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Friday, September 12, 2008

Normal Blood Sugar Levels Even As Diabetic

So the question remain, can diabetic people have normal blood sugar levels?, the answer is yes, because there are several ways that a diabetic person can apply immediately in order to get they blood glucose levels decreased, if you are a diabetic that suffer from high blood sugar levels and you want to know some easy ways to lower your blood sugar, then this article will give some advise around this subject.

Firstly, you need to know that normal blood glucose levels are those between 70 milligrams per deciliter to 100 mg/dl after 8 hours of not eating.

Secondly, in order to get that levels of sugar on your body you have to follow some suggestions, we have listed below some measures that can help you to get decreased levels of glucose in your blood.

1.- Have you ever listened about the diet of Dr. Richard Bernstein, this is highly recommendable because you lower slowly the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Consistent insulin levels may be achieved by having the same amount of carbohydrates each day.

2.- You need to test frequently your blood sugar levels, that way you can determine the right insulin dosage, if you can test your blood sugar levels 5-10 times per day, that would work great.

3.- Avoiding eating between meals, make sure you eat at least 3 nutritious meals per day, this is all about your eating habits, then it is up to you doing it the right way.

Poor management of blood glucose levels usually is the main reason for complications on both types of diabetes, if you keep normal blood glucose levels then you have eliminated risks of those complications.

To sum up, is is not difficult for diabetic people to get normal levels of glucose, this is a totally achievable goal.

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Do's and Don'ts of Your Diabetes Diet?

Diet plays a main role in control of your diabetes. Most people with diabetes never realize this and so, end up with serious health problems at a later point in their lives. Irrespective of whether you are on oral medication or insulin dependent, diet control in diabetes is a major factor that must be understood and acknowledged. For your benefit, we list here the various do's and don'ts for the ideal diabetes diet.

The most ideal diet for diabetes varies according to height, weight, age, sex, level of activity, and, most importantly, on the extent of the disorder. It is always better that you approach a diabetic specialist, who will prescribe the best diet for you, taking into consideration certain other health problems you might face, such as hypertension, high cholesterol and so on. He will be able to tell you how much carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fiber you can consume on a daily basis.

Though there is nothing like one constant ideal diet for diabetes, there are a few things you can take care of, during your meals:

* Have at least 1.4 oz of fiber-rich foods each day

* Cut down heavy meals and have more number of smaller meals each day

* Reduce fat-rich foods and switch to whole cooked cereals

* Try not to eat carbohydrate-rich foods a couple of hours before bedtime

* Consume a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables every day

Diabetics have to be extra careful about their diet. Do try to include all food categories in your diet, but with control. Also, never make your food bland and tasteless. Your diet will end up boring you too soon!

Here are the detailed do's and don'ts of your diabetic diet:

Do

1. Eat a low-cholesterol oatmeal breakfast.

2. Consume nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans - they contain mono unsaturated fats, which are good for you!

3. Eat plenty of salads, pasta, leafy vegetables and stew. Chick peas, beans, dry beans and navy beans contain 'good' cholesterol.

4. Consume skimmed milk, yogurt and cheese.

5. You can do well with egg whites.

6. Chicken, fish and white meat will be good for you.

7. Onions and garlic are great for health. Try and have about 20 grams each day.

8. In order to include fiber, add wheat bran to your wheat flour.

9. Flaxseed, cinnamon and fenugreek are also known to be equally beneficial.

10. Bitter melon and Guar Gum is known to reduce blood sugar considerably.

Don't

1. Eat fried foods. Instead, boil, poach or bake them.

2. Consume red meat and organ meats. These are fat-rich foods!

3. Use too much ketchup, mustard sauce and salad dressing. These are high in both sugar and salt.

4. Eat canned or processed foods.

5. Eat salty foods, such as brine, MSG or soy sauce containing foods.

6. Consume junk food. Go for fresh foods instead.

7. Smoke or drink - these can prove to be dangerous to you!

8. Skip meals and medicines. Make sure you have both on time.

So you see, eating a healthy, balanced diet is most vital to maintaining good health and high spirits in spite of your diabetes. Analyze your lifestyle habits and get into the best diabetes diet for you. Rest assured, you will soon be bursting with energy and joie de vivre!

