Archive for the ‘Diabetes’ Category

Diabetes Information from Diagnostic Tests

Diabetes information? This is what is needed in order to confirm the diagnosis. There are symptoms to go on like frequent urination and others that may give a clue. For some, however, it is wise to take precaution for sometimes the symptoms do not appear until the condition is more advanced. Therefore, if one is at risk, it is wise to see the doctor to get tested.

How does one know he is at risk to develop this condition? This is one diabetes information that is good to have in order to catch it early. This way, there is a better chance to try to prevent it along with the complications that may come with it. Here are the risks:

  • Family history - Having a parent, a bother or a sister with diabetes will put one at risk.
  • Weight - One who is obese or overweight, especially with greater than 35-inch waist for a woman and 40-inch for men will put one at greater risk.
  • Lack of activity - One who gets little or no exercise has a greater risk.
  • Age - The risk of type 2 diabetes is higher for those 45 years old and over.
  • Race - Hispanic American, Black American, Asian American, American Indian, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander have a higher risk.

Now that the risks are there to help one decide whether to get tested or not, there are other diabetes information the doctor will need for proper diagnosis. The doctor may think a patient has diabetes because of the symptoms but to be sure, blood tests are used.

Before undergoing the test make sure one is in good health. That is, one does not have flu or cold or something else. Why? With a cold or some other illness, the reading may not provide the correct diabetes information. There may be problems in getting the accurate readings.

The doctor is the only one who can diagnose diabetes. Once at his office, the doctor will give a screening test. What is involved in the screening test? It requires a drop of blood that will tell the doctor that one might have diabetes. If this is so, the doctor will then do a diagnostic test that will provide the diabetes information needed to be sure.

The first test, called the fasting plasma glucose test, is simple. The blood glucose level fluctuates and is at its highest after eating and the lowest after overnight of fasting or at least for eight hours. The doctor takes a small amount of blood from the vein and sends it to the lab for assessment.

The diabetes information showing a blood glucose level below 100 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood is considered normal. If the reading is between 100 to 125 mg/dL, the diagnosis is impaired fasting glucose which is known as prediabetes.

The random blood glucose test is also simple. There is no special preparation like an overnight fast. The oral glucose tolerance test is different. It is hardly used now because the other tests are less expensive. This involves an eight hour fast. The patient will be asked to drink eight ounces of liquid that contains about 75 grams of sugar.

There you have the diabetes information needed to make a firm diagnosis. It is good to get this early because researchers have learned a lot on how to diagnose the condition early and how to manage it. These advances will help one live well and prevent complications if the doctor’s advice regarding eating, exercise, medications and glucose monitoring is followed.

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Brief Biography: Dr. Guzman worked for the Atlantic Health Corporation and was consultant to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Sussex Mental Health Clinic, and St. Stephen Mental Health Clinic for many years. He was Director of Forensic Psychiatry at Centracare for ten years and published numerous articles in the Journal of the American College of Forensic Psychiatry and other medical magazines.

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Chromium Picolinate For Diabetes

Diabetes and blood sugar levels can be such a huge challenge to many people with the disease and their families, so when a little extra help is available they need to know about it.

Chromium picolinate is a nutritional supplement that can help control diabetes. As the name suggests, it is a combination of two different substances: chromium and picolinate. Chromium is a mineral that helps to increase the efficiency of insulin. Insulin being the hormone that controls blood glucose or blood sugar levels. Picolinate is an amino acid derivative that allows the body to use chromium much more readily.

Scientists has known for a long time that chromium is a vital nutrient, but not until chromium was combined with picolinate was a truly effective way of providing supplemental chromium developed. In the body, chromium ( a mineral) takes the form of an ion, which is a particle with an electrical charge. This charge is repelled by the body’s cells, making it difficult for the chromium to enter the cells. That’s where the picolinate comes in, it is a chelator, a substance that can bind with an ion and neutralize its charge. The body’s cells then are able to accept the chromium.

Chromium deficiency has been linked to diabetes. Studies have found chromium supplementation to be helpful for people with type 1 and type 11 diabetes, as well as for women with diabetes that occurs during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).

