Senin, 29 Juni 2009

Warning Sign of High Blood Sugar

human body have nature a self-evaluation system. Whenever something goes wrong within the body the inner part of the body starts to give some signals to the brain and other senses of the person to make him aware that things are going wrong.

This holds true for various illnesses including diabetes. Whenever the level of sugar in blood starts to rise; the inner body tends to tell the outer body by giving certain alarms. It is important to keep the symptoms alive & listen to them carefully.

Someone who understand the importance of signs of high blood sugar are the lucky individuals who diagnose their problem at peripatetic stage. It is stage where the things have only started to go wrong. They have ample time to change their lifestyle & reverse their pre-diabetic stage.

So listening to the signs of high blood sugar is extremely important for all healthy individuals. This is even more important for diabetics; so they can change their diet or exercising plan accordingly.

Here are some of the important and obvious signs of high blood sugar.

--Feeling unquenchable thirst more often without any obvious reason

--Feeling of being hungry all the times; specifically soon after eating

--Excessive urination, especially during the night hours

--Feeling exhausted fatigued and tired without doing any extra or strenuous work

--Sudden or extreme weight loss without any obvious reason

The only ambiguity here is that sometimes these problems can be related to other types of sicknesses or getting older. It is important if anytime you or some of your loved one experience any of the above symptoms he must get himself checked at the doctor's office. The tests required for the diagnosis of diabetes are simple and must be done soon after the sign of high blood sugar is seen.

Diabetes is a controllable condition but if left untreated can lead to certain complications like macular degeneration, eye damage, nerve damage, dry skin condition, recurrent infections and heart related complications.

Selasa, 23 Juni 2009

Meal Plan Could Save diabetic Life!!!

If you has diabetes then you will be happy to know that free diabetic meal plans are being issued by nutritionist. If you are lost about diabetic cooking recipes or diabetic exchange lists then there's no need to worry because this information is now being given out for free.

Diabetes can change your life if you're not careful to not control blood sugar plasma levels. Did you know that most diets that fitness competitors follow are diabetic based? The reason is very simple, when you can control blood sugar levels, then you can control how much fat a person gains. The higher your blood sugar is, the more capacity your body has to put on body fat. This can develop into full-blown adults onset diabetes and can cause major health problems that can become a reversible if a proper diet is not followed.

If you need a good diabetic diet but are unsure of where to go to find one, you can now find them free from private companies as nutritionists are now releasing professional written plans that can help control your sugar levels all day long. We have seen doctors who are not aware of how to control this aspect of a diabetics life and this is very sad. However, thanks to the technology of the Internet you can now receive a free diabetic diet plan and be sure that all of your meals a perfectly planned out correctly to control your diabetes or to prevent any more diabetic symptoms.

I have found this resource for a Free Diabetic Meal Plan

Senin, 22 Juni 2009

Staying healthy with diabetes

Both type 1 & type 2 diabetes are serious diseases, and can lead to the same complications. But you can do many things to stay well. Eating healthily, increasing your physical activity & learning as much as possible about diabetes are important first steps. Seeking medical advice & having regular blood sugar checks & tests for the complications of diabetes are all part of a good diabetes management as well.

  • Eat healthily

  • Get physical exercise

  • Lose weight

  • Seek medical advice

  • Reduce stress

  • Stop smoking

A healthy lifestyle plays a huge role in staying healthy with diabetes. Several elements contribute to a healthy lifestyle:

A balanced diet: Eating healthily helps to control blood sugar levels, maintain body weight, control high cholesterol, reduce high blood pressure, and prevent heart disease.

The so-called "diabetic diet" is not in fact a diet, but rather a healthy eating plan ideal for all the family.

Physical exercise: Exercise helps improve fitness, burn calories and thus reduce body fat and control your weight. For people with diabetes, exercise lowers blood sugar. Like insulin, it helps your body use its blood sugar efficiently.

Losing weight: Losing weight will help your body use insulin better.

Seeking medical advice: Your doctor can advise what treatment is more appropriate for your condition and how you can be better in control of your life.

Reducing stress: Although the exact relationship bewteen stress and the risk of diabetes is still unclear, it seems that stress can be a cause of bad use of insulin by the body.

