Why American’s Can’t Afford to Eat Healthy

By David Sirota

The easiest way to explain Gallup’s discovery that millions of Americans are eating fewer fruits and vegetables than they ate last year is to simply crack a snarky joke about Whole Foods really being “Whole Paycheck.” Rooted in the old limousine liberal iconography, the quip conjures the notion that only Birkenstock-wearing trust-funders can afford to eat right in tough times.

It seems a tidy explanation for a disturbing trend, implying that healthy food is inherently more expensive, and thus can only be for wealthy Endive Elitists when the economy falters. But if the talking point’s carefully crafted mix of faux populism and oversimplification seems a bit facile — if the glib explanation seems almost too perfectly sculpted for your local right-wing radio blowhard — that’s because it dishonestly omits the most important part of the story. The part about how healthy food could easily be more affordable for everyone right now, if not for those ultimate elitists: agribusiness CEOs, their lobbyists and the politicians they own.

As with most issues in this new Gilded Age, the tale of the American diet is a story of the worst form of corporatism — the kind whereby the government uses public monies to protect private profit.

In this chapter of that larger tragicomedy, lawmakers whose campaigns are underwritten by agribusinesses have used billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize those agribusinesses’ specific commodities (corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.) that are the key ingredients of unhealthy food. Not surprisingly, the subsidies have manufactured a price inequality that helps junk food undersell nutritious-but-unsubsidized foodstuffs like fruits and vegetables. The end result is that recession-battered consumers are increasingly forced by economic circumstance to “choose” the lower-priced junk food that their taxes support.

Corn — which is processed into the junk-food staple corn syrup and which feeds the livestock that produce meat — exemplifies the scheme.

“Over the past decade, the federal government has poured more than $50 billion into the corn industry, keeping prices for the crop … artificially low,” reports Time magazine. “That’s why McDonald’s can sell you a Big Mac, fries and a Coke for around $5 — a bargain.”

Yes, it is a bargain, but one created by deliberate government policy that serves the corn industry titans, not by any genetic advantage that makes corn derivatives automatically more affordable for the budget-strapped commoner.

The aggregate effect of such market manipulation across the agriculture industry, notes Time, is “that a dollar [can] buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit.”

So while it may be amusing to use Americans’ worsening recession-era diet as another excuse to promote cultural stereotypes, the nutrition crisis costing us billions in unnecessary healthcare costs is more about public policy and powerful special interests than it is about epicurean snobs and affluent tastes. Indeed, this is a problem not of individual proclivities or of agricultural biology that supposedly makes nutrition naturally unaffordable — it is a problem of rigged economics and corrupt policymaking.

Solving the crisis, then, requires everything from recalibrating our subsidies to halting the low-income school lunch program’s support for the pizza and French fry lobby (yes, they have a powerful lobby). It requires, in other words, a new level of maturity, a better appreciation for the nuanced politics of food and a commitment to changing those politics for the future.

Impossible? Hardly. A country that can engineer the seemingly unattainable economics of a $5 McDonald’s feast certainly has the capacity to produce a healthy meal for the same price. It’s just a matter of will — or won’t.

• David Sirota is a best-selling author of the new book “Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now.” He hosts the morning show on AM760 in Colorado. E-mail him at ds@davidsirota.com, follow him on Twitter @davidsirota or visit his website at www.davidsirota.com.

Source: Organic Consumers Association/Salon.com News

7 Nutrition Fundamentals for Losing Fat

Source: Uploaded by DrClayFitness on Mar 15, 2007 to YouTube

Dr. Clay shares 7 fundamental nutrition tips that serve as the foundation of any good diet.

Are You Addicted To Food?

 

By Rachael Moeller Gorman, “Addicted to Food?,”March/April 2011 in Eating Well

Food can enslave the brain just like drugs can. Dr. Nora Volkow’s research may help you take back control.

Every morning, Nora Volkow walks past a vending machine on her way to her office. She barely notices it. One day, however, she’s hungry, so she stops and peers in. A chocolate bar grabs her eye. She inserts her money, takes the chocolate, munches, and moves on. The next day, Volkow walks to her office as usual, but this time as she rounds the corner, she has a sudden, intense craving for chocolate. She hadn’t thought about it since her last bite the day before. She isn’t hungry. “But my brain responded in this automatic way,” she explains in her melodic Spanish accent as she sits in her office at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where she serves as director. Because the chocolate had given her so much enjoyment, just the sight of the machine made her want to eat more.

Volkow, a lithe woman with short blonde curls, provides example after example of instances in which she has succumbed to the food’s lure. Chocolate-covered raisins. Godiva at a bookstore. Chocolate-chip cookies. The woman really, really likes chocolate.

But is she an addict? People talk about being “addicted to sugar,” “addicted to potato chips” and, probably most commonly, “addicted to chocolate.” Volkow has been attempting to figure out whether we truly can be addicted to food by peering into people’s minds with high-tech scanners. She has already shown that obese people’s brains look similar to the brains of those addicted to drugs. She’s finding that food, especially the highly palatable fatty, sugary kinds that pack the inner aisles of American supermarkets, fast-food joints and, yes, vending machines, can enslave anyone and change their behaviors.

The more she can understand how “rewarding” substances, like drugs and yummy foods, can activate parts of our brains associated with addiction, the more she can help us learn how to take back control of our actions—or never lose our free will in the first place.

The Makings of a Pioneer

If you were to imagine a person whose pedigree and character destines her for a key leadership role, an NIH director, say, you might picture someone quite like Nora Volkow. Volkow’s great-grandfather was Leon Trotsky, the famous Russian revolutionary who defied Stalin, only to later be murdered in exile in Volkow’s childhood home in Mexico City. Her mother, a Spanish fashion designer, died several years ago, and her father is a chemist who still lives in Mexico. Nora Volkow herself graduated first in her class at the National University of Mexico medical school and received the Premio Robins award for best medical student of her generation. She speaks four languages fluently. She runs seven miles before work every day. She works an average of 80 hours every week.

Yet for the sake of science, she perpetually brings up her own weaknesses. Like chocolate. Which we keep coming back to.

“The other day someone gave me chocolate-covered raisins,” she says, swinging her ID chain with both hands, a twinkle in her eye. “They gave me two boxes, so I say, OK, I’ll eat half a box. Well, I ate one-and-a-half boxes!” This sort of compulsive eating, she says, is one reason that obesity has become an epidemic. Many people blame obese people for their condition, saying they simply eat too much. But it’s not that obese people lack willpower, says Volkow; there is something physical happening in their brains that prevents them from stopping. “Obesity is highly, horrifically stigmatized,” says Volkow. “It erodes your self-esteem, it interferes with social interactions, it affects your mobility. And yet so often people cannot stop it.”

The Dopamine Made Me Do It

Volkow’s interest in the chemistry and mechanisms of the brain began in Mexico City in 1981. She had just graduated from medical school and read an article in Scientific American about exciting new clinical applications of a technology called positron emission tomography (PET). PET allows scientists to see a three-dimensional image of the brain as it thinks, feels and works (previously, scientists could not watch the brain in action very well). Volkow was awestruck, and applied for a psychiatric residency at New York University to have a chance to work with nearby PET pioneers at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island.

She was particularly interested in the brains of people who lose the ability to control their actions rationally; people who, in essence, lose free will. At first, she studied schizophrenics. By the late 1980s, she started looking at the brains of alcoholics and drug addicts as well. She soon saw that the addicted brains looked decidedly different from brains of people without drug or alcohol addictions.

