Carbs - Addicted to Carbs
Carbs make us hungry. When we're hungry, we eat more. The more we eat
the more we want,
so we gain weight. It's the classic vicious circle of addiction
White Flour Carbs Sugary carbs, especially table sugar (sucrose),
used to be seen as causing adverse health
effects for diabetics and people with
symptoms
of impaired glucose tolerance or insulin
insensitivity.
Although a high sugar diet can
cause problems for these groups,
most
nutritionists now view refined white flour foods
(most of which have a high GI-value) as causing
more glycemic
health problems, such as insulin
resistance, and digestive disorders.
Tight control
means getting as close to a normal (nondiabetic) blood
sugar level as you safely can.
Ideally, this means levels between 70 mg/dl (3.8 mmol/l)
and 130 mg/dl before meals (7.2 mmol/L),
and less than 180 (10mmol/L) two hours after starting a
meal, with a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) level
less than 7 percent. The target number for glycated
hemoglobin will vary depending on the type of test your
doctor's laboratory uses.
In real life, you should set your goals with your
doctor. Keeping a normal level all the time is not
practical.
And it's not needed to get results.
Every bit you
lower your blood sugar level helps to prevent
complications.
Living with tight control
To get tight control, you must do the following:
Pay more
attention to your diet and exercise.
Measure
your blood sugar levels more often.
If you take insulin, change how much you use and
your injection schedule.
CARB HEALTH - Low Carb Recipes, Articles, Forums, Shopping & More from
CarbHealth.com
Whether you're new to the low carbohydrate
lifestyle, or a seasoned veteran, this site offers free recipes,
articles, forums, and
other resources to support your dietary decision.
It doesn't matter which diet you follow:
Atkins, Carb Addicts', Protein
Power,
Neanderthin,
Schwarzbein, Sugar Busters, South Beach, Body For
Life, Somersizing, The Zone,
SlimFast, Jenny Craig,
or your own
home-brewed plan.
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT
There are many different low-carb diets out
there. You may already be following one,
or are simply
researching what's involved.
Some are fads, but many provide
factual, scientifically-based results.
You may be looking to
lose a little weight for your wedding,
shed 100 or more pounds,
or simply improve your health. This site is here as your guide,
to help you understand and implement
your low-carb lifestyle.
Researchers at the University of Sydney in
Australia have found that eating foods flavored with
cocoa powder stimulates the
production of insulin. Until further
research is completed,
no one knows exactly what this new research
means.
Compounds in
Cocoa
Could Help
Ward Off
Heart
Complications,
Study Shows.
A cup of hot
cocoa may
seem like a
no-no for people
with diabetes,
but the beverage
may
actually
serve up a
healthy dose of
prevention and
ward off heart
disease, the
leading cause of
diabetes-related
death.
If you're battling diabetes, eating right can save your life. Invest in
learning about a diabetic diet --
what foods to eat more of and which
to
avoid. Being on a proper diabetic diet is vital to your health!
Find
resources to eat right here -- and scroll down for diabetic recipes!
Every week GlucoMenu® displays new menus, recipes, grocery
lists, and nutrition facts.
Choose from multiple calorie levels:
1200,
1500, 1800, 2100, 2400. Menus are easy to follow and include breakfast,
lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Example of a herbal product. Contains various herbs, vitamins
and minerals
Gymnema Sylvestre Powder has been suggested in studies
to have a promising ability
to promote healthy circulating insulin
balance and serum lipid and triglyceride balance.
Magnesium has a broad positive effect on overall health
and insulin sensitivity.
Licorice Bark Extract
has been suggested in studies to be effective against unhealthy blood
sugar.
Zinc
deficiencies can result in hair loss, diarrhea and skin lesions and
could adversely affect
eyesight, taste, smell, and memory function.
Chromium has
been shown in studies to improve glucose and lipid effects.
Cinnamon Bark Powder
has been shown in studies to promote healthy blood sugar balance.
Banaba Leaf Extract
has been shown in pre-clinical studies to support healthy cholesterol
balance and support the rate of glucose uptake.