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Is There Really Something Such As Diabetes Cure?

Medicine is advancing tremendously today. More and more effective cures are being found for diseases that were at one time considered to be incurable. Researchers are also constantly in the quest for cures for new and hitherto unknown diseases. A lot of products today claim to be excellent cures for diabetes. But is there really something such as a 'diabetes cure'? Can one ever rid oneself permanently of the disorder?

Diabetes is a potentially dangerous disorder that involves the heightened presence of blood sugar. What makes this disease most unpredictable is that it is perfectly capable of remaining unnoticed for years inside its victim.

While there are very specific symptoms related to the disease, there are times when it just does not show up for long periods of time. This can actually prove to be life-threatening, as it would have taken massive proportions before it can be diagnosed and treated.

Type 2 Diabetes sometimes goes undiagnosed, as the patient reports no obvious signs of trouble. But if you are feeling sudden fatigue, tiredness and general irritability, if your wounds heal at a markedly slower pace than usual and if you experience intense itching, you just might need to visit your doctor and get a blood sugar test done as per his instructions.

You are mostly at risk from Diabetes Mellitus after the age of 40-45. You have to be specially careful if you are obese, have a family history of the disorder or already suffer from some variety of an autoimmune disorder like hypothyroid and the like.

Can I expect my diabetes to be cured at any time?

Generally speaking, there is yet no known cure for diabetes. You can, of course, expect to control it perfectly well with medication, exercise and strict control on your diet and weight. There are many people all round the world who are leading perfectly happy, full lives in spite of suffering from diabetes. You have nothing to fear from it as far as you are well under control.

The honeymoon phase in diabetes

There are times when your blood sugar level will regulate itself automatically, without the need for external medication. But do not be fooled by this condition! This phase, very aptly called the 'honeymoon phase', is only temporary and will fade away with time. This phase may last for a maximum period of six months, after which you will most definitely require treatment as always.

Recent research

There is a lot of ongoing research in the field of diabetes today. Some people believe in home cures like consuming bitter gourd juice and the like. There are many Ayurvedic and natural, herbal products that claim to be able to cure one completely of their disease. However, it is always advisable to continue regular allopathic treatment. You could try your alternative medication side-by-side, but do not give up your regular medicine.

Some of the most recent research on diabetes cure includes stem cell therapy. While this might emerge as the best diabetes cure in the future, nothing can be conclusively said about it at this time.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Reverse Diabetes in Three Easy Steps

Diabetes is a condition in which body is unable to effectively utilize glucose for its energy needs. As a result glucose levels rise in the blood and extra glucose is expelled in the urine. Diabetes was once thought to be irreversible. Today almost every one of us knows someone who has diabetes.Two of the main contributing factor to this rapid increase are sedentary lifestyle and peoples tendency of dining out.

If you have any of the following you are at risk of developing diabetes,family history of diabetes, overweight, low HDL ( less than 35 ) and High LDL (more than 250), high blood pressure. Women who have gestational diabetes or have a history of delivering large babies( weighing 9 pounds or more) are also at a an increased risk of developing diabetes.

How to Reverse Diabetes

The good news is that type 2 diabetes is largely reversible.

Research studies have shown that a change in lifestyle such as:

1. Comprising exercise
2. Proper Diet and
3. Weight loss

can not only reduce this risk by 50 percent , but also significantly delay the onset of diabetes. I have reversed my diabetes and so you can also.Hence by managing weight, eating a proper and healthy diet, most important exercise can help you in reversing/ preventing the diabetes. One should also have blood sugar levels checked at least once a year to detect presence of diabetes at an early stage because diabetes early diagnosed can be easily reversed as compared to diabetes diagnosed lately because of the short and long term complications associated with it.

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Acupressure - Natural Cure For Diabetes

Many people believe that there is no such thing as a natural cure for diabetes. Some people don't even believe that there are so-called "cures" to reduce the symptoms of diabetes. But the truth is, there are many people who have had diabetes and are now cured using natural forms of treatment for diabetes. Some people believe that a cure for diabetes can come from natural foods, when in fact it's treating your mind, body and soul that will eventually cure and treat the condition successfully.

