Diabetes nutrition is a very important part of remaining healthy while being a diabetic. If you don't pay close attention to your diet, diabetes can be very difficult to manage.

The Importance of a Balanced Diet

Making a balanced diet part of your every day routine is important for everyone, but it's especially important for diabetics. Diabetes occurs because a person's body doesn't correctly process certain foods, namely sugars. A person with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes either doesn't produce insulin or their body doesn't know what to do with the insulin that is produced. The problem is that this prevents a person's body from breaking down sugars. Since sugars are a large part of our diet, it's extremely important to regulate one's diet when they have it.

Before you start regulating your diet to coincide with your diabetes, you need to understand what constitutes a sugar. Obviously a candy bar or ice cream is full of sugar, but what about bread? Or cereal or processed milk? There are a lot of things in our day-to-day diet that includes sugar. The best way to keep your diabetes under control is by eating small amounts of sugar. It's also a good idea to have a mix of carbohydrates, fats and proteins at each meal.

Triple Threat

As mentioned above, the best way to balance your nutrition is by eating carbohydrates, fats and proteins at each mean. Many doctors recommend that you eat about 60 grams of carbohydrates at each meal. Carbohydrates come in many forms, but they include fruits and veggies, dairy and bread.

You're also going to need some protein. Protein is found in cheese, fish, meat, beans and some vegetables. Many of these products are high in fat. To minimize your fat intake, choose a few protein options that are "low fat," such as low fat yogurt.

Now, you'll get a lot of your meal fat form the protein you eat. Ask your doctor how much fat you should be eating every day. This will help you maintain your weight. Your doctor should also be able to recommend good diabetic cookbooks. These will help add variety to your diet while making sure your diabetes nutrition needs are met.

A person who develops gestational diabetes should come up with some sort of diet to protect themselves and the fetus.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman is pregnant. This occurs in women who do not have diabetes but, develop high blood sugar when they get pregnant. The woman's blood sugar generally goes back to normal after she has the baby.

The best way to keep this under control is by exercising regularly and developing a diet that minimizes your exposure to sugar. A healthy diet includes eating enough carbohydrates, protein and fat. It's important that you eat these three things in conjunction with one another. Eating too many carbohydrates at once can spike your blood sugar. Eating carbs with protein and fat will minimize these hikes.

Finding the Right Plan for You

Finding the right balance between exercise, carbohydrates, fats and proteins is going to take a little while. Everyone reacts differently to it. They also react differently to gestational diabetes diets. How much you eat and when you eat will depend largely on how much you weigh, how far along your are in your pregnancy and how developed your diabetes is. Your doctor or nutritionist will look at all of these factors to start you on a diet. Keep in mind that this diet may have to be tweaked several times before it's correct.

Most doctors will suggest that you eat small meals throughout the day. None of your meals, or snacks should be more than three hours a part. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help regulate your blood sugar. For some women, avoiding carbohydrates in the morning is helpful. Starting the day with proteins only will help keep your blood sugar down.

The most effective way to regulate your diet is by paying very close attention to what you're eating. If you don't know what carbohydrates are, ask your doctor to break down the food pyramid for you. If you're not good at remembering to eat many, small meals, wear a stopwatch and set it so it goes off every two hours. This will help you keep in line with your gestational diabetes diet.

Diabetes is an insidious disease that can strike anyone at anytime. When it strikes, it is very important that you monitor you blood sugar very carefully. This needs to be done several times a day and the easiest and fastest way to determine what your blood sugar level is to use a glucometer.

Glucometers can be purchased relatively cheap, however the test strips that it uses can be very expensive, especially since you need to monitor your blood sugar several times a day.

In the past, it was difficult for some who suffer from diabetes to purchase these strips, especially if they were on social security. It often meant that they would have to choose between eating and purchasing testing strips. This was dangerous because a proper diet is critical for those who suffer from diabetes.

Recent changes in health laws have been passed and insurance companies now cover up to eight percent of the cost of testing supplies, which include not only the strips, also the glucometer and batteries. There are also financial assistance groups that are available for those who do not have insurance or have very little money. There are guidelines that need to be followed very closely in order to be approved for a free glucometer.

There are many companies online that can supply you with a free glucose meter, however most often you need to have Medicare in order to apply. Forms are available online for you to fill out; it is important that you fill it out completely, include your doctors name, prescription and your Medicare insurance and your done. All you need to do is click the submit button and the whole process is done.

