Posts Tagged ‘diabetes’

Get Some Exercise

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing you here from your doctor is to “get some exercise”. Pretty soon everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and pointing out to you just how important it is to “get some exercise”. I know, I suffer Type 2 diabetes, but I have learnt how to control the disease, and getting exercise is an important part of that control. At first you think how can I possibly exercise, it was probably this mindset, and lack of exercise, that brought on the disease. You are probably well overweight, a major contributor to the disease, and the feelings of apprehension set in, how can I possibly exercise.

While you may be thinking “that’s easier said than done”, you may be surprised to learn that exercise isn’t necessarily about “no pain - no gain”. Regular physical activity can become an enjoyable part of your day with long term benefits to your diabetes and your overall health. You will even lose weight. It is as important to a diabetic as is giving up smoking. Regular physical activity is certainly worth the effort with the following benefits.

For the person with diabetes

Improves the body’s response to insulin.
Can therefore lower glucose levels.
Lowers blood pressure and improves cholesterol levels.
Reduces the risk of heart disease.
Lose Weight.

Other benefits and positives

Reduces stress and tension.
Increases energy levels
Strengthens bone structure.
Improves mental outlook.
Increases fitness levels.
Improves sleeping habits

It is recommended that you aim to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing some form of moderate intensity physical activity. Moderate intensity physical activity means you will notice your heart rate increase, and you may have a light sweat. If you are not breathing more quickly than usual, it is not helping. If on the other hand you are gasping and unable to talk, you are overdoing it. If you are trying to lose weight, 30 minutes may not be enough, but it is an excellent place to start. Also, read everything you can on the subject of diabetes information and I can suggest http://www.health4diabetes.com is a great resource.

My form of activity was walking and playing tennis and golf. Initially I started on flat walks of 25 - 30 minutes, and then once fit boosted it to about 45 minutes walking more quickly, and “took to the hills”. I am lucky to have both flat and hill sectors in my neighbourhood. I have lost 8 Kg (17.5lb), feel fit and strong, and currently have the diabetes under control. I know I can’t cure the disease, but I can live with it and not have to suffer.

If you found this article interesting why dont you visit and read Leland Polik’s other articles on his website the latest being on Dribbling Tips For Beginners , and 5 Man Passing Technique.

What To Eat To Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

The Western world is under attack from a disease of our own making! Health officials in each Western country are tolling the warning bells about general public levels of obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol. The foremost culprits of this are said to be over eating, eating junk food and not exercising enough.

At one time, not so long ago, the majority of the sufferers of these issues were middle-aged Americans. That extended to middle-aged Europeans. Then to American children and now it is spreading to European children. None of the warnings concerning eating too much junk food and not exercising enough seem to be having any effect at all.

All of these three conditions are related and that is why heart disease is the primary killer of adults in the West. Cholesterol plays a big part in these conditions. However, not all cholesterol is bad. LDL cholesterol is often called the ‘bad cholesterol’ and HDL is called the ‘good cholesterol’, because it helps mop up LDL.

Small amounts of cholesterol are also necessary for the production of vitamin D and bile salts and it is also helpful in the balancing of hormones particularly in women. However, LDL cholesterol occasionally clings to the walls of the arteries and if it is permitted to mount up too much, can block them.

If the arteries get clogged, the heart will have to pump harder to get enough blood to where it is required and this can lead to the first stages of high blood pressure.

The best manner to be rid of excess LDL is to have high levels of HDL, because HDL captures LDL and takes it back to the liver where it is dealt with and excreted.. HDL cholesterol can be eaten by eating nuts, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, soya and special spreads that were designed to lower LDL.

However, the best manner of decreasing LDL is by not eating it in the first place. LDL is most prevalent in saturated fats and hydrogenated trans fats. Saturated fats are usually in red meat and full-fat dairy products like milk, cream, butter and cheese. Trans fats are usually in junk foods like potato crisps, potato chips, pies, pasties, hamburgers and hot dogs. Cut these out and that is half the battle for a great deal of individuals.

Replace the red meat in your diet with soya products like tofu, of which 25% grammes a day is said to be able to reduce bad cholesterol by 15-30%. Walnuts and almonds have a similar reputation as do olive oil and rolled oats.

In fact, all grains, pulses and beans are good in the fight against LDL. In general, the foods that will help you are those that contain plenty of fibre and roughage; fresh is better than tinned (which will contain a preservative such as salt); and white meat or fish is better than red meat like beef and pork.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with low cholesterol diet recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

Eye Complications Of Diabetes

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Diabetics have concerns with sugar and starch, both of which the body processes into glucose which it applications for energy. The difficulty with diabetics is that this glucose is not processed properly, it enters into the blood stream and is not dealt with by insulin as it should be.