In this article we will take a look at a "secret" natural treatment for diabetes. It is simply one word. Acupressure. It has been widely reported that people that undergo acupressure have been cured or decrease the severity of the condition greatly. So how exactly is this possible? Acupressure stimulates different pressure points in the body and can help improve a person's normal health levels. By tapping into these specific pressure points, you are helping your body release healing mechanisms. These healing mechanisms are normally trapped by stress and fatigue you subject your body to daily.

Ancient Chinese medicine teaches us that by releasing these "pressure points", we are also releasing any negative energy that may be associated with that particular pressure point. This can have a huge healing benefit on the body. While acupressure can provide great results, it is still advisable that you speak to your health care provider before undergoing this type of non-conventional healing program.

If you are seriously considering acupressure as a treatment option, you must ensure that it is performed by a licensed practitioner. Check credentials, references and ensure that this person has the knowledge needed to perform successful acupressure sessions. Discuss your expectations of the treatment and ask if she/ he can share any success stories from previous patients with you. You might even want to ask if he/she has cured diabetes using acupressure.

Before you start acupressure, you should educate yourself as much as you can about this ancient medical practice. Go online and learn what it is all about. You need to be mentally prepared about the treatment, so find out as much information as you can about it. It might help if you knew which pressure points on the body apply to diabetes.

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Blood Sugar Problems - Can You Do Anything About It?

More and more people today have problems with their blood sugar levels being too high, which often leads to a diagnosis of type II diabetes. This is a chronic disease that can cause many health problems and early death if left untreated. The good news is that by making changes in your diet and lifestyle, many people have significantly lowered their blood sugar and even gotten rid of diabetes.* Type II diabetics do produce insulin, but it is not used properly in the body, and hence the cells don't get enough glucose or the nutrients they need and instead the sugar is left in excess in the bloodstream. In fact, often they produce a lot of insulin, but because it is not being properly utilized, and this high insulin level causes inflammation and other problems in the body.

Common Symptoms

High blood sugar, fatigue and excess urination are the key symptoms of diabetes. You may also have constant hunger with rapid weight gain, dry, itching skin, obesity, high blood pressure and/or accelerated aging.

Common Causes

Many think that type II diabetes may develop at least in part by eating an excess of sugar over a long period of time. This excess of sugar causes your body to produce lots of insulin to try to take care of the overload, and this seems somehow over time to damage the cell receptors that allow the sugar inside. When the cells are insulin-resistant, and they do not accept much sugar -- this sugar is instead seen in excess in the blood. In addition, when you eat white sugar, you are not just eating "empty" calories, but what I call "negative" calories. This is because your body uses up minerals, B vitamins and other nutrients in processing that white sugar which is completely devoid of vitamins and minerals! Too many refined foods, especially too much trans fatty acids, can also be a cause, according to many researchers. In addition, low pH and many vitamin, mineral and other nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to developing this insulin resistance.

Some researchers think that our over exposure to chemicals (especially heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium) in our environment today is contributing to the rising incidence of diabetes. Others think that this disease is linked to infection in the pancreas, which may be viral or parasitic in origin. Like with many diseases, there is probably more than one cause, and the causes may be different in different people.

Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Remedies

There are some studies that show that many vitamins and minerals can help those with blood sugar problems, but some of those that are the most helpful include antioxidants like vitamins B, C and E*. The antioxidants are important because the excess sugar in the blood seems to cause a lot of free radical damage, and the antioxidant vitamins can help counteract that. Vitamins A, B, C and E are all excellent antioxidants, as well as the mineral selenium and ALA/DHLA. Green tea is also high in antioxidants and has shown great promise in helping with blood sugar problems.* The B Complex vitamins are often low in diabetics, perhaps because the excess sugar causes more B to be used up. Vitamin C can also help reduce complications that come with diabetes, like heart disease and blindness*. It can also help to increase insulin tolerance and normalize pancreatic activity.* Vitamin E can also help prevent heart problems*, which are 2 to 4 times more prevalent in diabetics.

