Category Archives: Diabetes

Free diabetic diet meal plan

Diabetes is a chronic illness characterized by high blood sugars. If left uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to a number of complications, including eye disease, kidney disease, heart disease and limb loss.

Having a good understanding of diabetic serving sizes will help you manage your diabetes on the exchange diet. For example one starch serving is equal to 1 slice of bread or 3/4 cups of ready-to-eat cereal and one fruit serving is equal to a small apple or 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned fruit. Each breakfast meal on a diabetic exchange diet should consist of two to three servings of starch, one serving of meat, one serving of fruit, one serving of milk and one serving of fat. A sample breakfast meal may include 1 to 1-1/2 cups of hot cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp. of margarine, a small banana, 1 oz. of low-fat cheese and 1 cup of nonfat milk. Another sample breakfast may include a scrambled egg with two to three slices of toast, 1 tsp.

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Give underweight patients with diabetes develop a diet plan

Being underweight can be just as detrimental to your health as being overweight, according to the authors of “Krause’s Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy.” Weight loss is a common symptom in uncontrolled diabetes, but managing blood sugars by following a healthy diet that meets your calorie needs while controlling your carbohydrate intake can help an underweight diabetic reach a healthy weight.

Diet Basics
To gain 1 lb. a week you need to eat an additional 500 calories a day. Talk to your doctor about how many calories you should eat each day to gain weight. Most healthy Americans need about 2,000 calories a day, so increasing daily caloric intake to 2,500 calories a day should help most underweight diabetics reach their goal weights. Eating balanced meals that control the amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat can help you better manage your blood sugars, which also will help you gain weight. The diabetic exchange diet can help you develop balanced meals. It divides foods into groups based on similarities in nutrient content and you can “exchange” items within each group to create meals.

Breakfast
For breakfast, you should have four servings of starch, 2 oz. of meat or meat alternatives, one serving of fruit, one serving of milk and two servings of fat. A sample meal might include two scrambled eggs with two slices of whole wheat toast with 2 tsp. of margarine, and 1 1/2 cups of whole grain, ready-to-eat cereal with 1 cup of milk and a 4 oz. banana. Starches, fruit and milk contain carbohydrates, which raise blood sugar. Controlling the amount and types of

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The impact of diabetes on the fetus is very large

If you have Type 1 or 2 diabetes before you become pregnant–or develop gestational diabetes while pregnant–you can pose certain effects and risks on your unborn baby, especially if your diabetes is not monitored and well controlled throughout your pregnancy. As your system supports the baby’s, often his pancreas mimic your own when it comes to insulin production. This can pose problems after birth, when his system is on its own to support him. Controlling your diabetes carefully helps reduce your instances of serious effects on your baby.

The University of Virginia Health System says there is a chance for macrosomia, or an unusually large baby, if your diabetes is not well controlled. When this happens, you make too much glucose. The fetus sets his own pancreas to make even more levels of insulin to make up for the excess glucose in the body. The high glucose in the mother and high insulin in the baby results in the excess glucose being stored in your baby as fat, making him much bigger than a normal baby.

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Does cinnamon help diabetes?

Cinnamon comes in two varieties — Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is the kind most Americans use for baking and cooking. It’s also the variety most researchers have used when they’ve studied cinnamon and diabetes.

Some of this research has shown that cinnamon may lower blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance. In people with type 2 diabetes, the sugar-lowering hormone insulin does not work as well. This leads to higher blood sugar levels.

In one study, volunteers ate from 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon for 40 days. One gram of ground cinnamon is about half a teaspoon. Researchers found that cinnamon reduced cholesterol by about 18% and blood sugar levels by 24%.

In another study, volunteers ate cinnamon and rice pudding after a meal. These volunteers had reduced blood sugar levels.

In other studies cinnamon did not decrease blood sugar or cholesterol levels.

Why should you use diabetes control solutions?

Diabetes control solutions are used to determine the accuracy of your blood sugar monitor and diabetes test strips. Glucose control solutions work just as blood would with your diabetic meter and your blood glucose test strips. This is due to the fact that your diabetes control solution contains just enough glucose to react with the test strips similarly to when you perform a glucose blood test.

To practice monitoring your blood sugar levels
To determine if a new meter is functioning properly, this serves as a way to calibrate your diabetes meter
To make sure your blood glucose meter and diabetes test strips are not damaged, if your meter has fallen accidentally or if your vial of glucometer test strips have been left open or in the heat.

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What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which your body cannot control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood because (a) your pancreas (not kidneys) does not produce enough insulin or (b) your body cells are resistant to the action of insulin, that’s why we take insulin diabetic syringes.

When your blood glucose level rises, the glucose cannot get into the cells which means despite all the sugar, your body is deprived of energy. Lack of energy triggers the break down and conversion of fat and muscles into alternate source of energy. Always prefer to use diabetic glucose meter for checking your glucose level regularly.

