Diabetes Information and Treatment Guide

Diabetes Myths 

Diabetes is contagious.

Diabetes is an endocrine disease and is basically caused by a problem with the amounts of insulin produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. Diabetes tends to be an inherited trait that runs in families — it is not contagious.

You can catch diabetes from someone else.

No.  Although we don’t know exactly why some people develop diabetes, we know diabetes is not contagious.  It can’t be caught like a cold or flu.  There seems to be some genetic link in diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes.  Lifestyle factors also play a part.

Read the rest of this entry →

Diabetes Food Pyramid was designed by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. Unlike theDiabetic Food Guide Pyramid USDA Food Guide Pyramid, diabetic food pyramid guide you with group of foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content because these foods affect blood glucose levels, which is indeed the primary concern to people with diabetes. You may find differences like potatoes and other starchy vegetables in the grains, beans and starchy vegetables group instead of the vegetables group, cheese is in the meat group instead of the milk group

The pyramid is divided into sections. Each section consists of a food group. The sections take up more surface area at the bottom of the pyramid and get less and less until the top. This relative surface area is a representation of the importance of each food group in a healthy diet.

Read the rest of this entry →

During pregnancy, various hormones block the usual action of insulin. This helps to make sure your growing baby gets enough glucose. Your body needs to produce more insulin to cope with these changes. Gestational diabetes develops when your body can’t meet the extra insulin demands of the pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes usually begins in the second half of pregnancy, and goes away after the baby is born. If it doesn’t go away after the baby is born, it’s possible that you already had diabetes and that it was picked up during your pregnancy. The other forms of diabetes, called type 1 and type 2 diabetes, are life-long conditions.

Read the rest of this entry →

Gestational diabetes usually develops about midway through a pregnancy, at about 20 to 24 weeks, and is caused by the changes in hormones in your body during pregnancy. In addition to supplying your baby with nutrients and water from your circulation, the placenta produces a number of hormones vital to the pregnancy. Some of these have a blocking effect on insulin.

A gestational diabetes diet requires dietary modifications that the mother may not be used to but to control this form of diabetes it is essential. This is accomplished through individually developed dietary prescriptions based on metabolic nutrition and lifestyle requirements. Basic changes include reduced intake of simple sugars such as white table sugar and syrups.

Read the rest of this entry →

Diabetes Exercises can help control your weight and lower your blood sugar level. It also lowers your risk of heart disease, a condition tht is common in people who have diabetes. Exercise can also help you feel better about yourself and increase your overall health.

Aerobic exercise increases insulin sensitivity and, along with proper nutrition, helps restore normal glucose metabolism by decreasing body fat. Strength training (a.k.a. resistance or weight training) also decreases body fat by raising the metabolism. It’s main benefit, however, is increasing glucose uptake by the muscles and enhancing the ability to store glucose. Exercise can mean the difference between “medical management” and “lifestyle management” of Type 2 diabetes.

Read the rest of this entry →

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant product that has been used for a variety of medicinal and other purposes, and may be used in the diabetes treatment.

Fenugreek is a member of the Leguminosae, or Fabaceae, family and grows well in India, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. The part used medicinally is the seeds.

Fenugreek contains a substance that helps to control blood sugar levels and increased insulin production. Clinical trials showed that while fenugreek can help to reduce blood sugar levels, it instantly produces insulin in people with type 2 diabetes.  One human study found that it can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels in people with moderate atherosclerosis and non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes.

Read the rest of this entry →

By Most Familiar Type 2 diabetes, which is sometimes called non-insulin dependent diabetes, is a condition that develops over time. Your body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin resulting in increased blood sugar levels. Family history of diabetes and obesity are two of the biggest risks factors for developing type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas. Normally, insulin levels fluctuate in Read the rest of this entry →

7 Tips For A Good Diabetes Diet

Number of many people believe that diabetics require a special diabetes diet and that they must avoid certain foods altogether, or replace them with specially formulated “Diabetic” or “Dietetic” items purchased from health food stores. This is not the case and diabetics can eat exactly the same food as everybody else.This said, because diabetes is a metabolic disorder and is associated with the control of glucose within the bloodstream, diabetics do need to pay particular attention to their diet and ensure that they are receiving a correctly balanced diet. Read the rest of this entry →

Surely  it is normal and even healthy to feel a certain level of sadness, feeling deep levels of depression that seem to last for weeks at a time is a serious issue that needs immediate attention. Depression should not be taken lightly and just like stress, it can impact your diabetes in a very negative way. At this point you are not only suffering from one major disease (diabetes), now you have to deal with two medical conditions – depression being the second. Read the rest of this entry →

If you have type 1 diabetes then yes, you will have to at least control and balance your food intake with your insulin intake. But because new insulin medications are available, this means that you can eat almost anything you would like so long as you take your “short acting” insulin either immediately before, during, or after your meals. Read the rest of this entry →