Archive for the ‘ Alternative ’ Category

Food For Diabetics

The diagnosing of diabetes is on the up rise. Did you know that by making use of the essential foods, you can fend off or even counter a diabetes diagnosis? There has been a lot of media about food for diabetics and we must always all appreciate that eating right is the basic principle to readily managing your diabetes. But if this is true, why do so many people have a problem considering the best food for diabetes?

Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are all food stuffs for diabetes, but you do not have to give up your beloved foods. You just should really also remember how they apply in conjunction with your overall diet and lifestyle, and you have to indulge them in moderation. A healthy diabetic diet promotes plant foods and lessens on your refined carbohydrates and sugars. You should choose from acceptable fats, and consume them in moderation. A person needs to ensure that you remain acceptably hydrated, and consuming enough water, not the caffeine or sugary drinks that you may enjoy.

Always be sure that that you are consuming your food for diabetics at the proper times. It is a good idea that you eat dinner or a quick bite every couple of hours throughout the day, to baffle rises in your blood sugar. Be careful to be watchful of your portion size. Even supposing it is a advantageous meal, if you consume too many calories you will still add on weight.

If you are attempting to enjoy a diabetic diet, just be reminded that there are no special food requirements. A diet brimming in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and low in refined sugars and carbohydrates, which is eaten in moderation, will result in greater control over your blood sugars.

If you combine this with moderate exercise, designed to assist you in shedding off weight, you very well may be able to quash the diabetic diagnosis that you may have obtained. No one wants to continue being on medication for the remaining years of their lives, when diabetes can be checked by what they eat.

Gestational diabetes is a common diabetic condition occurring among pregnant women. Gestational diabetes, if not controlled properly may affect both mother and child in later stages of their life. Maintaining a planned diet helps in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes. High diabetic condition causes severe problems during pregnancy time. Let’s see the causes and preferable diet for gestational diabetes. Over consumption of foods rich in carbohydrate concentration is considered as the main reason behind gestational diabetes. Potatoes, rice, fruits, sugar candies, beverages like tea, wine, dairy products like ice creams and fruit salads are some of the food items rich in sugar concentration.

Avoid over intake of theses foods in diet so as to regulate blood sugar level. Try to consume a balanced diet by consulting with your physician. Now we will see some of the favourable diet for gestational diabetic patients. Plan a protein rich breakfast in diet by including food items like peanuts and whole grain products. Always make a self control over food consumption. Never try to over eat starchy food which welcomes hyperglycemic condition.

Plan diet accordingly so that patient takes small amounts of food in specific intervals of time. Meals can be taken two to three times per day as directed by dietitian. Keep snacks in between meals so as to maintain normal blood sugar level. Inclusion of fruits in diet helps in keeping pregnant women healthy. Care should be taken while choosing your favourite fruit. Certain fruits like jackfruits and raisins are equipped with high sugar concentration. Nutritionists prefer fruits like plums, straw berries, apple, jamun and kiwi fruits for gestational diabetic patients. These fruits with low sugar concentration help in regulating blood sugar level of patients.

Whenever consuming diary products, make sure that you pick only sugar less products. Take skimmed milk with less fat concentration at least twice a day. Avoid intake of beverages like wine, tea and alcohol that increases risk of diabetes. Minimize or try to limit the intake of fast foods from hotel and prefer homely food instead. Include green leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce in meals. Take half cooked vegetable salads before or after meal. Make use of high fibre rich products like whole grain products in diet.

Monitor blood glucose level after taking meal and this can be better expressed as carbohydrate counting. Diet can be well planned by knowing the exact carbohydrate count in diet and it helps to a great extend in leveling diet. Following is a sample diet preferred for gestational diabetic patients. Have a breakfast snack giving priority to protein and fat rich foods. Lavish your lunch with a rich combination of starch, protein, milk, fat and veggies according to diet level.

Also take a pleasant dinner by including starch, protein, fruit, fat and veggies. Never forget to take snacks in between diet. Add a protein cum starch snack during afternoon time and spice your diet by adding protein, starch and milk as bed time snack. Almost all dietitians prefer inclusion of natural food supplements in diet than artificial ones. Maintaining a well controlled diet keeps away the risks of gestational diabetes.

by:Dr Andrew Napier

Planning to do some long distance traveling this summer be it train, plane or automobile…here is some important information to pack with you to avoid this trip from being your last leg.

