Diabetic Diet: Foods to Include and Avoid

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Steve A.

Diabetes is a common disorder and can affect people irrespective of age or sex. The United States alone was estimated to have around 10.9 million diabetics aged 65 years or more in 2010, while the number of younger diabetics who were less than 20 years in the same year was estimated to be around 215,000.[1] Considering that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of deaths in USA, this disorder needs a lot of attention.

What Is Meant By A Diabetic Diet?

A diabetic diet is often known as MNT or medical nutrition therapy for diabetics. But this diet does not necessarily have to be limited to diabetics. The basic aim of this diet plan is to encourage healthy eating, which is something that everyone can benefit from.

Significance of Diabetic Diet

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, which makes it all the more sensitive to the diet consumed. Diabetic diet is a crucial part of diabetes management because of numerous reasons as listed below:

  • Diabetic diet is more than adequate to control many cases of borderline diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions. Such cases do not need any additional medications, and a rigorously followed diabetic diet can help these people keep their blood sugar levels under control
  • Diabetic patients who are on anti-diabetic medications can benefit a lot by following the diabetic diet. It is possible to keep the blood sugar levels under control with lesser dosages and both insulin response and sensitivity can be improved.
  • Diabetic patients need to watch their weight. A diabetic diet when combined with regular exercise can help in maintaining normal body weight. Many diabetics lose the extra flab and weight after continuing with the diabetic diet. Maintaining normal body weight can help in controlling diabetes more effectively with lower dosage of medications.
  • Diabetic diet ensures that sudden shooting up or dropping down of blood sugar values is prevented. Such fluctuations in blood glucose levels can be dangerous and can even be life threatening in many cases.
  • Diabetic diet can keep many of the untoward complications of diabetes from occurring, thus making diabetes control much easier and trouble free.

Foods to Include in a Diabetic Diet

  • Carbs are best kept complex. Complex carbs prevent the sudden surge in blood sugar and subsequent Insulin surge to get the rising blood sugar levels under control. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products etc are the best choices of complex carbs
  • Fiber can never go wrong in any diet. Ensure that the diet contains a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, wheat bran and a few nuts.
  • Eat fish at least twice a week. Try to keep clear of the fish that has a lot of mercury contamination like king mackerel, swordfish and tilefish. Tuna, sardines, salmon etc are all good choices. Fish contain a lot of Omega 3 fatty acids, which will help in lowering inflammation, normalizing blood sugar levels and keeping ‘bad cholesterol’ levels under check while boosting ‘good cholesterol’ levels.[i]
  • Drink lots of water; 8-12 glasses a day are adequate to keep your system detoxified and bowels moving regularly.

Foods to Avoid in a Diabetic Diet

  • Avoid all kinds of junk, fried and fatty foods
  • Refined flour, transfats, preserved foods, and foods that are high in saturated fats should be  avoided
  • Red meat and animal fats contain a lot of cholesterol. Avoid such foods totally or use very sparingly. Other high cholesterol containing foods are shellfish, egg yolks and organ meats.
  • Use salt in the minimum possible amounts. 2grams per day is the safe limit. Anything beyond this will mean inviting trouble. Dietary salt does not just limit to the amount used in cooking or seasoning. Many food items that you may be consuming day in and day out without a second thought, actually contain a high level of sodium in it. All preserved, canned, processed and pickled foods contain a lot of sodium. So do the sauces and ketchups too. So avoid using much of these foods and also take all of these foods into account when calculating your total intake of salt per day.

References:
[1] http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/#fast
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

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Simple Exercises That Take Less Time and Give More Benefit

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Steve A.

Time and tide wait for no man (or woman or child for that matter). Yet we all seem to have made it a habit to repeat over and over again that we don’t have enough time in our day. When you know that time is not going to wait for you, you need maximizing the activities that you can do within a limited time. Your health is as impatient as time, and will not wait for you to find time to take care of it. If you don’t take care of your health and fitness NOW, they are certain to part ways with you soon.

Considering how important regular exercising is for maintaining good health and preventing diseases, you will need learning some simple exercises everyone can do, no matter how limited their time. Let us look at a simple list out of the easy exercises.

Skipping Rope:

  • This is one of my favorites and tops the list any time people ask an opinion about simple exercises.
  • Skipping is an aerobic exercise, which means that it is going to have a beneficial effect on your entire body by accelerating your heart rate and circulation.
  • So get your skipping ropes and keep skipping your way to fitness with a healthy heart as a bonus.
  • Another advantage of skipping is that it invariably brings back memories from your childhood, when skipping was a form of play and fun with friends. So definitely thumbs up for this wonderful simple exercise.

