Diabetes and Diet

Dr. Robert Atkins, best-selling author of ‘Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution’, is the creator of the low carb diet craze that was re-introduced into the public consciousness 10 years ago. His diet plan was originally created in the 70′s and many people today have had great success in weight loss with his diet plan. 25 Million Americans are estimated to be on a low-carb diet at any one time. “Low-carb” products line the shelves of supermarkets as “low-fat” products once did in the 80′s and 90′s.

How does the Atkins diet work?

The first two weeks consist of a diet with only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This “introduction” period, as it is termed by Atkins, enables the dieter’s diet to consist of meat, poultry eggs, cheese, butter, bacon, sausage, seafood and oils. In these first two weeks, the dieter is restricted from milk, grains, breads, cereals, fruits or “high glycemic index” foods such as peas, corn, potatoes and carrots. In the next weeks of the program, the dieter adds 5 grams of carbohydrates to their intake per day. In the ‘maintenance’ phase of the diet, participants are encouraged to stick between 40-90 grams of carbs permanently. This diet contradicts what major health organizations and health experts recommend.

Cancer Prevention and the Atkins Diet

The American Cancer Society recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, whole grains to supplement and beans, legumes and limit intake of red meats. These foods have been scientifically determined to decrease the risk of cancer. Fruits, veggies and whole grains contain phytochemicals that show significant potential against chronic disease. The Atkins diet does not limit intake of high protein foods or high fat foods as long as they don’t contain too many carbohydrates.

The Global Prevalence of Carbohydrates

In Japan, for example, the diet is rich with carbohydrate content from rice, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits. The Japanese have one of the world’s lowest rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Fish contains very healthy omega-3 fatty acids. This diet is in direct opposition to the Atkins diet plan.

Atkins diet plan health risks

Many people have a lot of trouble sticking to the Atkins diet and the long-term effects will not affect those participants. Diets very high in protein can lead to acidic urine that leaches calcium out of the body and leads to a higher risk for kidney stones and osteoporosis. High cholesterol and elecrolyte imbalances are problematic with the Atkins plan.

Why are so many Americans obese?

The National Center for Health Statistics claims that the diet of the average American consists of 500 more calories than it did in the early 70′s. This, in conjunction with a significant increase of added fats and oils, less exercise, frequent eating at restaurants and the dreaded ‘super-sizing’ at fast food joints is causing a national epidemic of obesity. Weight loss can only be successful if the caloric intake is less than the caloric outtake.

Long-term weight loss and healthier habits of eating can only occur with a major change in mental attitude towards food and respect for the body. There is no quick-fix as far as dieting and weight loss goes and those that search for it will be frustrated with yo-yo dieting and fluctuating weight that will present health risks and damage to the body. Americans need to learn how to adjust their lifestyle and eating simultaneously. Preparing meals with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables instead of eating out of vending machines and drive-in locations would significantly reduce the occurrence of obesity in the USA.

Eric Hartwell
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/atkins-diet-125489.html

Our weight weighs heavily on our minds, and it should. Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese says the American Obesity Association. That means two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that obesity is responsible for more than 325,000 deaths annually…that’s more than 100 9/11′s every year. The National Institutes of Health estimates obesity costs this country between $75 and $125 billion every year. Obesity is the number one risk factor for many chronic diseases-heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis to name a few.

Americans are not overweight for lack of interest or effort. Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry, so Americans are certainly trying. With as much money as we spend on weight loss, why is the United States the most obese nation on Earth?

I wish there was a simple program or public policy that we could implement that would wipe out our weight problems; however, because everyone has their own unique body chemistry, the only way to really impact weight (and other chronic health issues) is for an individual to know:

* about his/her own body;

* what causes his/her body to become imbalanced; and

* what he/she can do to re-balance their body.

Here are the factors that I believe are key to helping you reduce or eliminate your weight problems:

1. Poor food choices – whether you know it or not, our food supply has degraded massively over the last 50 years or so. While we have supermarkets and restaurants that are filled with food, the quality of that food has plummeted. I’m talking about the amount of food processing and the increasing use of additives, preservatives, sweeteners and colorings.

Tips:

* Start reading food labels and understanding ingredients. A simple internet search on an ingredient can tell you if you should be ingesting it or not.

* Avoid foods that are irradiated, as lots of produce these days is exposed to a small amount of radiation to give it a longer shelf life. Avoid foods containing colorings, preservatives and excessive sugars like high fructose corn syrup.