These studies further
suggested banaba contains insulin-like actions.
Vitamin C
plays an important role in glucose metabolism and oxidative stress on
the body systems.
Vitamin E
promotes healthy insulin action, metabolic control, and endothelial
function.
Bitter Melon Fruit
Extract has been shown in preliminary studies to contain
insulin-like properties.
Guggul Extract
has been used for thousands of years to address illness, cholesterol and
obesity.
It contains antioxidant, anti-swelling and
hypolipidemic
properties.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
fights against oxidative damage to the lungs and vascular system. It can
also support healthy peripheral insulin sensitivity,
insulin function,
and healthy blood sugar balance
Herbs
Example of a herbal product. Contains various herbs, vitamins
and minerals
Gymnema Sylvestre Powder has been suggested in studies
to have a promising ability to promote
healthy circulating insulin
balance and
serum lipid and triglyceride balance.
Magnesium has a broad positive effect on overall health
and insulin sensitivity.
Licorice Bark Extract
has been suggested in studies to be effective against unhealthy blood
sugar.
Zinc
deficiencies can result in hair loss, diarrhea and skin lesions and
could adversely affect eyesight,
taste, smell, and memory function.
Chromium has
been shown in studies to improve glucose and lipid effects.
Cinnamon Bark Powder
has been shown in studies to promote healthy blood sugar balance.
Banaba Leaf Extract
has been shown in pre-clinical studies to support healthy cholesterol
balance and support the rate of glucose uptake.
These studies further
suggested banaba contains insulin-like actions.
Vitamin C
plays an important role in glucose metabolism and oxidative stress on
the body systems.
Vitamin E
promotes healthy insulin action, metabolic control, and endothelial
function.
Bitter Melon Fruit
Extract has been shown in preliminary studies to contain
insulin-like properties.
Guggul Extract
has been used for thousands of years to address illness, cholesterol and
obesity.
It contains antioxidant, anti-swelling and
hypolipidemic
properties.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
fights against oxidative damage to the lungs and vascular system.
It can
also support healthy peripheral insulin sensitivity,
insulin function,
and healthy blood sugar balance
We determined that, of the carbohydrates present in the diet, absorbed
glucose is largely responsible
for the food-induced increase
in blood sugar
concentration. We also determined that dietary protein
increases
insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar . Fat does not significantly
affect
blood sugar , but can affect insulin secretion and modify the
absorption of carbohydrates.
Based on these data, we tested the efficacy
of diets with various protein:carbohydrate:fat ratios for 5 weeks on
blood sugar control in people with untreated type 2 diabetes.
The results were compared to those obtained in the same subjects after 5
weeks on a control diet
with a protein:carbohydrate:fat ratio
of
15:55:30.
A 30:40:30 ratio diet resulted in a moderate but significant decrease in
24-hour integrated glucose area
and % total glycohemoglobin (%tGHb).
A 30:20:50 ratio diet resulted in a
38% decrease in
24-hour glucose area, a reduction in fasting glucose to near normal and
a decrease in
%tGHb from 9.8% to 7.6%.
The response to a 30:30:40 ratio
diet was similar.
Findings were :
"We determined that, of the carbohydrates present in the diet, absorbed
glucose is largely responsible for the
food-induced increase in
blood sugar concentration. We also determined that dietary protein increases
insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar . Fat does
not significantly
affect blood sugar , but can affect
insulin secretion and modify the
absorption of carbohydrates. Based on these data,
we tested the efficacy
of diets with various protein:carbohydrate:fat ratios for 5 weeks on
blood sugar control in people with untreated
type 2 diabetes.
The results were compared to those obtained in the same subjects after 5
weeks on a control diet with a
protein:carbohydrate:fat
ratio of
15:55:30.
A
30:40:30 ratio diet
resulted in a
moderate but significant decrease in 24-hour
integrated
glucose area and % total glycohemoglobin
(%tGHb).