Bicycling:

  • Bicycling is next on the list, because of its extreme simplicity and the fact that it is an aerobic exercise, like skipping.
  • Again similar to skipping, bicycling is definitely childhood revisited.
  • So get out your bicycles and cycle your way to overall fitness.
  • Instead of using your car to get to neighborhood locations, take your bicycles along.
  • Just remember to enjoy the open air and keep inhaling and exhaling deeply as the cool and fresh wind runs through your hair.
  • Bicycling can not only keep the fat off your body, but tones your lower abdominal muscles and muscles of your lower extremities pretty fast.

Dancing:

  • Don’t tell me you never knew that dancing was a form of exercise?
  • Well, dancing is certainly a very entertaining way to keep fit because like its skipping and bicycling cousins, dancing too is an enjoyable form of aerobic exercise.
  • Have feet -can dance, so do not tell me you have two left feet.
  • Put on some foot tapping music and dance your way to fitness.
  • Glowing skin, los of sweat and an exuberant mood are guaranteed after effects!

Jogging/ Brisk Walking:

  • Well this is definitely the last but not the least on the list.
  • Going for an early morning jog or a brisk walk is certainly a pleasure.
  • You need to take pleasure in the early morning fresh air, which is so cool and crisp while you jog or walk.
  • The sight of the birds, bees and flowers all getting in to activity in preparedness of a new day is intoxicating( to say the least)
  • A word of caution here. Strolling or simply placing slow and gentle steps will never get you anywhere near your aim of pumping up your blood circulation.
  • So the secret is to be smart, quick and brisk in your pace if you are walking or jogging.

Synopsis:

All the simple exercises that are mentioned above have one thing in common; if you noticed. They are all pretty exciting stuff, and not the run-of-the-mill kind of dreary work out regimes that most us try to include in our fitness routines. Anything that is boring is not going to hold your attention and interest for too long. So go ahead and try these exciting but simple exercises.

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Macular Degeneration in Elderly: Center of Darkness

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Steve A.

Seeing a central patch of black surrounded by a ring of clear vision is the hallmark of Macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is rapidly becoming the number one cause of vision disorders in the seniors.[1] When a big dark patch obstructs your vision, doing simple things like walking from one room to another, using the steps, or reading a newspaper can turn in to uphill tasks. So Macular degeneration not only takes away the gift of clear vision, but also snatches away the independence and mobility of the elderly folk.

Types of Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration could be of two main types: Wet and Dry

Wet macular Degeneration

  • This is more dangerous to your central vision than the dry variety and needs immediate medical attention, because development of wet macular degeneration indicates that the disease has progressed quite far.
  • Here there is an abnormal growth of blood vessels behind the retina and these vessels can reach beneath the macula. Since these blood vessels have been newly developed, they are quite fragile when compared to normal blood vessels. This fragility makes them bleed easily and there is leakage of blood into the eye. These blood vessels are also capable of pushing the macula upwards and causing great damage.
  • The first indication of wet macular degeneration is that lines that are actually straight will appear to be wavy.
  • This type of macular degeneration is due to gradual deterioration of the photo sensitive cells in the macula. This leads to blurring of vision and faces and letters seem to be blurred and lack clarity.
  • It is possible for just one eye to be affected whilst the other remains normal.
  • The most indicative sign of dry macular degeneration is the development of drusen, which are yellowish colored sub-retinal deposits.

Dry Macular Degeneration

  • This type of macular degeneration is due to gradual deterioration of the photo sensitive cells in the macula. This leads to blurring of vision and faces and letters seem to be blurred and lack clarity.
  • It is possible for just one eye to be affected whilst the other remains normal.
  • The most indicative sign of dry macular degeneration is the development of drusen, which are yellowish colored sub-retinal deposits.

What Factors Put You At Risk Of Macular Degeneration?

Factors that increase the risk of developing Macular degeneration are numerous. Here’s a list:

  • Age- Risks increase with each birthday completed
  • Sex- Women are more at risk than men
  • Genetics- Genes may be to blame in Macular degeneration that affects younger people
  • Ethnicity- Non-Hispanics are more at risk when compared to blacks/ Mexicans
  • Smoking- Smokers are thrice at risk when compared to people who do not smoke at all.