This is the more common form of diabetes. Obesity is the primary reason for Type 2 diabetes. People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes do not produce sufficient quantities of insulin. Initially your pancreas respond to the demand (created by obesity), by producing more insulin. However, it cannot do so indefinitely. Corrective action includes reducing body fat by checking through Body Fat Scales and leading a healthier lifestyle. If corrective action is taken soon enough, then people suffering from Type 2 diabetes need not take any medication such as glucose tablets or glucose supplements and can lead a healthy normal life. Failure to take corrective action will create a need for insulin injections to supplement the inadequate quantum of insulin produced by your pancreas.

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Please learn more about diabetes

In the past, diabetes was diagnosed by tasting the urine. The only treatment was alcohol which lowered the blood sugar level. Before insulin was discovered, type 1 diabetes always resulted in death, usually quite quickly.

Type 1 diabetes:

If you are going to get type 1 diabetes, you will probably know before your 35th birthday. Most people whose diabetes is diagnosed in childhood or the teenage years have this kind of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent, meaning that treatment with insulin is necessary from the time the disease is first diagnosed. In this kind of diabetes, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas are destroyed by a process in the body known as “autoimmunity”. This leads eventually to a total loss of insulin production. Without insulin, glucose remains in the bloodstream, so the blood glucose level increases, especially after eating meals. Glucose is then passed out of the body in the urine.

Type 2 diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is also called adult onset diabetes; it usually takes place after the age of 35. In this kind of diabetes, the ability to produce insulin does not disappear completely, but the body becomes increasingly resistant to insulin, so tablets are needed to balance this. The tablets do not contain insulin, but act by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin, or by increasing the release of insulin from the pancreas. It is rare for insulin

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Parents must ensure their kids follow a strict diabetes diet plan

Parents should also note that children’s response to carbohydrates intake vary in some way. As a parent, you should ensure that your diabetic kid follows a strict meal plan daily. Meals should be eaten on schedule and this should be accompanied with regular injections of insulin dosage as prescribed your child’s physician. It is advisable to enlist the services of a dietician when coming up with diabetes diet plan for kids. Depending on his/her experience, the dietician will develop a meal plan which incorporates specific foods to match the dietary needs of your diabetic child. The dietician will also factor in the medication and make meals more flexible to cater for daily intake and on different occasions such as parties.

You should also remember that following the right plan of treatment is crucial in helping your kids stay healthy. However, this is not equivalent to curing diabetes. The reason is that there is no cure for diabetes; therefore, kids suffering from type 1 diabetes will be on medication for a greater part of their lives. This shouldn’t dampen your spirit. With proper care and a healthy diabetes diet plan for your kids, your child can grow up and live a fulfilling life, much like ordinary people.

Eating fast food will do to speed up the acceleration of diabetes?

Fast food has become a way of life for many busy Americans seeking a fast and inexpensive alternative to cooking at home. Yet there is a side effect to consuming frequent amounts of fast food–obesity, which can lead to the development of diabetes. Because this condition can lead to significant health problems, such as blindness, loss of nerve sensation and more, reducing the amount of fast food eaten per week may prevent the onset of diabetes in the future.

Significance
Fast food is also known as convenience food–examples include hamburgers, French fries, chicken tenders and other foods that can be prepared quickly and purchased for an inexpensive price, particularly when compared with restaurant meals. However, fast food meals also tend to have a higher calorie count than meals that may be cooked at home. For example, a fast food meal of a cheeseburger and medium-size French fries equals almost 1,200 calories, according to Info Please. Compared with a home-cooked meal of half a chicken breast, medium-sized baked potato, green peas, 8 oz. glass of milk or 1 cup of applesauce, which has a total of 546 calories per serving.

Diabetes is a condition that affects the way a body is able to process insulin in the body. When the body is unable to process insulin, blood sugar levels elevate, which can cause a number of long-term health complications.

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Cod Liver Oil And Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body is unable to produce and use insulin properly. A key function of insulin is to help convert glucose to energy; thus, diabetics have higher than normal levels of glucose in the blood. In 2007, over 23 million Americans — 7.8 percent of the U.S. population — had diabetes. Conventional treatment includes oral medication and insulin.

Cod liver oil is a natural supplement that has been evaluated for benefits in managing diabetes. While studies have been positive, further research is needed to confirm the benefits of cod liver oil for this condition. If you have diabetes and are considering taking cod liver oil, talk to your doctor first.

Diabetes Prevention

Like fish oil, cod liver oil is an important source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. This supplement also contains vitamins A and D. Supplementation with cod liver oil during pregnancy protects the babies from developing Type 1 diabetes, suggests a research team, based on a study published in June 2000 issue of “Diabetologia.” This population-based case control study was conducted in Norway, and authors that think omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D from cod liver oil have protective effects against developing Type 1 diabetes.

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