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By Harold Ayodo
Since Pauline Mburu was diagnosed with diabetics ten years ago, she has been very selective in picking what to eat to manage her condition.
At home, she prefers boiled potatoes, bananas and sugarless tea, which are usually prepared separately as other family members enjoy less restrictive diets.
"I rarely eat during family outings as a majority of hotels and eateries have no special menus for diners with specific dietary requests," Mburu says.
She often carries her saltless boiled food in a pot following several experiences that increased her blood sugar levels.
"I resolved to carry food after few family outings landed me in hospital," Mburu says.
She is among the 1.5 million people living with diabetes countrywide, a number that the Government says will increase to two million by 2030 if no interventions are put in place.
According to the Ministry of Health, prevalence of diabetes stands at 10.7 per cent in urban areas compared to 2.7 per cent in rural areas.
But now, diners with specific dietary requests like Mburu may not need to worry about finding safer foods to suit their health needs, as hotels are increasingly responding to that need.
For instance, The Norfolk, Nairobi recently launched the Fairmont Lifestyle Cuisine, which diabetics can eat without caution.
Recently, a study by researchers from Egerton University found 44 per cent of Nairobi residents were undernourished and another 20 per cent ultra-hungry.
Lifestyle diseases
The research, ‘Analysis on the Prevalence and Depth of Hunger in Nairobi and its Relationship to Food’, assessed access, quality of food and food security in households across different socio-economic groups in Nairobi.
According to cardiologist Elijah Ogola, the onset of lifestyle diseases in Kenyan towns is worrying.
"People have ignored campaigns to take part in physical activities and eat healthy foods," says Ogola, who is also a medical lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
Prof Ogola urges Kenyans to cycle, walk and get involved in more physically demanding tasks since it has become difficult to set aside time for exercise.
A recent market research by Frost & Sullivan estimates that Kenya is currently spending about Sh1.9 billion on hypertension medicines that treat high blood pressure. Furthermore, the expenses on hypertension are projected to shoot to Sh2.3 billion by next year and over Sh6 billion in 2020 as the number of patients continues to rise.
Natural foods
The Fairmont Lifestyle Cuisine featured fresh, natural and flavoured foods. The meals included a selection of appetisers, entrees and deserts that were vegetarian and glutten-free.
Nutrionists said some of the foods targeted diners with heart diseases, allergies and sensitivities towards specific foods.
Others were organic vegetables for macrobiotics and vegetable nori and spiced tahini for lovers of raw delicacies.
The main course entailed goat cheese, walnuts and arugula salad (gluten free), ginger, chilli and coconut milk (raw).
Rice noodles, spinach, carrot pickle (macrobiotic), apple mango crisp, carrot halwa and berries were also served before a natural iced tea.
The Diabetes Kenya Association Chairperson Dr Kirtida Acharya says preventing the disease would help manage the increasing infection rate.
"Over 25,000 children have diabetes and more than 50 per cent cannot afford the life saving insulin as the basic health care," Acharya said during the recent World Diabetes Day.
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