The most marked difference was in the dopamine cells of the reward circuit, a group of brain cells that communicate using the chemical dopamine. The circuit connects several regions in the brain involved in the feeling of reward, which has evolved to motivate us to do more of the things that make us feel good and are important for survival, like eating, having sex and taking care of children. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines highjack this circuit, causing a flood of dopamine into the area between brain cells where messages are transmitted. And this dopamine surge produces a high. Take the drugs often enough and dopamine receptors can decrease in number or become less sensitive to dopamine. When this happens, a person needs more and more of the drug to get the same effect (this is called tolerance).

As a psychiatrist, Volkow noted a similarity between drug abusers and compulsive overeaters: they both seemed to lose their rational ability to control their behaviors (around drugs and food, respectively). She wanted to know how to intervene to help those who couldn’t stop themselves. She knew that antipsychotic drugs, which block the reward-registering dopamine system, often make people eat and gain weight (as a side effect), while drugs that increase dopamine in the brain cause weight loss. In 2001, Volkow and her colleagues began exploring whether dopamine played a key role in overeating and obesity in people not on drugs.

To find out, Volkow and her crew gave a radioactive chemical that binds to dopamine receptors to 20 people—10 obese, 10 normal weight—and then scanned their brains using PET, to see whether there were any associations between their dopamine systems and their body weights.

Turns out, there were. The obese people had significantly fewer dopamine receptors in a part of the brain called the striatum. Volkow and her team surmised that with fewer receptors, the people who were obese had to eat far more food than a normal-weight person to experience the same high.

Liking and Wanting

In 2002, Volkow published a study that investigated the link between dopamine and “wanting.” When people were presented with—but not allowed to eat—warm, tasty plates of their favorite food, dopamine increased in the striatum area of their brains. The subjects said they were hungry and desired the food. This is the “wanting,” or craving; it is not the pleasure (i.e., “liking”) they likely would have experienced if they had been allowed to consume it. The people’s responses in this study were quite similar to the experiences of drug abusers watching a video showing people using cocaine: the abusers experience a dopamine surge through the parts of the brain involved in habit.

In other words, really liking chocolate or potato chips, the pleasure that occurs when your reward systems fire, isn’t the whole story of dopamine and addiction. An intense want—the desire to eat, to do everything you can to get your hands on a food and put it into your mouth—is equally important. You taste creamy milk chocolate or a salty French fry. You really, really like it. So much so that you’re conditioned to the setting in which you ate the yummy food and the next time you’re in that environment, a shot of dopamine squirts into your brain and you want that food. You crave it. You’re motivated to eat it—and to keep eating it.

This idea is central to the obesity epidemic. “There is a certain reinforcement, almost like an arousal of wanting more,” says Volkow. “A person eats a gallon of ice cream. He is not even realizing the taste of the food anymore, he’s not enjoying the pleasure of the palatability and experience; it has become automatic. The drive to have more and more [fueled by dopamine] is what maintains that behavior, independent at that point of the pleasurable response that you get.

“It’s almost like they become a robot.”

You’ve Been Conditioned

No one would become a food-devouring robot, however, if they lived in a desert or on the moon or in the year 1850, according to David Kessler, M.D., former FDA commissioner and author of The End of Overeating (Rodale, 2009). We eat, he says, because we have constant, crippling access to rich, delicious foods packed with fat and sugars, both of which activate our dopamine systems. And those conditioned cues are everywhere—commercials, fast-food restaurants that we pass on our commutes, grocery stores. Kessler postulates that fat and sugar, plus salt, have triggered mass overconsumption in the United States.

“We took fat, sugar and salt and put it on every corner, made it available 24/7, made it socially acceptable to eat anytime. We’re living in a food carnival,” he says.

Volkow’s Bethesda offices are a perfect microcosm of this American food environment: Within one-third of a mile, a visitor can find a frozen yogurt place, a greasy-spoon diner, a Mexican restaurant and at least 10 other eateries. On the first floor of the NIDA offices is a cafeteria with a hot buffet and snacks. Vending machines, like the one Volkow has a hard time resisting, live on the office floors themselves. Bowls of candy lurk on desktops and in drawers. The scent of microwave popcorn pervades the office air.

The continual need to say “NO!” to these tempting foods requires the strongest will, and some people’s wiring seems to be working against them. In a 2008 study, Volkow found that having fewer dopamine receptors (as obese people do) was associated with less activity in parts of the brain responsible for self-control. In other words, these people not only have to eat more to achieve the same “reward,” they also have a harder time stopping themselves from eating once they start. Drug addicts similarly have fewer dopamine receptors, also associated with less activity in the self-control parts of the brain. In the brain of a compulsive, “addicted” eater, inhibition is like a picket fence trying to hold back an avalanche of reward and conditioning.

“Joanne,” 39, from San Francisco, a member of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, agrees, and says that sugar and flour are her drugs. Since she was a teenager, Joanne would compulsively eat for hours at a time; in high school she learned how to make herself sick, which “led to 15 years of insanity,” she says. “There was something in my brain that would light up, and it would turn into this massive craving that I could not control.”

Joanne’s food addiction manifested as bulimia, but others in the group became obese. When she wasn’t purging, she was “white-knuckling it” through the day. “If there was food somewhere in the vicinity, the constant conversation in my head was, ‘Should I eat that? No, don’t eat that.’ Back and forth, over and over, while trying to maintain a conversation, which was almost fruitless because I wasn’t really listening, I was focused on the food.” Studies have estimated that about 10 percent of the population is addicted to food like this, and many more of us probably fall elsewhere on the food-addiction spectrum.

“Everyone understands how critical taste is [to overeating], but what Nora has shown is the role not just of taste, but of the brain and brain circuits,” says Kessler. “We now know that the learning, memory, habit and motivational circuits of the brain are what drive eating, and Nora deserves a lot of credit for pulling back the curtain and showing us what’s really at the core of this [obesity] epidemic.”

Breaking the Cycle

But even though we are inundated with hyper-palatable food, not everyone becomes an addict. “At least 50 percent of that vulnerability is related to genetics,” Volkow says. And your ability to put on the brakes is a crucial factor. “Some people are [naturally] much better at controlling their desires than others.” After genetics, Volkow says the rest is environment—if you only have access to high-calorie, cheap junk foods, that’s all you can eat.

Not everyone in the field agrees that people can be addicted to food and they object to the excuse it provides. “Interest in obesity as a brain disease should not detract from a public health focus on the ‘toxic food environment’ that is arguably responsible for the obesity epidemic,” writes psychologist Terry Wilson, Ph.D., of Rutgers University in a 2010 paper. But those who study food addiction say it does bear striking similarity to drug and alcohol addition: Ashley Gearhardt, Kelly Brownell and William Corbin at Yale have created the Yale Food Addiction Scale to determine whether a person is truly addicted to food. They adapted it from the scale for substance dependence in the DSM-IV (the “Bible” of psychiatry), and it includes criteria like whether the subject has been unsuccessful in trying to quit, whether he or she spends a lot of time trying to obtain the food, whether he or she has given up other recreational activities for the food, whether there are adverse consequences of eating the food, whether the subject becomes tolerant to the food and whether they have withdrawal symptoms. When they surveyed 233 people, these three leading researchers found that 11.6 percent of them could be diagnosed with food dependence (consuming large amounts of food despite significant issues—obesity, health problems—associated with it and the desire to stop, as well as withdrawal or tolerance). The scale could be useful in determining treatment for addicts versus those who simply experience the occasional craving.

Back in her office, surrounded by sculptures and paintings, some from her own hand (yes, she’s an artist too!), Volkow talks about how addiction steals our free will and makes us a slave to the salient substance. So is Nora Volkow a chocolate addict? “No, I’m not. We use the word way too much.” The distinction, she says, is when eating the food impairs your life, when you lose control, like when a person consistently eats so much they only eat in private out of embarrassment and spend much of their time thinking about food. “Most people [who] take drugs are not addicted to drugs, like most people who eat chocolate, even if they eat more than they should, are not addicted to chocolate.

