Staying Active with Diabetes

By Grace Soong

Medical professionals agree that exercise is very beneficial for people with diabetes.

Consistent physical activity will result in:

Blood glucose levels are lowered

Aids in weight loss

Assists you in using insulin better

Makes the heart stronger

Blood circulation is improved

Blood cholesterol levels may decrease

Stress levels are reduced

Strengthens your bones and increases muscle tone

You will look and feel healthier

Basic guidelines

Talk to your doctor before beginning or changing your exercise routine. Your healthcare provider can help you create an exercise plan especially for you. For example, jumping or jogging may irritate a diabetic-related eye problem.

During exercise, your doctor may want you to check your blood glucose levels more often. Exercise may cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) 4 or 5 hours after exercising, if you take insulin. Be sure to check blood glucose levels right before exercise, during exercise, and right after you exercise.

Be careful when exercising if your blood glucose level is too low. It is a good idea to carry hard candy or glucose tablets in case your blood glucose level suddenly drops. People with type 1 diabetes should not exercise if they test positive for ketones as this can cause blood glucose levels to go even higher. Always carry your diabetes identification with you in case of an emergency.

Find an enjoyable activity

It is important to include activities that are easy and enjoyable for you. If you enjoy exercising with others, find an exercise partner. Be sure to vary your routine.

It is recommended that you exercise for 30 minutes per day to maintain your current weight and 45 minutes per day to lose weight. A fitness consultant will help you develop an exercise program that meets your needs. In the beginning, keep your exercise sessions brief and moderate. You are exercising properly if you can carry on a conversation without getting out of breath. Exercising in 10 minute segments is helpful if you are short on time or not in shape.

When should you work out

For most people with diabetes, one to three hours after meals is the best time to exercise. Do not exercise when your insulin or diabetes pills are at their peak. Your health care provider can assist you with these matters.

Safeguard your feet

Check inside your shoes and socks for objects that may hurt your feet

Make sure your shoes and socks are comfortable

After you exercise, check your feet

If you injure your feet, contact your healthcare provider. - 30310

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What Is The Right Diet For Diabetes

By Marcus Clarkson

Diabetes Diet Natural Treatment Is Available

When it comes to treating any type of diabetes there are a lot of distinct things that a sufferer should consider. For the reason that both Types 1 and 2 are not curable, there are a few distinctive things a person can do in order to deal with these conditions. They can administer the problem through the use of tablets and insulin supplements when well as soon as a diabetes diet. The diabetes diet natural treatment means that the person is less likely to suffer from any unwanted side effects.

Once you are first diagnosed with having diabetes a person must really spend as much time as is needed discussing the matter with their physician or health professional. Because managing their blood sugar levels is extremely complicated, the general practitioner or nutritional professional will be able to create a diet that meets their needs flawlessly.

It is at this phase of planning the diet that the person with diabetes must be asking questions. When you are informing your medical doctor of your diet and lifestyle habits you could aim to have regular meetings with your doctor so that they are in time to check and see how you are doing, plus deal with any issues, which you when a diabetic could come across.

When you are first using a diabetes diet plan in order to assist you in the control and manage the condition it is vital that you maintain a food journal. You are advised to keep notes of what kinds of foods you have been eating, the portion size you have been taking in and what your blood sugar levels are normally like after the food has been eaten. Also, include any other information in your journal that you hope your doctor may really think is valuable and will want to see.

As soon as it comes to putting in place any kind of diet for yourself or anyone else with diabetes you need need to stick to a rigid one say as if you were trying to lose weight. Rather what you must do is eat ample amounts of the foods which are vital and are good for you.

Along with eating loads of fresh fruit and vegetables you need to to do all you can to make sure that you eat more whole grains rather than processed foods. So instead of choosing the typical spaghetti and white rice swap them in your meals with whole-wheat spaghetti and brown rice instead. - 30310

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We Love Flavored Water With No Carbs

By George Napoli

Flavored water does very well in the beverage market where we are looking for new items at a value. Flavoring concentrates that are now available rae unique and lets you make perfect flavored water every time you make it. Best of all flavored concentrates for flavored waters have no carbs and no calories.

