The way people eat and the lifestyle they lead is essential for their overall health and well-being. Thus, incorrect dietary patterns can lead to the emergence of such a severe disease as type II diabetes mellitus. To combat the symptoms of this disease and its consequences, it is necessary to adjust nutrition, which will normalize the level of insulin in the human body. Thus, before proceeding to the recommendations that must be followed to limit the possibility of diabetes, it is necessary to consider nutritional risk factors.
Thus, what a person eats has a significant influence on the occurrence of symptoms of type 2 diabetes and their aggravation or relief. After visiting the doctor, my aunt was advised to change her current diet, as it puts her body at risk. Additionally, it is possible to hypothesize possible dietary behavior modifications that can improve or delay the progression of a dangerous disease. Firstly, it is necessary to focus on her way of eating and lifestyle. Consequently, she leads a relatively inactive lifestyle, as she works in the office at the computer. Moreover, it also affects the frequency of her meals, which are sometimes limited only to breakfast and dinner at home and occasional snacks during working hours.
Next, it is worth paying closer attention to what my aunt eats to make the necessary changes. In one of the sources that were investigated within the framework of this scientific work, the concept of Western dietary behavior was given, which well characterizes my aunt’s eating style. Hense, this pattern consists in consuming large amounts of red meat, processed and cooked meat, eggs, and seafood (Shu et al., 2017). In addition, other products that are often found in this case are cheese, fast foods, many different snacks, chocolates, alcoholic beverages, and coffee. All these products are found in the diet of my relative, especially coffee and snacks, which can be both sweet and salty. As for alcohol, my aunt stressed that she could drink one glass of wine on weekends but primarily uses it only on holidays. Almost all of these things are direct leading aspects for the formation of the second type of diabetes.
As a next step, it is worth considering what is missing from my relative’s diet. Therefore, the primary missing aspect of her diet is vegetables and fruits, which are of critical importance to the body. This is a negative trait since they contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber but at the same time contain few calories. Moreover, the diet lacks whole grains and is dominated by processed food and added sugar. All this contributes to an increase in blood sugar, which affects the development of diabetes mellitus.
The main barrier to introducing changes to a relative’s diet may be her lifestyle, in which she spends most of her time in the office. Thus, to increase the number of meals, she will need to prepare in advance and carry her own food to work. The advantage of this step will be to improve the condition of the body since the aunt will eat homemade and healthy food and not starve her body. However, at first, it may be difficult for her to train herself to cook food in advance. The other benefit of the diet will be the consumption of more vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods. On the other hand, it may be challenging to refuse added sugar, snacks, and other harmful foods.
Proposed Solution to Improve
The most critical problem my aunt is facing is the increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods. This aspect is one of the main dietary factors that can provoke type II diabetes mellitus. The threat is that consuming large amounts of sugar and foods that contain it leads to an overabundance of it in the body. This contributes to the disruption of the synthesis of insulin, which is a hormone that processes sugar. As a result, there is a violation of metabolic processes and the development of diabetes mellitus.
Further, in order to gain a better understanding of the problem, a study of literary sources was conducted. For this purpose, keywords such as “diabetes” and “sugar” were used. This will allow us to further develop a strategy and recommendations for limiting the possibility of acquiring type II diabetes millets. The analyzed article by Vieira et al. under the title “Sugar-lowering drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus” examines the negative impact of sugar and the possibility of treating diabetes with certain medications.
It is noted that the danger of type 2 diabetes is represented in peripheral insulin resistance (Vieira et al., 2019). Moreover, it is emphasized that it “affects various systems, organs, and tissues, being difficult to predict in the exact consequences of the disease, as genetic, nutrition, environment, and other factors are different in each individual” (Vieira et al., 2019, 1332). Thus, in order to prevent this damaging consequence of the disease, it is envisaged that a medical specialist prescribes specialized medicinal mechanisms. The danger of sugar consumption as a dietary factor is the central aspect for modification since this product plays a significant role in causing diabetes mellitus.
The book that provides valuable insight on the problem of diabetes was the source of Michael et al. “A self-management guide for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients from middle eastern countries”. This literary work provides valuable information about how people can independently influence their bodies and limit the symptoms of the disease under study. The first chapter of the book is dedicated to healthy eating; that is, the criticality of this aspect of the fight against diabetes is emphasized. In addition, it provides data on healthy cooking, risk factor reduction, blood glucose monitoring, and medications (Mikhael et al., 2020). In addition, the authors emphasize that in the manufacture of homemade sweet food, it is possible to use substitutes for ordinary sugar, such as sucralose and acesulfame, which will preserve the sweetness without harming health. Therefore, this makes this source essential for giving recommendations for improving the nutrition of my relative. Regarding the use of sugar, the book provides information about its two types and provides a thorough justification of the importance of using healthy alternatives to this product.
The following source that provided information about proposed solutions to combat the disease was an online page called “Type 2 diabetes”. The scientific evidence provided in this source provides benefits that may result from modifying a person’s dietary behavior. Thus, it is noted that the primary responsibility in the treatment lies with the patients themselves and depends on what they eat. Medical specialists only play the role of support and guidance in what will best help speed up the recovery process and how to get around obstacles. The change in diet and lifestyle is highlighted as the main factor that will contribute to the effectiveness and productivity of the changes introduced.
