Diabetes Nutrition Secrets
Healthy food choices are important for our nutrition. In order for all of us to feel better, maintain a healthy weight and be protected from diseases and other harmful conditions we need to pay close attention to what we put into our bodies. However, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your food selections become even more important, since diabetes nutrition can have an even greater impact on your health.
The good news is that diabetes nutrition is really not that different from the healthy food choices that the rest of the population should make. It simply becomes more important to make those choices carefully and consistently if you have this disease.
Watch your Percentages
As a general rule, diabetes nutrition should include a diet that consists of 20-40% of carbohydrates, 20-40% from protein, and 30% or less from fat. This should be measured by the amount of calories consumed and is good guideline for anyone with diabetes.
In addition to monitoring the correct percentages of the types of food you eat, it is also important to make good choices within those percentages. For example, opt for organic fruits and vegetables from the health food store instead of the chemical laden kind you get at the supermarket.
Go with a skinless chicken breast rather than a piece of red meat as often as possible. By consistently acting in a conscientious manner when planning your menus and making your food selections, you will go far in keeping your diabetes nutrition where it should be.
What to Include In Your Diabetes Diet
Diabetes nutrition is not that different from nutrition for everyone else, so stick with the standard guidelines of nutrition and you will go far in helping to manage your disease. If you are overweight, you will also want to opt for low-calorie and low-fat foods that will help you to drop the excess pounds and maintain a healthier weight. Always remember to drink a lot of water.
Along with organic fruits and vegetables being at the top of your diabetes nutrition list, you may want to add plenty of whole grains that will offer the necessary fiber and nutrients. Your protein selections should be of the lean and low-fat varieties.
Try soy protein as plant based protein is better for you than animal based protein. Animal based protein comes from meat that you consume. If you insist on eating meat try to add wild fish and beans instead of red meat whenever possible to meet your diabetes requirements.
What to Avoid In Your Diabetes Diet
Like any healthy diet program, diabetes nutrition consists of keeping foods high in fat and sugar to a minimum for both weight control and nutritional considerations. Although most medical professionals will agree that a little sugar is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to diabetes nutrition, too much of a good thing can become a problem rather quickly.
Therefore, it is important to limit your intake of refined sugar items as well as those that are fried or high in fat from other sources. Stay away from all processed foods (fast food, potato chips, candy etc.) They have no nutritional content whatsoever.
Keep in mind that even healthy foods contain calories, so it is also important to monitor portion sizes as a part of diabetes nutrition.
Brue M. Baker, is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from all across the country sky-rocket their health and well-being. Find out how you can get your hands on the best natural vitamins by visiting: http://www.DynamicHealthTips.com
Managing Type II Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, it accounts for 90% of the diabetes cases. Even though 17 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, only half of these people know that they are diabetic. There are many factors for the widespread growth of this disease that range from diet, lack of exercise and genetics. However, there is hope, with the help of your doctor, nutritionists and personal trainer; it can be a manageable disease.
What makes type 2 diabetes different than type 1 diabetes is not lack of insulin production, although with time this can develop. The first stage in type 2 diabetes is the condition called insulin resistance. Insulin is an important hormone that transports sugar in the form of glucose, which is the main source of cellular energy, into the cells. Diabetes is a very serious condition, if it is left untreated, blood glucose levels rise too high. High glucose and out of control diabetes wreaks havoc on the body by both starving the cells of energy, as well as damaging eyes, kidneys, nerves and the cardiovascular system.
While there are some people who have type 2 diabetes in its early stages experience no noticeable physical symptoms, others suffer from some of the most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes which are increased thirst, increased urination, fatigue, kidney damage, increased appetite, blurry vision, slow healing wounds and erectile dysfunction in men.
Some of the risk factors for those who are most likely to develop type 2 diabetes are: Genetics, having a close family member with diabetes; Obesity, those who are overweight are much more likely to become diabetic; African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are most likely to develop the disease; Those over 45 are more likely to be diabetic; and Hypertension
Blood glucose monitoring is an essential tool in blood sugar management. Testing your blood glucose tells you your blood glucose level at any one time. It is also important to keep a log of your results. You should then bring this record to your health care provider. Doing this will help you have a good picture of your body’s response to your diabetes care plan. Blood glucose checks also help you to know what diet or medicine changes are working and what is not working. This will allow you and your doctor, nutritionist, dietary educator to make necessary changes.
If you are unable to manage your diabetes with diet and exercise, medication may be necessary. Some drugs help the pancreas produce more insulin, some help the liver to produce less sugar, some decrease the stomachs ability to absorb carbohydrates, and some work on the cellular level to help the cells take in the glucose.
There is hope in the form of holistic help for those who suffer from diabetes. One of the newer and most effective products for treating diabetes is Eleotin. There are also some great products that are combinations of herbs and nutrients that have been proven in clinical studies to lower blood sugar like Sweet Balance. Perhaps the most studied nutrient for managing blood sugars is chromium picolinate.