“I may have that vulnerability, perhaps, for compulsiveness, but I am lucky enough to also have the control that leads me to plan ahead and say, I’m not going to do these things.” In other words, you can extend a hand from a present moment of strength to a future instance of weakness and wrestle your free will back from the dopamine master within.

Source: Rachael Moeller Gorman, an award-winning science writer, is a contributing editor for EatingWell.

About the Author:

An award-winning journalist, Rachael Moeller Gorman is a contributing editor at EatingWell and has written for such publications as Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Discover, Proto, Cooking Light and The Boston Globe Health/Science section, among others. She loves learning about all things science, from the environment to anthropology to medicine, and enjoys translating dense jargon into elegant prose for a variety of audiences. Profiles are her favorite, and traveling to a research site for a story is always ideal.

Rachael has her bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from Williams College and a master’s degree in environmental studies from Brown University. She has also conducted research in various genetics and neuroscience laboratories and is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of Science Writers. Please see the Articles section for a selection of her work.

How to Start The Raw Foods Diet

This is a short and simple video that offers suggestions on how you can start to transition your diet from cooked foods to raw foods. Discover how you can change your life and level of health by consuming a 100% RAW FOOD DIET.

Source: letsgetraw on YouTube

Natural Cures For Diabetes –Treat it the Natural Way

 

 

By Marilyn Reid

Frequent urination, unquenchable thirst, weakness, fatigue, tingling, numbness of extremities, and sudden weight loss. These are the common symptoms that a person suffering from diabetes experiences. Are you experiencing the same thing? If you are, then it’s high time you pay your doctor a visit and have your blood sugar checked.

What is diabetes? Diabetes is a disorder on which the body is not able to regulate the amount of sugar, particularly glucose, in the blood. Glucose plays a vital function in the body as it provides you with the energy to perform daily activities like brisk walking, working, jogging, and many others. It is regulated by the insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, and allows it to move from the blood to the muscle, liver, and fat cells to be used for fuel.  Now, if a person’s body does not produce enough insulin, also known as type 1 diabetes, or produce enough but does not use it properly, referred to as type 2 diabetes, then he or she should find diabetes treatment at once.

What are some natural cures for diabetes? When you are diagnosed with diabetes, perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind is to know what medications to take in order to treat it. Although it’s true that there are prescribed medicines for this disorder, you can always treat it the natural way just by knowing what the natural cures are. Natural cures for diabetes could range from regular exercise, good eating habits, and including raw foods in your diet.

Make sure that you get enough physical exercise to burn off the extra energy producing glucose. It can also help prevent complications that may arise from diabetes like poor circulation in the feet and legs and nervous disorders. Good eating habits, on the other hand, means managing what you eat, how much you eat, and when during the course of the day you sit down to eat. People suffering from diabetes should commit to keeping their diet varied and include a large amount of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and they should see to it that they do not eat too much or too little during every meal.

A raw food diet can also do a lot to treat diabetes the natural way. People who have tried a diet of raw and organic foods revealed that it had helped reverse diabetes without the need for pharmaceutical medication. Although it can be difficult to change your diet, especially from cooked meals to raw, the little sacrifice can be worth it in the end as it helps you achieve a healthier you.

Diabetes may be a serious disorder but it can be easily managed and treated if done the right way. Regular exercise, good eating habits, and eating raw foods can certainly do a lot. The first two may be easy for you to follow, but the third could be not. Why not learn more about rawfood nutrition and sunfoods from David Wolfe for you to be enlighten further as to what it can do to treat diabetes?

For the past 10 years Marilyn Reid has been active as an advocate for Alternative Health Therapies, with an emphasis on healthy living and raw food diets. Marilyn has been fascinated with the work of the Healthy Lifestyle Nutritionist and Guru, David Wolfe and has a blog which keeps up with the latest in the world of Healthy Lifestyles. See more facts about Diabetes.

Source:www.isnare.com

The Truth About Sugar – Parts 1 and 2- Time: 18:36

Nutrition by Natalie

Sugar Shock

How much sugar do you consume? You might be surprised just how much sugar there is in everyday food. In this video, Natalie shows you the shocking truth about how much sugar you’re consuming.

You will be surprised just how much sugar there is in common things like a soft drink, McDonalds Value Meal, fast food, Starbucks drinks, etc.

Natalie shows you how much sugar there is in certain food items including; blueberry muffins, orange juice, a poptart, Lucky Charms cereal, barbecue sauce, a Coke, Gatorade sports drink, a Starbucks Chocolate Frappuccino Mocha, a chocolate cake dessert and others.

Natalie also talks about the relationship of sugar and high fructose corn syrup to weight gain, energy, diabetes and health.

This video is an eye opener even if you aren’t on a diet.

Part Two

Foods to Eat With Type 2 Diabetes – What to Serve a Diabetic Friend

 

By RJ Brand

Keeping to a healthily balanced diet is important for everybody, and it is even more important for people suffering from any form of diabetes (and pre-diabetes). Foods to eat with type 2 diabetes are basically the same foods as you would serve to anyone following a low fat weight control regime. In short, nothing is forbidden but the amount consumed of certain things needs to be minimized.

Most people associate diabetes with a boring and restricted diet. If you have a friend or relative diagnosed with diabetes, the first time you prepare a meal for them can be a bit worrying, but it needn’t be. Don’t forget that the diabetic person will have been taught how to take care of themselves when it comes to matters of diet. As long as you don’t serve food that is too fatty, loaded with sugar or high in carbohydrates, the person with type 2 diabetes will be able to enjoy the meal in safety.

The importance of what is eaten by people with type 2 diabetes should not be underestimated; weight control is one of the first things to learn about how to manage diabetes and keeping blood sugar levels balanced is vital. Certain foods are recommended as being particularly beneficial for diabetics: for example, soya beans, chicken and curd, so opt for cooking chicken rather than beef. Starchy or sugary foods raise blood sugar, so they should be avoided; include plenty of non-starchy vegetables in the meal instead of highly processed foods such as white bread or rice.

The recommended diet of a diabetic is designed to maintain a steady level of blood glucose (sugar). If the person suffering from type 2 diabetes does not stick to an appropriate diet, their blood sugar levels can fluctuate and the health of the diabetic person will be in jeopardy if the level goes too high or too low. The diabetic person could fall into a coma, and you can die as a result of diabetic coma.

Diabetes occurs when the a person’s pancreas fails to produce a hormone called insulin, or fails to produce sufficient quantities of insulin for normal functioning, or the person’s body fail to use insulin properly. The result of any of these factors is that sugar is not absorbed into the body’s cells and instead builds up in the bloodstream. It is well-known that too much sugar can be very dangerous for a diabetic (particularly if they don’t exercise), so it is obviously safer to avoid cakes and pastries, but it should also be borne in mind that some fruits have a higher sugar content than is desirable.

As with any low fat diet, certain foods are best avoided altogether, while other foods can be eaten in small portions; the amount of fat consumed is important, and the number of calories must be considered at the same time. When you are first learning about the type of foods to eat with type 2 diabetes, it can seem like a minefield; it is obviously worrying to think about how seriously food can affect a person with type 2 diabetes. The safest way of dealing with catering for diabetic friends or relatives is to invest in a proper diabetic cookbook; this will remove any element of guesswork for you and make mealtimes pleasurable.

Source: www.isnare.com

4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes For Life

NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations.

• Tengo diabetes
• ¿Corro riesgo?

 

4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. For Life.