What is also interesting is the shape of individual insulin molecules. It is important to the hormone’s effectiveness. If the molecules maintain their proper shape, the insulin can effectively transport glucose into the cells, where it is needed. Without chromium, insulin molecules become misshapen, which can leave them unable to effectively transport glucose. Without an effective transportation system, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, starting a chain reaction that eventually leads to diabetes.

Research has been conducted on individuals with a number of different health problems, including diabetes and it shows that most people with diabetes experience a decline in blood glucose levels after they start taking daily chromium picolinate supplements. It is believed that chromium picolinate may be able to help many people with diabetes (especially type 11 diabetes) to control their blood sugar levels. This of course would allow them to cut back on their intake of insulin and other drugs, likely resulting in fewer side effects. Since improving the action of insulin also helps the body to use fat as a fuel, chromium picolinate can help reduce obesity. This means that it may, hopefully, enable some people with type 11 diabetes to lose enough weight to stop taking drugs entirely.

Chromium helps with sweet cravings which helps with weight loss and management.

However, it is not recommended that people with diabetes simply go out and buy chromium picolinate supplements and start taking it. Anyone interested in using chromium picolinate supplements should first seek the advice of a qualified health care provider, preferably a nutritionally oriented physician who has experience in this area.

Blood sugar levels must be monitored carefully and the appropriate dosages of insulin or other drugs adjusted as needed in response. A potentially dangerous insulin reaction may occur as a result of too little glucose in the blood.

It’s our gift to ourselves, how we take care of it. We can float through days, months, years, not paying any attention to our health. Yes, we are busy, things to do, children to raise, careers to contend with, but all these areas need us to be healthy. We need clean water & exercise, and nutrition to keep our bodies in good working vibrant condition.
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Diabetes and Your Body

Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot produce insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugars, starches and other food into energy that wee need for day to day activities. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), over 20.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, while another 6.2 million people don’t even know that they have the disease.

Detecting Diabetes

People are tested for diabetes through two types of tests: a fasting plasma glucose test (FPGT) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Both tests are used to determine whether or not a person is predisposed to Diabetes or if the person already has Diabetes. FPG tests that result in blood glucose levels of 126 mg or higher indicate that a person has diabetes. OGT tests that result in blood glucose levels of 200 mg or higher indicate that a person has diabetes.

Types of Diabetes

There are several types of diabetes. The most commonly known ones are Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is less common among people and results from the body’s failure to produce insulin. Most Americans are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which results from insulin resistance and deficiency. Another type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This affects approximately 4% of all pregnant women. Usually, it develops when the woman is pregnant due to hormone changes, and after the baby is born, usually goes back to normal. Many people also have what is known as “pre-diabetes,” which is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are high but not necessarily high enough for that person to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Prevention

If you are at risk for getting diabetes (either it runs in your family or you have pre-diabetes symptoms), then the best way to prevent yourself from being diagnosed is to monitor what you eat as well as stay active. Also, healthy lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking, increasing exercise and going for regular checkups can greatly reduce your chances of getting diabetes.

Myths About Diabetes

We have all heard various information about diabetes. The following are some of the myths that the ADA has dispelled:

  • Eating too much sugar causes diabetes- Not true. Diabetes is caused by genetic and lifestyle factors. However, being overweight CAN increase your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.
  • People with diabetes can’t eat starchy foods- Not true. Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean that you can’t eat what you once used to. It simply means that you have to decrease your portion sizes and eat in moderation, which is advice that everyone (not just diabetics) should follow.

Having diabetes doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Over the years, there have been numerous medical advances that have made living with diabetes a positive experience for those who have it.

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How Do I Lower High Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is extremely dangerous, no ifs or buts. When your body reaches the point where through one reason or another, the glucose levels are unable to be brought down by the body’s means, then the situation can spiral out of control fairly quickly. Hyperglycemia is a term commonly used in medical circles. Usually, with a healthy individual with a fully functioning blood sugar control system this is not a problem but through a combination of the wrong lifestyle choices and/or genetic disposition things can get out of control.

It is important to recognize the signs before things go to far.

  • Lack of energy at any time of day
  • Poor healing from cuts and scrapes, especially on the feel
  • Constant craving for high sugar foods
  • Constant thirst
  • Constant need to visit the toilet
  • Feeling blurry or spaced out

Keep close guard over all these classic signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Chances are, if things get this advanced you will already have some suspicion that something is not how it should be. When things have reached this stage, there are several things you can do to help alleviate the problems quickly but you should certainly notify your local GP or doctor as well. Very high blood sugar levels should not be brushed aside as something you will get over with a weekend off.