Many pharmacies offer free meters, however the catch is that you need to purchase testing strips from that pharmacy. With this type of offer, you do not need to have an insurance policy.

If none of these methods are effective for you, it is possible to go to the manufacturer of glucose meters. They have special programs that many low-income people qualify for.

When it comes down to it, if you have insurance, use it to get a glucose meter. Diabetes is nothing to fool around with. It is critically important to your health and well being that you monitor your blood sugar often and carefully.

Over 7 percent of the US population has diabetes. Diabetes is rapidly becoming an epidemic due to a burgeoning population with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. In 2005 there were about 31 million people ages 20 or older with diabetes. In this same year there were 1.5 million new cases of diabetes in the age group of 20 years and older.

Kidney Disease

Diabetes is still the number cause of end stage kidney disease. In 2002 over 150,000 persons were living on dialysis or with a kidney transplant due to diabetes. In this same year almost 45,000 persons began treatment for end stage kidney disease due to dialysis. Treatment for end stage kidney disease can reach a staggering figure of over $100,000 per patient.

Eye Disease

Diabetes can damage the back of the eye (the retina) and its blood vessels. You can have rapid growth of blood vessels which may burst and lead to bleeding. Cataracts are more common in diabetics. Diabetes causes most of the new cases of blindness in persons ages 20-74.

The Gut

Diabetes can cause a gut disease called gastroparesis where food moves slowly in the gut and can result in bloating, loss of appetite, belly pain, nausea, or even vomiting. If food stays in the gut too long, it can harden into little clumps called bezoars. Bezoars may lead to more belly pain, bloating, infections or even blockages involving the gut. The high sugars of diabetes can cause nerve damage in the gut to cause gastroparesis. Other Nerve Damage

Besides nerve damage involving the gut, diabetes can cause nerve damage to the hands and feet which may decrease your ability to sense pain, temperature, touch, and vibration. Carpal tunnel disease may also develop.

Amputation (loss of a limb)

Over 50 percent of all amputations not due to trauma are caused by diabetes. This is due to vascular (blood vessel) disease especially due to cholesterol build up in the blood vessels. The amputations are also due to the loss of sensation. Individuals may wound a limb and not know it due to this loss of sensation. Wounds worsen and become infected (may include the bone) to the point where an amputation is necessary. Infection of the bone is called osteomyelitis.

How Can Diabetics Avoid Deadly Complications?

Keep blood pressure less than 130/80. Up to 75 percent of diabetics may have high blood pressure. Make sure your sugar control number (hemoglobin A1C or Glycohemoglobin) is less than 7 percent, preferably as near to 6.5 percent as possible. See your eye doctor at least once per year. Check the top and the bottom of your feet every week. Loss of hair on the legs, cool or bluish legs with shiny skin may signal blood vessel disease. Your doctor needs to evaluate your feet as well. If blood vessel disease is suspected, ask for a blood flow study of your legs. Smoking is even deadlier for a diabetic. It's like pouring gasoline on fire. Avoid alcohol which may worsen blood pressure and blood sugars. To evaluate your kidney function, ask your health care provider to check your blood creatinine level, a special kidney function test called a GFR, and a urine protein screen.

Ready for some good news about diabetes? Although type 2 is the most common form, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), in many cases it can be prevented or at least postponed.

In type 2 diabetes, the body fails to properly use insulin, which is necessary to take sugar from the blood to the cells. Those with pre-diabetes, a condition in which the body is becoming insulin-resistant, are at greatest risk for pre-diabetes is to measure your abdomen at its largest point.

If your abdomen is larger than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men, as measured above the waist at the hip bone, ask your doctor to test you for pre-diabetes.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may still reduce your risk of getting diabetes by losing weight, exercising and eating right..

People can make a huge difference in their lives by recognizing they're on a bad path.

Lose Weight

A Study by Australian researchers published in June's Diabetes Care found that body mass index (BMI) was the strongest predictor of the risk of developing diabetes over the next eight years for women in their late 40s.

We know that as BMI goes up and waist circumferece goes up, your risk for diabetes continues to increase.

That's because fat cells, especially those in the abdomen, secrete several hormones that promote inflammation, and the inflammatory process creates insulin resistance.