The presence of glucose in the blood is normal and is called glaecemia but when the blood is over saturated, it is called hyperglaecemia. For this reason, diabetics have to be aware of their blood/sugar levels at all times, which means that they have to be wary of what they eat.

Lots of diabetics learn tell-tale indications that their bodies give to warn them of their high or low blood/sugar level, but most people also use blood check ups by a physician or even home blood/sugar monitors, which have become cheap enough to purchase for personal use.

Not having enough glucose (sugar) in the blood is known as hypoglaecemia and leaves the brain starved of energy, which leads to temporary dizziness, confusion, blackout or a convulsion. Restoring the glucose level to normal returns full awareness, Most diabetics learn to successfully circumvent this situation. More difficult is hyperglaecemia.

Hyperglaecemia is the opposite of hypoglaecemia and brings with it its own issues but they tend to cause long term problems. Prolonged periods of hyperglaecemia lead to cardiovascular problems, kidney problems and concerns with eyesight and even teeth.

These complications take a long time to develop and the diabetic may not realize that there is a problem until it is too late. Hence the necessity to monitor blood/glucose levels frequently. One of the first areas to show problems from hyperglaecemia is the retina because it is so delicate.

Hyperglaecemic blood in the blood vessels in the retina causes them to swell developing high pressures on the sensitive eye constituent parts. Eyesight is soon impaired. The biggest worry for most diabetics is going blind or suffering macular degeneration, which impairs vision pretty severely but does not lead to complete blindness.

It is vital for diabetics to have an eye examination at least once a year and twice is better. The opthamologist will be on the look out for a complication known as diabetic retinopathy. If you are a diabetic you ought to be on your guard.

If you experience blurred vision, sudden dark spots or flashing lights before your eyes or feel pressure (not easy), you ought to go to the opthamologist as soon as possible.

There are medications, particularly in the early stages, but the longer you leave it the worse it gets and the more difficult to put right, if that is at all possible.

Prevention is always better that cure, so diabetics ought to maintain their blood glucose level within standard boundaries and maintain a proper body weight. To do this, you will need to learn how much sugar is in various foodstuffs and take regular exercise. In other words: diet and exercise.

Other problems that a diabetic might experience with their eyes is glaucoma and cataracts. Cataracts can be cut away quite easily, but glaucoma is very serious and leads to blindness.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with wet macular degeneration treatment. If you want to know more, please go to our website at Macular Degenerative Disease

Diabetes And Detox Diet Guide

Monday, August 8th, 2011

There are a lot of foods in the world that fall well into the category of ’safe’ for your diabetes; you only need to find them. You don’t even have to travel to the ends of the world; right here in the United States, you can find such variety it would blow your mind. Just don’t get down on yourself on this diabetes diet idea.

There’s a wide range of foods that come your way in a diabetes diet. You did not know of them before because you were to easy indulging in the dangerous lifestyle of eating sugars and heavy calorie foods. Not anymore. This time you eat healthy stuff, and you love it as you get to live longer and better.

There are several ways by which you can contribute to your treatment for diabetes. If you ask me though, I think adhering to your diabetes diet of proteins and vitamins is by far the best thing you can do for yourself. If you can bring that to the table, you stand better chances of recovery.

Pretty much any type of vegetable you can lay your hands on are ok for your diabetes diet. They are always rich in vitamins, so you know that they are healthy for your body. I suggest you research and find how many different ways you can package your meals so that you can still enjoy it in spite of the sugars you are letting go of.

Read up all you can about detox diets, and then, start doing one. The problem a lot of people have with detoxing is that they like to read, watch and talk, but few people actually do these things. That’s why there are still so many Americans out there who don’t live to their fullest potential.

I cannot believe that anyone would have trouble believing that detox diets work. I mean, what can be so hard about understanding that sometimes you need to steer clear of some foods so that your body can adjust to being without some chemicals?

Don’t allow yourself to get confused about how to run yourself through a detox diet. Of course there are a lot of proposals flying around on how you can ‘do detox,’ ‘detox in ten days,’ and things like ‘five ways to detox!’ You don’t have to believe them all; but you do have to do one of them, so pick the one that sounds the most reasonable to you. I tell you, even that is better than doing nothing at all.

A lot of people have written a lot of things about detox and dieting, but how many of them really practice what they preach? When you eventually do decide to do detox, make certain that you are choosing from someone who has done it and living the life.

