What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Without insulin Glucose cannot enter the cell which can cause the cell to die from lack of energy. There a two types of Diabetes; there is Type I Diabetes and Type II Diabetes. In Type I Diabetes, the pancreas is damaged and cannot produce sufficient or any insulin to allow glucose to get into the cell. Type II Diabetes is when the insulin receptors get too deformed that they can no long accept the insulin needed to to signal the nucleus.
The Lasting Effects of Diabetes
Diabetes can effect your body in many different ways. Some of these effects can cause serious problems like: the loss of bodily functions, the loss of eyesight, and even the death and amputation of the body's extremities. Without proper care, Type I and II Diabetes can cause these serious problems.
Dietary Guidelines for Diabetics
Diabetics need to watch their diet and even their exercise in order to control Type I and II Diabetes. Because if Diabetes is not controlled the effect that it has on your body can become serious extremely fast. Proper nutrition and exercise are vital in controlling diabetes. It is better to eat food that has complex sugar rather than simple sugars. This is because it takes longer to break down complex sugars which gives the insulin more time to work its way to cells and open the glucose transport proteins in the cell membrane. A good guideline for a Diabetic is to not exceed 60 grams of carbohydrates and no more than 180 grams a day. Along with the 60 grams of carbohydrates, a ratio of 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, and 1/2 non-starchy vegetables is recommended. Another good ratio is 55:20:25 (carbs:fats:protein). Nutrient dense carbohydrates are also recommended as well, for example: Wheat instead of White Bread and Whole Fruit instead of Juice. This is because fibers do not increase your blood sugar.
How Do You Monitor Blood Sugar Daily and In the Long Term
It is essential that Diabetics monitor their blood sugar every day so that serious problems do not occur. Diabetics can measure their blood sugar whenever they need to with a Blood Sugar Meter. A Blood Sugar Meter is a measurement tool that measure a diabetic's blood sugar with a drop of blood. Doctor usually give their diabetic patients a number to aim for on their Blood Sugar Meters that the diabetic should strive to achieve daily. An acceptable blood sugar 1-2 hours after a meal is 120 mg/dl. An acceptable blood sugar between meals is 100 mg/dl. As for the long term monitoring an A1c is used. The A1c test is based on the attachment of glucose to hemoglobin. The A1c test measure the average glucose levels in the blood over the past 3 months. A normal A1c level is below 5.7%.
Lifestyle and Exercise Information
Diabetics are recommended to exercise 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. This grand totals into at least 150 minutes a week. Strength Training is also a great way to make your body more sensitive to insulin. Type I Diabetics need to be aware of their blood sugar and should always have a sugary item on stand-by during exercise just in case their blood sugar gets too low. Along with exercise a diet like the one describe earlier is recommended.
Personal Stories
"People with high blood pressure, diabetes - those are conditions brought about by life style. If you change the life style, those conditions will leave."
- Dick Gregory
"Life is not over because you have diabetes. Make the most of what you have, be grateful."
- Dale Evans
"If you can contribute 45 minutes - one hour a day a week exercising, you're going to be a healthy person. You can cut down on diabetes and all of these man-made problems we have."
- Mehcad Brooks
APA Cites:
American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/
Google. https://www.gstatic.com/healthricherkp/pdf/type_2_diabetes.pdf
Brainy Quotes. Diabetes Quotes. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/diabetes.html