Treating and Beating Diabetes

 
DiabetesDefence.com is leading information portal on treating and beating diabetes. Learn about the diabetes types such as: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

You’ll also learn how to recognize symptoms, understand its causes, get proper diagnosis and find the right treatment. And lastly but most importantly, you’ll receive education on how to adjust your diet and engage in diabetes management and prevention.

 
Discover How Lifestyle Choices Affect Type 2 Diabetes

When first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I think one of the most common phrases you heard was 'lifestyle choices'. If you make the following choices, here's some good news, they will help you with:

    * your weight loss
    * your blood glucose levels
    * your high triglycerides and
    * your cholesterol levels

This is a way of living that turns on all the right gene messages, promotes a healthy metabolism and helps prevent conditions like type 2 diabetes.

* achieve your ideal body weight
* be physically active - exercise is critical for the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Ideally you should do 30 minutes every day: break it down and walk for 10 minutes(without stopping) following each meal. This is a start to increasing your physical activity.
* controlling the glycemic load (GI) load of your meals is really important. This can be done by combining adequate protein, fats and whole-food carbohydrates from vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruit at every meal or snack.
* reduce your intake of total fat and use monounsaturated fats such as olives and extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.
* eat more dark green leafy vegetables and vegetables that grow above the ground. They are mostly water and the least fattening foods, they contain very little carbohydrate and so hardly affect your blood sugar levels.
* increase your fiber intake from fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and this will help stabilize your blood glucose by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. There is no fiber in animal products.
* it is recommended people with diabetes should eat fish a couple of times a week. If you are trying to lose weight don't believe fish is not fattening. It is still a protein and, eaten in excess, is potentially fattening. It is also wise to avoid large amounts of meat and then only eat lean meat.
* reduce sweet foods generally (sugars, jam, honey, treacle, lollies, chocolate, health food bars, cordials, canned fruit in syrup).
* eat fresh berries, cherries, peaches, plums, rhubarb, pears and apples. Rock melon and other melons, grapes and kiwifruit are not really suitable as they contain more sugar.
* caffeine in sodas, coffee and tea not only can raise stress and blood pressure but can also raise cholesterol, and arterial inflammation related to atherosclerosis can exacerbate diabetes.
 eat small protein snacks in the morning and afternoon, eg. a small handful of almonds.

So in summary its:

    * moving more
    * reducing how much you eat
    * cutting back on saturated fats and cholesterol
    * modifying your carbohydrate intake
    * eating more regularly
    * moderating your protein intake
    * eating more healthy foods

The best way to achieve weight loss goals is through changing your diet: not being hungry but learning to renovate recipes!

Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who can help you understand your Type 2 Diabetes. Knowledge is power and you are in charge of your body.

Why Testing Your Blood Sugar is So Important For Diabetic

One task that can be tiresome but plays an important role in the everyday life of a diabetic is constant blood sugar monitoring. Diabetics suffer from a disease in which their body either does not produce insulin at all or the insulin it does produce is ineffective at processing blood sugar. Many diabetics make the mistake of assuming that if they feel good, their blood sugar level is fine and no changes in their current activity are necessary. But oftentimes this lackadaisical approach is a huge mistake.

You see, diabetics don't just check their blood sugars when their feeling faint, because when you do that, it is already too late. The fact is, a diabetic must monitor their blood sugar constantly and make changes accordingly even if they are on medication, insulin shots, or eating food to help regulate the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. The failure to maintain normal levels of blood sugar over a long period of time can lead to horrible negative consequences for diabetics including organ failure and even amputation of some of their limbs.

In order to avoid these complications, check with your doctor to develop a specific testing schedule for you. In addition, be sure to have a blood sugar testing kit with you at all times. This kit will include a small lancet used to prick your finger, test strips to put the blood onto to be tested, and a small monitor that will examine the test strips and give a readout of exactly where your blood sugar level is. There are many other types of blood sugar monitors available on the market and all of them can be a great addendum to your maintenance plan, but the blood obtained from the fingertip and monitored with one of these test strip kits has proven over time to be one of the most reliable methods.

So please, don't assume that just because you feel good that everything is working properly inside your body. Diabetics should test their blood regularly and in doing so they can greatly reduce the harmful effects diabetes can have on their bodies.

With all of the choices available to monitor your blood glucose levels it's easier than ever for a diabetic to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Never take shortcuts on your testing! Be sure to have plenty of quality test strips on hand and test often. Find a good supplier with discount prices so you don't worry about running out. Article Source: Ray Shermanhttp of EzineArticles.com