Independent Articles about:
1. The Diabetic Diet Plan
2. Diabetic Facts and Diets
3. Diabetes Information
How to Follow a Diabetic Diet
By John Mancini There are approximately 1 million new patients diagnosed
with diabetes each year in the United States and over 200,000 deaths attributed
to the disease. If you have recently been one of the patients diagnosed,
you want to do everything you cannot to be one of the 200,000 reported casualties.
For this reason, you should follow a diabetic diet to keep your diabetes
under control.
When buying the food that are needed for a diabetic diet, it is important
to read the labels, it is especially important since most food labels show
daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. This is higher than most diabetic
diets allow for. Therefore, the values given will need to be recalculated
into grams and calories and adjust that into their own diet plans.
The timing of meals is also important on a diabetic diet. No meal should
be skipped, the reason for this is simple, especially for those individuals
who are insulin dependent. If you skip meals, you run the risk of upsetting
the delicate stability that exists between the insulin and the food consumption.
For a lot of diabetes patient the administration of insulin is calculated
to correlate closely with the timing of meals
These guidelines suggest limiting fat intake, limiting dietary cholesterol,
a diet rich in fiber, eat fresh fruits in moderation, limit the amount of
protein that is eaten and reduce your salt intake. The goal for everyone,
especially those with diabetes, is to set a goal of five servings of fruit
and vegetables, six daily servings of whole grain foods and two servings
a week of fatty fish.
Eating between meals is also discouraged for diabetic patients. This is
because if too much food is eaten at the wrong times, it can lead to weight
gain and mess with the work that the insulin injections are doing to control
the disease. It is very important to follow the diabetic diet that is set
up for you by your doctor.
There are no sets of guidelines that have been written in stone for the
control of diabetes for every person. However, there are certain things
suggestions for all diabetes patients, in fact, for all Americans, that
should be followed to maintain a healthy life style. These suggestions are
based on US dietary guidelines for healthier eating.
If there are any questions regarding your diet or your diabetes in general,
do not try to answer them yourself. Call your doctor, the office staff will
be more than willing to set up an appointment for you to discuss any of
the concerns you may have with your physician.
7 Things to Know About a Diabetic Diet
By John Mancini If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes,
you are probably experiencing many emotions all at once. You have a lot
of questions that need answers, one of which is how well can you control
your disease with a diabetic diet. The diet that you follow will play a
large roll helping you control your diabetes instead of your diabetes controlling
you.
1- There are no sets of guidelines that have been written in stone for
the control of diabetes for every person. However, there are certain things
suggestions for all diabetes patients, in fact, for all Americans, that
should be followed to maintain a healthy life style. These suggestions are
based on US dietary guidelines for healthier eating.
2- These guidelines suggest limiting fat intake, limiting dietary cholesterol,
a diet rich in fiber, eat fresh fruits in moderation, limit the amount of
protein that is eaten and reduce your salt intake. The goal for everyone,
especially those with diabetes, is to set a goal of five servings of fruit
and vegetables, six daily servings of whole grain foods and two servings
a week of fatty fish.
3- When buying the food that are needed for a diabetic diet, it is important
to read the labels, it is especially important since most food labels show
daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. This is higher than most diabetic
diets allow for. Therefore, the values given will need to be recalculated
into grams and calories and adjust that into their own diet plans.
4- When measuring foods for your diabetic diet, it is important to weigh
the food also to get the right amount of daily caloric intake. Every diabetic
should have a food scale that can measure down to the gram (equal to about
1/28 ounce), in addition to normal measuring spoons and cups. The food should
be measured after it is cooked to ensure the right amount is being served.
5- The timing of meals is also important on a diabetic diet. No meal should
be skipped, the reason for this is simple, especially for those individuals
who are insulin dependent. If you skip meals, you run the risk of upsetting
the delicate stability that exists between the insulin and the food consumption.
