Diabetes Education

Diabetes is a huge problem in our country. I wanted to do this post because I think if people are educated about risk factors they are more likely to recognize if they have the problem. My father-in-law had no idea he was diabetic and stopped at one of those health fairs for a screening. He found out he was diabetic and eventually made some radical changes to his diet and lost quite a bit weight. My husband is pre-diabetic and has been using diet to keep from becoming a full blown diabetic.

Risk Factors for Diabetes:

Having a family history of diabetes

Being overweight or obese

Being sedentary

Ethnicity – Having African, native American, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander heritage

Having a history of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby of nine pounds or more.

Reducing Your Risk:

Your weight – For those at risk because of being overweight, losing even 5 to 7 percent of weight can help.

Grains – Up your fiber intake by eating more whole grains.

Go lean – Reduce you overall fat intake, but especially cut your saturated fats.

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Benefit of Acai Berry

Have you been hearing all the buzz about Acai (ah-sigh-ee). Acai is number one Dr. Perrisone’s (on Oprah) list of top ten superfoods. According to Oprah.com Acai berry comes from a special Amazon palm tree. The acai berry is harvested in the rainforests of Brazil and is said to taste like a blend of berries and chocolate. Acai possesses a tremendous combination of things that are good for your health – antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.

The concentration of anitoxidants (which helps combat premature aging) is 10 times higher in acai than it is in red grapes. Additionally acai has 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine. Anthocyanins are defined as flavonoid pigments found in many varieties of vegetables and fruits. They’re a good source of antioxidants.

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Potassium Levels

Potassium is one of those minerals that is very valuable as a supplement when you are recuperating from an illness. It also has a number of other benefits:

Helps your muscles and nerves function properly - I have found eating foods high in potassium keeps me from getting cramps in my legs.

Maintain the proper electrolyte and acid-base balance in your body - Your electrolyte levels can get out of balance when you are ill.

Helps lower your risk of high blood pressure

Potassium is very important in regulating the activity of muscles and nerves. The frequency and degree to which our muscles contract, and the degree to which our nerves become excitable, both depend heavily on having the right level of potassium in our body.

Potassium is also involved in the storage of carbohydrates for use by muscles as fuel. Potassium helps the body maintain the proper electrolyte and acid-base (pH) balance. Potassium may also decrease urinary calcium loss which is caused by a high-salt diets (typical of most Americans), thus helping to prevent bones from thinning out at a fast rate.

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Diabetes Type 2

Scientists in Iceland recently began marketing a blood test that lets you find out if you are genetically predisposed to adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Diabetes type 2 has reached near epidemic proportions here in the United States. The disease is prevalent in overweight people and can lead to blindness, heart and kidney disease, and other complications. Since diet and exercise slow diabetes’ progress, knowing early on could make a difference.

Some experts say though that the test may not be all that helpful. They say the test could distract attention from prevention of the disease. In fact, weight, blood-sugar level, and family history currently are considered by many in the medical community to be the most reliable predictors of type 2 diabetes. Also, if the test result is positive, your doctor will tell you to lose weight and exercise. Seems even if your test results are negative, the advice will be the same if you are overweight.

See our post on this site Natural Diabetes Care Prevent Or Reduce Symptoms Of Diabetes

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Benefits of Cinnamon

When King Solomon was plagued with indigestion, he used cinammon to treat his indigestion. I first heard about the benefits of cinnamon in  Teresa and Joe Graedons column – The People’s Pharmacy. Cinnamon is an effective natural rememdy for all kinds of digestive complaints such as flatulence, diarhea, nausea and cramps. Cinnamon tea is also an anti-spasmodic making it good for preventing internal cramping (during your period) and “night  cramps” of the leg,calf and foot. Pamela Allardice author of Natural Remedies A-Z says “Leg cramps may be further alleviated by supplementing the diet with calcium and an increased intake of vitaman B-6.”

She recommends using 2 teaspoons of the dried powdered bark (I use the mexican cinnamon you can buy at the grocery store. It crumbles easily.) steeped in boiling water for 15 minutes. Then sip cooled tea slowly, one hour before each meal.

More recently the  U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted research which suggests that cinnamon regulates blood sugar, inhibits cancer cells and is anti-inflammatory. The blood sugar part was what caught my eye in the Peoples Pharmacy Column. My husband is pre-diabetic and has high triglycerides, so I am very concerned about blood sugar. The way I work cinnamon into our diet is to make cinnamon flavored coffee. I break up a half a stick of mexican cinnamon and mix it in with the ground coffee before it gets brewed. The coffee tastes great and we get the benefit of the cinammon.

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Control Your Blood Sugar with Diet

It is not easy to control your blood sugar by eating a healthy diet for diabetics, and you may need epert help. A good diet is essential, but common sense may not always prevail. Prevention magazine is well known for publishing natural health tips and tasty recipes. Now they have published a diabetes cookbook and they also include a free gift of diabetes tips!

Read More: Natural Diabetes Cookbook for Blood Sugar Control and Weight Loss From Prevention

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