Here are the best examples of why we like flavored water: 1. Treating ourselves, flavored water is quickly developing as a top consumer pick. 2. Drinking H20 at required amounts is hard and flavored waters makes consuming tap or bottled water easier and fun. 3. As an option to bad tasting waters, we like flavored waters to get our daily amounts. 4. Flavored water is a healthy selection for health minded consumers. 5. We consume flavored water for general refreshment, instead sugary beverages. 6. To feel like we get something extra, we drink flavored water because we don't get it from ordinary drinking water. 7. Flavor drops that are new to the market for flavored water give us no artificial sweeteners and use natural sweeteners with 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat. 8. To satisfy a desire for sweetness we use fruit, berry or citrus tastes hopefully with no additional calories from natural sugars. 9. When it comes to diets, flavored water from flavoring concentrates makes the perfect diet drink. 10. As a low price solution to high caloric beverages, sodas, juices and pops. 11. Excellent for diabetes. 12. Flavored water is quickly becoming a smart health choice solution.

We're drinking calories than ever. About 450 calories daily are consumed from beverages, juices and pops. About 29 pounds annually.

Instead of drinking beverages high in sucrose corn syrups that are not much more than sugary water, choose flavored water with no calories and no carbs. If there are no flavored waters with 0 carbs around, look at the nutrient statement and pick the one with the fewest carbs.

Now you have a choice in flavored waters and using flavoring concentrates is smart. Flavored concentrates with 0 carbs is an excellent low cost alternative when it comes to making your own flavored water. Flavor concentrates for flavoring water are easy to carry and easy to use. With flavor concentrates you can blend the flavor strong or subtle.

Next time you need to quench your thirst, reach for a flavored water or flavor concentrate to blend your own. Nothing quenches thirst better than water. That's why we call water the "perfect thirst quencher"! You can call it the "perfect diet drink" if you use flavor concentrates with 0 carbs. - 30310

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Diabetics Enhance Quality of Life Through Personal Training

By Stephen Daniels

Diabetes is the seventh most common disease in America. Over 23 million people in the U.S. alone had been diagnosed with diabetes as of 2007, and this number is on the rise. Clinical obesity often goes hand-in-hand with this disease. While exercise is often used as part of a treatment plan for diabetes and obesity, people with either condition are usually not in the best of shape. This makes them more likely to suffer injuries or strains. Establishing an exercise program with a knowledgeable personal trainer can prevent injury and increase the effectiveness of your workout.

Diabetes is a very serious disease. In simple terms, the cause of diabetes is the body's inability to make or use insulin well. Insulin controls the level of glucose (blood sugar) in the system. Some of the complications include:

Heart attack and stroke
Eye problems, including total loss of sight in some cases
Nerve damage in the extremities, which can sometimes lead to loss of limbs
Kidney problems that can ultimately lead to kidney failure
Gum disease and loss of teeth
Lack of energy

People who suffer from diabetes should choose a personal coach who has undergone special training and certification in dealing with diabetic issues. There are particular things trainers should monitor while working with diabetic individuals, including circulation and hypoglycemic reactions. Exercising can be very safe and effective for someone with diabetes when guidelines are followed.

Trainers are able to provide guidance, knowledge and support in a convenient and safe way. Some diabetics who work with a personal trainer are able to lose a lot of weight, resulting in the ability to lower their insulin injections and have a much better quality of life.

A good instructor should begin with an evaluation of the history of their new client's health. Any problems the client suffers from should be revealed during this evaluation, including injuries to both skeletal and muscular structures as well as any serious conditions. A trainee may be required to get medical clearance before starting any type of exercise program, especially if the client has a severe or chronic disease.