A few points of practicality.

Immediately stop the ingestion of any form of carbohydrate and sugar. This is a given, by this you are stopping adding fuel to the fire.

Only drink water, no caffeine or fruit juice, beer, wine, fruit teas, nothing just water.

Go for long brisk walks to help burn up the sugar in your system.

Do not eat after 6 pm. Do not eat anything.

Try to go without breakfast, and if you do have breakfast then make sure it is purely protein based eg: eggs, meat, cheese.

These pointers may make you feel a little groggy but for the time being they will certainly help to bring your sugar levels back down to a reasonable level.

For a more indepth look at how to lower blood sugar levels go to http://diabetestype2cure.blogspot.com and step on the road to a diabetes type 2 cure

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Diabetes Myths - A Must for Every Diabetic to Know

Insulin and food are key components of diabetes care. Diabetics have many doubts and suspicions. It’s no surprise that a lot of myths in diabetes revolve around these two topics. In this article I have tried to clear these myths so that more and more diabetics have the true knowledge to for better management.

Myth No.1> No Symptoms of Diabetes Appear before Damage Has Occurred Diabetes is sometimes called “the Silent Disease,” but this is not true. Diabetes actually has plenty of symptoms like increased urination, increased thirst, dry skin, fatigue, blurry vision, irritability, extreme hunger, eating without weight gain, unexpected and unusual weight loss, these symptoms aren’t severe, so they often go unnoticed by parents and caretakers.Put simply, it’s hard to accept the fact that there’s something seriously wrong with body.

Myth No.2> Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Are the Same Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes share some common characteristics but they are hardly the same disease. They differ in the following ways:

Type 1 is a genetic tendency plus a virus. These patients have an absolute lack of insulin and most cases occur in childhood. Type 1 can’t be controlled by diet and exercise alone. Most patients are thin.

The cause of Type 2 is heredity plus obesity plus a sedentary lifestyle. These patients have insulin resistance and it mostly occurs after age 35.It can be controlled with diet and exercise alone. Patients are generally (but not always) fat.

Myth No.3> You Can’t Eat Sugar with Type 1 Diabetes Today, there are probably more types of insulin available than are needed. A little injected insulin can take care of lots of sugar or other carbohydrates.A corollary to this myth is that diabetes caused by consuming too many sweets. Doctors have a pretty good idea of the cause of diabetes, and sweets have nothing to do with it.

Myth No.4> You Have to Eat Special Foods When You Have Diabetes With diabetes, there’s no advantage to eating special diabetic foods. It’s difficult enough to deal with all the requirements for good diabetes care to have to eat boring tasteless foods! Food is one of life’s great pleasures. Diabetics can have excellent glucose control with regular food so long as you account for the carbohydrate in it.

Myth No.5> If You Take Insulin, You Must Have Type 1 Diabetes In Type 1, insulin is an essential part of diabetes care because the disease is characterized by a total lack of insulin in the body. On the other hand, in Type 2, insulin is a tool to get the blood glucose to a level at which diet and exercise can work. Type 2 is a lifestyle disease, not a disease of lack of insulin. When someone with Type 2 improves his diet, exercise regimen, and weight, he can manage Type 2 without insulin.

Myth No.6> Insulin Causes Atherosclerosis The fact is that insulin actually causes a decline in atherosclerosis by reversing the processes that lead to elevated blood glucose levels and elevated fatty acids in the blood.

Myth No.7> Insulin Cures Type 1 Diabetes Many myths concern great new cures for Type 1 with this medication or that medication. Ignore them. At the present time, no single medication can cure Type 1 diabetes.

Myth No.8> Women with Diabetes Shouldn’t Get Pregnant The woman with diabetes who’s even thinking about a pregnancy must improve her glucose control so that she has HbA1c below 7 percent before she conceives. She also must keep her blood glucose below 90 mg/dl before a meal and below 120 mg/dl an hour after the meal throughout the pregnancy.