Vitamin A is also crucial to diabetics, and vitamin D is needed for the production of insulin*. These are both found in high vitamin cod liver oil or could be taken separately; just make sure and get one with the natural forms of vitamins A and D -- some cod liver oils take out the natural one, and add back in the synthetic forms! Cod liver oil has been shown to improve glucose response and other markers of diabetes in several studies*. In fact, some have shown it to be more effective than drugs in controlling excessive blood sugar levels! It has also been shown to lower blood pressure caused by stress-elevated levels of cortisol*. The vitamin A in cod liver oil promotes healing and can protect the retina*, both concerns for diabetics. The vitamin D in cod liver oil promotes the absorption of minerals, like magnesium and calcium, and can therefore reduce blood pressure.* Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and DHLA are vitamin-like enzymes needed for converting glucose into chemical energy, or ATP.

As far as minerals, there is some evidence that chromium can help insulin to work better, and so is very important for those with type II diabetes. Doctors in Italy found that those with type II diabetes that took 450 mg of magnesium per day did a better job of clearing sugar from their bloodstreams and producing more insulin than before they took the magnesium supplements. You can get magnesium from coral calcium in a very absorbable form along with calcium and trace minerals. Vanadium (found in olive oil) is needed to drive the sugar in the blood into the cells, and zinc is a co-factor in the production of insulin. All these minerals are also found in sea vegetables, so if you like them by all means eat them or look for them in an all-natural food based nutritional supplement.

According to Bruce Fife in "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil", coconut oil can help to regulate blood sugar. He cites studies that show that coconut oil helps to improve insulin secretion as well as boost the body's utilization of blood glucose. In addition, those with blood sugar problems often have low energy since the glucose, although in over-abundance in the blood stream, has a hard time getting into the cells. Many have reported having more energy with consumption of virgin coconut oil.

Gymnema is a plant that helps to reduce blood sugar levels by lowering insulin resistance, and Co-Enzyme Q10 also seems to help with both diabetes and the high blood pressure that often accompanies it.*

Recommended Supplements

* Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, chromium and vanadium
* Coral minerals
* Grasses, greens and nutritional yeast for chromium and other nutrients
* High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil, for omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins A and D
* Virgin Coconut Oil
* Vitamin B complex
* Vitamin C complex
* Vitamin E
* ALA and/or DHLA
* Co-Q10
* Gymnena and bitter melon extract
* Anti-infective support

Food Choices

Foods high in chromium include whole grains, liver, onions, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, green beans and many types of fruits. You can also get more chromium in your diet by including liver once per week and nutritional yeast every day. However, organic is really better as organic produce tends to contain more nutrients and fewer pesticides.

While healing, many health professionals say it is generally necessary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet to around 60 grams per day until your blood sugar normalizes. Refined sugars are a big no-no, but even something like whole grain pasta or brown rice should be limited to no more than 1/3 cup per meal (or 15 grams of carbohydrates). You might be able to have a little more if you are getting regular, vigorous exercise. For more info, see "The Schwartzbein Principle" by Diana Schwartzbein, MD. She also recommends small meals and at least 2 snacks per day, each balanced with protein, fats, and a small amount of carbohydrates (7.5 grams). If you don't reduce carbohydrate and sugar levels in your diet, in our opinion, you will have difficulty healing and you will probably have blood sugar that is too high and causes damage, even if you take supplements.*

We think it is an error to follow a low fat diet if you are diabetic.* Well, we think it's an error to follow a low fat diet even if you are not diabetic. See the Weston A Price Foundation website for more information. But diabetics especially need to have more fat in their diet to supply much needed nutrients as well as to slow down the absorption of carbohydrates into their bloodstream. In fact, unless eaten to excess, fats have not been shown to contribute to diabetes, except trans fatty acids, that cause insulin resistance*. This means you need to stay away from almost all prepared foods today, as most of them contain trans fatty acids.

Your diet should actually be rich in animal foods with lots of fat to provide the vitamin A, vitamin D and zinc you need. Raw butter, cream, whole milk, cheese and eggs from pastured animals provide vitamins A and D, and red meats and shellfish have lots of zinc. Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil is a good source of vanadium.

There is some anecdotal evidence that celery juice, Jerusalem artichokes, onions and spinach can help restore normal blood sugar levels*. Bitter melon can be found in Asian food markets and can also help lower your blood sugar by increasing the body's ability to produce insulin*.

