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Role of Plant-Based Diets for Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects millions worldwide and significantly contributes to global mortality and morbidity. As a non-communicable disease, CKD is characterized by a gradual decline in kidney function, which, in advanced stages, can result in the dangerous accumulation of fluids, waste products, and electrolytes, leading to severe health complications. Thus, it is vital to focus on prevention or at least delay the progression of this disease.

Diet plays a crucial role in managing and preventing numerous non-communicable diseases, including CKD. Recent research highlights the benefits of prioritizing plant-based proteins over animal-based sources to help slow down the progression of CKD. This article explores the significance of a plant-based diet for CKD patients, detailing its advantages and drawbacks. Let’s delve into the details of how adjusting your diet can impact kidney health.

Sources of plant-based protein

When you think of protein, your mind might immediately go to animal sources such as chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. However, a wide variety of plant-based foods also offer substantial protein, providing excellent alternatives for meeting your nutritional needs. Here is a list of plant based proteins

  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
  • Peanuts
  • Quinoa
  • Almonds
  • Chia Seeds
  • Beans with rice
  • Barley
  • Oats
  • Potatoes
  • Green Peas
  • Walnuts
  • Pumpkin Seeds

The Benefits of Plant-Based Proteins

Protein is a crucial nutrient required for cell repair, muscle building, blood clotting, and hormone production. Typically associated with animal sources, plant-based proteins are increasingly recognized for their health benefits. Rich in fiber and low in saturated fats, these proteins offer a wealth of nutrients, including antioxidants. Consuming plant-based proteins can lead to improved heart and kidney health, weight management, and a lower risk of various cancers. Studies also indicates that diets high in plant-based proteins can improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of kidney disease. These benefits make plant-based proteins an essential part of a balanced diet.

Why plant-based proteins?

Consuming animal proteins, particularly processed and red meats, has been linked to negative effects on vascular health and may contribute to the development of kidney diseases, many studies indicate. These proteins contain saturated fats, which are associated with inflammation. While occasional inflammation may not be harmful, persistent inflammation can escalate to serious health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and diabetes.

In contrast, plant-based proteins are less likely to cause inflammation due to their higher levels of antioxidants and lower saturated fat content according to research. This makes them a healthier choice in preventing chronic diseases. Moreover, foods rich in plant-based proteins typically contain more fibre than animal proteins. Fibre plays a crucial role in maintaining heart health, regulating blood sugar levels, and supporting the digestive system’s healthy functioning.

Plant-based diet: Pros and cons

Let’s look at the pros and cons of a plant-based diet:

Pros

  • As stated above, processed and red meat contain more saturated fat and sodium that can lead to kidney damage. Consuming plant-based proteins over animal proteins can reduce the risk of developing kidney diseases
  • Plant proteins contain Magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin C that help reduce the acid load in your meals and boost kidney function
  • Plant-based proteins lead to a healthy gut since they are high in fibre
  • Consuming plant-based proteins over animal ones helps lower the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes that contribute to kidney diseases
  • Studies have also suggested that the intake of plant-based proteins can reduce the risk of death from kidney disease

 Cons

  • Getting your proteins only from plant sources can develop Vitamin B12 deficiency, leading to neurological issues, severe anaemia, paralysis, etc.
  • Only a few plant sources are complete proteins, such as Quinoa and Soya Beans. Most vegan options are considered incomplete sources and do not contain all the vital amino acids your body needs
  • Due to their lower absorption rates compared to animal-based proteins, increasing consumption becomes essential for meeting dietary requirements when opting for plant-based proteins

Kidneys are vital organs in the human body. They remove toxins from the blood, control blood pressure, produce hormones, etc. However, CKD patients experience a loss of kidney function over time, which can raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, anaemia, and other severe health complications. While changing your food habits is a personal choice, including more plant proteins over animal proteins in your diet can help manage kidney diseases effectively.

