Diabetes and Diet

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

People do not realize that obesity is becoming major reason behind many fatal diseases. Diabetes is one of these diseases. Obesity and diabetes both are common problems in youth as well as in old age. People are eating more and eating unhealthy and it is leading us to diabetes.

Research has shown that obesity and diabetes are inter-related. Lifestyle is a major contributing risk factor for both these conditions. Sedentary lifestyles, high fat diet, in addition to age, race family history are risk factors for both diabetes and obesity.

Diabetes is a condition which affects the cells ability to take glucose from the blood. Glucose starvation in the tissues leads them to use their own protein. Diabetes in turn leads complications like kidney failure and blindness. Studies have shown that close to 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are obese.

Being obese or overweight puts your body under a lot of stress. One of them is the body’s ability to use glucose. Being obese can also cause your body to be insulin resistant. Which means over a period of time this insulin resistance can lead to diabetes. This also implies that if you already are diabetic then your body will need more insulin.

Insulin helps in maintaining blood glucose level. The more insulin is used, the more glucose is absorbed in the blood. Extra glucose is stored in the body as fast, so you tend to put on weight when you start using insulin for diabetes. Diabetics need to modify their diet when they are on insulin.

Proper nutrition and exercise assist people suffering from obesity and diabetes in living better as well as longer. Obese can prevent developing diabetes by making healthier food choices. Avoid snacking, ice cream and candy instead of eating all this you should try to include more and more quantity of foods and vegetables. Apart from this regular exercise is also very effective in preventing obesity and diabetes. Make habit of walking and doing work out if you want to prevent diabetes or manage it. Also regular exercise is like a boon in fighting against obesity and diabetes.

Jim Andrews
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/obesity-and-diabetes-obesity-hampers-the-treatment-of-obesity-672947.html

Health nutrition from food you eat and drink is your health and strength. What you eat is part of what you are and what you will become. What you choose for a meal has an impact on our body either positively or negatively. The quality of food you take affects the length and quality of your life. Many life threatening diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers, are often, at least in part, linked to poor nutrition. Much of these diseases could be prevented with sufficient health nutrition intake.

We are often told that we must eat a balanced diet to obtain health nutrition for our wellbeing. However, what is a balanced diet? How do you know you are achieving the correct balance? Many of us do not eat enough healthy carbohydrates. Many of us are unaware of a diet which is very low in fat can cause as much harm to our body as a high-fat diet. Many of us do not know that we eat more protein than we really need, and that too much can be bad for us. Many of us fall short on the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals that our body need.

A perfect diet should contain all needed health nutrition such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, in the right quantities. The WHO suggests at least fifty per cent of calories in our diet should come from complex carbohydrates, no more than thirty five per cent comes from fat and up to fifteen per cent comes from protein. The allowance for alcohol consumption is no more than five per cent.

To get fifty per cent or so of carbohydrates you need to ensure that at every meal you have a good portion of starchy carbohydrates food such as rice, pasta, potatoes, or bread. At most meals, you need good portion of vegetables and/or fruits. You should also include small portion of low- or moderate-fat protein such as fish, poultry, pulses and lean meat in our diets. High-fat protein such cheese, dairy product and fatty meats should be eaten less frequently and in even smaller portions. As all fat is a calorie-dense food, ideally you should include only small quantities of oil such as olive or corn oil in your meals. The majority part of your daily calorie needs have been taken up. There is only little room for alcohol and for the sugars. So, add these to your diet in moderation, if at all.

A variety and a balance intake of health nutrition is the most important element of a healthy diet for life. To ensure adequate amounts of all necessary vitamins, minerals, fat, protein, carbohydrates and fibre, eat as wide a variety of foods as you can. You should eat different sources of carbohydrates, varying types of protein, lots of different vegetables, salads and fruits.

There is no need to worry too much about the exact nutritional content of every morsel of food you eat. The fact is that almost any kind of meal can be adapted to form part of a healthy diet if you follow the abovementioned guidelines.

Casey Yew
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/a-balance-intake-of-health-nutrition-68585.html

Diabetes alters the way your body uses food. The food you eat turns to sugar. Your blood takes this sugar throughout your body. Insulin assists in getting the sugar from the blood into the body to provide the energy your body needs. With diabetes your body does not get the fuel it needs, and your blood sugar stays high. High blood sugar can cause heart and kidney problems, blindness, stroke, the loss of a foot or leg, or even death.

However,you can manage diabetes. Be careful what you eat and get enough exercise, use medications wisely and check your blood sugar often.

There are two types of Diabetes.

Type 1 – The body does not produce any natural insulin. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day to stay alive.

Type 2 – The body does not make enough insulin, or use insulin well. The most prevalent type of diabetes is Type 2.

There is no specific diet for people with diabetes. Work with your doctor to come up with a plan that works for you. You can continue to consume your favorite foods by watching size of the portions.

The foods we eat are made up of: Carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, breads, juices, milk, cereals and desserts) fats,protein,cholesterol,
fiber (fruits, vegetables, beans, breads, and cereals).

Carbohydrates are the the biggest factor and most responsible for raising your blood sugar. Reading the Nutrition Facts label provided on food packaging can help to determine the number of carbohydrates in each serving. You should be aware that most pre-packaged foods contain more than one serving. You can multiply the number of carbohydrates times five to determine the number of calories per serving. The resulting number suprises most people who don’t realize that they are consuming many more calories than they imagine.

You must maintain an exercise program. Try to be active at least 30 minutes a day for 4-5 days of the week. Even moderate exercise helps your body’s insulin work better. It will also lower your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and your cholesterol.