For the average person, if your BMI is above 27, it's time to lose weight.. I emphasize the effectiveness of modest exercise and modest weight loss, in preventing diabetes. You don't have to lose 150 pounds. It's about making small, consistent changes.

Exercise

Insulin regulates blood sugar levels, and people who are at risk for diabetes often have insulin resistance, a condition that causes blood sugar to rise and worsens over time. Exercise is key to reversing that process..

Exercise has been proved to improve resistance so that the body becomes more sensitive to insulin, and blood sugar remains more normal. Both aerobic and resistance exercise are beneficial. Resistance exercise, such as working out with weights or bands, helps improve the body's insulin sensitivity, as does aerobic exercise, which also helps lower blood sugar.

Increase your physical activity! Yes, that means moving out of the chair and spending less time in front of the TV. There are small activities you can do to increase your physical activity. Turn the radio on and boogie while working on your household chores. Teach your kids how to dance the way you did when you were their age.

If you are at work, instead of sending e-mail to your co-worker, walk over to their desk and deliver the message in person. Take walks; it's a great way to keep up with your friends and an enjoyable, healthy way to take a break. Avoid the elevator and take the stairs as much as you are comfortable in doing that. One friend of mine marches in place during each commercial while she is watching TV. Don't circle the parking lot looking for the closest parking spot, park as far out as you feel comfortable in walking. Not only will it increase your activity level, but it also may save your car from a few dings.

We know that people who are at risk for diabetes who walk briskly 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and lose about 10 pounds, their risk drops by about 58%.

Eat Right

Minimizing foods that cause big fluctuations in blood sugar, such as white bread and white rice, and replacing them with high-fiber complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole-wheat pasta, helps stabilize insulin levels. There's also evidence that eating more of those foods might keep you feeling fuller longer, so you eat fewer calories. Limit your desserts, and when eating out, have a good-sized vegetable salad to take the edge off your appetite. When you receive your entrée, either share it with your dinner companion, or ask for a take-home box immediately after receiving your meal. Have meals that have been stir fried, or make with a nonstick spray.

Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting millions of people around the world. It is an incurable disease and once diagnosed must take medication for life. Diabetes is caused by the failure of the pancreas to produce insulin to help in glucose metabolism. This defect causes glucose to remain in the blood stream and if left untreated for long periods of time, will cause secondary damage to the eyes, heart, liver, kidney and other important organs.

The symptoms of diabetes are often difficult to notice. You might just brush it aside because it doesn't cause pain and you always assume that it is something else that is giving you the symptom. Below are some of the symptoms of diabetes and if you have more than one sign, it is advisable to pay your doctor a visit to rule out the possibility of the disease.

* constantly feels hungry and thirsty and some degree of dehydration
* urinating frequently especially at night
* getting blurred vision over a short period of time
* easily feels tired and exhausted even while not doing anything
* takes a long time to heal cuts and bruises
* unexpectedly loose weight without going through weight reducing program
* numb feeling in your hands and feet
* continue getting gum or skin or bladder infection

Dehydration occurs because of body fluid is lost due to frequent urination. In more serious cases of diabetes it leads to a buildup of ketones in the blood. Ketones are acids which can poison the body. Ketocidosis will lead to diabetic coma and eventually death.

Some people may also experience dizziness at the onset of diabetes. This is related to the sense of balance of the body which involves the eyes, ears and brain. When diabetes is out of control it may also lead to fainting due to low blood glucose level (hypoglycemia) or high blood glucose level (hyperglycemia).

The risk of getting this disease is higher if your family has a history of it. If the symptoms of diabetes persist, consult your family doctor fast. Your doctor will do a fasting plasma glucose test to determine your blood glucose level. Your blood glucose level is high if the result is above 125 mg/dl. If this is the case, your doctor will perform a second test to confirm the first diagnosis before they can give you a prescription.

Having diabetes is one of the most dreaded chronic medical conditions any person could ever experience. Technically called "diabetes mellitus," diabetes is known to affect almost 20 million people in the United States alone.

Referred to as chronic disease that leads to more serious medical and health complications such as renal or kidney failure, various heart and coronary diseases, blindness, blood vessel disease, nerve damage, and stroke, diabetes can be heavier burden if not given proper medical attention.