For a free personal consultation with Warren Tattersall or to learn how incorporating nutritional supplements may improve your health just visit The Health Success Site and download the free weight loss report available there

Extra Sugar Is A Likely Risk Factor For Heart Disease

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

There’s nothing like a sugary, sweet snack every now and then, but too many indulgences can increase your chances of developing heart disease as you age.

Reports indicate that people who eat large amounts of sugar on a regular basis may find they have increased risk factors for heart disease. These factors include increased levels of triglycerides as well as decreased levels of protective lipoproteins and HDL or good cholesterol.

A recent study involving 6,000 adults tracked their diets and grouped them by their cholesterol level and sugar intake. Researchers found that nearly 16% of the participant’s average daily calories were derived from added sugar.

Researchers learned that those who had the largest amount of sugar had eaten 46 teaspoons per day. They found that the participants with the least amount of sugar had eaten just three teaspoons per day.

Experts agree that the recommended daily amount of sugar is six teaspoons per day for women and nine for men. The amount refers to sugars that have been processed or include additives, not natural sugars, such as those in fruit.

Researchers who conducted these studies hope their findings will influence food manufacturers from adding sugar to their foods to prevent heart disease. The impact of such studies has resulted in some states taxing sugary soft drinks to avoid obesity and related diseases.

Experts estimated that if states imposed just a half-cent tax on soft drinks it could reduce the consumption of such beverages from 50 gallons to just below 40 gallons per year.

Experts know that excess sugar consumption has a direct link to heart disease and other debilitating diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. Reducing your intake of sugar can only improve your health and may increase your lifespan.

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What You Can Do To Lower Your Cholesterol

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

There is plenty of evidence that all adults should keep one eye on their cholesterol levels. In early life, the body can handle a bit of abuse, but as we become older our bodies get less able to deal with the rubbish we feed it. Furthermore, younger people are normally more lively than older people and exercise is a means of lowering cholesterol.

It is worth having your cholesterol levels tested at various stages of your life, because some people have genetic problems that result in too much cholesterol and it is worth knowing if you fall into this group as early as possible.

Before you begin working on your cholesterol you should know what they are. So, get your numbers and ask your doctor for an opinion. He or she may say that they are all right, that they are on the high side or that you had better do something about them right now. Make certain that you write a note of these numbers which will be for your HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

Once you have these reference points and your physician’s opinion you can make a decision what action to take. In this article, we will talk about the three most effective methods of decreasing your LDL level of cholesterol.

1] The most effectual thing you can do to lower your LDL cholesterol is to reduce the amount of saturated fat and trans fat that you eat. Individuals get most of their bad cholesterol from these two fats by far. Saturated fat comes from animal fat but especially from red meat and full fat dairy foodstuffs like milk, cream and cheese. Trans fats are hydrogenated fats, which are vegetable fats which have been ‘liquidized’ with water.

Merely cutting out these two sorts of fat may be sufficient to save you from taking medication for the remainder of your life. However, every body requires fat, so in addition to cutting these harmful fats out, you will have to replace some of them with mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats. These words are listed on products in a lot of countries.

In essence, it means cooking with olive oil and spreading better margarine on your bread. In fact there are even margarines and salad dressings now that actually lower cholesterol in their own right.

2] The second means to keep your cholesterol levels under control is exercise. Exercise burns up your LDL cholesterol. You do not have to do a lot to create a big difference. Walking thirty minutes every morning and every evening can have quite a remarkable effect on your health especially if you do not exercise at all at the moment.

3] The third most effective method of keeping your cholesterol levels correct is to maintain a good body weight. As you can see, by following a sensible diet and doing regular exercise, you will of necessity get your correct body weight. The whole system is actually telling you that if you have a problem with cholesterol, then you are not living correctly.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with low fat low cholesterol diet. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

How To Diet To Lower Cholesterol

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Cholesterol is a major contributing factor in causing heart attacks. However, our own bodies make cholesterol so it can not be all that bad. In fact, we need some cholesterol and apart from that there are two types, one of which is known as ‘good cholesterol’ and the other as ‘bad cholesterol’.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the ‘bad cholesterol and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the ‘good cholesterol’. Both are fatty, waxy substances made in the liver that float about the body in the blood. LDL levels can increase to the degree that it can clog blood vessels and interfere with the operation of the heart causing heart disease and heart attack. LDL comes usually from the ingestion of saturated fats in red meat, full-fat milk, cheese and cream and from hydrogenated trans fats.

HDL assists clear out the LDL, so a diet that is good for cholesterol will try to reduce the consumption of LDL-producing food and increase the consumption of HDL-producing food. In general, the foods that do this are fruits, vegetables, grains and fish. However, a high cholesterol level (bad cholesterol, that is) is more complicated than only diet. It is also important to maintain a healthy body weight and to exercise regularly.