Although more research is needed, there is growing evidence showcasing the benefits of plant-based proteins for your kidney health. You can source proteins from several plant-based foods such as seeds, nuts, legumes, whole grains, etc. However, remembering the drawbacks of plant-based proteins is equally important while planning your diet. Ideally, you must eat a variety of plant proteins to ensure your body gets all vital amino acids.

We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Why You Should Exercise To Manage Diabetes

exercise to manage diabetesThe facts and myths about diabetes are plenty, especially on the kind of foods one should have or not have, whether one should exercise to manage diabetes, etc. But, it’s when I saw my dad exercising one day, a thought struck me – is it not important to test a diabetic before exercise? Is diet all that one needs to focus on?

What if he exercises vigorously and his sugar levels drop down? At what sugar levels should we allow or not allow a person to exercise? What should be the intensity and frequency of the exercise? What type of exercise should a diabetic do?

These questions obviously led me to explore and research more about diabetes and exercise. I would like to share some information about what Diabetes is, what are its types and how regular exercise can control your Diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease where there’s a high level of sugar in the blood, either due to less insulin sensitivity or because of low insulin secretion or no insulin levels in the body.

There are three major types of diabetes. The causes and risk factors are different for each type:

  • Type 1 diabetes: can occur at any age, but it is most often diagnosed in children, teens, or young adults. In this type, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed. The exact cause is unknown.
  • Type 2 diabetes: makes up for most of the diabetes cases. It often occurs in adulthood, but teens and young adults are now being diagnosed because of high obesity rates. In such cases, either the body becomes less sensitive to insulin or insulin secretion decreases.
  • Gestational diabetes: is high blood sugar that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes, and disappears once the pregnancy is over.

Can You Exercise To Manage Diabetes? 

We all know that exercise provides multiple benefits but does it help diabetics as well? In fact, it does! Here are some of the changes you can experience if you exercise to manage diabetes:

  • Exercise helps lower blood sugar levels
  • It helps you feel better
  • Helps maintain proper body weight
  • Keeps the heart rate and blood pressure lower
  • Keeps blood fat levels normal
  • Improves insulin sensitivity
  • Helps in maintaining normal blood circulation in the feet

Now that we know a few of many reasons why exercise is important for a person with diabetes, let’s see which exercises can benefit diabetics.

Which kinds Of Exercise Are Best For Diabetics?

To help manage diabetes, you can try:

  1. 30 minutes of “moderate intensity” aerobic activity – 5 days a week.
  2. “Vigorous intense” aerobic activity for 20 minutes or more a day – 3-5 days a week.

In addition, you should add flexibility and strength training to your routine.

  1. Flexibility activities 5-7 days a week.
  2. Strength training 8-10 exercises, 10-15 repetitions of each exercise, 2-3 days a week.

Calories Per hour and the types of moderate and vigorous exercises

Moderate physical activity for one hour Calorie burnt per hour
Hiking 370
Light gardening / Yard work 330
Dancing 330
Golf (walking and carrying clubs) 330
Bicycling (<10mph) 290
Walking  (3.5mph) 280
Weight lifting (light workout) 220
Stretching 180
Vigorous physical activity for one hour 
Running / Jogging (5mph) 590
Bicycling (>10mph) 590
Swimming (Slow freestyle laps) 510
Aerobics 480
Walking (4-5 mph) 460
Heavy Yard work (chopping wood) 440
Weight lifting (vigorous effort) 440
Basket ball (vigorous) 440

Source – Dietary Guidelines for Americans – 2005 *(These values are derived from American journals and may not be specific to other populations).

When Should One Exercise?

The best time to exercise will vary with the schedule. Preferably, one should pick the same time for exercise each day so that if one is on insulin, the adjustment of insulin dosage is manageable.

  1. Morning exercise may cause your blood glucose to drop less than if you exercised later.
  2. If you are on insulin or taking pills that work by making more insulin, evening exercise may result in low blood glucose while you sleep.