A
30:20:50 ratio diet
resulted in a
38% decrease in 24-hour glucose area, a reduction
in
fasting glucose to near normal and a decrease
in %tGHb from 9.8% to
7.6%.
The response to a
30:30:40 ratio diet
was similar."
Diet
Choosing a
healthy lifestyle can help you improve your
health and reduce your risk of heart disease and
diabetes.
Healthy lifestyles include eating a healthy
diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising
regularly,
quitting smoking (or not starting),
and minimizing stress. (Note: Specific guidance
for maintaining
a healthy lifestyle may change
over time as new scientific recommendations
become available.) Learn more about each of the
factors that affect your lifestyle.
Excess body fat leads to health
problems such as type 2 diabetes, high
blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Health professionals use a
measurement called body mass index (BMI)
to classify an adult's weight as
healthy, overweight, or obese.
BMI
describes body weight relative to height
and is correlated with total body fat
content in most adults.
Having excess abdominal body fat is
also a health risk. Men with a waist of
more than 40 inches around and women
with a waist
of 35 inches or
more are at
risk for health problems.
More than 60 percent of U.S. adults
are either overweight or obese,
according to the Centers for Disease
Control and
Prevention (CDC). While the number of overweight people has been
slowly climbing since the 1980s, the
number of obese adults has nearly
doubled since then.
Excess weight and physical inactivity
account for more than 300,000 premature
deaths each year in the United States,
second only to deaths
related to
smoking, says the CDC. People who are
overweight or obese are more likely to
develop heart disease, stroke,
high
blood pressure,
diabetes, gallbladder
disease and joint pain caused by excess
uric acid (gout). Excess weight can also
cause interrupted
breathing during sleep
(sleep apnea) and wearing away of the
joints (osteoarthritis).
To lose weight, you must eat less and
move more. Your body needs to burn more
calories than you take in.
Exercise improves heart function, lowers blood pressure and blood
cholesterol, helps manage diabetes, and
helps
control weight.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (NHLBI) at NIH recommends that
adults get at least 30 minutes of
moderate physical activity on
most days
of the week.
Talk to your doctor about what forms
of exercise are best for you.
For more information about exercise
and physical fitness, see:
Choosing a
healthy lifestyle can help you improve your
health and reduce your risk of heart disease and
diabetes.
Minimize Stress The link between stress and coronary
heart disease is not entirely clear.
However, people who
have too much stress
or who have
unhealthy responses to
stress may be at greater risk of having
coronary heart disease.
Facts about stress and coronary heart
disease:
Stress speeds up
the heart rate.
People with heart
disease are more likely to have a
heart attack during times of stress.
People sometimes
respond to stress with unhealthy
habits such as smoking or eating
salty or high-fat foods.
Tightly controlling your
blood sugar levels soon after being diagnosed
with Type 2 diabetes can lead
to lower risks of
diabetes complications—including heart disease and death—years
later.
Tightly controlling your
blood sugar levels soon after being diagnosed
with
Type 2 diabetes can lead to lower risks of
diabetes complications—
including heart disease and death—years
later.
Diabetics are almost all nutritionally
depleted because vitamins and minerals are lost in their urine,
because they
generally have medical conditions which increase
requirements, because their bodies
burns more essential fatty
acids for energy, and because
diabetics' diets
are often
themselves deficient.
The optimum levels of some protective
vitamins cannot be achieved with food alone.
Supplements can
dramatically lessen the risk of heart disease and stroke in
diabetics,
and correction of deficiencies can, along with
exercise, lessen the
severity of the condition.
Group with Fasting
blood sugar of 110-124 mg/dl or 6.1-6.9
mmol/L had the same cardiovascular and
metabolic syndrome
incidence as
people with diabetes in the following study:
To learn more about the
diabetic food pyramid visit
http://www.diabetes-diabetic-diet-plans.com
,
a popular website devoted to
help
people with diabetes live a healthier
life.
The website provides tips on
diabetic food, cooking and diet
plans, as well as
information several
complications
associated with the
disease.