Possible stress becomes the main barrier that can get in the way of patients. It may be related to changes that have been taken to combat the disease. However, the web source notes that healthy sleep, regular exercise, and relaxing practices (“Type 2 diabetes”, n.d.) will help to cope with this. These actions can help to cope with tense situations and facilitate the recovery process of the body. Moreover, overcoming limits can help doctors and diabetic educators who will assist in gaining more knowledge and spreading awareness about type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Description of Solution
Therefore, the primary proposed solution is to reduce the consumption of sugar and sugar-containing products. New dietary patterns should include foods that promote the development and restoration of the body’s metabolic processes. Thus, as a strategy, it is necessary to introduce as many low-calorie plant products into the diet as possible. This is due to the fact that vegetables will help maintain the necessary level of glucose in the blood.
Moreover, obesity also becomes a risk factor due to malnutrition, which often follows the onset of diabetes mellitus. The accumulation of adipose tissue around the organs significantly slows down and worsens their work, which affects the ability to digest and convert sugar. Because of this, in addition to reducing the consumption of sweets, it is essential to follow a diet that is high in fiber and low in fat, cholesterol, and salt. This is due to the fact that even a complete rejection of sugar will not ultimately reduce the symptoms of the disease.
Among the actions that can be suggested as part of the strategy is tracking the food that a person consumes. It is necessary to eat in small portions and observe the ratio of valuable things to facilitate the functioning of the digestive and hormonal systems. Another action worth following is controlling the blood sugar level. It is measured using a specialized device that can show blood sugar in a matter of seconds. Thus, it is possible to emphasize the importance of introducing not only limiting sugar in the body but also maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general.
Various mobile apps can be particularly effective and efficient. These technological innovations have contributed to the development of the medical field and allow patients to carry out self-monitoring. Thus, my aunt can independently use the program on her phone to find out how much sugar she has already consumed from the daily norm. In addition, it will help maintain specific eating behavior long-term for healthy wellness. This will help form a generation that will have a healthy future.
There are several more recommendations that will help reduce the amount of sugar in the blood and improve the condition of the body with signs of diabetes. Henceforth, one of the steps should be included in the diet, in addition to fruits and vegetables complex carbohydrates. In addition to regular three meals a day, it is necessary to constantly try to eat at the same time. This method will ensure the stability and continuity of insulin production and the digestion and transformation of sugar in the blood. Moreover, in order to tone up the whole body, it is necessary to maintain physical activity since it directly affects the well-being of the body. In addition, exercise helps to reduce the amount of sugar while speeding up work and contributing to the production of insulin.
All the proposed measures of the strategy will help to ensure a healthy body and weight. Thus, the risk of strengthening the symptoms of type II diabetes mellitus will be limited, and many benefits this will cause an improvement in general health and well-being will be given. In this scientific paper, solutions have been proposed that will assist my aunt in the fight against bad habits to combat the first signs of diabetes. They included changing diet patterns to reduce the amount of sugar and reducing the eating of junk food. Instead, in order to facilitate the work of the body and awaken the production of necessary insulin, people need to eat healthy food, vegetables, and fruits and eat at least three times a day without interruptions.
Reflection
After writing the work, reflection becomes an important aspect. This stage will help to understand the strengths and weaknesses of writing a scientific paper and how to work on the research. In addition, one part that I think I’ve done quite well is providing my relative’s negative nutritional habits and offering solutions. However, I believe that the whole work is written reasonably and capable enough.
At the same time, during the writing process, part of which I still cannot accurately cope with the study of literary sources. However, despite the prevalence of many studies on this topic, it is impossible to talk about the complete simplicity of its analysis. Therefore, first of all, the area that could be improved by me is to improve my skills in conducting literary research. For me, this stage is difficult, as it is difficult for me to concentrate on one aspect longer than ordinary people.
Moreover, it is essential to note that an area for improvement in my work is also an increase in the scientific terminology and grammatical and semantic errors. Consequently, I believe that perhaps my research lacks the use of academic terms. However, when writing it, I was worried that I might use too much and harm the understanding of the text. This is due to the fact that I believe that the work should be written so that readers can extract the maximum amount of information from it. As for grammatical and semantic errors, I can often make them due to the fact that my thoughts are ahead of the process of fixing them. Therefore, there may be places in the work that may not make sense or, on the contrary, seem crumpled.
Despite this, I consider my work well-developed, as she considered all the necessary aspects of treatment for diabetes mellitus of the second degree. This includes a change in diet, increased activity, and compliance with the diet. This will help to adjust the level of the hormone that processes sugar, because of which more and more patients with this disease appear every year. Studying type II diabetes mellitus substitutes criticality as it will help spread awareness about the importance of personal health and well-being.
References
Mikhael, E.M., Hassali, M.A., & Hussain, S.A. (2020). A self-management guide for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients from middle eastern countries. Cambridge Scholars Publisher.
Shu, L., Shen, X. M., Li, C., Zhang, X. Y., & Zheng, P. F. (2017). Dietary patterns are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged adults in Zhejiang Province, China. Nutrition Journal, 16(1), 1-9.
Type 2 diabetes. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vieira, R., Souto, S. B., Sánchez-López, E., López Machado, A., Severino, P., Jose, S.,… & Souto, E. B. (2019). Sugar-lowering drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome-strategies for in vivo administration: part-II. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(9), 1332.