Remember – Your Diabetes Management can be adjusted to suit your lifestyle. Your lifestyle does not have to be adjusted to fit your diabetes.

After knowing what kind of exercise and at what time we should do them, let’s see what precautions should be taken while doing them.

Safety Tips for Active Diabetics

1. Get your doctor’s okay before you start exercising.
This is especially important if you are older than age 35, have had diabetes for more than 10 years, have any complications of diabetes, have not exercised in a long time, or have heart disease. Exercise has the same effect on blood glucose as insulin. It lowers blood glucose, making you more sensitive to insulin. This is a benefit of exercise that can also pose a problem if it lowers your blood glucose too much.

2. Avoid low blood sugar levels
Low blood sugar levels are when the glucose levels dip below <70mg/dl. Common symptoms include shakiness, weakness, abnormal sweating, and anxiety, tingling of mouth and hunger, headache, visual disturbance, confusion, seizures, coma. Monitor your blood glucose before and after working out, especially when beginning or modifying the exercise program. Always keep a 15g of fast-acting carbohydrate (powdered sugar/Glucose tablets 3-4) with you to treat Hypoglycemia.

3. Check your blood glucose levels pre and post workout
If you blood glucose is below 70 –

  1. Take 5g of carbohydrate right away
  2. Wait for 15 minutes
  3. Check again – if still below 70, then have another 15 grams.

It should work now.

If the blood glucose is high – Fasting is>250 and ketosis is present.

Or >300 with or without ketosis. Avoid exercise with such high blood sugar levels.

4. Eat before heavy exercise
If you’re going to exercise around mealtime, you should eat the meal first. When possible, allow half an hour for digestion. Solid foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, etc. are digested slowly than liquids. They provide protection for at least 2-3 hours. When it is possible to choose the exercise time, try to begin the exercise 30-60 minutes after a meal or snack.

Remember – Nothing works better than experience and frequent blood glucose testing. 

5. Diabetic complications 

  • Retinopathy: Patients with retinopathy are at risk for retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage associated with vigorous-intensity exercise. For those with retinopathy, vigorous aerobic and resistance, weight-bearing exercises should be avoided.
  • Nephropathy: Should not indulge in vigorous-intensity exercise as protein excretion increases post-exercise.
  • Peripheral Neuropathy: Should take proper care of feet to prevent foot ulcers. Feet should be kept dry. Avoid the wrong type of socks and shoes. Avoid tight elastic bands and ill-fitted shoes (they reduce circulation). Avoid wearing thick or bulky socks (they can fit poorly and irritate the skin). Rather wear light colored cotton socks that dissipate heat faster. Moisturize your feet – but not between your toes- that could encourage a fungal infection. Use a moisturizer daily to keep dry skin from itching or cracking. Consider non-weight bearing activities as they may be better tolerated and aid healing.

6. Stay hydrated
Proper hydration is essential during exercise. Exercising during hot weather requires special attention. Drinking extra fluids should begin an hour or two before you begin exercise to manage diabetes. A general rule is to drink 8 ounces of fluid for every 30 minutes of vigorous activity. 

7. Check your pulse rate
It’s important to check the pulse periodically to see if you are exercising within your target zone. Right after you exercise, take your pulse – count your pulse for 10 secs and multiply the no by 6.

Compare the numbers on the right grouping in the table below.

Age Target Heart range zone
20 years 100-150 beats/min
25 years 98-146 beats/min
30 years 95-142 beats / min
35 years 93-138 beats/ min
40 years 90-135 beats/min
45 years 88-131 beats/min
50 years 85-127 beats/ min
55 years 83-123 beats/min
60 years 80-120 beats/min
65 years 78-116 beats/ min
70 years 75-113 beats / min

Source: Exercise and Your Heart, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Heart Association, NIH Publication No. 93-1677.

