It is unbelievable, but today there are at least 20 million people living with diabetes in America and the sad part is that it was possible to prevent and heal pre-diabetes and diabetes type 2 naturally with balanced nutrition, and basic exercise.
People at risk of getting the disease drop by a staggering 60 percent if they manage to lose just 10 pounds by following a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise such as walking, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (May 3, 2001).
Pre-diabetes
This term means that you are at risk for getting type 2 diabetes and also heart disease.
The good news is if you have pre-diabetes you can reduce the risk of getting diabetes type 2 and even return to normal blood glucose levels if you follow the guidelines in this article.
Type 2 diabetes
Formerly called adult-onset diabetes, this is the most common form of diabetes. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body cannot use insulin properly.
People can develop this type of diabetes at any age and is usually associated with today’s modern lifestyle of fast food, stress and no exercise.
Being overweight and inactive increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes dramatically. Traditional treatment includes taking diabetes medicines, aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol with prescription drugs.
But with modest weight loss and moderate daily physical activity, you can delay or even prevent type 2 diabetes and lead a normal life. Lets look at a few steps you can use straight away in your daily life that will make a big difference to your condition.
Strength Training – Researchers have reported a 23% increase in glucose uptake after four months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit of regular strength exercise.
Nowadays you do not have to live in a gym to put on functional muscle. Short High Intensity sessions performed once a week is all that is required to improve glucose metabolism and lose weight.
The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked.
One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible.
The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.
Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and improve glucose metabolism.
Nutrition – The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for. Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal.
Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle and energy levels. Foods with vital vitamin and mineral supplements should also be taken on a daily basis.
A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis.
As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.
Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week.
Exercise – Fat is burned from the body when cells oxidize to release energy in the form of exercise. When the exercise is done slowly to moderately then the majority of energy is taken from the fat stores.
The key to effective aerobic training that burns off maximum fat is long-term consistency not intensity. It doesn’t matter if you run a mile, jog a mile or walk a mile you will burn exactly the same amount of calories.
The best exercise by far for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Other aerobic activities are the treadmill, bike, climber or any other training gear found in or out of the Gym.
Make no mistake about it you can do a lot to lower your chances of getting diabetes. By exercising regularly, reducing fat from your diet and losing weight can all help you reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Gary Matthews
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/are-you-at-risk-of-contracting-diabetes-122453.html
Diabetes is an epidemic disease that affects more and more people nowadays. No need to panic when diagnosed with diabetes. It’s bad news. It could be devastating at first. Fortunately, diabetes is a manageable condition. By following some simple steps you can keep your diabetes under control and still live a healthy life you deserve. Here are some tips on how to manage your diabetes successfully:
* Learning more about your diabetes – Knowledge about this disease will help you do what’s good and avoid what’s bad for this disorder.
* Planning a healthy diet – A healthy and balanced meal plan plays an important role in controlling your diabetes. It makes you feel better and help to reduce the chances of developing serious complications. A balanced healthy diet including a variety of foods from each group of grain products, vegetables and fruit, milk products and meat and alternatives will keep your blood glucose at the normal level. Choose low fat foods and foods with a lower glycemic index. Avoid high fat foods and foods with a high glycemic index.
* Keeping your weight in a healthy range, shed off extra pounds if you’re overweight, especially if you have type 2 diabetes – Keeping normal and healthy weight will help your body’s ability use its insulin properly and maintain your blood glucose at normal level. Try to keep your Body Mass Index (BMI) at 18.5 – 24.9 You can calculate your BMI using the following formula:
English Formula
BMI= weight in pounds/ (height in inches x height in inches) x 703
Metric Formula
BMI= weight in kilograms/ (height in meters x height in meters)
* Trying to be physically active – 20-30 minutes of exercise on a daily basis will be very helpful. Exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and lose some extra pounds to keep you weight at a normal level. However, some diabetic complications will probably make some types of exercise program not suitable for you. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics may be a little risky for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible retinal detachment. Consult your doctor before you get started. Make an action plan. Start slow and gentle. Gradually work your way up.
* Taking medications and/or insulin (in applicable) as prescribed by your doctor – Depending on types of diabetes you may need medications and/or insulin to assist the body in making or using insulin more effectively.
* Monitoring how your diet and/or treatment (if applicable) affect your blood glucose levels – Using a glucose meter to monitor your blood levels to see if they are affected by your meal plan and/or treatment .Keeping diary of your blood glucose readings and reviewing them to see if there are any noticeable patterns
Start to follow these simple tips and manage your diabetes today. You can too live a healthy life you deserve.