The author of this article recommends visiting http://www.squidoo.com/typeIIdiabetes/ for more information.
Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic
According the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 15.7 million Americans who have diabetes. This disease is the main cause of blindness in people between the ages of twenty and seventy and is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.
If this disease is not properly managed, diabetes can cause kidney disease, hypertension, heart disease, edema, neuropathy, and infections of the mouth, feet, skin, lungs and genitalia. The skin infections do not heal properly and can even lead to amputation of extremities.
Type 2 diabetes has become the most common form of disease affecting 90-95 percent of the people who have diabetes. For people who have type II diabetes, not enough insulin is manufactured by the pancreas. Another problem is that the cells can become insulin resistant. When this happens, glucose accumulates in the blood instead of entering the cells.
Type 2 diabetes usually develops later in life; however, the disease is now becoming more common in people in their thirties and even late twenties.
The most common risk factors among those who develop this condition include diet, weight, race, age, lack of exercise and genetics. The most common ethnic groups to have type 2 diabetes are Latinos, American Indians, African-Americans, and American Asians.
The real danger of diabetes is the complications associated from inconsistent insulin levels and elevated blood glucose. One dangerous complication is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), or another dangerous condition known as hyperosmolar syndrome. DKA happens when insulin levels are so low that the body starts metabolizing stored fat to use as fuel. When the fat breaks down, a byproduct is released that is known as ketones which cause the body to become too acidic.
Ketoacidosis is typically seen in those with type 1 diabetes, but can happen to those with type 2 as well. The symptoms can include nausea, sweet breath, having a hard time breathing and confusion which can lead to a coma.
Hyperosmolar syndrome is a result of elevated blood sugars accompanied with dehydration. This condition is more common in those with type 2 diabetes who also take steroid medications. Hyperosmolar syndrome can also be a result of a stress from another illness. Symptoms can include confusion, tiredness, and in the most severe cases, coma. Often, in older adults, type 2 diabetes is not discovered until the symptoms of hypersmolar syndrome are reported to a doctor.
If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you probably have a lot of questions and may even have a hard time grasping the severity and the responsibilities that come with this condition. It must now become a priority to take care of your body. If you are overweight, it is time to drop those extra pounds. You will also need to cut back on sugars, eat more fiber, and limit fours and white rice and to start a regular exercise regime.
You will also want to make an appointment with an optometrist make sure that your eyes are in good shape. Other important things that you can do are monitor the health of your feet for sores and losing feeling in the toes.
To learn more about what you can do to improve your health if you have type 2 diabetes, visit http://www.squidoo.com/typeIIdiabetes/
Recent Discovery A Breakthrough For Texans Concerned About Diabetes?
British researchers believe they may have found a molecule that can taste sweets. This breakthrough could lead to better lines of treatment for the hundreds of thousands of diabetics who live in Dallas, Houston, Austin and elsewhere in the state of Texas.
You could call it a gut feeling, but scientists carrying out research into diabetes say they have found that a sweet taste receptor, one which senses sugar and sweeteners, is not only present in the human tongue, but also in the human intestine.
Now these researchers are trying to harness its power and utilize it like a dimmer switch. These researchers believe this finding could lead to improved treatment for diabetes, which causes blood sugar levels to become chronically higher than normal.
Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey, from the University of Liverpool’s Faculty of Veterinary Science, announced the molecule’s discovery in the intestine.
Shirazi-Beechey said that the researchers found that the sweet taste receptor and the taste protein, which is called gustducin, are present as taste cells in the intestines. These sweet sensing proteins allow both humans and animals to detect sugar or glucose within the intestine.
The doctor explains, “We discovered that mice missing the gene for either of these proteins were unable to process the production of the intestinal sugar and were therefore unable to regulate the intestinal capacity to absorb dietary sugars.”
This is a critical breakthrough because the molecule determines how much sugar the human body absorbs. If scientists can discover how to manipulate this sweet tasting molecule, then they can control how much sugar is absorbed by the intestine. Once it identifies the sweets, it sends signals to another molecule that regulates the levels of sugar taken into the body,” she said. “For example, with a dimmer switch you can control the level of light in the room. That’s what we are trying to do. We are trying to control the switch, the molecule, to increase or decrease the amount of sugar that is absorbed by the body.”
Shirazi-Beechey adds that those who use an artificial sweetener and think they are going to lose weight are sorely mistaken. “Surprisingly we also found that the receptor was able to detect artificial sweeteners in foods and drinks resulting in increased capacity of the intestine to absorb dietary sugars, which would explain why these sweeteners are unsuccessful at helping people lose weight,” she explained.
Prof Shirazi-Beechey and her team are currently working on a food supplement that may be able to control the molecule. Tests are being carried out on mice with the study is still in its early stages.
Scientists are also reporting that, besides a possible cure for diabetes, the ability to control this molecule can help those with obesity. As a side note for horse racing fans, it could help racehorses retain a high level of sugar to sustain them for long races.
Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at http://www.precedent.com