Myth No.9> Doctors Are Hiding the Cure for Diabetes So They Can Make More Money There’s nothing further from the truth than this myth. Scientists are a highly competitive bunch. None of them is holding back a diabetes cure because they can feel the others breathing down their necks! Thousands of hard-working doctors and other scientists have dedicated their lives to finding a cure for diabetes

With the proper knowledge about diabetes we can easily overcome the diabetes and its related complications.

I am a Urethane Technologist by profession. I don’t know much about diabetes. I only know that diabetes is a disease we can only fight if we have the right knowledge.I know that if I will not learn I will die a miserable death like my grand parents, so I am in a continuous process of learning each and every day. I have been diagnosed pre-diabetes last year. By eating proper balanced diet, exercise and following “Eat to live and not live to eat” we can live a healthy, joyful life just like non-diabetics.

For more information visit my free sites Red Diabetes and ABC of Diabetes to help diabetics.

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Diet for Gestational Diabetes

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.

For more information about a gestational diabetes diet please visit the web site Diabetic Diet Plans by Clicking Here.

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Are You Really Ready For Your Gestational Diabetes Test?

Despite the reassurances from the doctor and nurses it is still frightening to think there may be a problem with your health, and particularly how it may impact your baby’s health. You can’t believe that you are in that small group of 15% to 20% of pregnant women that need to have a gestational diabetes test.

You have so many questions. You thought you ate the proper diet, what made you at risk for the disease and what signs of gestational diabetes did you miss? This article will explore these questions and help you understand what is involved in the test procedure.

Let’s skip your diet for the time being. We will address that in a later article. The big nagging question that keeps you up at night is…

What signs or problems did the doctor notice to want me to get a gestational diabetes test? What did the doctor or nurses not tell me?

In all probability he/she saw nothing and most certainly if they did see something to alarm them they would have told you. There are some common risk factors that usually warrant this simple and harmless test.

These include:

1. Were you overweight before you became pregnant? You may have already had pre-diabetes which has no symptoms.

2. Are you over the age of 30? Many women are waiting longer to have families and health risk does increase the older we become.

3. Have you delivered other children where one or more weighed more than nine pounds at birth?

4. Have you ever previously had a stillborn child or perhaps a miscarriage?

5. Are there any relatives in your immediate family who have diabetes or been diagnosed with pre-diabetes?

6. Has your doctor mentioned that he/she thinks you have gained more weight than your doctor recommended or believes is normal?

All of these factors are risk factors that can lead to you developing a disease that is unique only to pregnancy. This disease is known as gestational diabetes. Doctors are vigilant about testing for it if you have any risk factors because of the harm it can do to your unborn child.

Don’t put off this important test!

You and your child’s health could depend on it.

The actual testing for the disease in quite simple, but the drawn out process to get the final test results are agonizing and can be nerve raking. Your doctor may request a glucose screening be completed if you have any of these risk factors or if he/she has any other reason to suspect that you may have a problem with gestational diabetes during you pregnancy.

Most doctor offices will send you to a lab for the testing, and it is all done in an outpatient environment. The glucose test is typically done in the third trimester anywhere between the 24th to the 28th week of your pregnancy.

This test is very simple and done in 4-easy steps:

  1. You begin the test by having the nurse draw a small blood sample from your arm.
  2. Next you will drink a solution that is made up of flavored sugar added to water.
  3. After drinking this rather sweet drink you will need to wait for about an hour without eating anything or having another drink.
  4. The lab’s nurse or technician will call you back after the one hour is up so they can take another small blood sample from your arm.

The hardest part is not the blood draws, though no one likes needles! The hardest part is step 3 where you have to sit around and wait for an hour without being able to snack or drink anything. Bring a good book unless you like to read those outdated magazines while you are waiting.

The reason for making you wait an hour before drawing blood again is to give the sugar solution time to make its way into your bloodstream so that the test can be accurate.

Now for the agonizing and nerve raking part of the gestational diabetes test, It will take up to three days for the test results to come back to the doctor.

As you can see the process of testing is only a small inconvenience and the probability that you will be fine are in your favor. Only a small number of women (around 2% to 7%) develop gestational diabetes.

If you want to read more about the gestational diabetes test and diabetes during pregnancy, click over to Jill and Samuel Wyse’s informational site on diabetes at http://www.diabetes-resourceguide.com - While there, make sure to get your free report on “How to Control Your Diabetes.”