4 Steps to Control Your Diabetes. For Life.

Also available in these languages:

Cambodian, Chinese, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, Vietnamese

Related Publications

Take Care of Your Heart. Manage Your Diabetes (in English)

(NDEP-52EN)

This patient education sheet explains the link between diabetes and heart disease. It encourages patients to work with their health care team to set targets and manage their blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It includes a record form to track target numbers.

Tips to Help You Stay Healthy

(NDEP-8)

This tip sheet helps people work with their health care team to make a successful diabetes action plan.

In addition to a downloadable file (PDF) of the four-page tip sheet, online only, two-page PDF versions in two-color and black &white formats are available for ease of printing.

Find Similar Publications

To find similar publications based on keywords and/or audience, click the links below:

Diabetes Status: I Have Diabetes

Audiences:General Audience, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Older Adults, Adults

Keywords:A1C, Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, Cholesterol

View more Publications »

These four steps help people with diabetes understand, monitor, and manage their diabetes to help them stay healthy. This publication is excellent for people newly diagnosed with diabetes or who just want to learn more about controlling the disease.

Publication date: 11/01/2009

 

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Contents

• Introduction
• Step 1: Learn about diabetes.
• Step 2: Know your diabetes ABCs.
• Step 3: Manage your diabetes.
• Step 4: Get routine care.
• My Diabetes Care Record
• Where to get help

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This booklet presents four key steps to help you manage your diabetes and live a long and active life.

Diabetes is a serious disease. It affects almost every part of your body. That is why a health care team may help you take care of your diabetes:

• doctor
• dentist
• diabetes educator
• dietitian
• eye doctor
• foot doctor
• mental health counselor
• nurse
• nurse practitioner
• pharmacist
• social worker
• friends and family

You are the most important member of the team.

The marks in this booklet show actions you can take to manage your diabetes.

• Help your health care team make a diabetes care plan that will work for you.
• Learn to make wise choices for your diabetes care each day.

 

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Step 1: Learn about diabetes.

Diabetes means that your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high. There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes – the body does not make insulin. Insulin helps the body use glucose from food for energy. People with type 1 need to take insulin every day.

Type 2 diabetes – the body does not make or use insulin well. People with type 2 often need to take pills or insulin. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes.

Gestational (jes-TAY-shon-al) diabetes – occurs in some women when they become pregnant. It raises her future risk of developing diabetes, mostly type 2. It may raise her child’s risk of being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is serious.

You may have heard people say they have “a touch of diabetes” or that their “sugar is a little high.” These words suggest that diabetes is not a serious disease. That is not correct. Diabetes is serious, but you can learn to manage it!

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

All people with diabetes need to make healthy food choices, stay at a healthy weight, and move more every day.

Taking good care of yourself and your diabetes can help you feel better. It may help you avoid health problems caused by diabetes such as:

• heart attack and stroke
• eye problems that can lead to trouble seeing or going blind
• nerve damage that can cause your hands and feet to hurt, tingle, or feel numb. Some people may even lose a foot or a leg.
• kidney problems that can cause your kidneys to stop working
• gum disease and loss of teeth

When your blood glucose is close to normal you are likely to:

• have more energy.
• be less tired and thirsty and urinate less often.
• heal better and have fewer skin, or bladder infections.
• have fewer problems with your eyesight, feet, and gums.

• Ask your health care team what type of diabetes you have.
• Learn why diabetes is serious.
• Learn how caring for your diabetes helps you feel better today and in the future.
  

 

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Step 2: Know your diabetes ABCs.

Talk to your health care team about how to manage your A1C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol. This can help lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes problems. Here’s what the ABCs of diabetes stand for:

A for the A1C test (A-one-C).

It shows what your blood glucose has been over the last three months. The A1C goal for many people is below 7. High blood glucose can harm your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, feet, and eyes.

B for Blood pressure.

The goal for most people with diabetes is below 130/80.

High blood pressure makes your heart work too hard. It can cause heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

C for Cholesterol (ko-LES-ter-ol).

The LDL goal for people with diabetes is below 100.
The HDL goal for men with diabetes is above 40.
The HDL goal for women with diabetes is about 50.

LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. It can cause a heart attack or a stroke. HDL or “good” cholesterol helps remove cholesterol from your blood vessels.

• Ask your health care team:
  • what your A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers are
  • what your A1C*, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers should be
  • what you can do to reach your targets
• Write down all your numbers on the record card at the back of this booklet.

*An A1C of less than 7 is the goal for many people but not for everyone. Talk to your health care team about what A1C target is right for you.

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Step 3: Manage your diabetes.

Many people avoid the long-term problems of diabetes by taking good care of themselves. Work with your health care team to reach your ABC target. Use this self-care plan.

• Follow your diabetes meal plan.If you do not have one, ask your health care team to help you develop a meal plan.
  • Eat healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meats, chicken or turkey without the skin, dry peas or beans, whole grains, and low-fat or skim milk and cheese.
  • Keep fish and lean meat and poultry portions to about 3 ounces (or the size of a deck of cards). Bake, broil, or grill it.
  • Eat foods that have less fat and salt.
  • Eat foods with more fiber such as whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta.
• Get 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week. Brisk walking is a great way to move more.
• Stay at a healthy weight by using your meal plan and moving more.
• Ask for help if you feel down. A mental health counselor, support group, member of the clergy, friend, or family member who will listen to your concerns may help you feel better.
• Learn to cope with stress. Stress can raise your blood glucose. While it is hard to remove stress from your life, you can learn to handle it. NDEP’s Diabetes HealthSense provides online access to resources that support people with diabetes in making changes to live well. For more information visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/HealthSense.
• Stop smoking. Ask for help to quit. Call 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669)
• Take medicines even when you feel good. Ask your doctor if you need aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Tell your doctor if you cannot afford your medicines or if you have any side effects.
• Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots, and swelling. Call your health care team right away about any sores that do not go away.
• Brush your teeth and floss every day to avoid problems with your mouth, teeth, or gums
• Check your blood glucose. You may want to test it one or more times a day. Use the card at the back of this booklet to keep a record of your blood glucose numbers. Be sure to show it to your health care team.
• Check your blood pressure if your doctor advises.
• Report any changes in your eyesight to your health care team.

• Talk with your health care team about your blood glucose targets. Ask how and when to test your blood glucose and how to use the results to manage your diabetes.
• Use this plan as a guide to your self-care.
• Discuss how your self-care plan is working for you each time you visit your health care team.

 

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Step 4: Get routine care.

See your health care team at least twice a year to find and treat any problems early.

At each visit be sure you have a:

• blood pressure check
• foot check
• weight check
• review of your self-care plan shown in Step 3

Two times each year have an:

• A1C test – it may be checked more often if it is over 7

Once each year be sure you have a:

• cholesterol test
• triglyceride (try-GLISS-er-ide) test – a type of blood fat
• complete foot exam
• dental exam to check teeth and gums – tell your dentist you have diabetes
• dilated eye exam to check for eye problems
• flu shot
• urine and a blood test to check for kidney problems

At least once get a:

• pneumonia (nu-mo-nya) shot

• Ask your health care team about these and other tests you may need. Ask what yours results mean.
• Write down the date and time of your next visit.
• Use the card at the back of this booklet to keep a record of your diabetes care.
• If you have Medicare, ask your health care team if Medicare will cover some of the costs for
  • learning about healthy eating and diabetes self-care
  • special shoes, if you need them
  • medical supplies
  • diabetes medicines

 

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My Diabetes Care Record

Record your targets and the date, time, and results of your tests. Take this card with you on your health care visits. Show it to your health care team to remind them of tests you need.

My Diabetes Care Record card

Self Checks of Blood Glucose

Record your targets and the date, time, and results of your checks. Take this card with you on your health care visits. Show it to your health care team.

