Diabetes Awareness 101

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Hello my lovely readers! I welcome myself back to blogging after taking quite a long break. When I started the blog, I promised myself that I would only write when I felt really inspired and would never allow for the writing to feel like a burden. And with everything else that has been going on in my life, Leyla’s Room did unfortunately start to feel like something “I have to do”. So I decided to take a break until things got a bit more settled into place. Now that they seem to be, I am really excited to start writing and sharing what helps me in my life with all of you!

I was contacted by a lovely, sweet lady, by the name of Patricia Harris, who expressed her interest in writing an article for Leyla’s Room about Diabetes. Patricia has a lovely blog called Diabetic Menus, where (like the name suggests) she shares recipes specifically designed for Diabetics, so please be sure to check it out if you or anyone in your family has or is at risk of diabetes. Since I think that prevention is the best way of dealing with any disease I thought it was a great idea to have someone knowledgeable in the area of Diabetes to share her thoughts, advice and tips on the subject.

Thank you, Patricia for taking the time to share your advice. Please take it away.

If You Won’t Stay away from Type ii diabetes Now, You’ll certainly Hate Yourself Later

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. Numerous Americans are told they have diabetes Type 2 symptoms, and more are unsuspecting they’re at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes than others. Diabetes Type 2 is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Indigenous Americans, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians along with Pacific Islanders, as well as with the older population. In diabetes Type 2, either one’s body isn’t going to produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is critical to the body to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, your body reduces the sugars and starches into glucose, that’s the fundamental fuel for any cells in your body. Insulin takes the sugar from blood into your cells. When glucose increases in the blood rather then going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications. You have the ability to boost and protect your overall health. With proper nutrition and training and making good lifestyle choices (like not smoking), it is possible to feel better, stronger, and healthier, and can reduce your risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and heart stroke.

What is actually Healthy Weight?

There’s a great way to find out if your current weight puts you in danger of developing serious diseases. Go to www.diabetes.org/bmi and take the Body Mass Index (BMI) test. The results can help you decide if you need to make a change in your lifestyle to lower your weight. Better You consume, Better You Feel.

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Below are a few basic guidelines to support you and your family in making healthier food decisions:

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit.
• Choose whole fiber foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice as a substitute for white. Substitute brown bread bread for white.
• Eat fish 2 – 3 times per week.
• Select leaner cuts of meat like those that end in “loin.
• Remove the skin from poultry and turkey.
• Eat non-fat dairy
• Drink plenty of water and low calorie non-carbonated liquids.
• Use liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats.
• Lower or completely eliminate your intake of too-high calorie junk foods like chips, cookies, cakes, and regular ice cream. Look for baked chips and reduced calorie snacks. Or better yet, have some fruit instead.
• Watch your serving sizes. Even a lot “healthy” food can cause extra weight. Tips:Compare labels of similar foods, then opt for the one with smaller amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium.
• Adults should consume less than 2400 mg. of sodium every day. In case you have hypertension, it’s best to prefer even less.
• Try adding spices and herbs in your cooking to substitute for salt for enhancing flavor.

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Being physically active is crucial to maintaining a healthy body. Something that gets you up and moving will work for you. Some tips about what it might do:

• Lower your risk of developing diabetes type 2 symptoms
• Reduce your risk of heart problems and stroke
• Lower high blood pressure and cholesterol
• Reduce blood glucose (sugar) levels if you have diabetes, which often can reduce your risk of developing diabetes-related complications
• Decrease tension
• Make it easier to manage your weight
• Give you more energy
• Allow you to sleep better
• Build stronger bones and muscle mass

Certainly, you must consult a family doctor prior to starting any exercise program. For those who have Diabetes. Eating healthy and staying active are much more important when you’ve got diabetes. Well-balanced meals might help keep your glucose (sugar) level as close to normal as possible. Being active also helps to reduce your blood glucose. In case you increase your level of physical activity, you might be able to take less insulin or diabetes pills. If you’re very inactive, have heart disease or simply a history of foot ulcers, consult your doctor about safe exercise in your case. Check your blood glucose before exercising. If it’s under 100 mg/dl, eat some fruit, crackers or drink glass of milk or juice. Check it again after exercising to understand how your blood glucose reacts to workout. Bring a snack if you’ll be active for a couple hour.

About the writer -Patricia Harris writes for the Diabetic Menus blog , her personal hobby weblog devoted to ways to eat healthy in order to avoid and manage diabetes.