Symptoms

Since macular degeneration is associated with the eye, the foremost symptom to develop is difficulty in seeing clearly. Vision either seems to be blurred or the patient may experience a need for greater intensity of light to read or write without difficulty. The central patch of darkness often accompanies the other symptoms like wavy appearance of straight lines, sensitivity to light and appearance of non-existent shapes in the line of vision.

Treatment

Treatment of dry macular degeneration is unfortunately not as effective as wet macular degeneration. While several researches are being conducted to find effective methods that can halt the degeneration of the cells, no effective solution has been found.

Wet macular degeneration can be treated by anti-VEGF therapy[2] and Photodynamic therapy. Ant-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (ant-VEGF) therapy involves administering of a drug called Lucentis into the eye to prevent the growth of new blood vessels behind the retina.

Photodynamic therapy is also aimed at blocking the growth of new blood vessels, but here a cold energy laser and a light sensitive drug are used in combination for this purpose.

References:
[1] Kahn HA, Moorehead HB. Statistics on blindness in the model reporting area, 1969-1970. Washington, D.C.: National Institutes of Health, 1973

[2] http://www.rnib.org.uk/eyehealth/eyeconditions/conditionsac/Pages/amd.aspx#H2Heading3

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Post Pregnancy Weight Loss: Exercise and Diet Tips to Reclaim Your Body Back

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Steve A.

Looking like an overloaded van with extra tires in front and back? If this is the figure that stares back at you when you look in your bathroom mirror and you have recently given birth to a baby; despair not! You are not alone. It is quite common to pile on the flab both during and after pregnancy. But those spare tires around your belly and butt need not hang around permanently like some memorabilia of your pregnancy. You can get rid of them soon and reclaim your sexy figure back. All you have to do is to read this post carefully and then implement the flab losing measures explained here.

Show Some Motherly Love

In this age of formula milk and figure conscious mommies, breast feeding seems to be a far choice. But if you really need to knock off those ugly love handles and potbelly, then start showing some motherly love. Breast feeding can help you bond with your newborn baby, while burning some serious amount of calories on the side. Burning off 500 calories per day by breastfeeding sure seems to be Nature’s way of helping mommies lose weight.

Put an End to Junk

During pregnancy you may have indulged in all kinds of junk and unhealthy foods in the name of ‘pregnancy cravings’. But vacations are over baby, it’s time for your wake up call. Stop gorging on all that junk food, pizza and soda. Breast feeding the baby puts a natural demand on the calories, forcing the mother to eat more. But watch what you eat. Munch on healthy snacks like a raw vegetable salad, fruits or nuts rather than reaching out for that bag of chips. Include a lot of greens, fruits, and whole grains in your diet. Use at least 2 servings of fish per week and use healthy oils like olive oil for cooking. Most important of all, avoid all kinds of refined, processed, preserved and packaged foods.

Drink Away

No, do not reach out for beer/alcohol. ‘Drink away’ meant drinking lots of plain water with nothing added to it. 8-12 glasses of water a day is almost a necessity if you are trying to lose weight. Additional benefits are regular bowel movements, glowing skin, lustrous nails and hair and adequate hydration of your body. Additionally, you may even try drinking a glass of warm water first thing in the morning with a few drops of honey and a full lime squeezed into it.

Get Some Air

Fresh air is an absolute necessity for everyone, more so for new moms. What with the constant crying and nappy changing, new moms actually jump at the slightest suggestion of getting out of the house. So turn this ‘stepping out to get some fresh air routine’ in to ‘losing post pregnancy bulge routine’. Walking is the best exercise that can keep a new mom fit, fine and of course- sane. Besides; walking is one of the few safe exercises that are suitable during this delicate post-pregnancy phase.

Dive In

If there is something that is safe, easy, refreshing and effective in knocking extra pounds and flattening your belly then it has to be swimming. Swimming is a wonderful aerobic exercise that can burn calories, help you lose those unsightly bulges and tone your muscles too. Moreover, it’s quite uplifting and what more does a new mom need other than an activity to lighten her mood?

Say Yes to Yoga

Despite being the best of all methods to lose your lost pregnancy belly, this exercise is placed at the end of this post. Saving the best for the last you know! Yoga is best suited for new moms because it is not only safe but because it has various unique exercises that focus on burning belly fat and post pregnancy flab. Moreover, yoga exercises help to tone the abdominal muscles and also help in strengthening the immune system of the mother. This helps in speedy recovery from after effects of childbirth. Yoga is a fine mood enhancer too, so you will be better equipped to deal with your cranky baby.