The good news is that if someone regularly exercises, these benefits can be permanent, and for someone with diabetes, it can mean reducing medication. If younger members of families with a predisposition to diabetes exercise regularly, they could avoid diabetes altogether.

A single bout of exercise can benefit the body’s sensitivity to insulin for 16-18 hours and have positive effects on blood glucose control (glucose absorption) for 24-48hours.

But these effects wear off between 60-72 hours. Hence, staying active most of the time is imperative.

I just want to convey that Diabetes cannot take your hope, faith, attitude, courage and happiness away from you. We are the authors of our own health. Let’s overcome it, no matter what type or what level of disease it is.

Now that you know why you should exercise to manage diabetes, get out there and begin your journey! To read more on Diabetes, check out Healthy Reads.

For further guidance and motivation by certified experts, join the GOQii Diabetes Care program. It’s India’s only diabetes program that is driven by Smart Science and Personal Coaching to improve Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Postprandial Blood Sugar (PP), reduce HbA1c levels and let you win gold! You can subscribe here: https://store.goqii.com/diabetescare.

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Common Reasons For Not Losing Belly Fat

Commons Reasons For Not Losing Belly FatBelly fat is not accumulated in a day or two. It takes several weeks and months of unhealthy eating and lifestyle to build it. When people finally decide to lose belly fat, the first thing they wonder is ‘Why am I not losing belly fat even after exercising so much and cutting down on junk food?’ There are several reasons for it.

Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat

Here are a few common reasons why most individuals find it difficult to lose belly fat.

1. Eating Heavy Meals At One Time
Most people struggling with losing belly fat and weight loss are the ones who tend to have too much food at one time. The reason for this is largely either long gaps between the meals or skipping previous meal or if the person consumes food very fast. How is this related to belly fat?

When a person consumes food, it gets broken down to release/provide energy. Firstly, it will fill in the glycogen stores and then the excess calories that are not used up with good physical activity get converted into fats and the most common sites of fat storage is the belly, arms, thighs and buttocks.

When you are having food, only post 20-25 mins of eating, the satiety centers in the brain are activated and you feel full and satisfied. When you eat fast the satiety centers of the brain are not activated and you end up eating more. Small frequent meals and chewing your food thoroughly and eating mindfully is the key to control food portion.

2. Dinner Meals Are High In Carbs & High In Quantity
Due to a hectic schedule, the only meal that we have together with the family turns out to be ‘dinner’ and in turn, it ends up to be the largest meal with a variety of food that the entire family enjoys. Ideally, dinners should be light and should be high in proteins and less in carbs. This is actually vice versa of what is generally practiced.

The reason for the dinners to be light and high in proteins and less in carbs is that post dinner, we are not that active. Hence, there’s no real requirement of all the carbs for energy. The process of recovery of all the muscles that are used up throughout the day, the repairing of all the wear and tear happens during the night and that requires proteins, not carbs.

3. Physical & Mental Stress
This is only with regards to people who are excessively obsessed with exercise to lose belly fat. Excessive exercise leads to physical stress and thus, high cortisol levels. In case of mental stress, you might have noticed that the first thing you would choose is chocolates/ice creams or any comfort foods that are high in sugar or carbs for that matter. At this point of stress, the food gets broken down and is converted to fat and stored in your belly area. Exercise in moderation and keep yourself stress free by indulging in some yoga and meditation or your hobbies.

4. Consumption Of Processed Food
Do you have the habit of reading labels? Do pick one product that you eat the most and read the label today. Most of the processed or ready to eat food products are high in sugar, fat or refined carbs. They are extremely low in fiber as well. Even the fiber enriched product gives less than 2gm of fiber per serving. Read labels and choose wisely. The best solution here is to eat homemade food or you can try some variations to increase fiber intake by incorporating more veggies/fruits along with the main product.