For a lot of diabetes patient the administration of insulin is calculated
to correlate closely with the timing of meals
6- Eating between meals is also discouraged for diabetic patients. This
is because if too much food is eaten at the wrong times, it can lead to
weight gain and mess with the work that the insulin injections are doing
to control the disease. It is very important to follow the diabetic diet
that is set up for you by your doctor.
7- If there are any questions regarding your diet or your diabetes in general,
do not try to answer them yourself. Call your doctor, the office staff will
be more than willing to set up an appointment for you to discuss any of
the concerns you may have with your physician.
Diabetic Diet - Visual Plate Method
By F. Kuhn, RN
Diabetes Diet - Visual Plate Method
How do you know what foods to eat? Maybe you like rice or pasta or grits
or other starchy foods that need insulin to process these foods.
How much of the starchy or carbohydrate (CHO) foods can I eat? Well that
depends on if you need to lose weight, gain weight or maintain your weight.
I think the most prudent way of eating the foods you love and at the same
time not putting too much strain on the pancreas to spit out insulin, is
to eat in moderation.
What I mean by moderation is using the Visual Plate Method. Believe it or
not, this is one way of controlling your food intake, as well as how much
carbohydrate or starchy foods you include with your meal.
So what does the Visual Plate Method mean. All it means is look at your
plate with your food in it. If all you see is rice, or grits or sweet food
as the majority of your plate, then you are way off base. You should include
a green leafy vegetable or salad, Protein food (eggs , meat, fish, cheese)
and a small portion of starchy vegetables or rice, pasta or whatever other
carbohydrate.
Since I work as a visiting nurse, I try to explain to the patients that
you don't have to go to extremes. It doesn't matter what culture and foods
that you like. It matters that you need to portion control your starchy
vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, peas, potatoes) and your CHO foods (rice,
pasta, and other starchy foods) with each meal.
If you decide you want peas and carrots, then eat very little rice or pasta.
If you eat green leafy vegetables, then you can eat more rice or pasta.
Protein foods do not raise your blood sugar, so you can add more fish, eggs,
meat, etc with your meals. As long as your cholesterol isn't too high (eggs
and meats) and you are not a Kidney patient, there should be no reason why
you can't eat more protein foods. Protein foods that contain their own natural
fat actually help curb your appetite. It is the CHO that stimulate your
appetite.
If you are a teenager, then following a diet is much harder. If you eat
potato chips, then no starch with your meal. I'm not saying to eat potato
chips but realistically teenagers eat a little more junk foods than normal.
Let's not make our teenagers neurotic about eating exactly the foods that
parents may insist on. If they don't eat it in front of you, they will do
it behind your back.
Whenever you eat a meal or snack, it should always include a small amount
of protein that has its own natural fat. The protein food with its own natural
fat tends to hold onto the food longer so that your blood sugar doesn't
spike and then drop immediately. That can happen if you have a piece of
fruit and no protein food with it. Also, eating just a piece of fruit can
make you hungrier. That's where the protein food helps to curb the appetite.
I also tell my patients not to drink any juice unless your blood sugar is
low. It is better to eat the fruit than drink the juice.
Also recommended is if you like soda, then drink diet soda sweetened with
Splenda. There is too much controversy with Nutrasweet or Aspartame. If
you ever read the instruction for Nutrasweet, you cannot cook with it as
it changes into a substance when heated that is not good for the body. Check
online about the hazards of Aspartame or Nutrasweel and you make your own
judgment. You will notice that Pepsi, Coke, 7Up are now going with Splenda.
Thank You So Much!!!!!
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As always, you need to consult with your doctor. A diabetes educator and
dietician can do wonders for your diet.
Important Information on Diabetes You Should Know
By John Mancini There are approximately 14 million people in the
United States that have been diagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately, it
is also estimated that another 6 million people have the disease, but have
not yet been diagnosed. These are the people that need accurate information
on diabetes to be sure that they visit their health care provider right
away if they notice symptoms.
