Diabetes and Diet

i’m really scared, i’m only 25 and i am over weight, just below obese on the bmi index. apple shaped body. And i have a family history of diabetes. And sometimes i feel lightheaded when i eat too much sugary foods. I know if i don’t change now, all my beta cells in my liver will die and i will be screwed. I still can save some of them. I want to change right now and exercise everyday and eat less and eat right. If i don’t eat any sugar(candy)(except the inevitable sugar present in fruits and vegetables and seafood), carbohydrates(white bread, rolls, rice), limited fruits, very limited seafood, once a week(my favorite food is crab, squid, muscles, clams, lobsters), and exercise till i’m really really skinny. Will i be okay then? Will i still get diabetes 50 years later if i maintain everything? will it still come back? are sugar from fruits bad for diabetes?

thanks, please help

Diabetes (DM II) does go away. It is all about controlling what you eat and EXERCISING. Type I affects your beta cells — thats not your problem. Type II affects your tiny little cells everywhere in your body. They become sensitive and unresponsive to the insulin (that your beta cells produce). Insulin is basically a "key" that unlocks each of these cells to allow this sugar molecule into said cells. If it can’t get into the cells, these sugar molecules remain in the blood. PROBLEM: sugar molecules are so large, they get into tiny capillaries in the kidneys, eyes (retina), damage the vessel and irreversible damage occurs.

Type I diabetics lack beta cells and cannot produce insulin — they receive injections of insulin — why? any oral insulin (which is a protein) would break down into amino acids in the stomach.
Type II diabetics take a hyperglycemia med, which controls blood sugar. Like I said, there are other methods. What your intake of processed foods, SIMPLE sugars, enriched pasta/breads. It will help big-time.

Diabetes runs in my family. My Dad is currently on Dialysis for Kidney failure resulting from his Diabetes. I am concerned that my H A1C level may hit 6.0 and I will be diagnosed with Diabetes.

I am 215 lbs, and look like I am in pretty decent shape (mostly muscle.) I love to eat ALL foods, including fruits, vegetables, meats/poultry, rice, potatoes… etc. If it weren’t for my Doctor pointing out the increase in my H A1C over the last three years I wouldn’t have noticed at thing since I feel fine. Should I be concerned? I am barely sleeping because of this.

Please advise.

I have to say there are some good answers here and some bad one also. So I’ll give it a try.
Normal Fasting Blood Sugar
A normal fasting blood sugar (which is also the blood sugar a normal person will see right before a meal) is:

83 mg/dl (4.6 mmol/L) or less.

Many normal people have fasting blood sugars in the mid and high 70 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/L) range.

Though most doctors will tell you any fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L) is "normal", there are several studies that suggest that testing with a fasting blood sugar in the mid 90 mg/dl (5 mmol/L) range often predicts diabetes that is diagnosed a decade later.And being you have a history of diabetes in your family , heres the only thing to do. Start with a low glycemic diet . Heres the best website you can find.http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
Its a list of 2,480 food with their index and loads . The loads are the most important. It simple and easy to follow. And not so restrictive , so it won’t drive you insane. And the next thing Is EXERCISE. I know you don’t want to hear it but it is so Important.Nordic Walking is great.
Description
Nordic walking can be done year round in any climate and anywhere a person of any age or ability might otherwise walk without poles. It combines simplicity and accessibility of walking with simultaneous core and upper body conditioning similar to Nordic skiing. The result is a full-body walking workout that can burn significantly more calories without a change in perceived exertion or having to walk faster, due to the incorporation of many large core, and other upper-body muscles which comprise more than 90% of the body’s total muscle mass and do work against resistance with each stride. ‘Normal walking’ utilizes less than 70% of muscle mass with full impact on the joints of the legs and feet.

Nordic Ski Walking produces up to a 46% increase in energy consumption compared to walking without poles.[1]

Benefits
Compared to regular walking, Nordic walking involves applying force to the poles with each stride. Nordic walkers use more of their entire body (with greater intensity) and receive fitness building stimulation not as present in normal walking for the chest, lats, triceps, biceps, shoulder, abdominals, spinal and other core muscles. This extra muscle involvement leads to enhancements over ordinary walking at equal paces such as:

increased overall strength and endurance in the core muscles and the entire upper body
significant increases in heart rate at a given pace
greater ease in climbing hills
burning more calories than in plain walking
improved balance and stability with use of the poles
significant un-weighting of hip, knee and ankle joints
effective weight bearing exercise – creates positive total body bone density-preserving stress
I use plain old wooden sticks, works well>
Kewl!
Do it and you may dodge this terrible disease.
Tin

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that cannot be completely cured but can be managed through proper care. A diabetic patient must follow a health lifestyle, which include proper diet plan, exercises and prescribed medicines. This is the only way one can avoid or minimize the risk of diabetes long-term complications.