Self Checks of Blood Glucose card

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Where to get help:

Many of these groups offer items in English and Spanish.

National Diabetes Education Program
1-888-693-NDEP (1-888-693-6337)
www.YourDiabetesInfo.org

Diabetes HealthSense
An online library of resource for living well.
www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/HealthSense

National Kidney Disease Education Program
1-866-4-KIDNEY (1-866-454-3639)
www.nkdep.nih.gov

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
1-800-860-8747
www.niddk.nih.gov

American Association of Diabetes Educators
1-800-TEAM-UP4 (1-800-832-6874)
www.diabeteseducator.org

American Diabetes Association
1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)
www.diabetes.org

American Dietetic Association
1-800-366-1655
www.eatright.org

American Heart Association
1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721)
www.americanheart.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
www.cdc.gov/diabetes

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
www.medicare.gov/navigation/manage-your-health/preventive-services/diabetes-screening.aspx

Source:

Gestational Diabetes

Cathy Moulton, a Diabetes UK care adviser, explains how gestational diabetes affects pregnant women. Kimberly, who was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, talks about the symptoms she experienced and how she dealt with the condition. Find out about complications of gestational diabetes http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/gestational-diabetes/Pages/Complications.aspx

Source: NHSChoices on YouTube

Tips for Teens: Dealing With The Ups and Downs of Diabetes

• Tengo diabetes?
• Corro riesgo?

Tips For Teens: Dealing With The Ups and Downs of Diabetes

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Feelings

Many teens like you deal with diabetes everyday. Most of the time, it’s not a problem, you just deal with it. But sometimes, you may just want it to go away.

Do you ever…

• Ask “why me?”
• Think you’re the only one who feels sad, mad, alone, afraid, or different?
• Get tired of others teasing you if you are overweight?
• Blame yourself or your family for your diabetes?

All of these feelings are normal. Lots of teens who have diabetes feel the same way. It’s okay to get angry, feel sad, or think you’re different every now and then. But then you need to take charge and do something to feel better.

Everyone feels down sometimes. You are not alone.

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Still down?

Reach out for help. Talk to someone in your family or where you worship, a friend, a school counselor, teacher, or your doctor or diabetes educator. It might help to write down your feelings in a journal. If you still feel down or sad, ask your parents to help you find a counselor.

It is okay to ask for help.

 

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Speak up

There are many people who care about you and want to help you stay healthy and happy. Your health care team (diabetes educator, dietitian, doctor, nurse, psychologist, and social worker) can help you learn how to make healthy food choices, be more active, and feel good about yourself. Stay in touch with them. Let your health care team know how you feel and what you need.

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Let your school know what’s up

You or your parents need to give the school nurse, teacher, or other school staff a copy of your diabetes care plan. Let people at your school know you have diabetes and that you need to eat healthy foods, eat your meals, take your medicine on time, and be physically active.

Don’t let diabetes stop you from joining in school activities. You can do all the things your friends do and then some!

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Mom, Dad, other family members, get with it!

It’s easier to manage diabetes when the whole family works at it with you. So…

• Ask your family to choose the same healthy foods you eat—fruits and vegetables; whole grain breads; and low-fat meats, milk, and cheese. Ask them to keep healthy foods in the house and not tempt you with cookies, cake, candy, or regular soda.
• Get everyone moving by being more physically active. Play hard. Shoot hoops, throw a ball, ride bikes, or go for a walk — together. Being active can also help you relax and lower stress.

What’s healthy for you is healthy for everyone in your family.

 

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Want to meet other teens who feel like you do?

• Programs and support groups for teens with diabetes can be found in clinics, health centers, or hospitals. Ask your diabetes educator or doctor for help to find one that works for you.
• Head to a diabetes or weight loss summer camp. You will do all the things that other campers do: swim, hike, dance, and more. But the best part is that everyone has diabetes or is there to lose weight, just like you. Some groups may have funds to help pay for teens to attend summer camps.
• Find a pen pal or email buddy. Sometimes it is good to share how you feel about having diabetes with someone else.
• Check out the resources at the end of this tip sheet.

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Still my friend?

Ever worry that your friends may have wrong ideas about diabetes?

• Tell them that you have diabetes. You don’t have to keep it to yourself. The more people know about diabetes, the more they will understand. Explain that your body needs help to use the food you eat.
• Be sure everyone knows that no one can catch diabetes from you.
• Good friends help each other out. They understand your needs and offer support. Hang on to friends who help you make healthy food choices when you are eating out.

Ever have kids make fun of you about your diabetes or weight?

Teasing hurts. The best thing is to just walk away.

talk to someone…write down your feelings in a journal…write to a pen pal…email a buddy…stay in touch

 

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Take Action!

It’s time for YOU to do something about your diabetes care.

• Set goals for what you will do. Start small and work your way up. For example: “I will cut down on regular soda and drink water instead.” When that’s going well…take the next step. Add another goal—“I will dance or bike ride a couple of times a week.” Then add a new goal—“I will eat smaller servings of cookies, burgers, and fries.”
• Try to make each new goal just a bit harder. After you shoot hoops twice a week, try adding another activity on three other days. Raise the goal until you reach a level that works for you.
• Avoid goals that will be too hard to meet. For example, rather than saying you’ll never eat a burger or a candy bar again, say you’ll only eat one a week.
• Tell your family or friends about your goals. Maybe they’ll be active with you or help out some other way.
• Reward yourself when you reach each goal. Keep in mind that rewards can be anything—not just food. You do not have to reach all your goals at once. Start with one or two, then add more.

Write down your top three goals—use the chart on the back page!

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Write down your Top 3 Goals

Choose goals that you really can meet. Put in the date when you set the goal and when you met it.

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Got it.

Take it one step at a time. Make healthy food choices, be more active, and work towards a healthy weight. Soon you’ll see progress and feel great.

 

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Attention visually impaired visitors: To use common screen reading programs with PDF documents, please visit access.adobe.com, which provides a set of free tools that convert PDF documents to simple HTML or ASCII text. 

 Source:

Diabetes Foods – A Realistic Approach to Diabetic Menu Planning

By Ben Freeman

If you are diabetic, you must learn all about the food for diabetics and how to incorporate the same in your regular meal plan. One of the best ways of treating diabetes is by controlling your food intake; it helps in relieving the symptoms of the condition. It is imperative to know what you must eat and what you must avoid when you are diabetic.

Scientists have cited that in the next two decades the global rate of patients with Type 2 diabetes would be twice the present number, which indeed is alarming. It is only through a proper diet for diabetics that you can actually control the condition and relieve yourself from the diabetes symptoms.

Ideally a diet containing higher amounts of fiber and lower amounts of fats is what is recommended for a diabetic patient. One has to cut out saturated and trans fats from their diet and also reduce the use of sugar and sweet foods. Saturated fats include animal fats like lard, butter and cheese, cream, chocolate and milk.

Foods for Diabetics – What You Can Eat

A diabetes menu can include adequate portions of carbohydrates. However, there is a measured portion for every individual which is better recommended by the doctor. Carbohydrates are the valuable sources of energy, minerals and essential vitamins. It provides you body with healthy fiber as well that helps in maintaining the blood glucose levels. Peas, beans, barley, oats and other foods belonging to these groups are loaded with fiber. You can include whole grain products like bread and some diabetic cookies for the purpose. These foods are very much a part of the regular American diabetes diet.

You must include a lot of vegetables in your regular diabetic diet plan; vegetables are the perfect foods for diabetics. You can include a wide variety of vegetables like tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, spinach, cucumbers and cabbage. You can have them raw as salads or cooked with very little oil.

