Diabetes is a disease that strikes thousands of people every year. In the past, Type II diabetes was seen in adults in the majority of cases, however thanks to the rising epidemic of childhood obesity, there are more and more cases of the disease in children. It is important to know that juvenile diabetes is an entirely different condition from Type II diabetes and affects the body differently.
Juvenile diabetes is a disease that must be monitored carefully by a doctor. While Type II diabetes must also be carefully monitored by a doctor, there is a chance that patients can learn to eat more healthfully and gain better control of their blood sugar. While many diseases that are seriously affected by your weight, none are so directly influenced by the foods that you eat and the activities that you get every day. If you were told by a doctor and a nutritionist that you could gain control of your disease, that you could improve it to the point that it is actually not there any longer, wouldn’t you do whatever it takes?
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Myths
There are a lot of stories that surround all diseases, and diabetes is no exception. Some of the myths include:
– You cannot eat any sweets at any time.
– Breads and alcohol are prohibited as well.
– No matter what you do, you will eventually develop a need for insulin injections
– Once you have diabetes, it will be your main health concern
First, you can eat sweets, but once your diabetes is under control and with some additional rules attached. You do have to practice some restraint with your choices and you have to make sure that you are timing this dessert very carefully. You have to know what you ate before you ate the sweets and how that meal will affect your blood sugar. You may have to wait a few hours between the meal and your dessert.
Second, breads and alcohol should be thought of the same way, with the most important consideration being how it affects your blood sugar. Not all bread and alcohol is created equally. White bread, for example, is very easy for the body to digest and can severely impact the blood sugar. In fact, it is the single food that all others are judged by in regard to blood sugar.
There are many diets recommended to new diabetics that focus on the glycemic index, which starts with a score for white bread and then gives scores for foods that raise the blood sugar higher than the bread (high glycemic foods) or does not have as much of an impact (low glycemic foods). To keep your blood sugar under better control, it is important to eat more foods that are on the lower end of the glycemic index. Whole wheat breads, which are complex carbohydrates, are digested by the body much more slowly and will not have as much of an effect on blood sugar.
Diabetics can drink alcohol, however they have to watch the type, the portion size and again, the timing of their drinks. The higher the carbohydrate amount in the alcohol, the more it will raise blood sugar. A drier red wine can be a better choice than a sugary, fruity mixed drink. However, as an additional consideration, diabetics, especially those who are taking additional medications, should get the advice of their doctor because it can be harmful or even dangerous to them.
Insulin is Not Always Inevitable
One of the biggest myths with diabetes is that insulin is an inevitable part of their life. With proper diet and exercise, that does not have to be the case. In fact, if you get your blood sugar under proper control and then lose weight, you can reduce the amount of medication that you take to control the disease. As little as a five percent reduction in body weight can help you get the upper hand on diabetes. In some cases, dramatic weight loss can even leave a person without the symptoms of diabetes at all.
Diabetes regulation is a matter of eating the right foods and getting additional exercise to lose weight so that you can regain control of your diet and health.
Diabetes May be the Main Concern, but Not the Only One
Diabetes is a serious condition; unfortunately it is usually accompanied by other conditions and may make other diseases more difficult to treat. A diabetic is more prone to infections and their skin may take far longer to heal, further exacerbating that problem. Diabetes may also play a role in developing cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and other serious health conditions, mainly because they all share common risk factors.
When you have diabetes, you will have some very serious needs:
– To keep in contact with your doctor for testing and medications.
– To check your blood sugar at your doctor’s scheduled intervals
– To watch your diet and your weight
– To get exercise
– To understand the disease
– To understand how foods impact your blood sugar and your health
– To monitor your skin, especially the skin on the feet for damage, breaks and injuries
How Snacks and Supplements Can Help
Keeping the blood sugar level consistent is the important first step to controlling diabetes. To avoid sugar spikes, it is important to eat meals that are evenly spaced. If you are too hungry, you are more likely to make bad food choices. In addition to eating healthy foods, small snacks can be a great way to keep the blood sugar from dipping too low or spiking too high. Protein-rich snacks and supplements can be great to use because they do not impact the blood sugar as much as other types of foods.
Protica makes several lines of protein supplements that can be included in the overall healthy diet for diabetics. Isometric is listed as the world’s smallest and most balanced ready to drink meal replacement drink and gives a number of solid benefits including two full servings of fruit and vegetables with the addition of ten grams of dietary fiber. Isometric also gives a full six grams of essential fatty acids including Omega 3 and Omega 6 plus 27 vitamins and minerals. Even with all the benefits, Isometric remains small, coming in at just over three ounces in size.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein bullets for weight loss surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright