Early Symptoms of Diabetes – Diagnosing the Signs
Written on April 21, 2010 at 1:34 pm, by Free Diabetic ReportDiabetes is a very complicated disease – debilitating and life-threatening. It is also one of the most common diseases worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that around 17 million people have diabetes mellitus. Each year, nearly 1 million more are diagnosed. Diabetes also claims more than 400,000 lives in the U.S. annually, making it the 6th deadliest disease in the country. With gloomy statistics such as this, it becomes even more important that people learn the signs of early diabetes in order to prevent further complications. Read more
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- Symptoms of Diabetes
Diabetic Vitamins: The Important of B12
Written on April 6, 2010 at 3:23 am, by Free Diabetic ReportDiabetes is one of the worst diseases ever to ravage the human population. Up until now, medical practitioners and researchers join hands to combat this ailment. There are many known treatments and practices that could help alleviate the patient’s condition. Many have been proven to be successful in stabilizing the patient’s condition even to the point where attacks are being controlled or lessened. In short, there are many methods to keep diabetes at bay. Read more
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- Diabetic Nutrition
Free Glycemic Index Chart
Written on March 21, 2010 at 5:19 pm, by Free Diabetic ReportPatients who have been diagnosed with diabetes have to live with the fact that they have to live with the illness all of their lives. This could be really tragic but life must go on and there are now many methods of managing the illness. Aside from proper medication and diet management, it is important for patients to be educated of the probable complications that the illness could bring. This knowledge is indispensable since it would eventually spell the difference between life and death much later on.
The most common condition that is associated with diabetes is hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a syndrome that results from having low blood sugar levels. Diabetics are highly likely to have hypoglycemic episodes especially when they have a need to fast for tests. This condition could also occur among diabetics which means that patients should not only observe high glucose levels but also the dropping of those levels. It is, therefore, important to have meal planning and for those who already know how to use it—to have a Glycemic Index.
The Glycemic Index (GI) will help diabetic patients in controlling their blood glucose levels, appetite, cholesterol levels; it could also help in lowering the risks of type 2 diabetes. By definition, GI is a scale that has rankings for foods that are rich in carbohydrates and compare them against white bread or glucose in raising blood glucose levels. During carbohydrate intake, the food is broken down and sugars are digested to, eventually, produce energy. After eating, the blood glucose level often rises (glycemic response).
Meal planning can definitely work with the Glycemic Index. The GI ranks foods that have carbohydrates according to these foods’ glycemic response. Those that raise the blood glucose levels immediately get a higher ranking, meaning, those that have low GI ranking are best taken by a diabetic.
It is very important to carefully choose food and to maintain a balanced diet when you are a diabetic. The overall nutritive value of the food should be constantly considered before a meal is planned. Foods that are rich in carbs should not be totally taken off the patient’s diet only because of a high GI ranking. It is important to ask for the guidance of a physician to effectively maximize the use of the GI.
Glycemic Index Chart
| Low Glycemic Index Foods |
| Here are some of the foods that are good for diabetics because of their low GI ranking: skimmed milk, soy beverages, plain yogurt, apples, plum, oranges, sweet potato, parboiled rice, oat bran bread, pasta (al dente is recommended), lentils, baked beans, chick peas, and Pumpernickel bread. |
| Moderate Glycemic Index Foods |
| The foods that have moderate ranking on the Glycemic Index are: bananas, pineapples, new potatoes, raisins, oatmeal, popcorn, green pea soup, split pea, brown rice, couscous, shredded wheat cereal, Basmati rice, rye bread, and whole wheat bread. |
| High Glycemic Index Foods |
| The foods that should be taken in moderate amounts because of their high GI rankings are: watermelon, instant mashed potatoes, dried dates, parsnips, Rutabaga, instant rice, corn flakes, rice crispies, Cheerios, bagels, soda crackers, jellybeans, and French fries. |
Being a diabetic is all about eating in moderation, careful meal planning, proper exercise (one that was prescribed by a doctor), and administration of medicines. Conditions such as having high blood glucose level and hypoglycemia could be avoided if these factors are to be religiously followed.
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- Hypoglycemia
Natural Treatment for Insulin Resistance
Written on July 19, 2009 at 2:04 am, by Free Diabetic ReportPeople who are diagnosed with diabetes need to face the fact that their entire life would be divided between living meaningfully and managing the illness. There are now many methods in treating diabetes (aside from the most common methods such as dialysis, medical treatments, or physician-planned diets). Perhaps, the most revolutionary method (though not exactly new) is the use of natural treatments. The use of natural treatments is now just being rediscovered. Read more
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- Diabetes Treatment
The Benefits of Cinnamon for Diabetes
Written on December 3, 2008 at 9:21 am, by Free Diabetic ReportAre you a big fan of cinnamon? Well, if you are a type 2 diabetic, there has been studies that show that cinnamon can lower blood sugar and that is great news!
Diabetes is a syndrome that affects millions of people. It’s when the body either produces high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), your body doesn’t produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or your body doesn’t respond to insulin (type 2 and gestational diabetes) which can lead to hyperglycemia.
A major sign for diabetics is the fact that they visit the bathroom often. The body feels the urge to urinate when there is too much glucose in the blood. Insulin which converts blood sugar to energy may be ineffective and your kidneys are unable to filter the glucose back into your blood. So, your body reacts by exerting any extra water in the blood to dilute glucose.
What cinnamon will do, is try to reduce the amount of glucose in the blood which will prevent the expenditure of glucose through urination. Typically, too much loss of blood sugar could lead to insulin shock and major problems for diabetics.
But let’s take a look at the benefits of cinnamon and why its known to help diabetics.