Diabetes and Diet

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

A well-planned gestational diabetes diet can reverse the symptoms of gestational diabetes that you are exhibiting and enable you to enjoy a healthy delivery. Gestational diabetes develops in otherwise diabetes-free women, normally in the 24th to 28th weeks of their pregnancies.

As with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes can be effectively controlled in most cases, and even reversed completely in many cases, through implementing a gestational diabetes diet and getting daily physical exercise. Remember, what causes diabetes mellitus is poor dieting and sedentary living year after year.

Gestational diabetes symptoms often go unnoticed or are not thought to be unusual given that the individual is pregnant. Most frequently, gestational diabetes symptoms include being very thirsty and having to pee many times every day. Many women just consider this a natural part of pregnancy and pay it no mind. However, if the thirst is a result of elevated blood-glucose levels, then the developing baby is put at risk if the symptoms are not controlled.

The excess glucose in the mother’s bloodstream can pass through the placental wall and enter into the developing baby. Glucose in excess of what is required to fuel the baby’s development is then are stored as fat and can cause macrosomia (fat baby syndrome). Macrosomia can cause a number of health issues including:

• Problems with delivery because the baby is too large;
• A slowed metabolism and a propensity for the development of pancreatic issues in the baby;
• Getting off to a start in life carrying extra weight and being prone to become overweight and/or obese;
• More…

The gestational diabetes diet is just the same as a Type 2 diabetes diet and should be based as follows:

• Water foods are the main concentration. That means plants: vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes;
• Only low-fat and non-fat dairy products;
• Only the leanest cuts of meat with all excess fat trimmed;
• Avoid saturated fats;
• Strongly avoid Trans fats;
• Avoid alcohol:
• Avoid fast foods and processed foods;
• Avoid microwave foods and high-sugar foods;
• Avoid high-sodium foods;
• Drink plenty of fresh water every day;
• Eat 5 or 6 small meals every day – not just 1 or 2 large meals;
• Eat your meals at the same times every day;

In addition to planning and employing your healthy gestational diabetes diet, you also need to do the following:

• Talk to your doctor and have him run blood work to determine if you have gestational diabetes for sure;
• Exercise for 20 or 30 minutes every day – not like a maniac, just enough to get your heart pumping strong;
• Check your blood sugar often at home with a home glucose monitor. The more often the better;
• Resist your urges for ice cream and other naughty snacks – even though you’re pregnant. Being pregnant is the most important time to ensure that everything you eat is optimally healthful!
• Develop and practice gentle techniques for stress management like meditation, Yoga and Pilates. Stress is your enemy.

Following a gestational diabetes diet, exercising every day and effectively managing your stress will ensure that your pregnancy is trouble-free and that you baby gets off to a healthy head-start in life. Begin today!

Steven R Arnold
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/gestational-diabetes-diet-how-to-reverse-gestational-diabetes-mellitus-715271.html

Everyone knows the benefits of eating a healthy and balanced diet. This is especially the case for diabetics and there are a number of diet requirements that a diabetic person may need to eat more of or less of, to help manage their diabetes. As every person is different, there is no one form of diet that fits every diabetic.

Most diabetics have diabetic diet guidance. Even though there is no set diabetic diet that all diabetics need to follow, there are a few guidelines that apply to everyone. Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important for diabetics and this can be achieved, in part, by eating a healthy diabetic diet. If a diabetic does not keep their weight down, it can lead to their symptoms worsening. Of course, it isn’t just diabetics who need to watch their weight.

Diabetes results from glucose levels in the blood being too high and consuming excess sugar can cause problems. A diabetic can eat most things, but depending on the severity and type of diabetes that they have, it is necessary to eat certain foods in moderation. This applies to sugar, carbohydrates and certain types of fats. Alcohol should always be drunk in moderation, but it is even more important for anyone on a diabetic diet to cut down on their consumption.

There is no need for a diabetic to give up their sweet treats completely, just cut back on the amount of cookies and cakes they eat. However, excess consumption of one form of sugar in particular, fructose, does need to be avoided. Fructose is fruit sugar and is found in very high amounts in fruit juices. A diabetic diet should include a maximum of one small glass of fruit juice on a daily basis. Fructose is also classed as a simple carbohydrate along with lactose, from milk and sucrose, regular sugar. These all need to be eaten in modified amounts on any type of Diabetic Diet.

Complex carbohydrates, unlike simple carbohydrates, are an essential part of any diet including a diabetic diet. These are broken down in the body to produce energy. Brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and whole-wheat bread are some of the best sources of complex carbohydrates.

A diabetic diet also needs to help prevent other diseases and conditions apart from the diabetes itself. Kidney problems and heart disease are just two examples. It is essential to ensure that the diabetic diet does not include too many saturated fats, which could bring on other medical conditions. The body does need some fat intake to function correctly but this can be found in sunflower oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, and other unsaturated fats.

If you are diabetic, there is no reason why you cannot have the majority of the foods that you love. The key is to eat some of them in moderation and increase the healthier foods. You are sure to feel a difference in yourself and see a difference in your general health. Of course, your diabetes will also be far better managed.

Summary:

Diabetes results from glucose levels in the blood being too high and consuming excess sugar can cause problems. A diabetic can eat most things, but depending on the severity and type of diabetes that they have, it is necessary to eat certain foods in moderation. This applies to sugar, carbohydrates and certain types of fats. Alcohol should always be drunk in moderation, but it is even more important for anyone on a diabetic diet to cut down on their consumption.