Fruits are good foods for diabetics as well, but as they contain natural sugars it is better to choose fruits with caution. Although diabetics need at least 2 servings of fruits regularly, you must avoid canned fruits as they are packed with sugary preservatives. Instead you can have whole fruits.

Proteins are a must for every diabetes meal. You can include lean meat, tofu, peanut butter, egg whites, fish, poultry, nuts and bans as some of the richest sources of proteins.

Foods to Avoid

There are certain foods that diabetics must not take. If you want to control the rising and falling blood glucose levels, you have to be strict about what you are eating.

Carbohydrates as stated above are good for diabetics when eaten in moderation. However, there are certain carbohydrates that you cannot eat, such as corn and potatoes. They are harmful.

Fruits are not recommended for diabetics due to high sugar content. Although natural, sugar has the same effect in any form. Less sugary fruits should be chosen in this respect.

Milk and milk products are strictly restricted, especially full cream milk. The skimmed version should be fine if taken in moderation.

Sweets and fats are better to be avoided. They have no nutritional value and they only add up to your tension and anxiety and increasing blood glucose numbers.

Ben Freeman is an ex-diabetic who writes passionately about how to reverse diabetes. Visit his diabetes foodssite and discover proven ways to plan a diabetic menu.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Freeman

Diabetes and Pregnancy, Why Women Should Worry

By Eddie Lamb

There are many concerns a woman will have during her pregnancy, and one that can easily be put to rest with a simple test is gestational diabetes mellitus or more commonly known as diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can arise during the second or third trimesters, and can cause complications for the mother as well as the unborn child. Diabetes during pregnancy occurs in a relatively small percentage of expectant mothers, and can often be controlled by diet and exercise throughout the pregnancy.

Many doctors will routinely test for diabetes in pregnancy between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation, especially if a woman has risk factors that will increase her odds of developing it. These risk factors include a history of high blood pressure, obesity, ethnicity and a family history of diabetes. Women who have experienced diabetes in pregnancy in the past have a greater chance of developing it again in subsequent pregnancies. Women who are pregnant at an older age also have a greater risk of diabetes in pregnancy.

The test will include fasting and then drinking glucola, which is a mixture of concentrated sugar. Once the glucola is ingested, a blood test is done to check blood sugar levels. If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, a program of diet and exercise will be prescribed to try to control the diabetes during the pregnancy.

What Does Diabetes in Pregnancy Look Like?

Often diabetes during pregnancy is diagnosed before symptoms become obvious. Some of the symptoms that can show up are an increase in hunger, thirst and urination, recurrent vaginal infections and increased blood pressure. Many women complain of fatigue, although this is not a good test, since fatigue is a common symptom of pregnancy. Often sugar will show up in urine during a routine test and this will prompt the doctor to proceed with the glucose test.

It is important to diagnose and treat diabetes in pregnancy as quickly as possible, since it can cause complications during pregnancy. Risks to the mother include raised blood pressure which can lead to a dangerous condition known as ecclampsia. It can also increase the chances of a woman developing Type 2 diabetes later in life. The unborn child can have problems with its heart or kidneys as a result of the mother’s diabetes during pregnancy.

Diabetes during pregnancy is certainly an unwanted complication, but fortunately it can be diagnosed easily and treated effectively. The important thing to remember is to stay on schedule with prenatal visits to the doctor so that the doctor can stay on top of any potential problems.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ – Free Articles Directory

About the Author
Eddie Lamb publishes an abundance of vital information on a range of health topics. We believe a better understanding of your condition can help reduce unnecessary anxiety. You’ll find a host of useful articles all about pregnancy listed on our site map page at http://www.pregnancyunderstood.com

Diabetic Cooking: The Importance Of Diet

 

 

 

By Liat Nachman

For the individual living with diabetes, there is perhaps nothing more important than living a healthy lifestyle, which includes both diet and nutrition. Diabetic cooking and proper nutrition and diet can be the determining factors in the quality of life they will have. Developing healthy eating habits can not only help a diabetic control his or her weight, but it can also play an important role in helping them control their blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and maintain healthy blood-glucose levels.

There are dozens of diets on the market today, and different approaches to diabetic cooking that claim to have benefits for a variety of groups. However for the diabetic, most experts in the field recommend a diet that is relatively high in carbohydrate intake. In fact, a typical recommended diet for a diabetic may allow for more than half of the individual’s daily calories to come from carbohydrates, while allowing less than thirty percent of the individual’s daily calories to come from fat and protein, respectively.

In terms of diabetic cooking, this means having to employ the technique of cooking and eating several small meals throughout the day, instead of a few large ones, is also recommended, as this has been shown to both help keep the body’s metabolism operating at high levels, and prevent spikes or drops in blood-glucose levels. A diabetic diet and diabetic cooking does not have to be limiting, or flavorless. Foods from every group can be a part of a diabetics’ diet, without having to compromise health or taste.

From the fruit group, diabetic cooking can include a variety of fruits, including apples, oranges, peaches, and plums. Each of these fruits provides plenty of soluble fiber, as well as added sugar for the body. Whole grain bread, as well as whole meal pasta and breakfast cereals that are high in insoluble fiber, are also beneficial to a diabetic’s diet. The minerals they supply can actually help enhance the action of insulin. Fish can literally serve as lifesavers for diabetics, especially considering the fact that fish like salmon and sardines are full of omega 3 fatty acids, which most experts agree can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Diabetic cooking should always include a little seafood. To wash down all of that healthy food, consider the old standard: water. Beverages that are herb-based are also highly recommended for diabetics. Coffee and other drinks that contain caffeine should be avoided if possible, as should alcohol. If you have to have that cold glass of milk, fill up a glass with skim milk, since it is lower in fat that the other choices. Since vegetables are rich in fiber and carbohydrates, they are certainly a welcome part of any diabetic diet. Beans and lentils are especially recommended, as are asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower, as well as spinach, kale, tomatoes, and green beans. A good serving of cucumbers, and even a few onions and some garlic have also proven beneficial.

After going through the carbs and the fats, a diabetic now has to make choices related to protein. Lean meat and red meat, along with skinless poultry and fish, have proven to be excellent sources of protein, and important to healthy diabetic cooking. The key when eating meat is to limit the amount of fat that is consumed, since it is one of the best ways to maintain weight, and keep the body’s cholesterol levels low

All about Diabetic Cooking- to keep You Healthy And Happy! For more tips and info on diabetic cooking, visit Diabetic Cooking Secrets Get your Free e-book on GI (Glycemic Index)- See how easily you can use GI as your guide to live healthier.

Source: Liat Nachman

Soy Joins The Fight To Control Blood Sugar

 

 

 

 

 

By Dee Overly

Dee Overly is a mother and artist who discovered the health benefits of soy milk and now sells a Soymilk Maker at http://www.SoymilkCrossroads.com. Stop by and pick up your free Vegan recipe book and check out the blog.

View all articles by Dee Overly The relationship between soy foods and long-term health benefits has been the topic of many discussions among physicians and health organizations for several years now. Studies have been conducted that prove the link between high soy diets and lower heart disease, strong bone mass and cancer prevention. Now studies are being conducted regarding the relationship between a soy diet and blood glucose or sugar levels. Believe it or not, it seems soy may aid the body in this fight as well.

Soy and Diabetes Study

Recently, Iranian researchers reported to the Journal of Diabetes Care that their findings coincided with previous work. They found that soy protein had a significant impact on risk factors associated with Type-2 diabetic patients with kidney disease.

The study followed forty-one patients for a total of four years. All of the patients were Type-2 diabetics and suffered from some type of kidney disease. Twenty of the patients were given a diet of animal, plant, and soy protein, while the remainders were given a diet of just animal and plant proteins.