Having healthy levels of cholesterol is actually an on-going maintenance programme and has a lot to do with just living an lively, healthy life. This means not eating a lot of red meat, eating fish twice a week, consuming at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day, not over doing the dairy products, drinking skimmed milk (or none at all), cutting back on cheese and varying your diet and exercising every day, even if it is only in the form of going for a walk twice a day.

Although there can be genetic reasons for high cholesterol, most people can solve this problem quite easily by exercise and diet. Doctors say that cutting out all forms of saturated fat and trans fat is the single most valuable fashion of reducing your LDL cholesterol levels, so that is the obvious way to start. Grains and pulses are good because they contain so much fibre which is helpful for removing cholesterol.

This suggests that eating porridge in the morning instead of bacon but eggs yet having some kind of lentil soup with whole grain bread before dinner would become steps in the right direction. Snacks throughout the day and sweet at mealtimes should be fruit. Citrus fruits are particularly decent at helping to remove cholesterol

Other items of food that are thought to lower cholesterol are nuts like walnuts and almonds; onions and garlic; olive oil and soya bean products. Although cooking in olive oil will help a lot, it is also a good step to avoid frying whenever there is a possibility of cooking in another manner. Grilling and steaming are the best ways of cooking most fish and vegetables and it assists retain the vitamin and nutrient content of the food as well.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous subjects, but is now concerned with low fat low cholesterol diet. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

Adapting Examples Of Low Cholesterol Diets

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

Although more and more people are becoming aware that they ought to follow a low (er) cholesterol diet as they become older, they might not be aware of how to do this. People eat out a great deal more now than ever before or they have food delivered.

Regrettably most of the food eaten at or from these places has a poor record when it comes to controlling cholesterol. You will find it difficult to impossible to follow a low cholesterol diet and eat junk food at the same time.

There are plenty of examples of low cholesterol diets on the Internet and it would be a good idea for you to look at some of these until you find a chef’s recommendations that match your tastes.

For instance, one cook may favour vegetarian cooking and so would produce a series of low cholesterol recipes containing vegetarian food, while another chef might have a penchant for fish and so would create lots of low cholesterol recipes involving fish.

Obviously, if you have more varied tastes then the world is your oyster and you can mix and match recipes from all over the world. There are several cultures that do not eat meat at all, for instance, the Hindus. There are thousands of Hindu recipes which are obviously low in cholesterol or which could be easily adapted by substituting olive oil for ghee as the oil in which to cook.

Or you might like the Japanese style of cooking, which uses a higher proportion of fish than people eat in the West. Fish is a very useful source for example of HDL, or good, cholesterol. Japanese meals can be of a number of different styles. an unusual one of which is sushi, which has become favourite with the trend-setters.

Chinese and Thai food also contains far less meat that traditional Western recipes. They also tend to cook using soya oil, which is a product known to reduce the level of LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol. If, when you look at traditional recipes from these countries, you see something you could improve on then go ahead and adapt it.

For example, if you go to a Chinese restaurant, you always get white rice. Why not substitute brown rice? The same goes for Thai food. Brown rice is fed to prisoners in Thai gaols, so it is associated with low class, hence Thais eat white rice. But you do not have to.

If you like barbecues, you may have to lay off the steaks, chops, sausages and burgers, but you can still barbecue all types of fish, crabs, prawns and lobster. Eels are good for a barbecue too and so is unleaven bread and some vegetables such as sweet corn.

There are so many examples of low cholesterol diets that eating in this way does not have to become monotonous. In fact, it might just open your eyes to some of the other ways of cooking going on in the world. You may just end up realizing that most of the meals in your life up to now have been fairly similar.

While you are looking for examples of low cholesterol diets, remember that adaptation and substitution are the best strategies - become adaptable and enjoy your new, healthier diet.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

A Reasonable Examination of Body Sugar Level

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Who knows how many individuals are influenced by blood sugar level because it has the ability to produce such an effect. Perhaps you have noticed this at some time or another during the course of your day. Yet as with many things, there is more to it and some things should be carefully thought about. Everybody has a reasonable idea about what is doable with it. Not only that, but it is entirely natural and usual to want to find what you are looking for. We hope to broaden your knowledge base of blood sugar levels, and in so doing make it possible for you to be much more knowledgeable.

Maintaining your blood sugar in order isn’t always straightforward. Even when an individual thinks that he has control over the situation even the tiniest change in eating habits or routine can throw things out of whack. Even those who aren’t afflicted with problems like hypothyroidism or diabetes can have issues keeping their blood sugar levels under control. This is exactly why it is so tempting to take products like the Blood Sugar Balance supplements offered by RidgeCrest Herbals.