After briefly working with the client to determine their abilities, the trainer should collaborate with their trainee on setting an exercise goal. The exercise plan should include both aerobic exercise and weight or resistance training.

Aerobic exercise enhances sensitivity to insulin and helps to control blood sugar. When included with proper nutrition, physical activity strengthens normal glucose metabolism by lowering body fat. Strength or resistance training also helps to decrease body fat by increasing the metabolism. The main benefit of training is to increase glucose intake and the ability to store it. Proper exercise can be the difference between lifestyle and medical management of diabetes.

Exercising with a personal trainer can help people who suffer from diabetes enjoy a greatly improved quality of life. It encourages the implementation of many healthy changes, including increased physical activity, better hydration, improved diet, getting enough sleep and eating balanced meals.

Diabetes is a condition that can be managed by making significant lifestyle changes. A personal trainer can help you get going down the path to good health. - 30310

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The #1 Diabetic Diet

By Karl Graus

Diabetes is a disease that is marked by higher than normal levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood stream. A lot of times, this higher level of glucose comes from the pancreas' ability to produce insulin at a sufficient level, or your body having an unhealthy resistance to insulin, leaving your blood sugar levels very unstable. In either case, it is important to maintain positive control over the level of blood sugar to prevent some major health problems, including the possibility of entering a diabetic coma. There has been some disagreement in the past about what constitutes the best diet for diabetics.

For years, the prevailing wisdom was that diabetics should strictly avoid foods high in sugar and other carbohydrates. Because sugar is very easily and quickly turned into glucose in the bloodstream, it was usually thought to be the more harmful thing for the body. Now, many diabetics replace sugar in their diet with the various artificial sweeteners that have been developed.

Nowadays, that thought process has been relaxed a bit, as physicians have come to terms with a diabetic's inevitable exposure to sugar at some point. Artificial sweeteners do exist that add no carbohydrates or calories to foods, but just because a food is sugar free does not mean that it is especially safe for diabetics.

Bottom line, the best diet for diabetics is identical to the best diet for people who are not diabetics. Believe it or not, diabetics CAN continue to enjoy their favorite foods. However, this is only possible given very meticulous monitoring the amount of carbohydrates a diabetic takes in every day. Sugars and starches both are classed as carbohydrates, so dishes made with pasta and potatoes need to be downsized just the same as anything made with sugar.

Ideally, the diet should be adjusted to include more fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruit and veggies contain natural sugars that can be used by the body but are just enough unlike glucose to stop them from raising the blood glucose level. Also, they have more fiber, which is not only instrumental in helping the body get rid of waste, it also makes you feel full, which leads to lower calorie consumption.

You don't have to make one meal for the diabetic and another meal for the remaining family members. The fact is that the best diet for diabetics is the same as the best diet for the rest of the family. All diets should be balanced, rich in fruits and vegetables, and nclude protein and a moderate amount of starches, and very little fat. - 30310

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An Introduction To Mitral Valve Repair

By Lawrence Reaves

The mitral valve (MV) is one of your heart's four valves that help to ensure that blood flows in the proper direction and that there is no regurgitation. It is located between the left atrium and left ventricle. Comprised of flaps of tissue called leaflets, the MV opens as the left atrium contracts, thereby allowing blood to flow into the left ventricle. Then, it closes in order to prevent the blood from flowing back into the atrium. If the MV fails to work properly, it can impair your heart's ability to pump blood throughout your body.

This article will describe the ways in which the mitral valve can malfunction. We'll explain the procedure used to correct the problem as well as its advantages over other forms of treatment.

Ways In Which The Mitral Valve Can Malfunction

Two problems can occur with the mitral valve. First, it can fail to close properly after blood has moved from the left atrium into the left ventricle. If this happens, blood can flow back into the atrium when the ventricle contracts. As a result, you may feel winded or have difficulty catching your breath.

