Diabetes and Diet

Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain good health. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain vitamins, phytochemicals, and minerals that can protect your body from diseases like diabetes, cancers, and heart diseases. Ideally, you should consume five kinds of vegetables and two kinds of fruits each day.

If you want to enjoy the maximum nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables, it is best to select those cultivated in your local region. Imported fruits and vegetables may not have the inherent taste and flavor as they have been picked and packed some time before.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables have a natural taste and flavor of their own and may be easier on your wallet.

Apples: Choose firm and unbruised apples. Handle them gently. If you choose red or yellow colored varieties, they should be mostly of that color. Red or yellow apples with green patches may not be ready to eat.

Asparagus: Choose asparagus with straight and bright-green stalks and stiff tips.

Bananas: Bananas should be firm and not soft. They should not have any bruises, especially along the underside. Normally, bananas with little shades of green ripen in room temperature. Some people claim that bananas that are partly green are better for helping your digestion of other foods.

Beets: Beets should be firm and should remain attached to red stems and fresh green tops. Do not choose loose beets without tops.

Blueberries: Choose firm and fresh blueberries. Frozen wild blueberries are normally available all year through. 

Broccoli: Choose broccoli with tight bud heads and dark green in color. Brocolli stems are eaten by many people and also a great treat for small parrots when split so that the birds can get at the soft pulp inside.

Carrots: Choose carrots with smooth skin. Do not choose thick carrots, as their centers could be hard too. If you buy fresh, bunched carrots with green tops, remove the tops before storing.

Cucumbers: Choose firm, dark green and unblemished cucumbers.

Eggplant: Choose heavy and smooth-skinned eggplants.

Fresh Figs: Pick heavy and plump figs. Also, choose the nice-smelling ones as sour-smelling figs are normally old ones.

Garlic: Pick those surrounded with tissue that have firm bulbs. Do not pick garlic with green sprouts.

Grapes: Choose firm grapes. Soft ones could be too ripe.

Hass Avocados: Choose avocados with rough skin as smooth-skinned avocados may have less flavor. Dark-skinned avocados are good to eat.

Honeydew Melons: Melons should not have any bruises or broken skin or rind. It should be easy to open them with a little pressure. Melons with some wrinkled skin may be a good buy. Also, check for a mild fragrance. This indicates the melons are ripe enough.

Leeks: Choose leeks with white bulbs and dark green leaves. Do not pick ones with yellow and brown spots, as they could be over-ripe.

Mushrooms: Choose unwrinkled, plump, unbruised and blemish-free mushrooms for those with the best taste.

Onions: Choose firm onions without any soft spots. Green onions should have bright green leaves or shoots.

Oranges: Oranges should be heavy and bulky. They should be free of any blemishes.

Peaches: Peaches should have a smooth skin and should give when you apply just a little pressure. They should not have any bruises.

Pears: Smooth-skinned and unbruised pears are the best.

Potatoes: Choose firm potatoes without any cracks or bruises.

Raspberries: Choose bright red raspberries. Be sure to check for any white or cotton-like strands around berries. These may indicate the growth of mold.

Red Peppers: Choose red peppers with smooth, thick skin.

Spinach: Choose spinach with dark green leaves and without any signs of yellowing.

Strawberries: Choose dark and bright red plump fruits without any bruises. Also, choose the ones with a fragrance.

Tomatoes: Pick tomatoes that are firm and bright in color. They should be free of any bruises.

Watermelon: Watermelons should have a tight, dark-green rind. Tap the melon slightly. If it gives out a hollow sound, it indicates a juicy and full melon.

Winter Squash: Squashes should have a hard, smooth skin.

Yams: Yams should be free of any cracks or soft spots.

Zucchini: Choose zucchini with firm, dark-green skin. Soft and wrinkly zucchini are old.

To find out more fabulous information about how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle with more fruits and vegetables order your copy of Fabulous Fruit and Vegetables today.

Georgina Cundall
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/how-to-pick-fresh-fruits-and-vegetables-at-a-store-701079.html

One of the fastest growing trends in dieting is the so-called Mediterranean diet. This formula for healthier nutrition has been said to have amazing benefits, including cancer prevention and diabetes control. If you’re interested in learning more about this diet plan, you’ll find useful information below.

What is Mediterranean Diet?

If you want to follow the Mediterranean diet plan for nutrition, you’ll need to change a few of your eating habits. For example, you’ll probably need to consume larger quantities of fruits and vegetables, as well as fish. At the same time, you’ll need to lower down your consumption of red meat and get additional protein from small portions of nuts. Drinking red wine and adding more healthy oils, such as canola and olive oils, to your diet are also important.