Stopping smoking: Stopping smoking is of major benefit in the prevention of major diabetes complications such as coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Eat healthily

For most people, a healthy diet consists of three key nutritional elements:

  • 40 to 60% of calories from carbohydrates

  • 20% from protein

  • 30% or less from fat

Each of these elements, as well as vitamins and minerals, are essential for the maintenance, growth and development of the body. But it is vital that you always keep a good balance between these different food types.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. They are found in fruit, vegetables, beans, dairy foods and starchy foods, which include cereal products, potatoes, cooked dried beans, pasta, rice and bread (starchy foods are higher in calories than fruit and vegetables). Try fruit juices or dried fruit and plenty of fresh vegetables

Fats (or lipids) are a concentrated source of energy and one of their purposes is to store energy. Fats are found in meat, dairy products and vegetable oils. Fats can be further subdivided between saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products, such as butter and cheese. Unsaturated fats are contained in vegetable oils such as margarine and olive oil. Diets containing more unsaturated fats are usually seen as “healthier”, but it is important to control and limit the overall intake of fat. Try to avoid fried foods, mayonnaise-based dishes and high-fat dairy products.

Protein has a wide range of vital functions. Good sources of proteins are poultry, meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, beans, nuts and some vegetables.
Choose lean cuts of meat and trim any fat you can see. Take the skin off poultry. Choose non-fat or reduced-fat cheese and yogurt.

Consult your doctor or dietitian to work out a meal plan with you. You need an individualized eating plan. For example, a young athlete with type 1 diabetes will have other nutritional needs than, say, a small woman with type 2 diabetes who needs to lose some weight.

Physical exercise

Activity can be any form of movement that continues for ten minutes or longer, making you mildly warm and quickening your breathing.

Activities like walking, vacuuming and gardening can all count. Regular physical exercise, e.g. aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, swimming or cycling, use a wider range of muscles and may get you fitter faster and can help to reduce excess weight, prevent diabetes and reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors.

However it is not necessary to spend any money or extra time on activity. The recommended amount is 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day.

Lose weight

Losing weight is another big part of your diabetes treatment which can be achieved by a healthy eating plan and exercise.

With a healthy meal plan, you eat less calories because you fill up on low fat foods, not fatty foods. Decide with your health care provider how much you should lose. Sometimes, just 5 or 10 kilos (10 or 20 pounds) is enough to bring diabetes under control.

Then decide how much you want to lose per week. Slow weight loss is healthier and easier.

Blood glucose level

People with type 1 diabetes require multiple daily insulin injections for survival. Their daily life includes regular blood monitoring to check the level of sugar in the blood.

People with type 2 diabetes may require oral hypoglycaemic drugs to lower blood sugar and some may need insulin injections.

Seek advice

Talk to your doctor about how often you should test your blood glucose level. Write down each result, along with the time and date. You will soon learn how well your treatment plan is working.

Also talk to your doctor or other healthcare providers to check for problems that diabetes can cause. Doing this can prevent complications or find them early, when they can be treated and managed well. There are some tests that you should get on a regular basis. These include:

Have regular checks and tests

The lowering of elevated blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease substantially. If lifestyle measures, including sodium restriction, are insufficient then drugs should be prescribed.

The lowering of blood cholesterol level will help reduce the process of atherosclerosis and lower the risks of heart disease.

Have your feet checked, eyes and kidneys tested. Check with your doctor how often you should have them tested.

Reduce stress

Although the exact relationship bewteen stress and the risk of diabetes is still unclear, it seems that stress can be a cause of bad use of insulin by the body.

A social lifeHaving a social life is a necessary part to any healthy lifestyle, yet it is hardly ever mentioned in any guidelines for the control of diabetes. A healthy social life, taking time out to relax with your friends and family is both vital in reducing our stress levels, thus reducing a possible factor to the development of diabetes, and helps people with diabetes to take control of their condition. Having to take extra care of yourself and administer medication does not mean that you cannot have a healthy social life.

Relaxation techniquesRelaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation can also play a role in the prevention of diabetes complications, and of cardiovascular disease in particular.

Stop smoking
Smoking and diabetes is a dangerous mixture. Stopping smoking is of major benefit in the prevention of major diabetes complications such as coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, even in those who have smoked for a very long time.

If you are serious about quitting, your doctor or healthcare team can help. Keep trying; your health is worth it.

Minggu, 21 Juni 2009

How Do You Know Whether You Have Diabetes?

The typical American lifestyle reads like the ADA's list of risk factors. We're obese & inactive. We eat foods that give us high blood glucose & high cholesterol. We stress ourselves out & raise our blood pressure. It's not surprising, that there are over one & a half million people with type 2 diabetes in California alone.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of diabetes. If you find yourself experiencing them, it may be a good idea to check with your doctor.

* Frequent urination
* Extreme hunger
* Excessive thirst
* Unexplained weight loss
* Blurry vision
* Increased fatigue
* Irritability

Some people get "pre-diabetes," a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels, but nothing high enough to diagnose as diabetes. This can still be harmful to the body, but if you are aware of the possibility, you can prevent it from ever becoming full-blown diabetes.

