so you must eat about 3 sweets or drink ½ a glass of fruit juice or consume other sugar containing food immediately to increase your blood glucose level. Once you have had your sugar treat, check your blood glucose level again to make sure that it has returned to the recommended range.

Another complication that can happen during fasting is ketosis. This happens when your body becomes too dehydrated, caused by lack of fluid intake and increased perspiration. When you are dehydrated or not taking food (especially carbohydrates), certain hormones that induce the breaking down of fats are secreted in larger amount. The end result of this process is increased level of ketone bodies in the body. You may experience excessive nausea and vomiting, and if left untreated, drowsiness and subsequently coma may happen. To avoid being dehydrated during fasting, be sure that you drink enough plain water during sahur time and after breaking your fast.

Being aware of the above warning signs is especially important for people with diabetes to avoid serious complications during the fasting month. Once again, please remember that if you feel unwell while you are fasting, break your fast and consult your doctor again immediately.

Q: Can you advise me on how to manage my diet during fasting month? Raizal P, Kuantan

A: . You are still encouraged to spread out your food intake, take three main meals and have a snack in between your meals. The only difference would be the timing of these meals. Below are some guidelines that you can follow during this fasting month:

· At the time of breaking fast, you should start off with a light meal only (‘break fast’). Limit intake of high-sugar and/or high-fat foods that are usually sold at Ramadan stalls as you do not want your blood glucose to suddenly spike up to very high levels. However, some people may want to follow Sunnah and break their fast with dates, but be sure to limit to 1-2 seeds only.

· This is followed by your main meal or ‘lunch’ at night (around Isyak prayer time) and when you wake up before dawn for sahur, you should treat this main meal as your ‘dinner’.

· For your sahur meal, make the effort to eat a balanced meal with adequate complex carbohydrates and drink plenty of plain water.

· If possible, have sahur as late as possible, just before Imsak, to help avoid unnecessary prolonged fasting and not at midnight, as this will spread out your energy intake more evenly and result in more balanced blood glucose levels during fasting.

· Try not to delay your buka puasa. However, resist the temptation to gorge on sweet desserts and high fat foods such as those that are deep fried. It is best to avoid these foods as they may increase your risk of excessive weight gain, especially when coupled with low physical activity during Ramadan.

· Complex carbohydrates like unpolished rice, high-fibre bread, oats and other whole-grain cereals release energy slower than processed foods. Therefore, they are a better choice (at any meal if not eaten excessively) if you want to have a more stabilised blood glucose level.

· Also include more high fibre carbohydrate foods such as fruits and vegetables during buka puasa as well as during sahur.

· Since your risk of experiencing dehydration is increased during fasting, you should also limit your intake of highly salted foods.

· Remember to drink a lot of water to replenish fluid loss during the day. Choose sugar-free drinks and drink more fluids during sahur.