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Could I have Diabetes? Recognizing the Signs Of Diabetes

Many people who have not been diagnosed with Diabetes, or have not been told they are in the ‘at risk’ category are content to simply leave it at that. They may well be suffering from mild cases of diabetes and their lack of knowledge may be pushing them faster and faster towards a full blown case of Type Two Diabetes. Estimates of the number of Diabetes sufferers in the United State suggest that nearly six million of the 17 million diabetics do not know they have the disease.

Diabetes comes in two forms known as Type I and Type II. When the pancreas is completely unable to produce Insulin the diagnosis is Type I diabetes. In type II diabetes the body is still able to produce Insulin, but not in sufficient amounts, or the body cannot process it properly.

The classic symptoms of suffering from Diabetes include:

1. Frequent Urination - Because high blood sugar levels increase the rate of bloodflow, urination becomes more frequent.

2. Thirst - As a result of more frequent urination the body becomes dehydrated and more water is required.

3. Hunger - absence of Insulin causes hunger problems. Insulin is the main hormone responsible for transporting glucose from the bloodstream and to the cells. This glucose is the primary energy source in cells so when there is a limited supply the result is what we refer to as hunger pains.

4. Loss of weight - While the body is receiving more food and drink it is not properly processing it, so it begins to use stored energy, breaking down body fats and muscles and effectively cannibalizing itself despite the supply of food being fine.

5. Tiredness - Because of decreased cellular energy levels the body becomes fatigued faster leaving the sufferer constantly tired.

6. Depression - Lower energy levels lead to depression and irritability.

7. Eye problems - The higher blood glucose level will cause an increase in blood volume which in turn results in the leans of the eye swelling.

The early symptoms are not very severe and in many cases the diabetic is diagnosed when they are seeing their doctors regarding something else. Most are quite surprised with the initial diagnosis of diabetes. To begin with only one or two symptoms are usually noticed but as time goes on more will be apparent. The longer before the initial diagnosis the more damage is being done to the body.

Medically, there is no cure to diabetes, but the earlier the diagnosis is made the easier it is to treat the disease with exercise, good eating and medication.

Beverley Brooke tells you How to treat diabetes on her Health and Finesse Blog.

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List Of Food For Diabetics To Eat

A diet low in saturated fat with well controlled blood glucose levels that incorporates weight control, exercise and fewer refined sugars is recommended. Controlling blood glucose levels with diet, and in some cases medication, is the key. To keep blood sugar levels under control, a diabetic diet strikes a balance among the carbohydrates, fats, and protein you take in. In addition, a 1,500-calorie diabetic diet restricts calories and fat. These fruits helps to control blood sugar, levels. Due to their law glycaemic index, they promote a gradual increase in the blood sugar level which is highly beneficial to diabetics.The two most important pieces of information on food labels for a carbohydrate-controlled diet is the serving size and grams of total carbohydrate in each serving.

Increasing the number of low glycemic index foods such as legumes, barley, pasta and whole grains (e.g., cracked wheat) in your meal plan may have real benefit in controlling blood glucose levels. Most low glycemic index foods offer more fibre and are low in fat, both of which are recommended in Health Canada’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating, as well as the Canadian Diabetes Association’s nutrition guidelines. The best types are wholegrain versions as they help with your diabetes control and can make you feel full for a longer period of time. Chose to spread your bread with a low fat spread or one that is based on monounsaturated fats. The brown bread or salad slows down absorption, so the body can cope with the release of glucose from the digested food.

Among the several home remedies that have proved beneficial in controlling diabetes, perhaps the most important is the use of bitter gourd. It has lately been established that bitter gourd contains a hypoglycaemic or insulin-like principle, designated as ‘plantinsulin’, which has been found valuable in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels.

Person suffering with diabetes should not be afraid of fresh fruits and vegetables that contain sugar and starch. Fresh fruits contain sugar fructose, which does not need insulin for its metabolism and is well tolerated by diabetics.One special health benefit of dragon fruit which has been verified by the authors of this web site is the special dragon fruit health benefit that dragon fruit helps to control of glucose blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes (and type 1 diabetes by some reports), in addition to pitaya fruit nutrient profile being full of dietary fiber and Vitamin C. Fresh dragon fruit or dried dragon fruit both are great additions to a healthy diet.