Brooke Hayles
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-diabetic-diet-can-help-you-keep-your-diabetes-in-check-65087.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

Every food is a medicine. What you eat is very important from the point of view of your health. There are no cut and dry methods and medicines by which you can cure diabetes. In fact, perfect cure for diabetes is yet to be found, in any system of medicine. But, Ayurvedic medicines are far near to the point of curing diabetes. This disease can certainly be controlled by Ayurveduic medicines.

The prime concern in controlling diabetes is to see that the sugar level does not cross the recommended level. This means you need to avoid certain types of food and take regularly those food which are good for controlling diabetes.

In short, processed foods and junk food, must be totally given up. Avoid sweets, glucose, fruit sugar, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, soft drinks, cream and fried foods. White sugar and white flour also cause further damage to the health of diabetes patients. Anything that contains harmful preservatives and too much salt should be avoided. Smoking and alcohol are taboo as well. So, in conclusion, your food is your medicine.

Instead of the commercial tea, take green tea, parsley tea and blueberry leaf. Cook the kidney bean pods and drink that water—it is very good in the treatment of diabetes. Replace white sugar with palm sugar, dates and honey. Unpolished rice, sprouted grain should be taken in moderate quantity. Fats like olive. oil and peanut oil are good in diabetes. Drink abundant water, at least 8 to 10 glasses per day. If you can make the habit of it, raw vegetables need to be taken in large quantity. Cooked food raise the level of blood sugar fast. This apart, cooking destroys vitamins, enzymes and minerals in the vegetables and fruits.

The real treatment of diabetes is through the fruits that you take. Take grapes, Indian blackberry, fig, kiwi fruits and citrus fruits and pomegranate juice. Let these things be your morning breakfast. As for vegetables, onion, garlic, radish, cucumber, carrot, tomato, cabbage and cucumber are excellent in the treatment of diabetes. Moong sprouted and unripe banana cooked, are also recommended.

The next important part of the diet is to take those fruits and vegetables in which fiber content is very high. Such type of food lowers the need for insulin, the reason being it releases energy into the body cells slowly. High fiber diet means more chromium which is very helpful in the treatment of diabetes.

Some herbs and vegetables are specifically prescribed for diabetes, like Bitter Gourd and bitter melon juice.

Soak 50 gms of fenugreek seeds in a glass of water at night and drink the water early in the morning, after grinding the seeds in it. Draw a schedule, depending upon the level of your diabetes.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/how-the-food-you-eat-help-you-cure-diabetes-60675.html

This makes EFA’s an important part of your diet. Other sources of these fats are fish and nuts.

Flax Seed Oil is also known as Linseed Oil. FlaxSeed is a blue flowering plant that is grown on the Western Canadian Prairies for its oil rich seeds. FlaxSeed oil is highly recommended for the general well being, whole body nutrition and helps in restoring body’s natural balance of good and bad prostaglandins. The first time you see flax seeds you were probably, like “ok, they look like sesame seeds, who are you trying to fool?” They may look like sesame seeds, but boy do they pack in a lot of nutrition.

Another study has found that omega-3 fatty acids, and by extension, flaxseed, can reduce the risk of macular degeneration, which is an eye disease that destroys vision by damaging nerve cells in the eye.

Besides lignans, flaxseeds and their oil are also the best food sources of an essential fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. “Essential” means we must consume it, because our bodies cannot manufacture it.

Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don’t know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 – 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.

Heredity

Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a “thrifty gene” from their African ancestors.

This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants. This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, commonly know as “sugar diabetes”, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don’t exercise and who have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.

There are also many ways of consuming the seeds. You can simply just chew them. You can grind the seeds to make a power.

As a source of fiber mucilage, oral flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) may possess laxative properties, although only one human trial has been conducted for this indication. Researchers found low incidences of breast cancer and colon cancer in populations that have high amounts of Lignan in their diet.

Flax Hull Lignans are very beneficial for many health conditions. Studies have shown that SDG or lignan (secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, but for simplicity this substance will be referred to as lignans)

The fiber in flaxseeds may also help against cholesterol, since it is soluble (similar to that in oats). Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom

increased thirst

increased appetite

blurred vision

unusual weight loss

increased fatigue

irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease

“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness

African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called “Diabetic Retinopathy”, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 – 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease

People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don’t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity

Family history of diabetes

Pre-diabetes

Low physical activity

Age greater than 45 years

High blood pressure

High blood levels of triglycerides

HDL cholesterol of less than 35

Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans. African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than the next 7 causes of death combined – including cancer – the AHA report states. In this Omega-3 benefits and facts section you will learn the basics about omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) from fish oils and their function in our bodies.

Why is Flaxseed called the miracle food? Find out at http://www.flaxseedfitness.com Flax seed oil is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be very helpful for heart inflammatory bowel disease, disease, arthritis and a variety of other health conditions.

Where to Get Omeaga 3 and Omega 6 Oil?

Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? How to do take Flax Seed? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health! Whereas plant foods and vegetable oils lack EPA and DHA, some do contain varying amounts of the n-3 PUFA alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which has 18 carbon atoms and 3 double bonds. Omega 3 benefits are wide-ranging and proven by clinical studies. Understanding the best omega 3 sources means you can include more of these healthy foods in your daily meal planning.

Beverley Brooke
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/diabetes-african-americans-deadly-foe-122890.html