Results concluded that the patients who added the soy to their diets showed a lowering of blood sugar levels. Patients saw a dramatic drop in cholesterol levels and triglycerides, the number one cause of cardiovascular disease. This is great news for the 18 million Americans suffering from diabetes, because they are three
times more vulnerable to heart problems.

Another study involving diabetics and a soy diet was focused on those patients with severe kidney disease. Results concluded that soy protein seemed to improve kidney function, perhaps even better than completely avoiding all protein, which is the typical treatment.

Soy May Help in Prevention

As for those of you who are not diabetic and don’t ever want to be, soy is great for you as well. One study conducted on Chinese women found that eating a diet with large amounts of tofu, a soy product, protected them from Type-2 diabetes. Women who consumed the most soy in the study had 50% less sugar detected in their urine than the control group.

Researchers contribute the great benefit of soy to the proteins and isoflavones present in soybeans. The isoflavones stop fat tissue buildup and enhance the body’s ability to break down the fat. As a result, the blood glucose levels are lowered and the body doesn’t have to work as hard to produce insulin.

There is currently no data that suggests how much soy is needed in order to eliminate risk factors for diabetes. However, the Food and Drug Administration suggests that Americans eat a healthy 25 grams of soy protein per day in order to aid the body in disease control and in lowering risk factors, in particular, lowering cholesterol. Further studies are being conducted regarding diabetes patients and soy diets as well as soy used to lower the risk factors associated with Type-2 diabetes.

Source: Dee Overly

What Foods To Eat And Not To Eat For Diabetes?

 

 

Posted August 11, 2009

By Dr. Eswararamanan VR

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, there are ways to improve and control the symptoms of your disease. It is very important to find out what to eat and not to eat for diabetics. Scientists report the global rates of Type 2 diabetes are likely to double in the next twenty years.

These statistics do not have to happen if we can begin to practice what foods to enjoy and avoid. A diet high in fiber, but low in fat is most often recommended for diabetics. You especially want to stay away from saturated fat and limit the amount of sugar you eat. Saturated fat is animal fat such as butter, and lard. Dairy products high in saturated fat include cream, cheese, meat, and chocolate.

What to eat and not to eat for diabetes: Bread is a major source of carbohydrates in our diets. Carbohydrate is an valuable source of energy, vitamins, and minerals. It also provides fiber that helps maintain blood sugar levels. Beans, peas, oats, and barley contain this fiber.

Whole grain products are the wisest choice because it takes longer for your digestive system to break down. This keeps the body from releasing sudden bursts of sugar. Potatoes, corn, and pasta are also carbohydrates.

Vegetables should be included on your list of what to eat and not to eat for diabetes. Tasty samples to include are spinach, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers. You should have three to five servings a day, mixing it up, serving both raw and cooked vegetables.

Fruits contain carbohydrates along with natural sugars, so you must be careful indulging in too much. It is a good idea to mix fruit with a protein or before exercise. Make certain the canned fruits you buy are packed in unsweetened fruit juice. Diabetics require two to four servings of fruit everyday.

Milk and other dairy products should be limited due to being high in carbs. Switching to low-fat milk, and unsweetened yogurt will help keep your diabetes in check, and an added bonus of saving calories. Two to three serving of dairy products are your daily requirement.

Protein can be meat or meat substitutes such as peanut butter, tofu, cheese, and eggs. You only require about six ounces of protein a day, broken up over two to three meals. One tablespoon of peanut butter or an egg weighs an ounce. Fish, poultry, beans, and nuts, are sources of protein.

Fats and Sweets are necessary for our bodies but only in moderation. Avocados make a delicious topping in the place of mayonnaise. Making your own dressing avoids the trans-fat in processed foods. Sweets are allowed for many diabetics if the portion size is strictly under control.

Sugar free desserts are an option, but remember to take the extra carbs into consideration. Take control of your diabetes and look into what a balanced diet plan can do for you. An important step is finding out what to eat and what not to eat for diabetes.

With the popular food choices of today, our bodies are receiving only twenty percent of the necessary nutrients it craves. This fact is considered by experts to be what is behind the overweight crisis seen in many countries. Taking away from our mid-section could also lessen the appearance in development of adult on set diabetes.

Discover more about : List Of Foods For Diabetic To Eat , Diabetes Type 2 Natural Treatment and What are Causes of Diabetes and at my dedicated Diabetes Blog.

Source: Dr. Eswararamanan VR

How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

 

 

Posted July 26, 2009

How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes with Diet and Exercise

By Joseph Delainey

Hi would you like to learn more about how to Control or Cure your Diabetes? There are proven methods to cure this problem.If you would like to learn more Juts go to http://www.UltimateDiabetesSolution.com/joerd to get some free Information.

Changing your lifestyle is hard, plain and simple. However, if your doctor has told you that you have pre-diabetes, also known as impaired glucose tolerance, the effort it takes to incorporate healthy foods and a little physical activity into your daily routine is well worth it.

A clinical study by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that losing a mere 5 to 7 percent of your total body weight can significantly reduce the risk of developing full blown type 2 diabetes. The 2002 study found that a group of patients that followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet and exercised moderately for 150 minutes a week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent.

The connection between weight and type 2 diabetes is undeniable. Obese people are five times more likely to get diabetes than people who maintain a healthy weight. Of the over 21 million people in America with diabetes, 95 percent of the cases are type 2. Other risk factors include heredity and sedentary lifestyle choices.

So, how can you make the changes to your diet and activity levels? Start off slowly. Swap out a salad for an order of french fries. Do without the ranch dressing though. Instead, try using straight balsamic vinegar or another low-calorie alternative. Then, incorporate a 10-minute walk into your daily routine. Whether it is before lunch, after dinner or first thing in the morning,
make sure to make the time and effort every day.

Once you adapt to these basic changes, step it up a notch. After about a week, you’ll feel ready to make more challenging changes. Replace candy and sugary beverages with fresh fruit and unsweetened iced tea. Better yet, drink only water for a week. You’ll feel great, and your skin will be positively glowing. Also, extend your walks to 30 minutes for five of the seven days of the week. You’ll be amazed at the health benefits a nice walk will bring. You don’t have to run marathons to be physically fit. Walking burns calories and uses lots of muscle groups without putting lots of strain on your joints. It is ideal for weight loss.

Old habits die hard, but losing your vision or a limb to diabetes is much more difficult than eating a salad and taking walks. Being dependent on insulin and blood sugar testing devices is a difficult way to live. When your blood sugar constantly spikes and drops, it is hard on your body, your personality and the other people around you. You can become irritable, moody, aggressive and even manic. Your good health matters to each and every person that loves you. Your friends and family are counting on you to preserve your own health so you can enjoy many more years to come.

If you are a borderline type 2 diabetic, you don’t have to spend the rest of your life on medication if you learn how to change your lifestyle. It is not easy to do, but a life without needles and pills makes all the salads and aerobics worth the effort.

Source: Josceph Delainey

Diabetes and Latin Foods – Mas Que Comida, Es Vida

Posted July 3, 2009

CDC Home Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Your Online Source for Credible Health Information

CDC FeaturesCDC Features Choosing Healthy Eating without Giving Up the Foods You Love
Is it possible to enjoy healthy eating without giving up the foods you love? Yes. The nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida, has information available in Spanish and English to help control the serious complications of diabetes without giving up the traditional Hispanic and Latin foods you’ve always enjoyed.

Carmen is a 55-year-old Colombian woman who moved to the United States five years ago to help her oldest daughter take care of her new baby. Carmen was raised by her mother and grandmother, both of whom were great cooks. Carmen was a little overweight. This felt normal to her because everyone in her family carried a little extra weight.