While looking for information on diabetes, your search will reveal that
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and is often found among
the aging population. Type 2 differs from Type 1 in that Type 2 diabetes
patients do produce insulin, but for some reason the cells ignore its presence.
This results in a build up of glucose in the body, which can lead to blindness,
heart disease and kidney damage to name a few of the complications that
are associated with Type 2 diabetes.
While looking for information on diabetes it is important to find information
on the complications that accompany the disease as well. While diabetes
is a treatable illness, it does have some complications that should not
be ignored. If you notice any of these issues, it is important to see your
doctor immediately. Some of the issues associated with diabetes include
an increase in periodontal disease, sexual dysfunction among men and women,
an increase in blood pressure and nerve damage. This is a small list of
the complications that are common with diabetes; your physician will be
able to provide a more complete list.
The two most common types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is
a direct result of the body's failure to properly manufacture the insulin
that it needs. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose inside cells to
fuel them. While being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes is serious, it is
defiantly an illness that can be lived with and controlled. The information
on diabetes will reveal that Type 1 diabetes is controlled by insulin injections.
When looking for information on diabetes, there are three types to learn
about. One of the best places to find the information you need about type
1, type 2 and gestational diabetes is from your doctor. However, another
good way to find this information is on the internet. When you are looking
up information on diabetes online, it is important to be sure that you are
getting it from a reputable source. The government has several websites
that has the kind of accurate information on diabetes that you need.
Diabetes Facts and Statistics
By Renee Kennedy What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease where the body cannot properly produce or use insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that turns the foods you eat into energy. If your body
cannot turn food into energy, not only will your cells be starved for energy,
you will also build up glucose (sugar) in your blood. This will lead you
to have "high blood glucose levels." Over years, the high blood
glucose level can damage major organs like your heart, eyes, and kidneys.
Statistics:
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 18.2 million people
in the United States with Diabetes. That's 6.3% of the population.
Diabetes is found in both men and women over the age of 20. About one-third
of Diabetics do not know that they have it. African Americans are 1.6 times
more likely to have diabetes than Whites. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely
to have diabetes than Whites.
Type 1 is most often found in children, with the peak incidence at puberty.
Type 2 is generally found in adults, however an alarmingly growing number
of children are now diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. One of the main causes
is overweight.
Types:
1. Type 1 Diabetes is caused by a total lack of insulin that, in turn, produces
high blood glucose levels. Type 1 is most often is seen in children, but
can develop in adults. If you have Type 1, your health care provider might
recommend scheduled, nutritious meals, exercise, medication, and frequent
blood sugar level tests.
2. Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin
or cannot properly use insulin. This is the most common type. The treatment
may be similar to Type 1.
3. Pre Diabetes or Borderline Diabetes may occur before a Type 2 diagnosis.
Blood glucose levels will be higher than normal. Good nutrition and exercise
may be recommended by your health care provider as treatment for pre diabetes.
Even a slightly high blood sugar level is insidious and could affect major
organs over time.
4. Gestational Diabetes occurs in pregnant women that have high blood glucose
levels. This type of Diabetes can harm both Mother and baby. If you have
Gestational Diabetes, your health care provider may prescribe meal plans,
exercise, daily testing and medicine.
Symptoms:
The main symptom of diabetes is the lack of insulin activity or the inability
for the body to create insulin.
Other symptoms include:
1. increase in urine production
2. blurry vision
3. irritability
4. extreme hunger
5. excessive weight loss
6. increased fatigue
Causes and Risk Factors:
The exact causes of Diabetes are still unknown. However, heredity, obesity
and lack of exercise may play a role. Here are some general risk factors:
1. Your siblings or parents have diabetes.
2. You are more than 20% overweight.
3. You do not exercise.
4. You have had gestational diabetes or you have had a baby over 9 lbs.
5. You have high blood pressure.
6. Your cholesterol level is not normal.
Treatment Options:
According to the American Diabetes Association, people with Diabetes have
the same nutritional needs as everyone else. In addition to prescribed medications,
well-balanced meals may help you keep your blood glucose level as normal
as possible.
