Diabetes and Insulin

Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not manufacture sufficient amounts of insulin or does not properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that is necessary for the transport of sugar from the blood stream into the cells for use as energy. Type 2 diabetes results when our bodies become insensitive to insulin and cause our blood sugar go out of balance. For this reason, we want to do everything we can to remain insulin sensitive. When we are insulin sensitive, our bodies do a much better job of moving glucose from the blood and into cells.

Various herbs, foods, vitamins, and minerals have been shown to promote insulin sensitivity and help maintain proper blood sugar levels. Vanadyl sulfate increases the body's insulin sensitivity. Gymnema sylvestre is a well known herb helpful in blood sugar control by controlling sugar cravings and nourishing the pancreas.

Exercise also increases insulin sensitivity. People involved in athletics are known to require less insulin. Besides improving insulin sensitivity, exercise helps us to control our weight and reduce body fat. Weight control is a very important aspect in maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Another important factor in maintaining proper blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity is a healthful diet. Complex carbohydrates found in most vegetables, apples, grains, and nuts are slow to digest. Slowing the process of digestion promotes healthy blood sugar levels and avoids the highs and lows associated with the intake of refined sugars. We should also avoid saturated fats. The healthy fats contained in fish, olive oil, and flaxseed help us to maintain insulin sensitivity.

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and results from insulin resistence. The above methods have been shown to be extremely helpful in maintaining insulin sensitivity, promoting lower blood sugar levels, and avoiding the complications associated with diabetes.

For further information on diabetes treatment visit http://www.diabetessites.com/diabetes-treatment.html

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Diabetes For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness))

Want to know how to manage diabetes? Leading diabetes expert Dr. Alan Rubin gives you reassuring, authoritative guidance in putting together a state-of-the-art treatment program. You'll learn about all the advances in monitoring glucose, the latest medications, and how to develop a diet and exercise plan to stay healthy. You'll also see how to overcome insurance and on-the-job obstacles. 

Discover how to:

• Reduce your diabetes risk
• Understand the different types of diabetes
• Manage diabetes in children and the elderly
• Prevent long-term complications
• Get the support you need

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Diet Tips: Best Diet for Weight Loss?

1. Find a program that provides realistic goals
Avoid diets that promise weight loss overnight. Diets that promise such unrealistic promise are not designed to lose weight. Diets take time to work. Select a diet based on your food preferences. Like sweet food? Opt for a diet that is high on carbohydrate intake. Allow your body to transit to the new diet easily by selecting the food that you like. By doing so, you can be on a diet and still enjoy it.

2. Research the credentials of your chosen diet
The best diet for weight loss is the one that is created by an experienced doctor, health practitioner, or physician. These people spent years studying how the body works and what's good for it. Before you choose a diet, make sure that you try to find out where the diet rooted from, who created it, and how many people have already benefited from it. The more background you get from the diet, the better.

3. Plan it out
Don't go ahead with a diet without planning at least a week ahead. Dieting is all about taking the right types of food in the right amount. If you can't prepare your meals the proper way, you'll end up not following your diet at all. Here's a suggestion – before you start out on your new diet, rid your refrigerator of anything that your diet plan asks you to avoid. If you can't do this, even the world's best diet for weight loss won't work for you.

4. Strictly adhere to the diet plan
There's no sense in looking for the best diet for weight loss only to forget about it after two to three days. Again, diet takes time to work. Following it is definitely hard. So prepare yourself mentally and physically. And make sure you are up to the challenge. Don't worry. The results may be too grand than could you have expected.

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Nine Facts About Fiber

1.  Fiber fights diseases.  A diet high in fiber can help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease.  High fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by binding it in the digestive tract.  For thousands of years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.


2.  Fiber can actually help with overeating.  All high fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest, making you feel satisfied longer

3.  Most popular foods don't have enough fiber.  If you like the more popular foods, you probably need to increase your intake of fiber.

4.  Grains offer the most fiber.  Dietary fiber is actually plant matter that we cannot digest.  The best sources are whole grains and concentrated grain products. 

5.  Kids need fiber as well.  Children that are older than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of fiber.  Kids are most receptive to fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast cereals. 

6.  More fiber needs more water.  In order to keep fiber moving through your digestive tract, you'll need to consume a lot of water.  With your diet of fiber, you'll need eight or more glasses of water every day.

7.  Fiber cannot be cooked out.  When you cook your fruits and vegetables, don't worry about cooking the fiber out, as it stays.  The fiber found in fruits and vegetables aren't just in the skin or in the peel.

8.  You can get enough fiber.  If you eat more than 50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea
and bloating, which can interfere with your body's absorption of other key minerals.

9.  Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet doesn't have to be hard.  Even though you may think so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn't very hard to do.  All you have to do is eat the right foods and you'll be well on your way to a fiber rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating, fiber is something you don't want to skip.  Fiber can serve many different purposes, which were covered above.  If you aren't getting enough fiber in your diet - you should do something about now instead of waiting until it is too late.

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