Foods that control diabetes

In 1550 BC, the famous Ebers Papyrus advised treating diabetes with high fiber wheat grains. Not much has changed since then. Plant foods are the drug of choice for treating diabetes. There are large numbers of scientific research findings to confirm the effectiveness of plant foods in managing this disease. Through the centuries, more than 400 plants have been identified, used, and prescribed as diabetic remedies.

Raw onions and garlic have been long been favorite anti-diabetic drugs in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The vegetable bitter gourd and the herb ginseng have been widely used for treating diabetes since the ancient time in India and China. Common mushroom is widely used in parts of Europe to lower blood sugar. Barely bread is a popular treatment for diabetes in Iraq. Other foods, used in different countries, in the treatment of diabetes include beans, cabbage, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cucumber, fenugreek seeds, Indian gooseberry and lettuce.

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All these foods have anti-diabetic properties. Scientific research has confirmed that most of these foods, or their compounds, either lower blood sugar, or stimulate insulin production. Some of the more important foods that help to lower blood sugar or stimulate insulin production in diabetes patients are discussed here.

Artichoke is a tuberous root with a top like a sunflower. This vegetable contains good amounts of potassium, a fair amount of calcium and some iron and sulphur, all of which are needed by the body for maintaining good health.

Artichoke is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes because of its high insulin content. A fully ripe artichoke is said to contain more than two percent of insulin. Ripe artichokes are generally available only during autumn or fall. The insulin is converted into sugar in winter. Artichokes are most effective when eaten raw in salads. It cooking is required; they should be boiled, unpeeled, in a small quantity of water for about 10 minutes. Artichokes can be effectively combined with other vegetables.

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Exercise for Diabetics

Exercise for Diabetics

The two most common forms of diabetes are referred to as Type 1 and Type 2.  Type 1 diabetes, also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in that the body stops producing insulin altogether.  Type 2 diabetes is generally diagnosed in older adults and occurs as the body stops producing enough insulin or the individual becomes resistent to their own insulin. 

 

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With either form of diabetes, we lose our ability to adequately untilize sugar.  Blood sugar levels increase due to the body's difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream.  There are various ways to lower blood sugar levels including exercise, diet, and medications. 

Exercise is a very important part of diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.  For the Type 1 diabetic, regular exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity, helps prevent accumulation of excess weight, and increases the use of glucose by muscles, thereby lower blood sugar levels.  While there is currently no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, it may be possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes. 

Things to consider when attempting to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise, supplementation with vitamins and herbs that help prevent insulin resistance, and proper weight control. 

Exercise not only helps directly in diabetic management by lowering blood sugar levels and maintaining insulin sensitivity, but also helps minimize many of the complications that can arise in a diabetic individual. Studies have shown that walking for 30 minutes per day can substantially diminish the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes. 
 Diabetics tend to develop circulatory problems and exercise can certainly help lower blood pressure and improve circulation throughout the body.  Since individuals with diabetes tend to have poor blood flow to their lower extremities and feet, better circulation is of great benefit. 

There are some risks associated with exercise, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh the risks.  Since exercise does lower blood sugar levels, people with diabetes should measure their blood sugar both before and after exercising.  Since your body uses more sugar while exercising and makes you more sensitive to insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming too low and causing hypoglycemia. 

When exercising it is important to let others know that you are diabetic. They should be informed what to do in case of hypoglycemia.  You should always carry candy or fruit juice to treat low blood sugar levels should they occur.  During and after exercise sessions, you should pay close attention to how you feel since rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar levels are becoming too low. 

Exercise is a critical part of diabetic management and treatment.  Exercise helps blood sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and the body become more sensitive to insulin.  Exercise also helps to prevent and minimize common diabetic complications including heart problems, high blood pressure and circulatory deficiencies.  All diabetics should include a regular exercise program as part of their overall management plan.

Diabetes Epidemic because of self-inflicted Obesity

One of the greatest contributors to the type 2 diabetes epidemic is reckoned to be obesity brought on by our modern lifestyles.

Are you eating yourself into diabetes type 2?

Check if you have these 4 eating habits that could contribute to obesity and possibly make you part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic...

1)  Unconscious eating...  No, I don't mean 'sleep-eating' (I wonder if there is such a thing?) I'm talking about automatic eating without any conscious thought to what is happening.

How often do you do something else whilst eating?  Watching TV; reading a book; reading a magazine or newspaper; listening to music, a radio show or conversation?  If you're anything like me it's probably a rare occasion when you just sit and have a meal, without interruptions.

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A recent study carried out by Penn State laboratory showed pre-school children, who consistently watch TV whilst eating, ate up to 33% more than they did when they had a meal without the TV on.

How much extra do you eat, without realizing it, because you are absorbed in a book or TV program?

2)  Eating speed.. Ever finished your meal before others?  Ever bolted your food down and then felt bloated afterwards?

In a recent Sky TV program Paul McKenna (the famous hypnotherapist) explained how the simple act of slowing down whilst eating; putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, can contribute to weight loss.

Think about it, if you're eating more slowly you'll know when you are full.  You won't continue eating and get that uncomfortable bloated feeling.  And you won't put extra weight on.