Follow the diet and exercise routines mentioned here regularly and diligently and you will go from flabby mommy to sexy mommy in just a few months.

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Cholesterol Diet: Dos and Don’ts

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Steve A.

If you have been recently diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia, then you should know about a low cholesterol diet. Since cholesterol is mainly synthesized in the liver and intestines from dietary sources, controlling and regulating your diet can go a long way in achieving a healthy balance in blood cholesterol levels. Clinical studies reveal that sticking to a healthy low cholesterol diet can achieve as much as 10-20 % reduction in bad cholesterol values, in your blood.

Is All Cholesterol Bad?

You cannot brand all cholesterol in the body as bad or unwanted. In fact cholesterol plays a critical part in maintaining normal body functions. Production of vital hormones, Vitamin D, bile acids, maintenance of proper cell structure, intracellular transport are all functions that depend upon cholesterol levels in the body.

Despite common classification of cholesterol as good and bad; all cholesterols are actually similar. The only difference lies in the protein coating found over the cholesterol. These proteins are lipoproteins and are necessary for transport of cholesterol in the blood stream.

So Low Density Lipoproteins (also known as bad cholesterol) mean more of cholesterol and less of proteins within, and High Density Lipoproteins (also called good cholesterol) mean high amount of proteins and lesser amounts of cholesterol contained within the molecule.

Sources of Cholesterol in Diet

Watching what you eat is important, because not all foods contain equal amounts of cholesterol. Animal based foods are high in cholesterol. But that does not mean that plants are totally cholesterol free; they too contain minimal amounts.

Major cholesterol sources in diet are red meats like beef, seafood like shrimps and shellfish, dairy products like cheese, yolk of the egg etc.

What Foods Should Be Included in Cholesterol Diet?

Going green is definitely advantageous, especially on a cholesterol diet. Not only do you get to reap the benefits of a highly nutritious, balanced, and easily digestible diet, but you also get lot of fibers from going green.

  • Fruits and vegetables are rich in natural fiber. Fiber can keep your bowels healthy and facilitate regular bowel movements. A low cholesterol diet includes more consumption of vegetables, soy products, protein rich foods, and a high fiber diet.
  • Include lot of walnuts, flaxseeds, fish, oats, whole wheat bran and whole grain in your diet. Oats have a special property of binding themselves to the free lipids in the intestine. These unwanted fats are then excreted out of the system along with the feces.
  • Include mono-saturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet and some of the best sources are fish, especially fatty fish and walnuts. Instead of using ordinary cooking oil, try using olive oil. Besides olive oil, you can also use canola, corn and sunflower oils, as these vegetable oils contain less of cholesterol and are rich in fatty acids that can actually help to increase the ‘good cholesterol’ levels in the body while reducing the ‘bad cholesterol’
  • Water is an important component that needs to go with every kind of diet, so drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day.
  • Bid farewell to all your favorite red meats, organ meats and all those junk foods that contain a high amount of toxic trans-fats and saturated fats.
  • Say no to refined and processed foods
  • Avoid high fat dairy products, instead go for the low fat variety
  • Salt is best used in moderation, and high intake of sodium has been linked to high cholesterol levels. So stick to the bare minimum when seasoning and keep a tab on the hidden sodium in canned, processed and preserved foods.

Foods to Avoid

High cholesterol levels are not a permanent problem. Proper and rigorous maintenance of a low cholesterol diet can help in reducing cholesterol values. Combined with regular exercise and positive mindset, you should be soon on the way to enjoying normal blood cholesterol levels.

  • Bid farewell to all your favorite red meats, organ meats and all those junk foods that contain a high amount of toxic trans-fats and saturated fats.
  • Say no to refined and processed foods
  • Avoid high fat dairy products, instead go for the low fat variety
  • Salt is best used in moderation, and high intake of sodium has been linked to high cholesterol levels. So stick to the bare minimum when seasoning and keep a tab on the hidden sodium in canned, processed and preserved foods.
  • Bid farewell to all your favorite red meats, organ meats and all those junk foods that contain a high amount of toxic trans-fats and saturated fats.
  • Say no to refined and processed foods
  • Avoid high fat dairy products, instead go for the low fat variety
  • Salt is best used in moderation, and high intake of sodium has been linked to high cholesterol levels. So stick to the bare minimum when seasoning and keep a tab on the hidden sodium in canned, processed and preserved foods.

References:

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/cholesterol-lowering-foods

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