Note: If you make significant changes in your diet, including food and supplement intake, you want to make sure and have your blood sugar levels retested if you are on any diabetes medication, to see if you need to have it decreased.

Other Ideas

Exercise is very important for diabetics. A walk or even some more vigorous type of exercise an hour or two after each meal may be very helpful, as the exercise helps to drive the blood sugar out of the blood into the cells.

Stress also can raise blood sugar levels, and so in addition to all the above including adding more nutrients like vitamins to your diet, it is possible that a change in job or lifestyle may be necessary to keep your blood sugar levels in balance.*

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy

Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy is the transition whereby many mothers developed Gestational Diabetes due to gluconeogenesis, lipolysis of fatty acids and hormonal changes which resulted in high glucose level. During pregnancy, the body adjusts both its homeostatic mechanisms and physiological system in order to provide sufficient nutrients for the fetus growth and survival. Some of the changes include the following:

1. Hormonal Changes: (i) Elevated progesterone and oestrogen - suppress menstrual cycle. (ii) Elevated Prolactin - develop mammary gland. (iii) Placental lactogen - fatty acid metabolism, which resulted in the increase of glucose for fetus usage ultimately decreases maternal tissue sensitivity to insulin, resulting in gestational diabetes.

2. Metabolic Changes: (i) Lactogen and Cortisol - The increased in steroid hormones aid in the distribution of nutrients to fetal growth and fat deposition. (ii) Increase glucognoegenesis - making of more glucose by liver. Increase maternal glucose level and resulted in gestational diabetes during gestational pregnancy.

3. Physical Changes: Increase in weight during pregnancy due to increase fats deposition and growth of reproductive organs such as breast development and fetal tissues.

4. Cardiovascular Changes: (i) Aldosterone - Increase plasma volume or blood volume by approximate 40%. (ii) Increase heart rate. (iii) Blood pressure fluctuation.

5. Respiratory Changes: (i) Compression of the diaphragm by the uterus results in decrease functional residual in respiratory. (ii) Progesterone aid in maintaining an increased respiration rate.

In summary, gestational diabetes pregnancy may be seen as a common trait in all pregnant women, but controlling of individual blood glucose level is important in order for both healthy development of mother and fetus.

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Monday, September 8, 2008

Pancreas and Type II Diabetes

Before discussing the subject of what causes type II diabetes, you might want to know how does the pancreas help to maintain sugar in the blood stream.

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen behind the stomach. It contains thin tubes joining to form a single opening into the intestine that is located just beyond the stomach. The pancreas produces juices, enzymes and insulin.

1. The enzymes digest fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

2. Pancreatic juices combined with juices from the intestines help to do the job of breaking down protein, carbohydrates and fat therefore it plays an important role in maintaining good health.

3. The pancreas also produces insulin, which is important in regulating the amount of sugar or glucose in the blood.

There are 3 different kinds of type II diabetes:

1. If some of the cells in the pancreas die off the pancreas can't produce enough insulin to regulate sugar in the blood stream, then we have type II diabetes that are caused by deficiency of insulin. Today experts still don't know the causes of how pancreas cells die off, but they suspect that excessive alcohol drinking may be the factor. According to surveys, 70% of patients with type II insulin deficiency diabetes were heavy alcohol users.

2. If the pancreas produces enough insulin, but the receptor sites are clogged up by fat and cholesterol causing insulin not being pick up at the cell from receptor sites, we have type II insulin sufficient diabetes. Most cases of type II insulin sufficient diabetes are caused by uncontrolled diet that are high in saturated fat, smoking and excessive alcohol drinking.

3. If the pancreas also produces enough insulin, but allergic responses to certain foods cause resistance of cells to allow insulin to enter blood stream. In other words, if the cells of the muscle and liver resist to take up glucose from the blood causing high concentration of glucose in the blood stream, we have a case of type II insulin resistance diabetes. The foods creating this problem vary from person to person. Most people with type II insulin resistance diabetes seem to be precipitated by overweight, smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Type II insulin resistant diabetics should have allergy shots in order to find the exact foods causing insulin resistance reactions. I hope these information will help.

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Diabetes - Diabetics Symptoms

Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose. It is either caused by cells in the pancreas dying off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol. In some case diabetes is also caused by allergy reactions of cells in our body.