Also, just like everyone else, exercise is an important part of staying
healthy. Exercising with diabetes does require a few extra safety steps
that your health care professional can make you aware of.
Nutritious meals, an exercise routine, along with the help of your doctor
may aid you in controlling your Diabetes. Diabetes will never truly go away,
but with proper nutrition, exercise and prescribed medications, it can be
controlled.
Outlook:
There is no cure for Diabetes, but the treatment options are becoming better
than they've ever been. Self-monitoring devices for blood glucose levels
and administering insulin are the areas that have seen the most improvement.
The following are a list of new treatment options that are currently being
researched:
1. Insulin Pump Implants - a permanently implanted pump that will measure
blood sugar levels and deliver the exact amount of insulin needed.
2. Insulin Capsule Implant - an insulin capsule that can be implanted to
continuously release insulin into the bloodstream.
3. Insulin Inhaler - a rapid-acting insulin that is inhaled into the mouth.
Currently in clinical trials.
4. Insulin Pill - Currently, the pill form has only been tested in animals.
5. Continuous Monitoring Device - The GlucoWatch Biographer, a wristwatch-like
device, has been approved by the FDA. It is intended as a companion for
the fingertip blood test to monitor glucose, in order to ensure accurate
results.
6. Islet Cell Transplant - For people with Type 1 Diabetes, helps patients
become insulin free for up to 14 months after treatment. Currently in clinical
trials.
7. Gene Therapy
8. A Diabetes Vaccine - To prevent or slow the progress of Type 1 Diabetes.
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Brief Overview Of Diabetes And Diet
By Kathryn Whittaker Diabetes has been around for centuries. There
are presently sixteen millions diabetics in America, but eight million do
not know that they have the disease. Today, diabetes is in third place as
the cause of mortality, behind cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Diabetes is caused by a disruption in insulin production in the body. Insulin
is a hormone produced by the pancreas when the level of blood sugar, glucose,
increases - after a meal, most commonly. With the help of insulin, glucose
moves from the blood into the cells. The cellular components turn the glucose
into energy. When glucose does not enter cells, it stays in the blood and
is filtered by kidneys which later eliminate it from the bloodstream.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when insulin in the body does
not work as it should. Main symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst,
excessive urination, excessive appetite, fatigue, blurred vision, frequent
and slow-healing infections including bladder, vaginal and skin. In men,
diabetes may be accompanied by such symptoms as erectile dysfunction.
In order to timely recognize diabetes, everyone should be familiar with
the different types of diabetes as well as with main symptoms of diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is a life-threatening condition which is less common. Those
suffering with this type of diabetes need complete insulin replacement because
the body does not make sufficient amounts of this essential hormone.
The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus. 90% of all diabetes cases in the US are diagnosed as
Type 2.
There is also gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy due to
specific hormonal changes in the body of the expectant mother.
Diabetes is often accompanied by obesity and high cholesterol and is a
disease that often runs in families, so if one of your family members has
it, you have a higher risk of developing diabetes too. Lack of activity,
a diet rich in fats and processed products and obesity significantly increase
your risk for diabetes.
Diabetes can be prevented and controlled by amending your diet. When we
eat a product that is rich in sugar, the pancreas starts to produce more
insulin to turn the sugar into energy. Saturated fat is transformed by the
liver into sugar, which triggers the same response of pancreas - more insulin,
more energy.
When the body doesn't use this energy, it stores it as fat in the liver,
on the stomach and hips. The more sugar and fat we eat, the more "storage
space" our body requires.
However, when you switch to eating vegetables, cereals and other fiber-rich
products cooked or seasoned with olive or grape seed oil, the pancreas does
not need to produce any extra insulin. As a result, fat is not deposited
in the body and the blood sugar levels remain stable. By avoiding sweet
and fat-rich foods, blood sugar levels remains balanced which can delay
the onset of diabetes and for those already diagnosed as diabetic can help
them manage the condition.
