Pinoycity's Natural Foods for Diabetes

DIABETES DOs and DONTs

2010-09-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

DOs and DONTs
Simple tips to help people suffering from DIABETES :

DOs

Monitor Glucose levels closely by taking readings of Glucose levels regularly and maintaining a journal
Formulate a plan for daily living and emergencies
Eat a well-timed healthy diet
Maintain a healthy weight
Stay active and exercise
Take care of your feet since they are prone to injury if you are Diabetic

DONTs

Don't neglect prescription medication and routine self-monitoring of Glucose levels
Don't drink alcohol

DIABETES - an Introduction

2010-09-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

DIABETES
A condition where Glucose cannot be used or converted by the body.

DIABETES is that ailment when Insulin, which is produced by our Pancreas, is defective or insufficient thereby failing to convert Glucose to energy. The Glucose, consequently, will stay in our blood stream instead of being utilized by our body. Over time, Glucose builds up to high amount in our blood, and in this condition you are considered as having DIABETES.

DIABETES can can cause damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart and may be life-threatening. The foot or legs may also incur damages.

There are tow types of DIABETES :

DIABETES Symptoms

For High Blood Sugar or Hyperglycemia - excessive thirst, increased urination, fatigue, leg tingling, confusion, convulsion, or, in rare cases, coma
For Low Blood Sugar or Hypoglycemia - sweating, shakiness, hunger, dizziness, nausea, slurred speech, confusion and drowsiness
For Increased Blood Acids or Ketoacidosis - stomach pain, "sweet and fruity" breath, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and fever

Foods for DIABETES : Carrots

2010-09-22T23:48:00.001-07:00

Carrots

This is a powerhouse of a vegetable, nutritious, light, cheap and delicious. What more could you ask for. The vegetable's best nutrients are :

Beta-Carotene : Carrots are loaded with this antioxidant (it is #3 in Pinoycity's Vegetables : Vital Nutrients' Top Ten List of Beta-Carotene-rich Vegetables). You will be needing antioxidants because in dealing with Diabetes, you will need to beef up your body's protection against other ailments.
Fiber : it has considerable amount of Fiber which helps in flushing Fat out of our body.
Vitamin A - aside from protecting your body, you will also benefit from Carrot's high level of Vitamin A (the #1 Vitamin A-rich Vegetable) giving you good Skin, Hair and Vision.
There are other Vital Nutrients you can get from a Carrot. To check click this Link.

So, Diabetics, load up with this wonderful and very common food.

DIABETES - an Introduction

2010-09-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

DIABETES

The general assumption when we talk about DIABETES is that it is a disease caused by too much consumption of sweet foods (chocolates, candies, etc.). Quite a dangerous misconception. Diabetes is about having too much sugar in your blood and the lack of Insulin that will take these sugars to where they are needed and will be used (muscle tissues). This sugar, or more accurately, GLUCOSE, is actually a processed CARBOHYDRATE and not those sugar in your sweets. (Meaning, Diabetes is more about eating too much Carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta, rice, potato, etc., than sweet foods).

Glucose, commonly called blood sugar, is the main source of energy of the cells of our muscles and tissues. But, for Glucose to reach these cells, it needs INSULIN - a hormone produced by the Pancreas. For maximum utilization of energy supplied by the foods we eat, the amount of Insulin must be proportionate to the amount of Glucose in the blood.

Diabetics are people whose body either does not produce Insulin (Type 1) or does not produce enough Insulin (Type 2). If Insulin is non-existent or not enough, Glucose level in the bloodstream will, eventually rise. And too much of anything is toxic, this will eventually damage our eyes, kidneys, nervous and immune system, blood vessels and our heart.

Types of DIABETES

Type 1 - an inherited DIABETES, also known as JUVENILE DIABETES because it is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Type 1-Diabetics are Insulin-dependent since their body is not capable of producing Insulin.
Type 2 - the non-insulin-dependent DIABETES. This is the most common type of DIABETES, with 90% of all Diabetics suffering from this type of DIABETES. People who are usually susceptible to this type are those in their 40s and above (not surprising as, at this age, people would have eaten lots of Carbohydrate-rich foods without the corresponding work-out).

Most Common CAUSES of DIABETES

Genes - especially true for Type 1-Diabetic
Weight - or, more accurately, being overweight.
Age - researchers speculate that the natural dysfunction of mitochondria—your cells' power plants—during aging leads to Insulin resistance and decreased insulin production in older people.
Excessive Drinking and Smoking - causing widespread injury and dysfunction of the Pancreas

Symptoms of DIABETES

Check out the Symptoms of Diabetes. If you are experiencing one or two of these symptoms, better to go to your doctor for an examination :

Urinating more than usual
Easily gets tired, hungry or thirsty
Unusual weight loss
Blurry vision
Irritability
Bruises that are slow to heal
Dry or itchy skin

Warning : Symptoms of type 2 Diabetes usually develop gradually and are not as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to have no symptoms of type 2 diabetes in the beginning, prior to being diagnosed; instead, they are diagnosed with diabetes after a routine laboratory test. So its best to have regular check-ups.

REMEDY & PREVENTION

Type 1 - unfortunately, this is not treatable and preventable. You can only control it by taking daily injections of Insulin to maintain a normal level of Glucose. Type 1-Diabetics should also maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods and exercising daily.
Type 2 - not treatable but preventable. A healthy lifestyle is what you need to prevent getting this disease. That healthy lifestyle is also what you need to control the disease once you are already afflicted by it.

Recommended Foods for Diabetics

This will be the main goal of this blog : to guide readers on the natural foods available which will greatly help in the prevention and handling of Diabetes. Natural foods like Fruits and Vegetables - abundant and cheap.

For this task, we will be receiving great help from other Pinoycity blogs which are also in pursuit of promoting a healthy and natural lifestyle. The following blogs will be our partners-in-crime (for lack of a better term) :

Pinoycity's Fruits : Vital Nutrients
Pinoycity's Vegetables : Vital Nutrients