Benefits of the Diet

According to the Mayo Clinic, a study released in 2007 found that people who followed the diet outlined above had much lower risks of cancer and heart disease than did people who followed a more Western diet. Additionally, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that choosing to follow this lifestyle change has a number of powerful benefits for people with diabetes, especially because it is lower in sugar and carbohydrates which can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.

Reasons to Switch

If don’t want to go through the stress and negative effects of cancer treatment in your lifetime, changing to eat more of these Mediterranean foods could be a smart idea. After all, many of the known cancer causes do relate to improper nutrition. Plus, if you want to have a healthy immune system to fight back against abnormal cells you’ll need adequate nutrition that you won’t find in your average fast food meal. Most of the foods included, such as the heart healthy oils, will do double or triple duty protecting you from chronic disease.

Amit Kothiyal
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/preventing-cancer-and-diabetes-with-a-mediterranean-diet-719804.html

Every morning I wake up knowing that I am a diabetic and that I have to check my blood sugar just to see if I am going to have a good day. It was not always this way. I enjoy food and my family loves my cooking and so do I.

Diabetes runs in my family but I thought that some how I was overlooked. Well my world of security came shattering down, when I was diagnosed with diabetes on my 50th birthday.

When I think back to the months before my diagnoses, I felt tired all the time. I was never one for drinking a lot of water but I was drinking it like it was going out of style. I didn’t worry too much about it because I wasn’t losing weight which was also one of the symptoms of diabetes.

What worried me was the 10 hour shift I was suppose to work each day at a surgery center. I would drag myself to work and then drag myself home. I can still remember the day I came home from work and couldn’t get myself out of the car because I was so exhausted. I even felt like honking the horn so my husband could come out and carry me inside the house. I am a registered nurse and I still ignored all those symptoms because I did not want to believe I had diabetes.

I decided to check my blood sugar with a glucometer a few days later and what I saw on that monitor scared me. My blood sugar was 285 (normal 70-120) it was a wonder that I was still walking around.

I also checked my urine and it also showed a lot of sugar. I was always in the bathroom and I thought it was because of all the water I was drinking.

I went directly to my primary care doctor and was very quickly assessed and diagnosed with diabetes after a few simple lab tests. I walked out of the doctor’s office with a prescription for a oral medication to be taken by mouth three times a day with meals and a machine called a glucometer which I used several times a day with a small amount of blood to check the level of my blood sugar.

Just the thought of turning my body into a pin cushion was not my idea of fun. Today, I still have a hard time poking myself! After all that, the doctor had the gall to tell me that if I lost weight, that would really help control the diabetes. They think losing weight is the number one cure for every disease known to man!

I was scheduled for a diabetic nutrition class and went to the class knowing that every food that I ever loved would be taken away from me. Let’s say I went to this class with a chip on my shoulder and had no intention to listen to that thin instructor tell me I could no longer eat those comfort foods that I grew up with and had also taught my family to enjoy!

That first day in class just dragged because I didn’t want to hear that the food I had enjoyed on a daily basis was lifting my blood sugars to a dangerous level not compatible with life. I think the words that really got my attention was “live longer.”

You see, I have a four year old grandson, who is the apple of my eye and I sure want to see him grow up. I finished my class and was determined to conquer this disease that I had to live with for the rest of my life. It seems that I didn’t have to give up my favorite foods but the portions were cut in half and lots of water became my friend.

Well good intentions lasted two years. I lost my oldest brother to stomach cancer. He was only 54 and my world was turned upside down. We were just getting to know each other again and I felt angry. Once again, I went to those comfort foods and I saw my blood sugars go sky high and my weight escalated as well.

I was starting to experience the effects of long term uncontrolled blood sugar. The bottom of my feet felt numb yet burned at night like fire. Falling asleep was almost impossible!

I was also experiencing blurry vision and felt dizzy all the time. I contacted my doctor and was put on insulin. I was depressed about having to poke myself all over in different places just to get my blood sugar back under control.

So here I was taking pills, using insulin, and feeling sorry for myself, and I was stuck in a situation I could not control. What was even worse was I had to teach diabetic patients of the importance of controlling their blood sugar and I was not practicing what I was teaching.

I was teaching a patient one day but the words were ringing loud and clear in my own ears. I admitted to the patient that I too was a diabetic and I had a hard time accepting lifestyle changes as well as changes in my eating habits. Every day was a struggle because I was fighting something that I let become greater than me.

I once again decided to tackle the dreaded dragon called diabetes. My sword would be my medications, knowledge, and the strength that came from my faith in god and family.