Not long ago, Carmen’s doctor told her she has type 2 diabetes. According to her doctor, Carmen’s eating habits that included American fast foods, fried foods, and excessive sweets had raised her blood sugar to unhealthy levels. Carmen immediately gave up eating fast foods and fried foods, but as a precaution also stopped eating all of the Latin dishes she loved, like arepas con chicharrón. She even stopped cooking many of the tasty traditional foods she used to make.

Carmen has since learned that she does not have to abandon the Latin foods she loves in order to control her disease. Thanks to information from a campaign focused on making Hispanics and Latinos aware of what making healthy food choices includes, she is now able to include many traditional dishes in her diet and at the same time control her diabetes. Carmen used information and recipes from the National Diabetes Education Program’s nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.).

Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.)

The National Diabetes Education Program’s nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.), has materials available in both Spanish and English to help Hispanics and Latinos control the serious complications of diabetes without giving up the traditional foods they love.

This campaign provides resources for dietitians, diabetes educators and people who want to manage their diabetes but don’t want to sacrifice their cultural identity. Más que comida, es vida. addresses diabetes control and prevention through a better understanding of planning and preparing meals and making healthy food choices. It helps the Hispanic and Latin community deal with the cultural barriers of adopting a tasty but nutritional diet.

The campaign features a recipe booklet, Ricas recetas para personas con diabetes y sus familiares (Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families), which contains food ideas specifically designed for the Latin American palate. The recipe booklet is an updated version of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Meal Planner, one of NDEP’s most popular bilingual publications.

Among the delicious and healthy recipes now included in the booklet are Spanish omelet (Tortilla española), Beef or Turkey Stew (Carne guisada de res o pavo), Caribbean Red Snapper (Pargo rojo caribeño), Two Cheese Pizza (Pizza de dos quesos), and Avocado Tacos (Tacos de aguacate).

In addition to the recipe booklet, other campaign components include a poster and print ads available in Spanish and English. Like Carmen, perhaps you are a Hispanic/Latino with diabetes or have a family member, neighbor, friend or co-worker who could benefit from the recipes and other valuable information contained in the recipe booklet.

For a free copy of these materials or to download them online visit the National Diabetes Education Program. You can also call 1-888-693-NDEP to request copies; shipping and handling charges will apply. The call is toll-free and confidential.

Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Diabetes Public Health Resource

Page maintained by: National Center for Health Marketing, Division of eHealth Marketing
URL for this page: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesAndLatinos/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)

Acne Treatment – Homemade

 

Posted June 29, 2009

By Kirkland Kipnis

When most people think of homemade acne treatments, they think of things like cocoa butter, shea butter, aloe vera and so on. But these types of remedies are temporary. You see. It’s like taking a pain medication for a backache. The pain may dissipate but the reason for the pain is still there. Same for homemade acne treatments. You may clear up the problem temporarily, but the cause is likely to still be there.

 That likely cause is usually your diet. Most people don’t think of diet when it comes to their skin problems. But it is the most likely reason for your acne problems. In fact, there are many acne programs that focus only on what you are putting into your body, OR, your DIET. But for now let us focus on your use of drinking water to help clear up your skin.

 Water is oh so important when it comes to having clear skin. The only way your body can get water is if you intake it. Whether it be from drinking or from food. Your body relies on water to do all of its functions. Your body knows how much to use, store and then eventually get rid of. So if you don’t drink a lot of water, your body will store more and you will sweat and urinate less. But that can lead to problems because then your body is using the same old water over and over. Therefore that water can be considered to be dirty. Hence, if the water your body is using is dirty, your sweat pores will clog and produce acne. So drinking water is one of the most important things you can do in r fight against acne. You also need water if you have acne scars.

 If you aren’t getting sufficient water (1 oz / per body weight a day) the process of rebuilding the scar tissue you have is much slower. So realize that diet plays a very significant role in how clear your skin is and how fast you get rid of your scars.

Aside from drinking the proper amount of water everyday, you need to make sure you aren’t sabotaging your skin by eating the wrong foods. For example, let’s talk about milk. Specifically cow’s milk. About 80% of humans are allergic to milk or dairy and don’t even know it. The traditional allergy symptoms like hives don’t show up. But acne will. Now milk does other things to the body that aren’t good for you as well. But for the purposes of this article, we won’t get into that. Just know that cutting cow’s milk out of your diet can go a long way toward clearing up your skin.

 The good news is that the myth about chocolate causing acne is not likely to be true. In fact chocolate makes the brain raise its serotonin levels which in turn releases stress. And stress oftentimes leads to pimples. Just make sure it isn’t milk chocolate you are chowing down on.
Make sure to visit my blog Acne System for helpful tips and advice on what foods to avoid in order to help get rid of acne, treating acne scars, and much, much more.

Source: Kirkland Kipnis

Diabetes and Your Mood Swings

 

 

 

Can Diabetes Trigger Mood Swings?
Posted June 16, 2009

By Sutiyo Na

People who suffer from diabetes have many challenges to deal with. Diabetes is disease that influences not only the sufferer but also those around him, as well as his relatives and friends. It is an autoimmune disease that spoils insulin-producing cells and can affect everyone not considering gender or age. But is there any relation between diabetes and mood swings? And how can this be controlled?

Knowing diabetes and your emotions Diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin. Insulin is a substance that occur naturally in the body. It regulates the absorption of sugar by the cells. If the body does not obtain sufficient supply of insulin, sugar that is exist in the system is collected in the urine and the blood. This then leads to abnormal thirst, hunger and frequent urination. The problem here is that these reactions of the body have effect on normal cellular functions.

Someone who has diabetes will frequently experience frequent and strong mood swings. They could, for instance, lose their temper, lash out, become introverted or express positive emotions in a very unusual and chaotic manner. Outbursts among people who have diabetes can also become fairly common. The problem here is that they may not even be aware of these outbursts and may in fact even have no memory of it. When confronted, they could even react with anxiety or guilt.

Occasionally, emotions can be expressed as melancholy, wherein the person suffering from diabetes shows extreme sadness. This indicate strong emotions can be very unpredictable, something that can often surprise and offend family members and close associates.

Mood swings and diabetic men Based on research in 2006 indicated that other than diabetes-associated disorders such as impotence, men also have to contend with mood swings. This is particularly true as the man advances in age, when his levels of testosterone begin to decline. Combined with the rise and fall of blood sugar levels associated in Type 2 diabetes, it would not be uncommon for the person to experience fluctuations in moods as well. Other than that, there is also a propensity for men and women alike to feel anxiety, anger, remorse and guilt as a effect of their condition.

This is particularly true if the type of diabetes they have is adult-onset, one that could have been prevented by changes in their lifestyle. Mood swings in people who suffer from diabetes are also influenced by other factors. Knowing that the disease is something they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives can dampen their spirits, causing them to feel apprehension and depression.

Managing mood swings associated to diabetes It’s a must for diabetics to regularly test their blood sugar levels. The results often hold the first clue as to what may be causing their mood swings. Changes in the diet, along with the proper medications must be maintained to ensure that the person’s health is at its optimum and that any instability in his temperament are controlled. Getting education about the disease is also important so he or she will really understand what to anticipate and what to act.

It might be difficult to cure diabetes but mood swings linked with it don’t have to be difficult to control. With the right care, control of sugar intake, diet, exercise and medication, people who suffer from diabetes can still live a normal, happy life and get success in his career.

Get more related articles on dealing with mood swings, take a look at : http://www.moodswingsadvice.info and resource for diabetes treatment, visit : http://www.diabetes-guide.co.cc

Source: Sutiyo Na

Diabetes Can be Reversible-Video by Sarah Dobbyn

Source: Sarah Dobbyn, Reprinted from YouTube

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