Diabetes Diet

Diet plays an important role in managing diabetes. The timings of the meals need to be fixed and rigidly maintained. Never skip meals. Fiber plays an important role in the diet of diabetics. The rich source of fiber is vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts. Fiber foods are not completely digested by our body. Foods rich in fiber induce a feeling of fullness, thereby reducing appetite. The consumption of fat must be reduced, focus instead of proteins and complex carbohydrates.

Diabetes Exercises

The role of exercise cannot be overestimated in managing diabetes. Although it is important not to overdo it – and exercise must always be done keeping in mind your particular parameters, for instance, cardiac stimulation – regular exercise definitely helps a diabetic bring the glucose levels down. Simply put a muscle at rest resists the action of insulin; an exercising muscle is more responsive to it. An obese patient may have sufficient or even an excess of insulin circulating in his body, but his system may resist it by way of peripheral tissue. Also, the more physically active you are, the more efficient your body is in handling the carbohydrate load.

Complications of Diabetes

If the blood glucose level is not controlled it may lead to following complications -

1. Heart disease
2. Kidney disease
3. Blindness
4. Impotency
5. Amputation

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

Are you looking for some Home remedies for diabetes? Know effective Home remedies for high cholesterol. Read useful Home remedies for toothache to relieve pain.

Nick Mutt
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/diabetes-diet-exercise-and-complications-671879.html

Approximately 4% of women who are pregnant in the United States will be affected by gestational diabetes. It is a misunderstood disease in that medical research has been unable to pinpoint why women suffer from it during pregnancy only to see it disappear after the baby is born. The stress and increased hormonal activity associated with pregnancy is thought to be a factor but women who are at risk will need to follow a diet for gestational diabetes.

Expectant mothers who were already diabetic at the time of conception will also need to follow this type of diet.

Any woman with gestational diabetes should consult with a registered dietician to help create the proper diet plan for her and her unborn baby. Control of blood sugar levels during pregnancy is of the utmost importance and modification of dietary intake is the best way to accomplish this.

During a pregnancy the goal of the diet for gestational diabetes is to ensure the proper amount of calories and nutrients for the mother and baby while also keeping blood glucose levels under control. The diet itself is individualized to each woman based on her height and weight.

Blood glucose levels will also need be tested and measured at least four times a day. This is done to ensure that the woman’s blood sugars remain under control through out the day. The frequency of testing can be decreased once good glucose control is established but self monitoring will need to continue through out the pregnancy.

It is important that the meal plan meet the nutritional and weight gain needs of a normal pregnancy. During the first trimester of a normal pregnancy the woman should gain from 2 to 4 pounds. Once the second and third trimester starts the weight gain should average a pound a week. Caloric intake will need to be increased by approximately 100 to 300 calories per day during the second trimester. At the same time protein will need to be increased to 10 grams per day. This can be accomplished by drinking 2 glasses of milk or eating 1 to 2 ounces of meat each day.

One of the biggest dangers of inadequate caloric intake is diabetic ketoacidosis. A pregnant woman should never restrict the amount of calories she eats unless so directed by her doctor. The calories she does eat should come from highly nutritious foods and should not be less then 1700 to 1800 per day.

Any pregnant woman who is diagnosed with this dangerous disease will need to follow a diet for gestational diabetes to ensure the health and well being of her unborn baby.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/diet-for-gestational-diabetes-671209.html

The nutritional recommendations for juveniles with diabetes are much the same as the general population in this country. Children with diabetes need to eat a well balanced and healthy diet in order to keep their blood sugar levels in the normal range. Because of this need to control blood sugar they must eat foods in specified amounts depending on how they affect blood sugar levels.

Finding out that their child has diabetes can be quite shocking for many parents. One of the most challenging parts of any diabetics lifestyle change is learning how to prepare meals and snacks. This can be doubly hard for the parents of a diabetic child because following the dietary advice of the doctor and dietician can affect the entire household.

Attempting to learn what foods to feed a juvenile with diabetes can be confusing at first. There is a wealth of information in books and on websites but for most parents in can be overwhelming trying to figure it all out. The important thing for parents with newly diagnosed diabetic children to do is learn to spot the good information from the bad.