Characterized by recurrent and repeated urination, fatigue, exhaustion, extreme thirst, and excessive hunger, diabetes can affect people regardless of age, gender, status, or race. Other symptoms of diabetes include sudden increase in appetite, gradual weight loss, vomiting, nausea, blurring of vision, recurrent infections in the vagina among women, risks of impotence among men, and varying degrees of yeast infections.

Once any of these symptoms become persistent, now is the time to get a diagnosis. Diabetes can be diagnosed through getting sample of urine for a urine test or several drops of blood for a blood test in order to determine the amount of sugar or glucose in the urine or blood. Aside from getting the sugar count in the urine, urine tests can also assess how the kidney is functioning. When it comes to blood test, a possible diabetic can choose from several processes that include fasting glucose test where the blood sample is collected when the patient has not eaten for eight hours, the postprandial glucose test where the blood sample is taken after the patient has eaten, and the oral glucose tolerance test wherein the blood sample is collected before and after the patient take in a glucose through a sweet syrup. Blood and sugar tests can also be used in monitoring the degree of diabetes and how does it progress under a specific treatment.

The association of glucose and diabetes

When diabetes is mentioned, people cannot help but think of the amount of sugar or glucose in the person's body. And why not? Glucose indeed is related to having diabetes because high blood sugar or glucose levels in the body cause this metabolic disease. When a person has high levels of glucose it usually results to deficiency in the secretion of insulin-a hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, starches, and fats in the patient's body.

Glucose is directly related to diabetes because once a person is diagnosed with an elevated level of glucose, he or she has a great possibility of developing diabetes. Technically, diabetes refers of a long-term condition wherein the pancreas cannot do its function of producing enough amount insulin that results to high glucose level in the blood.

Basically, glucose serves as a main source of energy of every cell in a human body. The metabolism of this simple sugar greatly depends on insulin produced by the pancreas. When the body has no sufficient supply of insulin, it cannot breakdown glucose that usually result to diabetes.

Studies show that the presence of excessive amounts of glucose in the blood for so long lead to high blood levels of blood sugar and may lead to the impairment numerous body parts that include the heart, the nerves, the blood vessels, the eyes, and the kidneys and will eventually lead to a full blown diabetic condition.

When it comes to treatment, no definite cure has been found out as of today. In order to manage diabetes, most experts only recommend strict habits like well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and meticulous blood glucose monitoring. By doing this, a diabetic-despite his or her condition-has greater chance to live a normal and comfortable life.

Indeed, diabetes can be a life-threatening disease if not managed and monitored regularly. Any diabetes treatment should aim to keep the patient's blood glucose within the standard range and any treatment should also aim to prevent possible developments of enduring complications.

Aside from keeping a strict diet, other alternative treatments for diabetes include taking in supplements such as chromium picolinate, Magnesium, Vanadium, Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, practicing yoga, biofeedback, allopathic treatment, taking in oral medications, insulin injections, and surgery like pancreas transplant.

The American Diabetic Association is one of the leading informational organizations for those who have diabetes as well as those who live with diabetics. The American Diabetic Association provides a wealth of information about the disease, symptoms related to the disease, how to cope with the disease and the latest news about the disease. The majority of the American Diabetic Association's resources are free and accessible on the Web.

What is Diabetes?

People who use the American Diabetic Association's services are usually suffering from diabetes. Diabetics either do not produce enough insulin or their body doesn't correctly react to the insulin it produces. Insulin is actually a hormone that's necessary to break down sugars so the body can use them.

So why does it matter if a person's insulin is out of whack? Well, your body doesn't just produce insulin for fun. If your insulin isn't produced or processed correctly, it can have a negative impact on your vision, your skin and your heart. It can also make you more susceptible to heart disease, kidney disease and depression to name just a few ailments. Those with diabetes may also faint or go into what is called a diabetic coma.

However, don't let these symptoms scare you. There are millions of diabetics in the country who are leading happy, healthy lives. This is because diabetics can take medication and use insulin to regulate their body's aversion to the hormone.

What Does the Web Site Include

The ADA has a great Web site that helps diabetics, their families and their friends understand the diseases. One key feature on the site is a section that breaks down each type of diabetes. This section provides links to information about children's diabetes, type one diabetes and type two diabetes. For each type of diabetes, there is also an informational section about the disease, advice on how to cope with it and additional resources for those suffering from the disease.