If you have the below symptoms, please check with your family doctor. You might have diabetes:

1. Frequent urination:
If you feel that you are needing to urinate more often than usual or a compelling urge to urinate, along with discomfort in your bladder.

2. Excessive thirst:
The urge to drink too much beyond a certain limit may be a symptom of high blood sugar in your bloodstream , and can be an important clue in detecting diabetes.

3. Increase appetite:
If you are experiencing the drive to eat excessively due to emotional and physical causes then it is an emotion disorder that compels you to eat even after you are full. Increased appetite can be an early symptom of diabetes.

4. Unexplained weight loss:
Loss of body weight can occur due to various conditions ranging from eating disorders to severe metabolic conditions including diabetes. Drastic weight loss of more than 5 to 10 pounds when you're not trying to, requires medical attention because it may be a sign of diabetes.

5. Blurry vision:
This is a symptom of great concern. If the blood sugar levels are too high, sugar builds up in your eye, This excess sugar also draws in fluid, changing the shape of the lens and making blurry vision. Certain types of blurry vision can be a medical emergency where delay can lead to loss of sight.

6. Increased fatigue:
Unlike the tiredness experienced by a healthy person, sudden increase of fatigue is a bad thing in people with symptoms of diabetes.

Most Type II diabetes are caused by uncontrolled diet that are high in saturated fat. In the case of the cells of the pancreas dying off, experts believe it is caused by excessive drinking of alcohol.

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Diabetes - What is the Healthy Weight

Since Type II diabetes are caused by unhealthy diet that are high in saturated fat, most diabetics are overweight and obese, therefore weight loss becomes an important factor with even a few pounds being significant. Losing 20- 30 pounds in 3-4 months will improve health of diabetics remarkably, because the glucose in the bloodstream will drop and the cholesterol and triglycerides will go down.

The improvement of all the above will give diabetics more energy and better health.
But what is the ideal weight for diabetics?

Here is an easy way for diabetics to guess a good target weight by using this simple formula:
weight when you were age 20 X 1.2= target weight

In order to achieve the target diabetics usually follow some kind of diet program that we have discussed in many articles. In this article, we will try to approach this subject differently.

1. Eat less food
* Use a small plate instead of the large dinner plate. This makes it look like you are getting more
foods.
*Eat small servings.
*Eat low calorie soup before meal.
* Eat small portions of fruits or vegetables before you have a meal or snack.

2. Eat less fat
* trim the fat of meat.
*do not eat fried foods.
*Use little oil when you cook.
*Take off the skin of chicken.

3. Eat regular meals
Eat your meals at the same time everyday, do not skip any meals. Skipping meals will only make you hungrier and eat more at the next meal.

4. Try to eat different colors of fruits and vegetables for your meal, because different colors of fruits and vegetables contain many different kinds of vitamins and minerals.

5. Eat fewer sweets and desserts.

6. Exercise:
Exercise everyday will help to increase your physical activity as well as reducing body weight.

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The Key to Proper Gestational Diabetes Nutrition

Gestational diabetes nutrition is very important when it comes down to treating this disease. Do you know that nearly 4% of women that get pregnant develop a condition known as Gestational diabetes? This statistic comes from the American Diabetes Association. This disease is a unique condition in which the patient has high amounts of blood glucose levels during late pregnancy. The patient previously does not have any signs of diabetes. There are approximately 135,000 of these cases in the United States every year alone.

With the large majority of these cases, women who develop this illness do not develop the condition of Type II diabetes. The condition is caused by the pregnancy. When the condition is developed the mother is unable to use the proper amount of insulin that is being developed during the pregnancy. What this does is causes a resistance to insulin by the mother. As a result, the mother develops a high level of blood glucose. This condition is known as hyperglycemia.

The good news is you can treat gestational diabetes. One way to treat the condition is to use insulin injections. What these injections do is they regulate the blood glucose levels and keeps them at the right amount.

