Lianhe Zaobao article in Chinese was Published on 25 May 2021
Interview by Lianhe Zaobao reporter Swee Hui Weng on 10 May 2021 and published on 25 May 2021
二型糖尿病患者分享个人饮食法
Person with Type 2 Diabetes shares personal diet
82 Years old Lau Guan Ho was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in August 2019. When interviewed, he said, “I know that diabetes is a chronic disease and I am aware of the terrible complications of this disease. The treatment of diabetes mainly depends on drugs as well as a change in lifestyle. I decided from the beginning to change my lifestyle. “
In general, the advice given for diabetic patients is to reduce the consumption of fat to achieve the purpose of weight loss. However, Mr Lau’s investigative research into relevant dietary suggestions together with doctors’ advice made him come up with the “low carbohydrate and high fat 80/20 Eating Rule”. He said: “I discussed with the diabetes doctor to give me three months to completely change my eating habit and see if my blood sugar can be lowered. Then, to decide if any other treatment is necessary.”
During that period, Mr Lau put into practice the “low carbohydrate and high fat 80/20 Eating Rule.” He explained: “I adopted the 80/20 Pareto principle as my guide. I believe that 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. So I put my concentration on 20% of the food that have caused my blood sugar to spike”
Mr Lau avoided eating 7 types of foods with high sugar content, namely: fructose (such as fruits such as papaya with high sugar content), sugar (all sugar, including refined sugar foods), starch, simple carbohydrates (such as white bread, rice and noodles, etc.), oil (food using hydrogenated vegetable oil), and additives (especially canned food containing additives, etc.) and processed fat (processed food such as sausages, deep fried food, margarine, etc.) The rest like the high fat food, such as grass-fed meat, oily fish, seafood, chicken, butter, cheese, eggs, etc., are not restricted but to be consumed in moderation. After Mr Lau adopted the new eating rule, his weight dropped from 73.2 kg to 68.9 kg in about one and a half months.
Mr Lau said he persisted in walking for 45 minutes every day. In about three months, he measured his weight and found that he lost about 13 kg, and the fasting blood glucose level dropped from the original Type 2 Diabetes range of 7.9mmol/L to 5.6mmol/L in about one year, which is the normal blood glucose level. The belly fat has also disappeared.
However, Mr Lau stressed that he had tested and examined the kinds of food that caused his blood sugar to spike. As a result of the above he came out with his personal eating rule. He reiterated: “You must understand your own body condition and reaction as to what kind of food will cause your blood sugar to increase, then you can adjust your daily eating habit accordingly. At the same time, he recommended doing the blood sugar tolerance test. Only by understanding your own situation will you be motivated to make the change.”
Written on 28 May 2021
My Inward Journey 