Facts on Foods That Diabetics Should Avoid

1. The Danger of Sugar

For a non-diabetic, consuming too much or too little sugar is naturally regulated by the pancreas, which releases insulin. The diabetic--with either Type 1 ("juvenile") or Type 2 ("adult onset") diabetes--has compromised insulin functioning, which places greater responsibility on him or her to regulate dietary intake. Consume a snack, meal or beverage with too much simple sugar content, and the endocrine system goes haywire.

2. Processed foods tend to be the worst choices

In general, processed foods lack the things that nature provides to slow the absorption of sugar. Remove the apple skin from an apple to get apple juice. Take away the germ and bran from wheat, and you have refined grains used in white bread. Extract the fructose syrup from whole corn, and you end up with HFCS, the high-fructose corn syrup found in thousands of products sold on grocery shelves, including everything form ketchup to colas to sweet cereals.

3. Read the label on processed foods

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and diabetes researchers have found that a single meal plan for diabetics is unworkable and unlikely to succeed. Instead, diabetics are advised to discern which foods will work best by reading the "nutrition facts" label on all packaged foods when making a purchase. The key points to look for are sugars/carbohydrate RDA values, ingredients themselves (if a sugar is listed early, it constitutes a higher percent of the overall content), and servings sizes. This latter consideration can be cross referenced with exchange lists commonly provided by doctors. Be vigilant in observing the servings sizes (e.g., 4 vs. 8 oz. servings).

4. Consider weight management or loss as a goal

If there is a conundrum of our times, it is how people can lose weight, and most (not all) diabetics are overweight. But a common characteristic of all diets that work is that overall caloric intake is restricted with a new regimen. And to good effect: It is not unusual for newly diagnosed diabetics to lose weight and experience improved insulin sensitivity as a result. A lower-calorie diet need not mean a sense of deprivation: Incorporating a healthy and moderate balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lower-fat proteins make a new meal regimen more enjoyable.

5. The occasional slip does not spell total failure

Everyone talks about "falling off the wagon" when trying to manage a diet. But trainer Kim Lyons of television's "The Biggest Loser" told Prevention magazine that late-night binging and sabotage by friends and family quite often are the culprits. The show's medical adviser, Michael Dansinger, M.D., says that "one binge is unlikely to have any significant effect on body weight [but] 700 calories every Saturday would be responsible for 10 pounds of extra weight in the long-term." As for friends and family, Lyons urges you to enroll them in your goal, to somehow make it exciting for them.

Vegetarian Food for Diabetics

Does Eating Your Veggies Really Help?

Diabetic vegetarian cooking has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. Some claim a low fat, plant-based diet can work wonders for diabetes. Others wonder if a diet that doesn’t rely on animal products can provide all of the protein, iron and other nutrients needed for a healthy diet.

So, exactly what is the verdict on vegetarian food for diabetics?

Well, the American Dietetic Association itself has confirmed that a balanced vegetarian diet can meet all of a person’s nutrient needs. The key for vegetarian food for diabetics — just like with any other diet — is to include a variety of protein-rich legumes, fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, slowly-digested whole grain products, and nuts and seeds.

In fact, a balanced vegetarian diet can have a profound effect on diabetes. Vegetarian food may improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and help with management of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes vegetarian cooking may also offer some benefits over a nonvegetarian diet, including these:

Weight loss — A diet naturally low in fat can help with weight loss and/or management of a healthy weight. Significant weight loss can improve type 2 diabetes in people who are obese. Vegetarian food for diabetics, in general, don’t have the “empty calories” of the processed foods often found in less-healthy diets.

Insulin sensitivity — Some research indicates that a vegetarian diet makes your body more responsive to insulin — which is a very good thing if you have diabetes. In fact, in a 2006 study published in the journal Diabetes Care, 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who ate a low-fat vegan diet reduced their need for diabetes medications.

Reduction of risk factors — A vegetarian diet could also reduce your risk of diabetes-associated complications such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. But again, this depends on the specific food choices you make. For example, a strict vegan diet (no animal products of any kind) is cholesterol-free and generally low in saturated fat.

Glucose regulation — Vegetarian diets that include generous amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes are naturally high in fiber, which aids in regulating the absorption of glucose.

Which Diabetes Vegetarian Food Plan Is Best?

There's no single best diabetes vegetarian food plan. A vegan diet is the strictest of all vegetarian diets. Vegans eat no animal products, including dairy products and eggs. Other types of vegetarian diets may allow dairy products and eggs.
With a balanced diabetes vegetarian food plan, vegetarians can easily meet their nutrition needs by eating a varied diet.

Sources of protein: Of course, vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs (lacto-ovo vegetarians) already have a good source of protein. With a more strict diabetes vegetarian food plan, you’ll need to turn to meatless products, such as tofu dogs, soy burgers, nut loaves or texturized vegetable protein. Other sources of protein include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Tip: You can replace cow's milk by drinking fortified soymilk, rice milk or almond milk.

Sources of iron: You don’t need meat in your diet to get this important nutrient. Try some dried fruits, baked potatoes, mushrooms, cashews, dried beans, spinach, and iron-fortified foods (such as cereals, instant oatmeal, and veggie "meats"). To ensure proper absorption of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C at the same time you eat iron-containing foods.
Tip: Using iron cookware to prepare your meals also adds to iron intake.