Watching that program gave me an 'Aha!' moment, because that's exactly what my father has done all his life. It's a standing joke in the family that he takes so long to eat a meal - he often finishes half-an-hour after everyone else.  And guess what?  Yep - he's as skinny as a rake.  Wish I could say the same about me!

3)  Snacking...  Are you really hungry when you snack?  Or is it that you "just fancy a bite to eat"?

Snacking is probably one of the biggest contributions to weight gain.  It's not so much the snacking, it's what you snack on! Cookies /biscuits, chocolate, cakes, snack bars - all these contain massive amounts of sugar that increase the burden on our immune system.  If you overload your system with sugar it may not cope, you could end up with insulin resistance and that leads to type 2 diabetes.

Healthy, no added sugar or sugar free snacks are the best options if you MUST snack.

4)   Sugary drinks... Do you have a favorite soft drink?  If you do, is it a sugar-sweetened drink or a concentrated sugar-rich fruit juice?  And, on a hot day, how much do you drink of that favorite?  Half-a-liter? One liter?

It's all added sugar, which not only impacts on your weight, it also impacts on your body's control of the sugar levels in your blood.

In a recent medical study in the US the results indicated that having just one sugar sweetened drink of fruit juice every day made women more susceptible to becoming part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic, by up to 80%.

So, are you planning to be part of the diabetes epidemic? OK, maybe you're not PLANNING to... but maybe your unconscious eating habits have got you on that slippery slope to diabetes.  A little thought about what you eat, where and how, can reduce the risk for you.

Diabetes And Your Diet

If you are like me you probably thought diabetes is one of those things you have or don't have; nothing could be further from the truth because diabetes is now the biggest threat to health in the developed world and we are eating ourselves into it because of poor diet.

First question is how prevalent is diabetes?
Using Australia as an example that has a total population of around 20 million inhabitants, in the last full year official figures show 70,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes during the year. That is equal to one extra person diagnosed every seven minutes 24/7.

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At present 700,000 people are diagnosed with having diabetes and a conservative figure indicate that for each person diagnosed there is another that is not diagnosed but does suffer from diabetes. that is 1.4 million sufferers out of a total population of 20 million. - More than 5% and growing by the day. The organization Diabetes Australia forecast that by the year 2010 the number of sufferers could be close to 10% of population. This rate of increase is happening throughout the developed world and is caused by lack of exercise and poor diet. We could be quite cruel here and say that people are queuing to shorten their lifespan because diabetes does reduce your lifespan.

The answer to this epidemic is in the hands of each of us. We must exercise more and be more conscious of what we eat. Attention to diet should start from a very young age; in particular we should concentrate on serving sizes and avoiding fatty foods. Yes that does include every child's favorite burger and fries. Once a month does little harm if the children are active, once a week causes damage even if they are active.

We all need to be conscious of seven servings of fruit and vegetables each day in our diet and also the need to back a good diet with reasonable exercise, like walking. People most at risk of type 2 diabetes, the most common, are overweight and do not exercise. They may have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, if you fit this category ask your doctor to check for diabetes next time you visit.

I saved the scariest fact for last: The total number of people in Australia with diabetes or "pre-diabetes" is 3.2 million or 15.1% of the total population. Each of these people will have a reduced lifespan.

This article is (c) copyright David McCarthy 2006.

Diabetes and The Menopause

You might be thinking "What's the connection between diabetes and the menopause?"

Well, for ladies reaching that certain age, it can be very traumatic - especially when some of the effects experienced can easily be mistaken for those we have to be aware of when managing our diabetes...

For a diabetic taking medication, keeping blood sugars at the right level is a balancing act.  If sugar levels drop too low, because of not eating enough or at the right times, you suffer a hypoglycemia episode (sometimes called 'hypo' for short).  For me, this usually manifests itself as shaking; irritability; sweating and a faint-headed feeling.

If you are diabetic and have ever had low-blood sugar you may recognize some of these symptoms, amongst others.  A quick 'glucose fix' usually settles it within 5-10 minutes.

Now, compare that to some of the symptoms of starting the menopause; hot flushes [I call them 'power-surges' ;)] - similar to the sweats of a hypo; mood swings - akin to the irritability you might experience during a hypo.  It's very easy to confuse the symptoms you are feeling.

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When I first started the menopause, I frequently confused waking at 2 a.m. in the morning in a cold sweat as a hypo and took a quick sugar boost to settle myself.  That pushed my blood sugar levels up when I didn't need it.  Not a good idea!

It was only after visiting my Doctor to talk about these frequent, unexpected hypos I discovered I was starting the menopause (I was in my late 40s, so it was rather unexpected, normally it doesn't occur until early-to-mid 50s).

If you are a lady, with diabetes controlled by medication, and you are in your early 50s and you start having frequent, unexplained hypos - check your sugar levels before 'treating the condition'.  And get your Doctor to check your symptoms.  You may be confusing symptoms of diabetes and the menopause.

And guys; if your lady normally has great control of her diabetes and suddenly seems to be showing the same symptoms when she was getting her diabetes into balance (if you knew her then) please be supportive and understanding, she's going through one hell of an experience, but I promise, she will come through and be her normal, loving and charming self once again.