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Patricia Harris writes about Diabetes her guest post below. If you have Diabetes or you are at risk for developing Diabetes, Kathy Smith’s Project: You! Type 2 might be for you. Kathy Smith developed this diet and fitness program in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association.
If You Really don’t Keep away from Diabetes Now, You will Hate Yourself Later
Diabetes type 2 is easily the most common form of diabetes. A lot of Americans seem to have been told they have diabetes type 2 symptoms, and many more are unaware they may be at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing diabetes type 2 than others.
Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians together with other Pacific Islanders, along with the aged people.
In diabetes type 2, either your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is required for the body to be able to use glucose for energy.
Anytime you eat food, your body breaks down all the sugars and starches into glucose, that is certainly the fundamental fuel for any cells in your body. Insulin takes the sugar from blood to the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.
You might have the ability to enhance and protect your wellbeing. With proper nutrition and physical activity and making good life style choices (like not smoking), you are able to feel better, stronger, and healthier, and may lower your risk of diseases like the cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
What exactly is Healthy Weight? There’s an easy way to see in case your current weight puts you at risk for developing serious diseases. Go to www.diabetes.org/bmi and consider the Body Mass Index (BMI) test. The results will let you decide if you need to stress about your weight.
[Julie's Note: You can also sign up for your FREE Beachbody account where you can access a BMI calculator as well as other free fitness tools for helping you manage weight.]
Better You consume, Better You experience.
Here are a few basic guidelines to help you and your family make healthier food decisions.
- Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.
- Choose wholegrain foods over processed grain products.
- Try brown rice as a substitute for white. Substitute whole wheat grains bread for white.
- Eat fish 2 – 3 times a week.
- Select leaner cuts of meat like those that end in “loin.”
- Remove the skin from poultry and turkey.
- Eat non-fat dairy
- Drink water and low calories non-carbonated liquids.
- Use liquid oils for cooking as an alternative to solid fats.
- Cut back on junk food like chips, cookies, cakes, and regular frozen goodies.
- Seek out baked chips and reduced calorie snacks. Or have a piece of fruit instead.
- Be careful about your portion sizes. Even an excess of “healthy” food can cause extra pounds.
Tips:
- Compare labels of similar foods, then opt for the one with smaller amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium.
- Adults should eat under 2400 mg. of sodium a day. For people with hypertension, it is best to target even less.
- Try adding herbs and spices in your cooking to replace salt for enhancing flavor.
A little bit Exercise Goes far. Something that gets you up and moving is designed for you. Here’s what it can do:
- Reduce your risk of developing diabetes type 2
- Decrease your risk of coronary disease and stroke Lower hypertension and cholesterol
- Reduce blood glucose (sugar) levels if you have diabetes, that may decrease your risk of developing diabetes-related complications
- Relieve stress
- Help you to lose weight
- Give you more energy
- Make it easier to sleep better
- Build stronger bones and muscle mass
Its not necessary to visit a gym, play sports or use fancy equipment.
Of course, you must speak with a family doctor before starting any exercise routine.
If you have Diabetes
Eating healthy and staying active are much more important if you have diabetes. Well-balanced meals might help keep your glucose (sugar) level as close to normal as possible.
Being active likewise helps you lower your blood glucose. If you increase your physical activity levels, you may be able to
take less insulin or diabetes pills. If you are very inactive, have heart disease or even a history of foot ulcers, talk to your doctor about safe exercise for yourself.
Check your blood glucose before exercising. If it’s under 100 mg/dl, eat some fruit, crackers or have a glass of milk or juice. Check it again after exercising to know how your blood glucose reacts to exercise. Bring a snack if you’ll be active for a few hour.
About the Author -Patricia Harris writes for the diabetic diet blog ,
her personal hobby weblog focused on tips to eat healthy in order to avoid and manage diabetes.
Clean Eating: 5 Reasons to Clean Up Your Diet…Like Weight Loss
I think clean eating is the way to go if you’re serious about losing weight and keeping it off. This isn’t rocket science and the “less is more” theory applies here — less food of a higher quality can help you lose weight.
What do I mean by clean eating? It’s a way to approach and embrace food as a lifestyle not a diet. Clean eating focuses on whole foods — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat like chicken, turkey and fish. Even more, it’s all about ditching processed foods full of sugar, sodium, and artificial ingredients, which, while convenient, do a number on our bodies, sabotaging weight loss efforts. Clean eating also includes buying locally grown food, limiting the impact on the environment and drinking copious amounts of water.
So here are 5 reasons to clean up your diet that I think are compelling and have me sold on it as a lifestyle:
- You will feel a world better when you ditch processed foods. Your natural energy levels will increase and you’ll have more focus to do the things you love.
- You will lose weight and keep it off. We all know diets don’t work, this is about adapting your lifestyle. When you invest the time to do it consistently, you will see a difference.
- You will save money! Clean foods (thinks beans, whole grains, etc.) can actually cost less. By creating a weekly plan and choosing foods like whole grains that aren’t expensive but are super nutritious, you can save some dough. Meat isn’t cheap and it’s not that healthy either. When you clean things up, you’ll spend less (the key is in the planning).
- You will get to know and appreciate your body. Our bodies really weren’t meant to be garbage cans, yet many of us treat them that way by abusing them with the wrong kind of foods. When you eat clean and start to feel better, it opens up all kinds of possibilities to take better care of yourself.
- You will inspire others to action. By making healthy changes, increasing your energy and feeling better, others will take note. What’s better than losing a few pounds and being able to tell your friends and family you did it in a healthy way? Be a weight loss and clean eating role model!
What have you done lately to clean up your eating? How has that helped you lose weight and keep it off? What possibilities exist for you if you adopted a cleaner way to eat and live?
Wendy Battles, aka the Clean Eating Coach, helps busy men and women, and their families, to ditch junk food, embrace eating clean, whole foods and plan quick, healthy and delicious meals that won’t break the bank. Visit her at www.DontWorryGetHealthy.com.