Sources of calcium: Keep teeth and bones healthy by eating low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens. Broccoli is another good source.
Tip: Calcium-fortified orange juice is a great way to start your day on a healthy note.

Sources of Vitamin B12: A strict vegan diet eliminates food sources of vitamin B-12, which comes primarily from animal products. Diabetic vegetarian cooking that includes dairy products or eggs provides adequate vitamin B12. Fortified foods, such as some brands of cereal, nutritional yeast or soymilk, are good alternatives.

No single food provides all of the nutrients you need. So the key to healthy diabetic vegetarian cooking is to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Talk to a dietitian before switching to diabetes vegetarian foods. A dietitian can help you create an eating plan that provides all the needed nutrients and the right number of calories to maintain a healthy weight

The Natural Diabetes Cure

Great Ebook on Curing Diabetes!!!!
http://www.youngagain.org/books/diabetes.pdf

About the Book:
We will treat all blood sugar conditions as basically the same in this book. Metabolic
Syndrome, type 1 or 2 diabetes, gestational, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or any other glucose problem is cured by the same means - diet, proven supplements, natural hormones, exercise, not using prescription drugs, and avoiding bad habits. Unfortunately, fasting cannot be used generally until you are well, although calorie restriction should be.
As long as you have an intact pancreas you can cure yourself if you want to. Even those
people whose pancreas has irreversibly atrophied or been surgically removed can dramatically
improve their lives and their health and reduce their insulin requirements. There is massive research behind this book, but only a fraction of it is quoted. Everything in here is backed up by
voluminous published, international, clinical studies. Unfortunately, every year the researchers of the world more and more choose to study toxic allopathic drugs to treat blood sugar disorders
instead of whole foods, natural supplements, balancing the rest of the endocrine system, and exercise.
The answer is not separate from the problem; the answer is always within the problem
itself. Diabetes and other blood sugar disorders are caused by what we eat and the way the live.
You can therefore cure yourself by making healthier food choices and living better. Even those
who are genetically and racially predisposed to such conditions can cure themselves naturally.
Diabetics often become depressed due to the suffering, the constant glucose monitoring,
the incessant medication, the terrible side effects as they age, and knowing they will have a short
lifespan of increasingly poor quality. No attempt will be made to deal with this psychology. As
you cure yourself your psychological outlook will improve immensely. Medical professionals will tell you that diabetes and other blood sugar disorders are incurable, and there are no natural solutions. You should be able to heal yourself in one year if you are sincere. Diseases are easy to cure; patients aren’t.

DIABETES IN AFRICAN AMERICANS?

Today, diabetes mellitus is one of the most serious health challenges facing the more than 30 million African Americans. The following statistics illustrate the magnitude of this disease among African Americans.

• In 1993, 1.3 million African Americans were known to have diabetes. This is almost three times the number of African Americans who were diagnosed with diabetes in 1963. The actual number of African Americans who have diabetes is probably more than twice the number diagnosed because previous research indicates that for every African American diagnosed with diabetes there is at least one undiagnosed case.
• For every white American who gets diabetes, 1.6 African Americans get diabetes.
• One in four black women, 55 years of age or older, has diabetes. (Among African Americans, women are more likely to
• Twenty-five percent of blacks between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes.
• African Americans with diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes complications and experience greater disability from the complications than white Americans with diabetes.

How Many African Americans Have Diabetes?

National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) conducted between 1963 and 1990 show that African Americans have a rising prevalence of diabetes. (Prevalence is the percentage of cases in a population.) Most African Americans with diabetes have Type 2, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually develops after age 40. However, in high-risk populations, susceptible people may develop it at a younger age. A small number of African Americans have Type I or insulin-dependent diabetes, which usually develops before age 20.

NHIS conducted from 1991 to 1992 indicate higher rates of diabetes among African Americans than among white Americans. At age 45 or older, the prevalence of diabetes is 1.4 to 2.3 times as frequent in blacks as in whites. The greatest difference seen in NHIS was among people aged 65 to 74. Figure 1 details these 1991-92 NHIS statistics. Statistics collected in 1993 indicate that in this age group, 17.4 percent of black Americans had diagnosed diabetes, compared to 9.5 percent of white Americans.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIABETES?

 Type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile diabetes) results when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys its own insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes – increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue – usually develop over a short period of time. If type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed and treated, a person can lapse into a life-threatening coma.
 Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

 Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes effectively. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40 but is becoming more prevalent in younger age groups – including children and adolescents. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes – feeling tired or ill, unusual thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow-healing wounds – may develop gradually and may not be as noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Some people have no symptoms.
 Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
 A person is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they:

• have a family history of diabetes
• are a member of an ethnic group like African Americans
• are overweight or obese
• are 45 year old or older
• had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes)
• have high blood pressure
• have abnormal cholesterol (lipid) levels
• are not getting enough physical activity
• have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• have blood vessel problems affecting the heart, brain or legs
• have dark, thick and velvety patches of skin around the neck and armpits (This is called acanthosis nigricans, A-can-THO-sis NI-gri-cans.)

 Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing diabetes, mostly type 2, in the next five to 10 years.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.7 million people (or nearly one quarter) are unaware that they have the disease.

In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

In the OGTT test, a person's blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the person tested has pre-diabetes. If the two-hour blood glucose level is at 200 mg/dl or higher, the person tested has diabetes.