Diabetic Food
The diabetic food pyramid
outlines in detail what those suffering from the disease
should eat, and
what they should avoid.
You'll find
lots
of starches, grains and breads on the pyramid that
was
first released by the USDA in 2005.
And if you're
looking for recipes, they can be found practically
everywhere you look.
Search the internet, open a book,
magazine or
newspaper, or just turn on the television
and
you'll no doubt find more tasty recipes than you
could ever hope to try.
A quick trip to the public
library
will add even more treats to your list.
The main thing that needs to be avoided is sugars,
and given how tempting many desserts can
be this is
harder than it seems.
Those with
a mild case of diabetes
might be able to grab a
nibble of sugared foods on
occasion, but not too often. Those with moderate to
severe cases of
diabetes should avoid them completely.
The
diabetic food pyramid is much like the regular food
pyramid.
The difference of course being that the diabetic food pyramid
is
designed to limit
sugars in the diet.
Foods
high in water and fiber, like fruits and
vegetables , are the so-called high-volume
foods.
They add bulk to your meals and help
fill
your stomach.
High-Water,
High-Fiber Foods Help Curb Hunger. Lean Protein
Can Reduce Hunger
Graftjacket. This treatment helps our body to repair the wound
quickly by providing immediate
coverage to the wound and a way to rebuild the area of
missing tissue
The Glycemic Index On-line,
the University of Sydney's GI Website, is a comprehensive and
authoritative guide to the glycemic index.
Dr. Jennie
Brand-Miller, who authorized me to summarize her work in 1995 or
1996, finally
has a Web presence in November 2000.
And what a
presence it is! Her site is now the key Internet resource on
this subject. The URL is http://www.glycemicindex.com
Here's another excellent glycemic index resource for
athletes. Cycling Performance Tips:
Glycemic Index shows how
athletes can make
use of the glycemic index. The URL is http://www.cptips.com/gi.htm
Much of the information on this site is taken from Michel
Montignac, (1999), Eat yourself Slim,
Montignac Publishing (UK) Ltd.
Information about the book, the method, and the Glycæmic Index can
be found at the Montignac
website.
"The freedom to eat does not mean eating randomly or being
predominantly seduced to eat,
but means the capability to savour with
heart and mind for the sake of health" - Elke Austenat
How this can be accomplished is described in detail in this pocket
size lexicon. More than 1800
foods have been investigated and
tabulated
with their amounts, calories and influence on blood sugar.
This enables
an individual, diversified and tasty nutrition with diabetes.
by
David Kinshuck, Pat Lamb, Urmilla Griffiths (Pat & Urmila: diabetes
specialist nurses, Good Hope Hospital)
Embrace your diabetes
Learning how to control type 2
diabetes...take control
What is happening in type 2 diabetes
First, there is a shortage of insulin
Second, there is insulin resistance.
Third, there are genes
These factors combine to cause type 2
diabetes
Pattern of progression
At the beginning of type 2 diabetes a healthy diet may
be sufficient to lower the sugar and
keep the HbA1c below 7%
Later, metformin is needed.
Later still, add Exanatide if overweight or other drug.
Later still insulin may be required
Testing you sugar/glucose level
See
testing.
If you 'embrace' your diabetes, you will gradually learn to control it
and achieve an
HbA1c of 7% or below.
But to
do this, you need to check to see your
fasting
blood sugar levels are
72-126 mg/dl (4 - 7 mmol/l) (when you
wake up)
test your
blood sugar levels before meals between
72-126 mg/dl (4 - 7 mmol/l)
remember, you still need tablets if you are ill; if you
are being sick or cannot swallow the tablets,
|let your
doctor
or nurse know.
occasionally test after meals (preferred levels less
than 180 mg/dl (10 mmol/l)
To achieve very good control (HbA1c 6.5-7.0%) you need a
fasting pre-breakfast glucose
less than 99 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/l), pre-meal levels at other
times less than 108 mg/dl (6.0 mmol/l) and
after-meal levels
(2 hours after a meal) less than 141 mg/dl (8.0 mmol/l).