The second problem is that the MV might fail to open properly. That prevents blood from flowing from the atrium into the ventricle. This condition is usually caused by rheumatic fever and is far less common.

Repairing The Problem

There are two strategies to correct a malfunctioning MV: replacement of the valve or surgically repairing it. Replacements can be made from metal or tissue. However, because introducing any foreign object into the body carries risks, many doctors recommend repairing the valve.

Long ago, mitral valve repair required the surgeon to cut through the patient's breastbone. Today, the procedure is far less invasive. The surgeon makes a small incision (between 2 and 4 inches) and uses robotic assistance to guide his or her approach.

Advantages Of The Procedure

There are several advantages to repairing the MV rather than replacing it. The mortality rate during replacement surgery can climb up to 8%. By contrast, the mortality rate associated with mitral valve repair typically ranges between 1-2%. There's also less blood loss and a lower chance of infection during - and immediately following - the operation. The recovery time is shorter and patients are usually able to return home more quickly than would be the case if they received a replacement.

Another advantage: patients who undergo mitral valve repair do not need to take blood thinners. Those who receive a replacement valve are forced to take blood thinners for the remainder of their lives. Otherwise, they risk developing blood clots.

While minimally invasive techniques have significantly reduced the risks involved with mitral valve repair, not everyone is a good candidate for the operation. Be sure to discuss your options with your physician. - 30310

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How Do You Get More Omega 3 Fatty Acids In Your Diet If Fish Is Contaminated With Mercury?

By Peter Bertonach

There is now little doubt about the health benefits of omega3 fatty acids. These have been well publicised recently and more and more people are becoming aware that the vast majority of us are deficient in our Omega3 fatty acid intake. Of course these essential fatty acids are found in fish oil which comes from fish, but how do we increase our intake of omega 3 when fish is contaminated with Mercury?

A new study published this year has shed some light on the Mercury contamination of fish. The study examined Mercury contamination of fish in the North Pacific and found that levels of Mercury in that ocean had increased by 30 percent over the last 10 years.

And as well is this it also found that around 40 percent of Mercury found population of US can be traced back and tuna that they have eaten which has been caught in the North Pacific.

This is a serious concern. You do not want to be eating Mercury. It is an environmental toxin and has serious implications for the health of adults, and in particular for the developing fetus and infants. It's a neurotoxin.

Atmospheric production of Mercury as well as Mercury leakage from Asia were the major ways that it was found that Mercury made its way into the oceans. It is found in the oceans as methylmercury, and is found in our tuna because it starts at the bottom of the food chain and works it's way up right up to fish at the top of the food chain like shark and tuna. And we eat shark and tuna.

So the conundrum for anyone that understands the importance of increasing their intake of omega3 fatty acids, and who also understands that the vast majority of our population is deficient in Omega3 fats, is that by increasing your intake of fish to increase your intake of Omega3 fats you are also increasing your intake of Mercury.

Not only that but fish is a declining resource and is also getting more and more expensive with time. Is there a better way to increase your intake of omega3 fatty acids other than by eating fish? Yes.

Much more cost-effective than eating fish and also safer is to increase your Omega3 intake levels by daily supplementation with omega3 supplements. These are much more cost-effective than buying fish and the very best fish oil supplements are free of Mercury contamination and are safe to be taken daily. As a result of these fats the sales of fish oil supplements are increasing faster than any other nutritional supplement in history.

If you like eating fish then by all means increase your intake and this improves your dietary intake of omega3. However by doing so you are also increasing your intake of Mercury, as well as affecting your budget. But if you'd prefer to avoid the cost of buying fish as well is the risks of eating Mercury then omega3 supplements are certainly a much more cost-effective and are safer way to do so.

But it's worth saying that there are big variations between the different brands of omega 3 supplements, with the best fish oil capsules having more than 2 1/2 times as much omega 3 fats as average fish oil supplements.

To find a comparison of the different fish oil capsules available visit my website - 30310

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