Diabetes - Living in health
By Charles Cruz Many people are already starting to catch up with
the knowledge that your energy is directly proportional to what you put
into your body (A.K.A. food).
Studies have shown that if you eat a high "raw" vegetable diet,
your energy will increase tenfold and you will have more vibrant health
in your life. It is recommended to eat as most vegetables as you can. Once
you have tried this, and once you have felt the improved wellness of following
a healthy diet, it will be hard to go back.
When people say they are tired, that they have back or neck pains, when
they say they caught a cold, this are all sympthoms of having your PH balance
lowered. In return, your body starts to accumulate more and more cholesterol
as a defense mechanism to "trap" the acidity of your body. This
in return starts to cause diseases.
This is when diabetes comes in. 80% of the diabetic population are obese.
One of the main goals in the diabetes diet is to lower your weight and maintain
it. You must keep this is mind.
In addition to bringing you to your ideal weight, the purpose of your diet
is to maintain regular glucose levels in your body, to protect your heart
by maintaining healthy lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride)levels, and to
control blood pressure.
These are the basic guidelines and purpose of a diabetic diet but there
are other things you want to consider, depending on what type of diabetes
are you treating and the specific conditions of each person.
For example, a simple heart healthy diet can work great for people with
type 2 diabetes, but a type 1 diabetes person may require a different kind
of diet. These are things your doctor or nutritionist will design specifically
for you.
What a person may not know, is that when studies have been conducted on
similar people with different diets, the most important factor in getting
great results was not the diet itself. The biggest most important factor
in maintaining good health lies in being attentive and focused on the diet
itself. In other words, any healthy diet works if patients work at it.
Intricate dietary methods are available for control of blood sugar in type
1 and more severe type 2 diabetes. If one of these approaches works in controlling
glucose levels, there is no reason to choose another. Each of them can be
effective, but because regulating diabetes is an individual situation, everyone
with this condition should get help from a dietary professional in selecting
the best method. You must start to live in health.
Diabetes Facts
By Mark Freeman
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body
is unable to properly control the amount of sugar in the blood. The body
cannot control the sugar in the blood due to the lack of the hormone insulin.
Diabetes has long reaching and wide ranging health affects for those that
suffer from it. Diabetes significantly raises the risk of heart disease
and stroke, blindness and kidney failure. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead
to death.
It is estimated that over 18 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and
of these 18 million it is estimated that nearly one third are unaware they
suffer from it.
Diabetes is easily diagnosed using a fasting blood glucose test. This if
the most accurate test available. A fasting blood glucose result of 126
or higher indicates diabetes. Generally a fasting glucose test is part of
an annual physical for adults.
Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is diagnosed in children and young
adults.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is usually found
in adults over the age of 40. Type 2 diabetes is most likely due to poor
diet and overweight as 80% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.
There is still debate about the genetics of diabetes. If both your parents
have diabetes of course your risk is higher than if one parent has it. There
are also environmental triggers to diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more closely
linked to genetic factors and factors such as poor diet and lack of exercise.
Some of the symptoms of diabetes are unexplained weight loss, lethargy,
excessive thirst or excessive hunger, frequent urination, dry skin, slow
healing sores, sudden vision changes.
If you find you have diabetes you will need to work very closely with your
health care provider in order to keep your sugar levels within acceptable
ranges. You'll start testing your blood sugar at least once a day and keeping
the results in a diary. You will need to re-vamp your diet and pay close
attention to portion size and meal frequency. A diabetic diet doesn't necessarily
mean you cannot have foods that contain carbohydrates, it means you can't
have them in an unlimited fashion. Exercise done on a regular basis has
been found to help control blood sugar levels. It is suggested that those
with diabetes should exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day.
Living with diabetes can seem overwhelming at first, and it will take commitment
on your part. However, millions of Americans live full and active lives
with diabetes.
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