I admit I still struggle with my weight and exercise is not my cup of tea but I’m still working on that problem. I no longer feel guilty when I talk to my patients and now I share my story.

It is unbelievable how my patients open up and share their own personal struggles and victories. I can now teach them with the knowledge of a nurse and the compassion and empathy of a fellow diabetic.

I want to thank my family for helping me with my struggle with this disease. They have given me a reason for going on with life.

Here are some of the symptoms of diabetes.

1. Extreme thirst
2. Frequent urination
3. Fatigue
4. Weight loss
5. Blurry vision
6. Extreme hunger

These are only some of the symptoms. Not everyone experiences them at one time. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms call your doctor and let them know. So do not let Diabetes control you but rather you can learn to control it!

Jim Martinez
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/diabetes-the-personal-life-journey-of-evelyn-martinez-110043.html

One of the most important components of weight loss diets should be that it is sustainable over a lifetime. In fact, the best diets are not diets, but a way of eating and living that will provide longevity and good health throughout the lifetime of the individual. Four diets that have stood the test of time include the Mediterranean, South Beach, Atkins and The Zone diets. Each of these diets have hit the popular media, have been shown to be effective both in popular usage and in medical research studies and each is sustainable over a lifetime.

Mediterranean

One of the more popular weight loss diets is known as the Mediterranean Diet. The origins of the most commonly accepted nutritional plan known as the Mediterranean Diet is found in the popular food consumed in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Individual following this dietary plan includes plenty of plant foods and fresh fruit each day. Fish and poultry are the source of protein but they are consumed in smaller amounts. Red meat is also a small portion of daily intake. No more than four eggs weekly are consumed and wine intake is consumed in small amounts. The maximum fat level is approximately one-third of total calories.

South Beach

The South Beach Diet is another popular and effective weight loss diets that have recently become the choice of many overweight individuals looking to lose some of the excess weight. The South Beach Diet was developed by Arthur Agatston, a well known Miami, Florida cardiologist. The diet distinguishes between so-called good fats and carbohydrates and bad fats and carbohydrates. This diet rates carbohydrates and fats by a Glycemic Index. The three phases of the South Beach diet recommends eliminating or at least reducing the consumption of bad carbohydrates and fats. The dieter is trained to change eating and lifestyle habits for permanent weight management.

Atkins

The Atkins Diet popularized by Dr Robert Atkins was one of the earliest popular weight loss diets in the Western World. It represented a significant departure from traditional dietary wisdom. Previously, individuals who wanted to lose weight were placed on very restrictive calorie counting diets. The Atkins Diet instead considered carbohydrates to be the largest factor in obesity rather than calorie intake. The Atkins Diet severely restricts the intake of carbohydrates to the point where the body goes into a state of ketosis. Critics of the diet state that weight loss results from boredom and thus lower caloric consumption.

Zone

The Zone Diet has been found effective in unscientific studies such as the one conducted by a PBS television documentary team filming the Scientific American Frontiers show. Weight loss diets such as the Zone Diet rely on an effective balance between carbohydrates, proteins and fats in a ratio of 40%, 30%, and 30% respectively. The Zone diet has the double advantage of being effective against such diseases as diabetes, hypertension and other health conditions. This lifestyle changes involved in the Zone Diet are definitely sustainable for a lifetime.

Alan Chai
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/weight-loss-dietsfour-effective-weight-management-tips-720872.html

Diabetes is growing by 3 percent each year for children and youth

November 14 is celebrated each year as Children’s Day and World Diabetes Day. This year the theme is “Diabetes in children and youth”. Let me take this opportunity to write about diabetes in children.

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. If not detected during early childhood, the disease can have deadly consequences or result in serious damage to the brain. Diabetic child is often completely overlooked. This is the time miss-diagnosed as flu or doctors fail to diagnose it at all. Every parent, teacher, doctor involved in child care should be familiar with the warning signs and be alert to the threat.

The warning signs are Frequent urination, Excessive thirst, Increased hunger, Weight, Fatigue, Lack of interest and concentration, Blurred vision, Vomiting and abdominal pain (often mistaken as the flu).

In children with type 2 diabetes, the symptoms may be moderate or not. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes: Diabetes occurs as a result of problems in production and supply of the hormone insulin in the body. The body needs insulin to use energy that is stored in food. When a person has diabetes their body cannot create insulin (Type 1diabetes) or their bodies cannot use the insulin made effectively (type 2diabetes).

Type 1 diabetes is most common type of diabetes in children. However, as a result of increasing childhood obesity and always lifestyles, type 2 diabetes is also increasing rapidly in children and youth. In some countries type 2diabetes has become the most common type of disease in children.