Forest Sun
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/tips-to-manage-your-diabetes-74347.html
Did you know that approximately a quarter of all Americans are suffering from full blown Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes (syndrome X)? Diabetes has become an epidemic that allopathic (traditional western) medicine has been unable to halt. Ninety percent of diabetic patients have difficulty managing glucose levels using drugs that can have serious side effects.
The Diabetes Diet, created by Dr Richard Bernstein, may well be the best diet for everyone, not just diabetics. The reason for this is that it has the potential to not only control diabetic symptoms, but also to reverse them.
The Diabetes Diet has had enormous success – without side effects!
One of the major difficulties people have in recognizing they have the symptoms of diabetes is that they occur gradually. In fact, for the first couple of years, there may be no symptoms at all. Yet, once a person has Type 2 diabetes, they are at serious risk of life threatening complications if they do not carefully follow the low-carbohydrate Diabetes Diet prescribed by Bernstein.
Type 2 diabetes is largely a lifestyle disease and, unfortunately, far too few people understand how extremely dangerous it is. Consequently, patients are often far too casual about getting regular medical check ups to check on blood sugar levels and general health.
Not only do many sufferers find it extremely difficult to radically alter their diet from western convenience foods to the Diabetes Diet containing whole nutritious foods, avoiding sugar and fat as much as possible, they often become depressed and anxious and paralyzed by negative emotions. This can keep them from taking the very actions required to improve their health and keep them alive. It also suppresses the motivation necessary to undertake a regular exercise program.
This diet for Diabetics was created to control blood sugar levels in diabetics, however it clearly benefits everyone. The diet focuses on eating protein, good fat and complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and fruit and vegetables.
By eating this way, people can avoid the fluctuating blood sugar levels caused by a high carbohydrate (simple carbohydrates). Bernstein describes the modern Western diet as SAD (standard American diet) and claims it has directly caused a massive increase in obesity, high blood pressure and damage to the lining of the blood vessels.
Dr. Bernstein, who has Type 1 diabetes, did not experience a healthy life until he devised his own diet to regulate his blood sugar levels. Many diabetics, both Type 1 and Type 2, have experienced a balancing of blood sugar levels and an overall improvement in health and well being after going on The Diabetes Diet. In fact, Bernstein claims that sticking to this diet for as little as two weeks can provide an enormous benefit. Once you have experienced this, he believes you’ll never want to go back to SAD.
While Type 2 diabetes can be caused by some medications, it is usually a direct result of poor nutrition, inadequate exercise and a diet high in sugar and fat. Therefore, it is probably unrealistic to expect that a person can change the habits of a lifetime overnight.
Yet, this is what must happen to improve the lives and futures of type 2 diabetics. Health must become the top priority. The Diabetes Diet provides an excellent map to reclaiming health.
Change is necessary and must not be avoided. However, neither should it be so overwhelming that the patient can’t cope with the thought of it. The answer is to make gradual, but consistent, changes in lifestyle.
For example, the first step might be to start walking every day. Just go as far as comfortable and try for a little more the next day. Drink more water. Cut out all fast foods. These changes would be radical enough for most Type 2 diabetics but, in fact, they don’t go far enough.
However, doing them will improve health and mood and put the patient in a more positive and hopeful frame of mind so they can take further steps. If they continue, eventually, the patient’s lifestyle will be completely overhauled and internal resistance to these changes will have been limited. It is certainly possible to eat according to this weight loss program without undue suffering.
The answer to positive lifelong change in a person’s lifestyle lies in their own motivation. It is possible to encourage that motivation through gradual, supportive change. The Diabetes Diet provides the guidance and support a lot of people need.
Ken Black
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/can-the-diabetes-diet-save-your-life–129205.html
Some reports say chronic otitis media.
I have a friend with Diabetes type 2, and she has a blood sugar level of 500. Is this normal or is this a concern
My husband has type 2 diabetes and had levels that high for a while. His doctor rang him when he saw the results and asked my husband to come to the doctor’s immediately. With medication his levesl are now under control.
Here are the main symptoms to look for:
Feeling thirsty.
Having to urinate more than usual.
Feeling more hungry than usual.
Losing weight without trying to.
Feeling very tired.
Here are the more serious ones:
lots of infections and cuts and bruises that heal slowly;
blurred vision;
tingling or numbness in your hands or feet;
lots of skin, gum, or bladder infections.