People with diabetes usually need to take medication or administer a shot of insulin each day. Be sure to follow the medications directions explicitly.
Check with your your doctor or pharmacist and ask them what your medication does, when to take them, and if you can expect any side effects.

Check Your Blood Sugar

You can help prevent heart disease and stroke by controlling your blood sugarlevel, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Check your blood sugar using a glucose meter (home testing kit) available by prescription from your doctor. The glucose meter tells what level your blood sugar is so you can make intelligent choices about your diet, determining which foods to eat and which foods to avoid.

Consult with your doctor about getting an A-1-C (A-onesee) blood test. This test measures blood sugar levels over 2-3 month period.

Most people with diabetes do not notice any signs of the disease. It is estimated the there are over 3 million people in the USA with diabetes that are unaware they have the disease.

Visit our website to keep up to date on news and information to help you with your diabetes.

Tom Walker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/diabetes-americas-unknown-epedemic-69047.html

Diet is the cornerstone of your diabetic treatment; let it not become the headstone! I might sound rude to you for passing on this sort of crude observation, but in the interest of your health and well-being, I feel it as my utmost duty to forewarn you!

It sets the diabetes man thinking-each spoon of liquid that he sips, each ounce of food that he offers to the taste buds-what will be the result when it goes to the stomach? He lives in a state of fear psychosis. Food is the necessary evil for him, for his existence, not a source of enjoyment!

The diabetes man needs to budget his day according to his food requirements. You are advised to take small quantities of food at periodic intervals, than take two heavy meals. Be flexible in this and do it as per yours lifestyle. Don’t take food as a punishment. Enjoy it, every particle of it. It is your food for both-your mind and body!

The population of diabetes patients is awesome. They are a pressure group, a lobby and influence the decision of the policy makers. There are statutory rules governing food and consumer items for the diabetes patients that help them in selecting foods for a healthy meal plan.

Food guides, food labels for identifying the food choice, information about dietary supplements, what foods to be used by the weight loss seeking people, are available in plenty in the health market concerning diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious type of disease, often warranting utmost care, for many of its ‘tribesmen’. Its valiant supporters are waiting in the wings to attack and overpower you! To name a few of them: Heart diseases, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis. These diseases believe in giving two types of punishments to the diabetes patient-serious types of disability and death.

So, the diabetes patients need to be fully armed with complete information about diabetes, their present state of health and lay down for themselves, unassailable rules for living. Your paramount aim should be to maintain an optimum, healthy weight. Secondly, don’t be lazy, lying down on the couch, relaxing on the bed. This extra rest that you are forcing on yourself may ruin your health. As for the food, take plenty of fruits and vegetables. Let sprouted pulses be the part of your diet. You must have the up-to-date nutrition information based on the latest research reports. I presume you must be getting a news letter from a diabetic association of which you are a member.

Correct diabetes information may save you from lots of troubles. A stitch in time saves nine! What nine? You need to know them by your own experience of handling your diabetes!

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/correct-diabetes-information-may-save-you-from-lots-of-troubles-61382.html

Manganese - Manganese is vital in the production of natural insulin and therefore important in the treatment of diabetes. It is found in citrus fruits, in the outer covering of nuts, grains and in the green leaves of edible plants.

The loss of magnesium in diabetic ketosis has been known for many years. About 37 percent of infants born to diabetic mothers have been found to be lacking in this mineral. It has also been found that children aged five to 18 years with well-controlled type-1 diabetes have lows serum magnesium values.

Magnesium - Magnesium also decreases the need for vitamin B6 and if it is increased in the diet, the amount of xanthurenic acid in the blood is reduced, even without vitamin B6 supplement. Moreover, magnesium is also necessary to active enzymes containing vitamin B6. Blood magnesium being particularly low in diabetic, it may be reasonably inferred that diabetes can result from a combined deficiency of vitamin B6 and magnesium. It may therefore, be advisable for any person with diabetes or a family history of the disease to take the at least 500 mg of magnesium and 10 mg of B6 daily.

Magnesium is widely distributed in foods. It forms part of the chlorophyll in green leaves. Other good sources of this mineral are nuts, Soya bean, alfalfa, apple, fig, lemon, peach, almond, whole grains, brown rice, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

Chromium - According to Dr. Richard A. Anderson, at the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, whatever the blood sugar problem, chromium tends to normalize it. Dr. Anderson believes that increased prevalence of type-2 diabetes is partly due to a deficiency of chromium in the diet.

Chromium has been found beneficial in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Columbia University scientists, in a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition established chromium’s benefits for type-2 diabetes. They confirmed that chromium enhances insulin production in the body. Some other researchers have also confirmed that chromium helps stabilize blood sugar and increases energy.

Studies have also revealed that chromium supplements control total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and raise the good or HDL cholesterol. In some patients with impaired glucose tolerance, especially children with protein malnutrition, glucose tolerance showed improvement after they were given chromium supplements.

The recommended daily allowance of chromium is 50 to 100 micrograms. Some foods rich in chromium, besides broccoli, are whole grain cereals, nuts, mushrooms, rhubarb, Bengal gram, kidney beans, Soya beans, black gram, betel leaves, bottle gourd, corn oil, brewer’s yeast, pomegranate and pineapple.

Find complete diabetes information, diabetes supply, diabetes treatment, diabetes diet, diabetes causes, diabetes types. More on Diabetes Mellitus Information and Treatment Supply. Also see Natural Ayurvedic Herbal Cure for Diabetes.

Dr John Anne
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/start-taking-magnesium-and-chromium-rich-diets-to-control-your-diabetes-61213.html