To avoid diabetes is to keep your blood glucose levels. You must eating right - plenty of fruits & vegetables, whole grains over Wonderbread, fish, dried beans, lean meats, diet drinks over sugar-laden ones, liquid oils over solid fats. This also means cutting back on the desserts & generally watching portion sizes.

The other key to avoiding diabetes is lots of exercise. If you can walk instead of driving, do it. Anything that gets you moving will help, for example doing some sport activity like running, swimming or playing football. If you feel that you may be at risk, talk to your doctor about safe exercise for people who may have trouble maintaining healthy glucose levels during exercise.

In the end we must be wise up, so diabetes doesn't have to continue to be one.

How to Control Your Diabetes Naturally

Diet for diabetes is key in the regulation of blood sugar levels. It's been said many times that the right diet, along with exercise & medication, is key in controlling diabetes.

Why we need to control diabetes in the first place? Although diabetes itself is not life-threatening, control measures are necessary so as to prevent complications like kidney problems and heart failure either which can ultimately lead to death. Such being the case, regulating blood sugar levels should therefore be the primary goal of every diabetic treatment plan.

You must know that certain foods trigger abnormal spikes of your blood sugar levels. Thus, it may be necessary to embark on the right diet for diabetes. There are foods that are highly recommended for diabetics to eat; at the same time there are also those that they must avoid.

Ideally, diet for diabetes should comprise of the following:

fiber-rich foods
whole grains, bran, brown rice
vegetables
fresh fruits
nuts, seeds, legumes
fish

Whereas, the following foods should be avoided or at least limited:

foods rich in fat
salty foods
sweets

There is what is called the diabetes food pyramid that clearly illustrates the ideal diet for diabetes. The bottom of the pyramid represents foods that you must eat plenty of, and this includes starches or whole grain starches in the form of bread, cereals, pasta, corn, and potatoes. The next level of the pyramid are vegetables and fruits; next in line are milk, meat and meat substitutes, while at the top of the pyramid are fat and sweets, and these you should very well limit your intake of.

This diet for diabetes also requires that 45% - 65% of the total daily calories should come from carbohydrates, 25-35% from fat, while 12-20% from proteins.

Aside from knowing the right foods to eat, it is also important that you know exactly when to eat & how much to eat. Always keep in mind that anything in excess can have negative repercussions to your health.

As you must know not every diet for diabetes works effectively for diabetics. Each one has different sets of needs and requirements, the reason why it is highly recommended that you see a diabetic dietician to help you come up with the right meal plan based on your body weight and needs. This way, you will not have to eat too much of anything that you shouldn't, and not too little of those that you should.

If you think that this diet for diabetes seems rather boring, more so if you have a sweet tooth, think again, because with some bits of creativity, you can easily whip up a great meal that is just as delicious as any other meal you have been used to. A glass of fruit shake, & a toast of wheat bread can be a great way to start your day.

Indeed, a diet for diabetes can certainly be palatable, too, and since you are basically using natural products, you can be sure that it will give you loads of health benefits.

You'll be surprised that this dietary regimen not only regulates your blood sugar levels naturally but makes you feel a lot healthier in the process. So even if you are not a diabetic, you can most certainly achieve better health with this diet for diabetes.

Sabtu, 20 Juni 2009

Fruits For Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder which can be cured through natural means. Do not resort to the use of medications. We can prevent diabetes by paying attention to our food intake. Most of the diabetics are confused, what fruits that they can eat without elevating their blood sugar levels.

To most people, the taking of whatever fruit is safe for diabetes. However, they do not take into consideration the quantity of sugar especially glucose that are found in fruits. Some diabetics would complain that despite taking medications as well as controlling the intake of sugar & carbohydrates, their blood sugar levels are not satisfactory. At most times it turned out that their choice of fruits was false from the start.

A fruit that most not be consumed on a regular basis is the watermelon which has about 70 % glucose.

Other fruits that should only be taken on an infrequent basis include fresh apricot, banana, raisins, melon and pineapple. These fruits contain 50 - 70 % glucose.

So as a matter of differentiation, as long as the fruit is sweet, then it should be moderately taken.
You can take the following fruits that have a glucose content of less than 50 %:

1. Grapefruit: This has been found to lower the glucose level in a few days after intake & it is very good for diabetes.
2. Apple is another good fruit and as the saying goes-an apple a day can keeps the doctor away- aptly applies.
3. Other permitted fruits dried apricot, pear, plum & orange.