* Avoid or eliminate foods that are highly processed like breakfast cereals, potato and corn chips (and the like), processed meats (processed deli meats, hot dogs and “pressed” meat like chicken “nuggets” and meat “patties”).

* Eliminate all microwaved food and beverages. Microwave ovens may be deemed safe to stand in front of and watch the food turn, but what it’s turning into is no longer food (read my book for more information on microwaves and how they damage the nutrients in your food). You may want to ask your waiter/waitress if any part of the meal you are ordering will be microwaved; if it is, make another selection!

2. Portion control – as a society, we live by the rule that more is better. We often gauge a restaurant by the size of the portions they offer. Need I mention the “all you can eat” buffets? Did you know that a large soda now at most fast food restaurants is a full quart (32 oz.)? Even worse, many of the soda fountains at convenience stores have the 64 oz. soda cups; for those of you who are counting, that’s a half-gallon of soda full of sugars that will spike blood sugar and imbalance your body chemistry! The Bio-Logikal Diet recommends whole, natural, unprocessed foods.

Knowing how much fuel you need (caloric requirement) is critical. The number of calories a person needs is determined by the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This number is the number of calories one would need to consume in a day to maintain his/her current body weight. Caloric need, activity/exercise level and individual health goals (i.e. weight loss) are all considered as part of The Bio-Logikal Diet.

3. Metabolism – Just as there are different kinds of gasoline, so too are there different types of fuels (foods) for the body, and everyone requires a unique blend. Fast metabolizers need to eat foods that burn more slowly (fats, meats and complex starches) while slow metabolizers must have foods that burn faster (fruits, grains and simple starches). Almost all metabolizers need a reasonable amount of vegetables in their diet. Most people have a good metabolism, but they do not know their metabolic type. When we do not eat for our metabolic type our metabolism is stunted, causing weight gain, fatigue and other symptoms. The Bio-Logikal Diet includes a metabolic type component that can be determined through the Body Terrain Test.

4. Food compatibility – Learning what foods are compatible with your body chemistry can be invaluable in managing your weight. Foods that are incompatible may cause fatigue, gas, bloating, weight gain, premature aging and can even promote disease. The link between blood type (red blood cells) and diet provides a terrific way to get started with eating foods that are most compatible with your body. That’s right, your blood type can partly determine what foods are most compatible for you. Another factor to consider would be food allergy and intolerance testing to fine tune the blood type list for you. The Bio-Logikal Diet includes a complete blood type food list.

5. Exercise and activity – The amount of movement you perform greatly affects your weight. Even walking, the simplest of exercises (see last post- January 4th, 2007) can have a tremendous impact on our health and weight by 1) improving food cravings; 2) burning more calories and stoking the fire of metabolism; and 3) increasing circulation of the body’s fluids.

By exercising on a regular basis (at least 3 times per week), you will normalize the overall number of food cravings you will have. Even more importantly, exercise also reduces cravings for the wrong types of foods (sweets, simple carbs, junk foods, etc).

Everyone should learn what their unique body chemistry requires in order to better fuel the engine that drives them. By learning what areas we are experiencing imbalances in, we can begin down the road of better health through more appropriate choices and a greater understanding of our own bodies.

In Health!,

Dr. Brett Saks

DrSaks.com

Dr. Brett Saks
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/weight-loss-foods-worth-the-weight-106964.html

Millions of people are affected by the dreaded disease called diabetes. It takes on all the age groups. It is a physical and emotional disease. Once in its grip, you carry the stamp of it, all through the life.

What is the cause of diabetes? Body cells use glucose, which keep circulating in the blood. The pancreas makes available the required amount insulin to allow glucose to enter the body cells. For the diabetes patients, there is shortage of insulin. An acute shortage of insulin causes breakdown of stored fats and proteins.

There are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II

Diabetes I: This is a totally insulin-dependent diabetes. A patient of type I disease, is a patient for ever. S/he watches the insulin doses helplessly.

Diabetes II: The is a non-insulin dependent diabetes. Young children and young adults suffer from this disease. Beta cells inside the pancreas help in creating insulin by the pancreas. Once they stop the production of insulin, they will never start producing insulin again. This is Diabetes II, for which treatment is available.