These levels cannot be achieved in all patients..but if
you are well and are prepared to stick to a healthy
diet and
exercise your medication should be adjusted to achieve these
levels, even if that
means starting insulin.
The Honest Food Guide (HFG)
is now available for downloading
free of charge and is:
Free from the corruption
and influence of various
food industries (dairy,
beef, junk foods, etc.)
Designed to benefit you,
not Big Business
Offers genuine
nutritional information, not
watered-down information
designed to boost the sale
of milk,
beef and grains
The HFG was created by
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, a man with a mission
of teaching people how to be healthy.
Adams is a
holistic nutritionist who overcame obesity, crippling
pain and chronic disease using natural health strategies
he freely shares with others.
To learn more about the Health Ranger and his
articles, reports and books (many are freely available),
click here.
The HFG was created by
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, a man with a mission
of teaching people how to be healthy.
Adams is a
holistic nutritionist who overcame obesity, crippling
pain and chronic disease using natural health strategies
he freely shares with others.
To learn more about the Health Ranger and his
articles, reports and books (many are freely available),
click here.
To understand what happens as your blood sugar deteriorates from normal
to pre-diabetes, and finally,
to full-fledged diabetes
you need to first
understand how blood sugar control works in a normal body.
When there's too much
insulin, blood sugar levels begin to fall (hypoglycemia), triggering a
feeling of
hunger
and the constant
need to eat, which also causes weight
gain and fat storage.
Carbs make us hungry. When
we're hungry, we eat more. The more we eat the more we want,
so we gain
weight. It's the classic vicious circle of addiction.
Exercise
Exercise works like a charm to lower glucose levels. The best time of
the day to exercise is after a meal.
This doesn't mean that you put your
fork down and run out the door, but maybe within the following two
hours.
Even a brief 10-minute walk can make a difference
in postprandial
(after meals) glucose levels.
When consumed
in food or drinks the refined sugar rapidly goes into the blood stream
and produces
a sharp rise in blood sugar values.
The pancreas secretes
large amounts of insulin to promptly return high blood sugar values to
normal.
Sharp rises
in insulin output may cause overshooting the desired blood sugar and it
is common for
these individuals to have blood sugar
values plummet to
low levels with symptoms of low blood sugar
(weakness, sweating, cloudy
thinking, lack of energy, hunger, shakiness).
With the
passage of time this massive output of insulin provoked by huge sugar
intakes takes a
toll on the pancreas and reaches the point
where the
pancreas is unable to produce any greater
quantities of insulin. When
this occurs sugar no longer enters the cells in adequate
amounts to
prevent rising blood sugar values. The diagnosis of diabetes can be made
with now
elevated blood sugar values but the problem obviously began
many years earlier with the first signs of insulin excess.
What
Causes Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes?
Why
Does Arteriosclerosis Plague Diabetic Patients?
Why Do
Diabetics Become Obese?
What Role Does U.S. Soil Play In The Diabetic Problem?
Diabetics are at increased risk for mineral deficiencies
How Can
Type 2 Diabetics Recover From Their Illness?
When consumed
in food or drinks the refined sugar rapidly goes into the blood stream
and produces
a sharp rise in blood sugar values.
The pancreas secretes
large amounts of insulin to promptly return high blood sugar values to
normal.
Sharp rises
in insulin output may cause overshooting the desired blood sugar and it
is common for
these individuals to have blood sugar
values plummet to
low levels with symptoms of low blood sugar
(weakness, sweating, cloudy
thinking, lack of energy, hunger, shakiness).
When consumed
in food or drinks the refined sugar rapidly goes into the blood stream
and produces a sharp
rise in blood sugar values.
The pancreas secretes
large amounts of insulin to promptly return high blood sugar values to
normal.
Sharp rises
in insulin output may cause overshooting the desired blood sugar and it
is common for these
individuals to have blood sugar
values plummet to
low levels with symptoms of low blood sugar
(weakness, sweating, cloudy
thinking, lack of energy, hunger, shakiness).