Eat only whole foods cooked in your home - plain vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs and rice. These foods are naturally gluten free and use the same process times as for conventionally canned foods. There should be three to five servings of vegetables, two to three servings of milk, and two to four servings of fruits in your daily diet. You can take meat, poultry, and nuts two times in a day. It is recommended that a small amount of vegetable fat be used on bread, in cooking or in salad dressing. Food should be prepared using methods that are as low in fat as possible.

Phenols and polyphenols are found in a wide variety of plants; they give red wine and tea their heart-healthy boosts and are especially prominent in dark-colored fruits and vegetables.

There are no magic cures, no magic pills, natural or synthetic, just a simple remedy; control what you eat before you experience the complications associated with diabetes! By sticking to your diet, doing regular exercise and taking your medication (oral tablets or insulin injections), you will be able to control your blood glucose levels, and your weight. A well balanced diabetic diet which is tuned to your needs, will ensure that you feel well and stay healthy.

Following diabetic restrictions does not mean boring and mundane diet. Knowing what to eat and how much is the key to a healthy diabetic diet. Visit FreeRecipesForDiabetics.com to get free recipes for diabetic diet, meal plans, diabetic food grocery list as well as diabetic diet tips.

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How You Can Prevent Diabetes

Firstly let’s remember that anyone who have first degree relatives with diabetes are more likely to develop this disease than people with no genetic disposition and it is very important that they have themselves tested on a regular basis by their physician. The physician can do a series of blood tests that will determine whether or not the patient is pre disposed to this condition. If you are one of 41 million people in this country who have pre-diabetes or at risk for developing diabetes, you are probably asking how can you prevent diabetes from developing? Watching your carbohydrate consumption and partaking in regular exercise is a good place to start. Having pre-diabetes means blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of diabetes

As well as having a disposition to diabetes through your genes, aging, medications, being overweight and failing to get enough exercise are the other major risk factors of developing Type II diabetes. Type II Diabetes is near to being at epidemic proportions around the western world. The diabetes epidemic has mirrored the obesity epidemic currently overtaking the western world, which leads many in the medical community to believe that obesity and diabetes go hand in hand. People consume foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugars and low in nutrients at an alarming rate, a curse of the fast food era. The best way to manage your weight is to stay way from foods laden with saturated fats, and sugars. Stay away from fast food, which is usually high in fats, carbohydrates and sugars. Most fast foods offer little in the way of nutrition but are usually high in fat and carbohydrates.

Although there is little you can do about having a genetic disposition to the disease, you can ask how you can prevent becoming one of the millions of Americans who develop diabetes each year. When seeking how you can prevent diabetes, the first thing a person can do is to watch your weight. Studies have shown that you can prevent or delay pre-diabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your weight (that’s 10 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds). Set reasonable exercise, eating, and weight-loss goals, then discuss this with your health-care providers. Then ask for support from your family and friends.

Because active muscles dispel glucose from blood quicker than non-exercised muscles, regular exercise can do wonders in staving off or preventing diabetes. Find an activity you like that fits into your schedule-yoga, dancing, water aerobics, or walking. The more exercises you choose, the more interesting your life will be and the more fun you’ll have when exercising. Then work 30 minutes of those exercises into your routine at least five days a week. Not only will you reduce your risk of developing diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure but you’ll look and feel better too.

Again, the misconception that people contract diabetes through excessive consumption of sugars is inaccurate. It is not only sugar that contributes to the disease. While it is good to eliminate the use of excessive sugar in your diet, carbohydrates are also contributory to the onset of diabetes. One way on how you can prevent diabetes is becoming aware of the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index was developed in 1981 and rates which carbohydrates are more difficult to eliminate glucose from the blood.

When asking yourself how you can prevent diabetes, focus your attention on your weight, exercise and diet. In many cases, simple lifestyle changes can prevent someone from getting this potentially life threatening disease.

Want to know more about How You CanTo Prevent Diabetes then refer to my website http://www.alison-mckenzie-online.com

Alison McKenzie

http://www.alison-mckenzie-online.com/blog

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