The best place to start is the American Diabetes Association where they will find the Diabetes Food Pyramid. This pyramid is much like the USDA food pyramid that everyone is familiar with with one difference. The USDA pyramid classifies food by the group they are in whereas the diabetic food pyramid groups foods based on their carbohydrate, protein, and fat content and breaks them down into the amount of servings for each. There are six groups that make up the diabetic pyramid and they include starches, proteins, fats, meats, fruits and vegetables.

If we take a look at each category we can get a better understanding of each and how they fit into a well balanced diabetic diet plan.

Starches and Grains: These are the primary sources of carbohydrates for everyone. These include foods like whole grains, rye, oats and the starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn. This group also includes the dry beans such as pinto beans and black eyed peas. The suggested number of serving per day is between six to eleven. This is a range and must be personalized to the individual’s needs and goals with the help of a registered dietician.

Vegetables: Vegetables should always be a part of every dietary plan. They are full of many vital nutrients, are low in fat, and high in fiber all of which contribute to good health. Diabetics should have three to five servings per day. It is important to note that the starchy vegetables are not included in this category and should not be substituted into this group of the pyramid.

Fruits: Fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as carbohydrates. Serving sizes are determined by the individual fruit and suggested serving are two to four per day.

Milk: Milk and dairy products are essential in that they contain protein, calcium and many of the vitamins we need each day. Because they can contain a substantial amount of fat it is best to choose low fat or non fat versions of these products. The pyramid recommends two to three servings per day.

Meat and Meat Products: Meat and meat products are a primary supply of protein for all people. They also provide essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids the body needs to function in a healthy fashion. Choose only lean cuts and trim any visible fat to help keep the amount of saturated fat ingested to a minimum.

Fats, Sweets and Alcohol: While diabetics can partake of these it is recommended to keep their use in meal preparation and snack to a minimum. For the juvenile with diabetes this is important in that it teaches them food habits that will stay with them for the rest of their life.

The American Diabetes Association is a good place to start when it comes to learning about feeding a juvenile with diabetes. They have everything needed for healthy meal planning, exchange lists, weight control and recommended exercise programs.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/nutrition-standards-for-juvenile-diabetics-140631.html

Vitamin supplements have often been used by serious bodybuilders to augment their physique, and improve their body’s response to exercise. But they can also provide a way for those simply interested in losing weight to get faster, more healthy results.

Probably the most interesting news from the scientific quarter is the study that suggests that vitamin C can help lower body fat levels, and that a deficiency in vitamin C may be linked to a gradual increase in body fat in people who aren’t dieting. In the study, 20 obese men and women were either given a placebo or 500mg of vitamin C a day. All of the people in the study were put on a low fat diet.

At the start of the trial, researchers found that those who had the most body fat also had the lowest levels of vitamin C (as measured in the blood). During the trial, those taking the vitamin C supplement had blood levels of vitamin C increase by 30%, and those taking the placebo had their blood vitamin C levels reduced by 27%.

Both groups lost the same amount of weight. However, those not taking vitamin C had an 11% drop in their ability to oxidize fat. The researchers found that body fat mass did decrease more in the group of people taking vitamin C, although they describe the difference as not being statistically significant.

Diet is obviously the most important factor in losing weight, as the study found. However the results may be beneficial for those whose weight loss has reached a plateau, or for those wanting to give their body as much help as possible. And ensuring there is enough vitamin C in your diet may prove to be a good safeguard against putting weight back on, if it is combined with sensible eating and exercise.

Vitamin C is believed to work in fat oxidation because it is involved in the creation of the amino acid carnitine. Carnitine is involved in transporting fats in the body.

Another popular bodybuilding supplement, whey, has been found to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. Some meals are what is called high glycemic, which means that when they the carbohydrates in them are metabolized, they are released quickly into the bloodstream. This causes a spike in blood sugar levels, which gives you a lot of energy for a short while, but then leaves you feeling tired. It can also lead to cravings for other foods, which can make it difficult to stick to a diet.

The study was done on those with type 2 diabetes, although whey has been found to help healthy people improve their blood sugar levels after a high glycemic index meal also. In the study, when whey was added to a meal at lunch, there was a big improvement in the way the body handled the carbohydrates. It did not have much of an impact at breakfast, however. But at least for lunch and possible dinner, adding whey protein to a meal could help dieters control cravings, as well as regulate their energy levels after a meal.

Rebecca Prescott
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/vitamin-c-and-the-whey-to-fat-loss-50794.html