5. Aerated Drinks
Products containing HFCS (High Fructose Corn syrup) or liquid glucose, that are present in all the aerated drinks like Cola, flavored sugar syrups, etc. do not get metabolized and are stored in the belly as fat, which is really tough to get rid off through just activities. Instead, opt for buttermilk, lemon water, coconut water, and fresh lime soda (salted) over the above drinks.

We hope this article helps you make better choices and avoid these common reasons for not losing belly fat. For more on weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach for guidance by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Effective Ways To Improve Gut Health

How to improve gut healthGut health is a familiar concept, and it’s widely recognized that maintaining a healthy gut is beneficial for our overall well-being. Beyond just aiding digestion, a healthy gut supports our immune system, heart health, brain function, weight management, and numerous other facets of health.

How Do We Know That Our Gut Health Is Optimal?

A healthy gut requires a balanced interaction between beneficial and harmful microbes within our digestive system. Our body’s microbiome, which includes trillions of bacteria, fungi, yeast, and other microbes—with bacteria being the predominant group—is vast. In fact, bacterial cells outnumber our own human cells! It’s accurate to consider the microbiome as an essential organ, critical to maintaining our overall health.

When our gut health suffers, we may experience a variety of symptoms such as indigestion, bloating, constipation, acidity, acid reflux, chronic fatigue, acne, joint inflammation and pain, as well as anxiety and depression. It’s crucial to identify and address the underlying causes of these symptoms instead of merely resorting to temporary solutions.

Effective Ways To Improve Gut Health

improve gut health

  • Include Fibre in your diet: Fibre helps to regulate bowel movements by absorbing water into the colon, making the stools soft and easy to pass through the intestines. Good sources of fibre include – fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and pulses.
  • Have foods rich in Prebiotics: Prebiotics are basically food for the gut microflora that humans cannot digest but keeps the gut bacteria healthy. These include fibre from legumes, beans, oats, banana, berries, asparagus, apples, garlic, onion and leeks.
  • Include Probiotics in your daily diet: Probiotics are live bacteria found in certain foods and supplements. These include Curd, Yogurt, Fermented food items like Kombucha, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir and Pickles. Before taking probiotic supplements, it is advisable to consult your physician first.
  • Drink plenty of water: Drink eight glasses (about 2 litres) of water each day to keep yourself hydrated during the day. This is a general guideline, the exact water requirement depends on your body weight, activity levels and the environmental condition.
  • Reduce/Manage stress levels: Stress can have a major impact on our gut health because it affects the regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters that control your gastrointestinal function. So, if you are feeling stressed, seek help or try to manage it with meditation, yoga, exercise, pursuing a hobby, talking to family and friends.
  • Avoid Processed/Sugary food items: Sugar feeds bad bacteria in our gut which can cause bloating, discomfort and gas. So avoiding or reducing sugar intake can help promote good bacteria growth. Similarly, processed foods are stripped of the majority of nutrients and are loaded with artificial colours, preservatives, sweeteners, trans fats, all of these increase inflammation in the body and impact gut health.
  • Exercise regularly: Regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve your gut health, as it helps build immunity to fight against viruses and bacterial infections. So, the more active you are, the healthier gut you will have!
  • Sleep well: The quality of your sleep can affect your gut health, so get your 7-8 hours of good quality sleep. Follow a good sleep hygiene, avoid using electronic gadgets before sleep and avoid caffeine late in the day. You can also practice deep breathing or meditation to induce sleep.
  • Antibiotics: Avoid taking antibiotics unnecessarily, as they kill the bad as well as good bacteria in the gut. In case it is unavoidable, do include probiotics in your diet, to replenish the lost good bacteria.
  • Avoid Alcohol: Alcohol causes depletion in the gut bacteria and inflammation, so it is better to avoid or limit your intake.

These simple yet very effective ways will help you keep your gut healthy and contribute to your overall wellbeing. If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below!

For more on maintaining and improving Gut Health, check out Healthy Reads. You can also speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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