WHAT IS IT?
DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis is a blood clot that develops in the deep vein of the leg. The Deep Vein in the leg passes through the center of the leg and is surrounded by muscle. Superficial veins are on top of the muscle and are visible to the eye.

DVT’s usually occur in the lower leg between the ankle and the knee areas. DVT’s are serious and can be fatal. Once a blood clot occurs, it can travel through the veins and get lodged in the lungs or heart resulting in death.

Since DVT can develop very rapidly, symptoms, if any may be difficult to detect. In fact, an estimated 50% of reported DVT incidents went undetected. However, seek medical advice if during or after a flight you experience:
· Pain and warmth in the lower legs
· Prickly sensation in the legs
· Warmness or swelling of the feet or legs
· Shortness of breath
· Noticeable pain in the lower legs that worsens when walking or standing

IN FLIGHT RISK
What’s the connection between travel and blood clots? Keeping the legs in a cramped position and inactive for long periods of time restricts the blood flow in the legs and increases the risk of a blood clot.

Some doctors believe that DVT is “more common today as a result of two factors, the increase in the number of frequent flyers and airline deregulation”. As a result of deregulation, the distance between one airline seat to the one in front of it is no longer regulated. Many airlines moved seats closer together in order to fit more passengers on the planes thereby reducing the leg room between seats from 40 inches to 28.

Tighter seating arrangements plus existing medical conditions can equal danger.
· History of blood clots
· Cancer
· Prolonged bed rest following orthopedic surgery
· Estrogen therapy
· Obese or very tall individuals
· Birth control pills
· Recent treatment involving general anesthesia
· Cigarette smoker
· Previous thrombotic episode
· Congestive heart failure
· Pregnancy
· Dehydration
If you have any of the above conditions it is wise to seek medical advice before traveling.

STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT
Here are some tips to help reduce the risk of a DVT:
· Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration before and during your trip.
· Try to keep your thighs clear of the edge of your seat.
· Wear loose fitting clothing.
· Keep the legs uncrossed. Wear graduated compression hose (www.healthylegs.com or www.supporthosiery.com)
· Get up and walk for 5 minutes every hour. If you cannot stand flex your ankles up and down and curl your toes about 20 times every hour. These exercises will help stimulate blood flow through the legs.
· Aspirin – it is suggested to take an aspirin before departing and at safe intervals during your trip – consult with your doctor.

Now, the informed traveler, get fly, go fly and be safe!

Help For Adolescent Obesity

If your child is struggling with adolescent obesity, it may be very heartbreaking for you to see them like that. Children are often cruel, and don’t develop proper empathy towards others until they are well into their teens and some don’t get there until they are adults. Teens with weight issues have a harder time with body image and they also feel the sting of people’s opinions about their weight more keenly than adults with the same problem. If your child is struggling with weight issues, you have to do something to help them, even if it means you have to turn your life around too.

There are some medical issues that can contribute to adolescent obesity, but most of the problems come from family genetics and poor diet and exercise programs. Children learn to eat from their parents, so if you have problems with your weight and you feed your children the same foods you are eating, they are going to have problems with adolescent obesity as well. If you don’t make them play anything other than video games, they could have problems. If your diets are very carbohydrate heavy, you end up in a vicious over-eating cycle that is hard to break, but for the sake of your child, you have to do it.

Instead of putting your child on a diet, which can harm their self esteem, you have to treat adolescent obesity with love and compassion. Never call your child fat or lazy. Remember, the habits they have they learned from you. Instead, concentrate on making more healthy choices for everyone in your home. That means changing what you eat, cooking at home more, and getting out as a family for activities like biking, hiking, and just walking. Don’t single the child out. Just change how things are done to give them a solid base from which to start fighting adolescent obesity.

Secondly, along with these lifestyle changes that can benefit the whole family, see your family doctor so that your child can have a full checkup. There could be some medical issues that need to be addressed. Some people develop something called insulin resistance (which is also known as pre-diabetes) that will lead to even more health problems. Adolescent obesity can be a sign of this. You want to continue making healthy changes, but your teen may also need some medical help to get the weight off and to learn how to make sure they keep it off in the long run.

Adolescent obesity is a huge problem in the world today, with the US having one of the biggest epidemics of unhealthy children. This should tell us all that our lifestyle in general is not what it should be. We have to move away from processed and go for the fresh foods to live longer and healthier lives. If your teen battling with adolescent obesity does not learn now how to change things around, they could be facing a shorter life span than their parents and grandparents. That is not what any of us want for our nations children.

by:Avihenda Summerton