The particular tagline pertaining to Ridgecrest Herbals is “The Source for Herbal Remedies.” When the company was started it was identified as Creative Marketing Inc, which isn’t the greatest brand in the world if you have a company that is looking to help people get healthy through using natural products. Nothing quite states “affiliate scheme” like a company with Marketing right in the title. Definitely, deciding to change the title of the company was a good suggestion. The original company was founded in the mid 1980s and in the early 1990s morphed into the company everyone is acquainted with today. One of the company’s primary founders, Clyde St. Clair, is very well respected both in the natural supplement industry as well as the marketing field.

RidgeCrest is the originator involving Blood Sugar Balance. It consists of ginseng, licorice and anamarrhena roots, oryza seed and calcium sulfate. This particular mixture of root extracts follows a formula used by Chinese organic healers to help the body regulate its blood sugar production. That website states that the blend has been famous in Asia for hundreds of years. In its present supplement form, two capsules need to be taken every day as you need them. After that we couldn’t come across many other details about the following supplement.

The main website for Blood Sugar Balance is packed with good testimonials. If you do a search you will find positive reviews elsewhere too. The reviews say all sorts of wonderful things about the supplement. In terms of cost it’s not hard to understand why people like this supplement. This supplement is rather inexpensive. Sixty capsules just cost around fifteen bucks. People can purchase a couple of months’ worth for under thirty dollars. Price range wise, this is a superb supplement!

As far as whether or not it will truly help you deal with your blood sugar that remains to be seen. Be certain that you question your doctor before you start gulping down these tablets. People wish to accomplish this for two essential reasons. The first is the fact that your physician will be familiar with your history and the ingredients of this supplement and will know whether or not your body will react favorably to it. Beyond that, every person’s blood sugar is unique. This is the reason why each individual must find his or her own means of keeping blood sugar levels under control. Just because a thing is effective for one person doesn’t mean that it is going to work for another.

Make sure to do adequate research before you actually buy anything. Blood sugar can sometimes be treated naturally and if you can do this you should certainly look into it but make sure you get your doctor’s agreement before you start trying to cure yourself with supplements.

Learn more about how to lower cholesterol. Visit website: http://www.naturalcholesterolsupplements.com

High Cholesterol Levels And Diabetes

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Diabetes is a chronic disease which can have numerous side effects. The condition (usually) comes about as a result of the pancreas not producing enough insulin, which you require to deal with the sugar level in your blood. Having diabetes, or too much sugar in your blood can have serious results such as cataracts (treatable blindness), bad teeth and an elevated danger of general infections.

However what many individuals do not comprehend is that there is a connection between high cholesterol levels and diabetes. This link is called macular edema and it affects eyesight. If you have diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels, you ought to be paying meticulous attention to your diet in order to avoid macular edema

Macular edema is often a painful, non-reversible form of blindness.

In case you are uncertain about cholesterol, it would be best if we discuss this subject in order to clarify. People talk about ‘cholesterol levels’ because there are three measurements that are vital. HDL cholesterol is frequently known as ‘good cholesterol’ and LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol.

It is important to have LDL because it helps in the production of bile and vitamin D and it assists regulate hormones, but too much of it can block arteries and cause heart issues. HDL is ‘good’ because it mops up LDL and takes it back to the liver where it is got rid of.

Those are the two main levels. You would be forgiven for thinking that it is best to have as much HDL as you can, and this is the case, to a certain extent, because you do need LDL too, but the total of both of these levels is also important. You must not have a high level of both together either.

The additional reason why these levels are more important to diabetics is because diabetics with a high level of LDL run approximately three times more danger of getting macular edema than non-diabetics. Therefore the danger of high cholesterol for diabetics is crucial.

This is such a significant difficulty that diabetics are advised to check the levels of their cholesterol very frequently. The good news is that diabetics will already be following a diet and the decreased cholesterol diet is pretty similar and is easy to integrate into your current regime.

The foods that you ought to avoid to reduce your level of LDL cholesterol include saturated fats such as are discovered in red meat and dairy products like full-fat milk, butter, cream and cheese. It is also to be found in trans and hydrogenated fats, which are present in junk foods and cheap margarine.

The foodstuffs to eat in order to increase your level of LDL are in essence mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, vegetarian foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, soya products, fish, nuts and grains, particularly whole grains. Roughage and fibre are what you ought to be looking for. Fish and olive oil are also useful in the battle against LDL cholesterol.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?