Type 2 diabetes in children is probably under-diagnosed because it may have no symptoms. To prevent Type 2 diabetes in children, emphasis should be laid on physical activity, less frequent activities such as television and views of a healthy diet. If diabetes is diagnosed, paying close attention to all cardiovascular risk factors, as well as prevention is important. We need to fit in the modern industrial city on a healthy way. Diabetes is a serious health problem and expensive and there is much that can do to reduce its impact. The earliest description of diabetes from the Philippines to 2,500 years ago and the role of obesity, frequent behaviour and dietary factors are known in ancient times. What is needed now is concerted public health action against the risk factors for diabetes.

We can do our bit to prevent diabetes and other diseases. Food for children with diabetes is a minor consideration. A dietician will be able to tell you more but it is certain essential that your child has a healthy, balanced diet, high in complex carbohydrates and fibre. It is necessary to be careful Sweets but it need not be 100 per cent from the menu. Some of the foods planning of goals for children with diabetes are the same as for other children. They must eat food that will help them have good general health, normal growth and a healthy weight. But children with diabetes also have to balance their carbohydrate intake with their insulin and activity levels to maintain their levels of blood sugar under control. In addition, children with diabetes should also eat foods that help maintain the level of lipids or fats in the blood (such as Cholesterol and triglycerides) in a healthy range. Food this way may help prevent some of the long-term health problem that can cause diabetes. These days, with huge amounts of food choices, we need to teach them to read the labels of food, especially the carbohydrate content. They must understand the serving size and how to change one food for another.

Children with diabetes face the same challenges of food everyone – largely sticking to healthy eating habits over time. It can be difficult with so many temptations, so it is important to prepare food that your child enjoys. The food may make you plan vary depending on your child’s diabetes, but to help your child Dietician, you can tailor meals to planning your child’s food preferences and eating habits

maxilolee
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/diabetes-in-children-and-youth-671923.html

The type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that is often preventable but sad to say, the condition is on the rise worldwide. Diabetes is now affecting 246 million people and is expected to hit 380 million by 2025. Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes. It is now the fourth leading cause of global death by disease.  Among the complications of diabetes are heart and blood vessel disease including stroke and heart attack, nerve damage, diabetic retinopathy, and kidney failure. 

Diabetes is the largest cause of kidney failure and is responsible for huge dialysis costs. At least 50% of all people with diabetes are unaware of their condition and in some countries this figure may be as high as 80%. However, up to 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable if we adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle, and increase physical activity.

Even though you are not currently diagnosed with diabetes, you can prevent diabetes from endangering your life. One way to keep this dreadful disease at bay is to constantly monitor your health and diet.  Make it a habit to go for a complete blood test at least once a year. From the results of your lipid profile, take note of the values of triglycerides and the high density lipoprotein (HDL). The triglyceride/HDL ratio should be less than 2. Any ratio in excess of 2 indicates the tendency of developing diabetes later in life.  You may be having what is known as Syndrome X as described by Dr Gerald Reaven of Stanford University (1988).

 According to medical research, insulin resistance is a major factor in the development of the syndrome. When you continually consume sugar, high carbohydrate and high fat diet, your body will become less sensitive to insulin. It compensates by making more insulin. Years later, the pancreas will simply give up. The insulin level drops and the blood sugar begin to rise. Insulin resistance leads to obesity.

In order to prevent and treat diabetes, you have to take note of the following points:

1.       Eat a balanced diet by combining good protein and good fat with low glycemic carbohydrates. The protein and fats can be obtained from vegetables and its oils, olive oil, nuts, beans. It is also available from the cold water fish such as salmon and tuna which are rich in the omega 3 fatty acids. Protein is also available from fowl. Get the carbohydrates from whole fruits and vegetables. Avoid refined foods. Foods like fiber, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, green beans, soy beans, tofu and garlic have an insulin-like action on the body and should be included in the diet regularly.

2.       Ensure that you have plenty of exercise. Exercise will make your body more sensitive to insulin. A brisk walk of 30-45 minutes three times weekly is more than sufficient.

3.       Maintain a regular intake of supplements including the following:

Multi vitamins and minerals supplement 1 capsule daily

Vitamin C 1-2 gm daily

Vitamin E 400 I.U. daily

Selenium 150 mcg daily

Omega 3 capsule 1000 mg daily

Evening primrose capsule 1000mg daily

4.       Eliminate coffee, alcohol, smoking, nervous exhaustion, stress and obesity.

mohamad ali
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/how-to-prevent-and-eliminate-diabetes-631021.html