With the
passage of time this massive output of insulin provoked by huge sugar
intakes takes a toll
on the pancreas and reaches the point
where the
pancreas is unable to produce any greater quantities of insulin.
When
this occurs sugar no longer enters the cells in adequate
amounts to
prevent rising blood sugar values.
The diagnosis of diabetes can be made
with now elevated blood sugar values but the problem
obviously began
many years earlier with the first signs of insulin excess.
What
Causes Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes?
Why
Does Arteriosclerosis Plague Diabetic Patients?
Why Do
Diabetics Become Obese? What Role Does U.S. Soil Play In The Diabetic Problem? Diabetics are at increased risk for mineral deficiencies
How Can
Type 2 Diabetics Recover From Their Illness?
Sugar in the
form of fruit contains fiber that delays absorption and thus moderates
the rise in
blood sugar values when fruit is consumed.
Refined white
sugar, sucrose, and dextrose lack fiber
and nutrients. When consumed in
food or drinks the refined sugar rapidly goes into
the blood stream and
produces a sharp rise in blood sugar values. The pancreas secretes large
amounts
of insulin to promptly return
high blood sugar values to normal.
Why Do
Diabetics Become Obese? When the pre-diabetic person is experiencing chronic high insulin values
with too many carbohydrate calories,
this insulin is converting
some of
the excess glucose into the fat triglyceride, which gets stored
in fat
cells which end up distended in an obese patient.
Conceptually, identifying the metabolic
syndrome (or insulin resistance) identifies risk for
cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes.
This article explains how, historically,
insulin resistance brought together facets of the
metabolic
syndrome and the pathogenesis of diabetes
and atheroma (thicklening of arteries in CVD)
but has
since been clinically “overtaken” by central obesity,
now accepted as the core component
of the metabolic
syndrome.
The metabolic syndrome encompasses a wide
range of metabolic disturbances in glucose, insulin and
lipid metabolism, and is associated with
central
abdominal obesity.
Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don't is
the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease. In
addition to the LDL produced naturally by your body, saturated
fat,
trans-fatty acids and dietary cholesterol can also
raise blood cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats and
polyunsaturated fats appear to not raise LDL cholesterol; some
studies suggest they might even help lower LDL cholesterol
slightly when eaten as part of a low-saturated and
trans-fat
diet.
The American Heart Association's Nutrition
Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy
Americans over age 2: read more ......
For example, a sedentary female who is 31–50
years old needs about 2,000 calories each day. Therefore, she
should consume less than 16 g saturated fat, less than 2 g trans fat and between 50 and 70 grams of total fat
each day (with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated
and monounsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, seeds and
vegetable oils).
The ADA currently recommends keeping
blood sugar levels before meals
between 90 mg/dl
(5 mmol/L) and 130 mg/dl
(7 mmol/L) and keeping
blood sugar levels one to
two hours after meals below 180 mg/dl
(10 mmol/L) for most people.
Remember:
Conversion
: Canadian/Australian vs Indian units
1mmol/L =18 mg/dlCLICK
HERE:
Conversion from mmol/L (Canadian/Australian Units) to mg/dl (Indian Units)
LDL
Small sized particles (Apo B)
Dr Agatston, a cardiologist, and author of the "The South Beach
Diet" says in his book that "it is the small dense LDL
that does the more damage,
i.e. apolipoproteins.
Treating dyslipidemia
Drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol
Lowering triglycerides
The role of diabetes drugs
Combination therapy
Following some trials ....."these results led the researchers to
conclude their report with a declaration that
"statin therapy should now
be considered routinely for all diabetic patients at sufficiently high
risk
of major vascular events, irrespective of their initial cholesterol
concentrations."
"You can ‘convert’ a person with metabolic syndrome to what is
essentially a nondiabetic state with
diet modification and exercise,"
Dr. Keilson says. "In true diabetes, though, the risk of heart disease
is profound, and many physicians will go directly to pharmaceutical
therapy to give their patients maximum protection."
By
Dr Michael Hutch PhD