One of the best ways to avoid this condition prior to getting pregnant is to lose excess pounds. Additional weight put on after pregnancy can trigger this condition. This is why proper gestational diabetes nutrition is very important. What you eat also plays a role in proper gestational diabetes nutrition. Another tool that is very useful is called the Glycemic Index. If a woman is thinking of getting pregnant she can use this index to know what foods she should avoid. The Glycemic Index was created to provide guidance for proper gestational diabetes nutrition so diabetics can identify foods with carbohydrates that people suffering from diabetics can eat.

What Are the Best Foods to Eat?

One of the things you want to do is start reading package labels. It is important that you watch the number and the type of nutrients that each food that you eat contains. There are four key ingredients in foods that you need to monitor on a regular and consistent basis if you want to practice proper gestational diabetes nutrition. They are -

a) carbohydrates
b) fat
c) fiber
d) protein.

Protein Foods - What types of foods should you look for that has protein? Some foods that contain protein include different types of meats, poultry, fish, and different types of dairy products (like milk, yogurt, eggs and cheese), You should eat enough protein that is equal to the size of the typical deck of cards. Some of the best sources of protein are low-fat cheese, grilled fish, baked chicken and bean soup.

Carbohydrates Foods - Food that contains carbohydrates are typically consumed too much by most people. They contain a certain type of sugar that is needed but not needed as much as many people eat it. Some of the best types of carbohydrates to eat are found in cereal, toast, baked potatoes and boiled pasta. You should only eat about 40% of carbohydrates.

Fiber Foods - Food that contains fiber contains a specific type of carbohydrate. This carbohydrate provides a great form of gestational diabetes nutrition because of its nutritional attributes. Fiber also decreases constipation, which is vitally important for proper digestion. Some examples of good fiber based foods include hot cereals (oatmeal and oat bran), fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, beans and corn tortillas.

Fat Foods - One type of food that you want to minimize is fat. You do need to have a certain amount of fat in your diet. However, what you don't want to do is have too much fat. Too much fat can be a hindrance to proper gestational diabetes nutrition. Therefore you want to stick to foods that have low-fat or focus on nonfat foods.

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Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes, An Omen of Things to Come?

Signs and symptoms of diabetes sometimes do not appear and because one is feeling fine, shock will set in when the diagnosis is made. This is because often there are no symptoms early in the game. Nowhere is this more true than with type 2 diabetes.

That is why it is good to get tested for diabetes if one is at risk. This way, strategies to turn around the tide can be laid out. There is a chance then to reverse its coming or at least prevent the complications. Otherwise, if one finds out he has diabetes after the complications have arrived, then the fight will be a harder battle to win.

Here are the warning signs and symptoms of diabetes:

* Weight gain which is more common in type 2 diabetes and weight loss which is common in type 1
* Blurry vision or any change in sight.
* Cuts, bruises and infections that are slow to heal
* Tingling or numbness or loss of feelings in hands and feet
* Frequent infections of gums and skin
* Flu-like feeling including extreme fatigue and weakness
* Frequent and constant hunger

The two classic signs and symptoms of diabetes are:

* Constant thirst
* Increased urination

Weight gain or loss - Before diagnosis, some patients with type 1 diabetes lose weight. Why does this happen? Well with all the urination, glucose is lost and with glucose loss, naturally some calories are lost causing weight loss.

Where do they get energy that a person needs? From the fats stored of course. The trouble is there is not enough glucose to generate growth, hence the loss of weight. This is not noticeable among the type 2 diabetics because they are usually overweight.

Blurry vision or any change in eyesight - The extra glucose in the blood extracts the fluid out of the lenses of the eyes. When this happens, the lenses are made thin to the point that they are not able to focus properly. There is nothing to worry because lowering the glucose level will bring back the fluid to the lenses. In time, the vision will return.

There is another thing to watch out with the eyesight. The high blood glucose will result in the formation of the tiny blood vessels in the eyes. This can cause bleeding that may result in flashing lights, dark spots and even blindness.

Since there are no signs and symptoms of diabetes that will give a clue to the eye changes, it is imperative to see an eye specialist regularly. The eye specialist will be able to see the blood vessels in each retina by dilating the pupils. This way, whatever changes are detected some steps can be taken to slow down the progression.

Sores and infections that are frequently occurring and slow to heal - This is another one of those signs and symptoms that will give one an idea that the high blood sugar level is blocking the natural ability of the body to fight infections.

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