The natural medicine used to treat diabetes II is known as Yacon. This medicine helps Type II diabetics to make optimum use of their own insulin by revitalizing the body tissues to the impact of insulin.

Controlling Type II diabetes is neither easy nor difficult. This statement may seem paradoxical, but that is how the attitude of the Diabetes II patients to their state of health can be described. For, they think, there are superiors among the diabetic community, and do not observe the rules on diet and exercise. They need to know that diet and exercise are the two regulatory valves to effectively check this type of diabetes. Regularity on both these counts will immensely help to control the disease totally. But once you allow the latitude of neglecting your own self, on these issues the hold of the disease may prove to be too strong. You may fall into the category of chronic case-the incurable diabetes. The need to depend upon the insulin, may be sooner than expected.

So, the best diabetes treatment includes taking excellent care about yourself with regard to exercise and diet. It is well known that taking a morning walk, in the garden or lawns, on the green grass is a good natural tool to control diabetes. As for the food you take, nutrition information is mostly provided on every food item you purchase from the grocery stores. Health food choices, are relatively easy. So, you have to decide for yourself, depending upon your personal state of health, the amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber that you need to go into your system.

In diabetes, you are your own doctor first. Your physician is your guide and philosopher at the best.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/diabetes-treatment-begins-at-your-home-77234.html

In order to improve the diabetic patient’s condition the doctor needs to apply a treatment which will reduce the level of glucose in blood and will keep it constant. This way the symptoms will disappear gradually and the patient will feel better. In this way complication given by diabetes can be avoided and the life can be prolonged.

Before resorting to medication the doctor will try to reduce the symptoms with a diet and daily exercises. The doctor will help the patient to test his level of glucose in blood by its own; will let him know what he is allowed to eat and what he must avoid; will advise him what to do when he feels sick and will tell him where he can procure his diabetes supplies.

Adopting a new lifestyle is not an easy thing to do and people suffering of diabetes must have patients and will in educating themselves.

Testing the level of glucose in blood can be done by the patient without the doctor’s help. These tests are usually done before meals and at bedtime. Sometimes they can be done more frequent if the patient feels sick or is under stress. The patient will monitor its level of glucose in blood with the help of a glucometer. The patient will prick his finger with a small needle attached to the glucometer and a drop of blood will appear on the finger. The finger will then be placed on a test strip and then the test strip will be placed in the glucometer. After 30 seconds the blood test results will appear on the screen of the glucometer.

By keeping a record of the values obtained in several days the doctor will be able to set a more adequate treatment scheme for the patient.

The diet will be also set by the doctor and a nutritionist who will choose healthy foods for the patient, in adequate amounts, and will also set a schedule for taking meals. In most of the cases, loosing weight can do a lot of good in diabetic patients and by this way they can renounce taking medications even though they still have diabetes.

Daily exercising is essential for a diabetic patient. In this way the weight can be kept under control and the glucose level in blood will be reduced. It also decreases I the insulin resistance, making it more effective in the process of reducing the level of glucose in blood.

Before adopting certain exercised the patient should talk with the doctor to see whether those exercises are suitable for him or not. Also, before, during and after exercising the patient should drink fluids that do not contain sugar, and should monitor the level of glucose in blood before and after exercising.

If exercising and diet do not help the patient in lowering the level of glucose in blood, then the doctor will recommend medication like: oral sulfonylurea, Biguanides, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, Thiazolidinediones, Meglitinides.

In the worse case insulin injections will be prescribed. These injections must be done from one to four times a day depending on the product and on the type of diabetes the patient has.

So, if you want to find out more about juvenile diabetes or even about diabetes mellitus please follow this link http://diabetes-info-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-keep-diabetes-under-control-122766.html

My grandpa will wake up in the morning and find his blood sugar level (which I believe is what he measures with type 2 diabetes, correct me if im wrong) to be high, like 150-160, but he will go to his job which he does in the morning and comes home around 1pm most days, and when he measures it it is down to 110-130 already.
He has been continuing a very good diet full of fiber and fruit and vegetables, and doesn’t eat late night snacks anymore(which makes this more confusing) but from day 1 he has had this problem.
He asked his doctor and he seemed clueless. Anyone know anything about this?!?!?
sorry if i mixed up the details :/ i dont know what kind of doctor hes seeing or anything

Yes, he would be checking his blood sugar every morning and hopefully before each meal. He should also check at 1 hour and 2 hours after supper at least once a week. This will tell him how well his body is handling what he eats and if he needs to make any changes to his diet or meds.

This higher morning blood sugar is called Dawn Phenomenon. The solution for most diabetics is to have a small snack of about 15 carbs from whole grain, with some fat or protien. This reduces the amount of sugar that the liver releases overnight, resulting in a better reading in the morning.

A good bedtime snack is one slice of WHOLE GRAIN bread with peanut butter (the type with NO sugar added). Or if he doesn’t like peanut butter, he could add a slice of cold chicken or roast beef, or some low fat cream cheese.

His blood sugar in the morning should be between 110 and 135, so its a bit high right now. Having a small bedtime snack should help bring it down. I know it seems unlikely, but it works.

IF he has any history of heart disease or is at risk, this fasting level will give him a better chance of surviving a heart attack, at least that’s what my endocrinologist told me just this week. Having really tight blood sugar control is a bit risky when you are older or having heart related issues.

Tight blood sugar means having a fasting level from 90 to 120. He shouldn’t be aiming this low. Right now he’s not doing that badly and the snack at bedtime should help.

If he was a much younger man, his morning blood sugar goal should be between 5.0 and 120, but given his age, that’s just too low. Recent studies show that having a more moderate approach to blood sugar reduces the risks for older people and increased the survival rate (in both studies).

As a diabetic, he needs to be very careful what fruits he eats and how much. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are good choices as they are high in fiber and low in carbs compared to other fruits.

He should stay away from things like dried fruits such as raisins, figs and dates. Bananas are also quite high in sugar and not a good choice. He should also avoid canned fruits that have syrup. Look for fruits canned in water or juice, and drain off the juice, as its full of sugars, whether natural or added. Fresh fruit or fruit frozen with NO added sugar is far better than canned.

You can look up the carb content of fruits, veggies and other foods online at

http://www.calorieking.com/

http://www.thedailyplate.com/

http://www.thedailyplate.com/

and of course, if he’s using frozen or canned fruit, the carbs are listed on the packaging. Make sure he’s using the serving size suggested and not more.

Your grandpa might have better results if he tests his blood sugar more often, and keeps a food log for a little while. If you want a testing guide you can print off, you can download a PDF here..

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/flyer.pdf

“You take too much sugar and sweets, you will probably get diabetes!”

Isn’t this familiar? You probably get this from your relatives and friends.

However, this is a common misconception among people that eating candy, foods high in sugars and other “unhealthy” foods is the cause of diabetes. Having a sweet tooth does not mean that you will end up with diabetes. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can go gorging on desserts and sweet things. Too much of anything is probably not healthy in the long run. If you are eating only sweet stuff day in and day out and not getting nutritional food, this sort of a bad diet can probably lead to diabetes eventually.

So what are the true causes of diabetes?

To learn about the cause of diabetes, we need to understand diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Each sub-type has diverse causes and affect people of varied ages. Doctors and researchers all over the world still have not found out the real cause of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes, diabetes mellitus, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, sugar diabetes or brittle diabetes. This type of diabetes is usually found in children and young adults, characteristically those below the age of thirty are found to have this type of the bad health.

It is believed that genetics play a major part of why some people are predisposed to growing type 1 diabetes. Another suspected cause of type 1 diabetes is when the body begin to attack the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This results in the body not producing insulin anymore. Researchers and doctors are not sure why this occurs.

There is nothing that can be done to prevent type 1 diabetes, it is an autoimmune sickness.

A person who has type 2 diabetes still produces insulin but develops a resistance to insulin. Tissues in the body, such as muscles, do not respond to insulin and cannot use insulin to utilise glucose properly in the blood. Other organs such as the liver, along given the usual insulin-producing organ: the pancreas will increase insulin production. Finally the pancreas is unable to produce any more insulin and the tissues become even more insulin resistant.

How to lower your risk of growing Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes are usually casued by unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. Those who are fat and physically inactive are at risk of this sickness. Especially those who have fat that is concentrated on the tummy. This type of diabetes usually affects people later in life usually around 52 and is often called late-onset diabetes. Recent statistics however, indicates that the average age of diagnosis is becoming lower as lifestyle habits change. If you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, there is an increased chance of developing this disease.

To lower your risk, you really need to maintain a nutritious diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables including a regular exercise.

Lesley Chew
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-are-the-real-cause-of-diabetes-118937.html