Tag: Dietitian

Onset Diabetes Diet

If you have been diagnosed with onset diabetes diet changes are one of the things you will need to consider to help you control your blood sugars. Do not panic, this is not going to be that hard. Talk to your doctor first and see if she wants you to consult with a dietitian, especially if you are unsure of where to begin.

Learning what foods to eat, how much of them to eat and at what times to eat them should all be taken into consideration when talking about an onset diabetes diet. Your biggest challenge now is to learn to keep your blood sugar levels consistent throughout your day.

Making good food choices and eating at the same times everyday will help you start to feel better, maybe lose some excess weight, and decrease your risk of developing complications of diabetes like heart disease, stroke, blindness and other problems caused by diabetes that you should discuss at length with your doctor when she gives you your diagnosis.

Choosing to eat a more healthy diet does not mean you have to give up your favorites. You can still enjoy some of the things you like the best without having to worry about your blood sugar spiking on you. It may just be a matter of eating smaller portions of the things you like the best.

Here are ten ideas to make your choices seem a little easier:

1. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. They add color to your meals and can make them more appealing to the eye.
2. Eat more whole grain foods like brown rice and whole wheat pastas and breads. Whole grain will keep you fuller longer and will not make your blood sugars spike.
3. Once or twice a week, throw in some dried beans or lentils into the mix. Chili or soup is a great way to fill up without consuming a lot of calories.
4. Fish is a great source of protein and essential fatty acids. Work some into your meal plan two or three times a week.
5. If you have to have red meat, choose a lean cut and if there is any visible fat present, trim it off before you cook it.
6. Chicken and turkey are loaded with protein, just make sure the skin is removed first.
7. Make your dairy foods non-fat or low-fat.
8. Drink lots of water. Stay away from sweetened drinks like soda.
9. Use olive oil or canola oil to cook with instead of margarine or butter, you do n ot need the calories or saturated fats.
10. You can still have dessert, just watch your portion sizes. Try cutting back to a half portion or maybe even smaller if you can.

See, not so hard, you can do this onset diabetes diet. It may take a little practice at first but you will soon be able to incorporate these guidelines into your day and make it seem like you have been doing it all your life. So much better to control your blood sugars every day. So, talk to your doctor about everything and ask for help if you need it.

Diabetes Protein Diet

For people trying to lose weight, a high protein, low fat, low carb diet is normally something that will work very well to help you slim down and get to a healthier weight. People with diabetes can also lose weight with a diabetes protein diet but because of the nature of their illness must pay close attention to everything they eat.

A diet high in protein, followed for an extended period can put undo stress on the kidneys of the person with diabetes. You should always speak with your doctor and/or dietitian before starting any diet plan.

If your doctor does give you the OK to start a diabetes protein diet then stick with the lean cuts of meat for your protein and include some fish and shrimp in your weekly menu preparation. Shrimp are packed with protein and are very good for you. You can have some red meat but limit it to once or twice a week.

Red meat is loaded with protein as well but also has quite a bit of saturated fat which will increase your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. Just being diabetic puts you at risk for so many complications of the disease you do not need to willingly put yourself at a higher risk for other problems. So, remember to limit the red meat you eat and if you have to have it then make sure that you remove any visible fat as well.

Fish like salmon, tuna, and halibut are all good sources of lean protein not to mention those Omega-3 essential fatty acids that you hear so much about these days. Omega-3’s are beneficial for maintaining good brain function among other things. I have already mentioned shrimp but did you know lobster is another great source of lean protein? Go ahead and treat yourself.

Chicken is also loaded with protein but just make sure to remove any skin and visible fat. Your best bet is to buy some boneless, skinless breasts and keep them in the freezer to make it easy to use them when you need them. You can buy them in bulk to save some money and weigh out 4 ounce portions then individually wrap them before freezing.

Eggs and dairy are other ways to round out how you get your protein for the day. Eggs have lots of protein and also essential nutrients like folate, zinc, and iron. It is not recommended that you eat eggs every single day but if you really feel the need to then separate some of the and make a mostly egg white omelet with two egg whites and one whole egg.
The cholesterol is in the yolk so if you limit the number of yolks you eat then it is all good.

Keep your dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt low fat, or fat free to reduce the amount of saturated fat you take in. Balance your diabetes protein diet with a moderate amount of carbohydrates to help keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

Diabetes Diet Menus

If you have diabetes it means that your body cannot use sugar the way it was meant to be used. A normal person’s pancreas makes insulin that helps their body use sugar that they take in when they eat. If you have diabetes then your pancreas either does not make enough insulin or does not make any at all and so you need help to make sure that the sugar in your blood stream does not get to be too much. One way to do that is to follow diabetic diet menus.

Diabetic diet menus will help keep your blood sugars stable along with the medication your doctor has prescribed whether it be an oral antidiabetic agent or insulin shots.

The first thing you need to do is go over everything with your doctor and make sure you understand what you need to do to keep your body in good working order so you can minimize the adverse effects of diabetes. There are many, so do what you can to take care of your self. Working closely with your doctor you should be able to manage your disease without too much trouble.

Diet is very important and your doctor may refer you to a dietitian to help plan out what you should and should not eat. There are foods that will help maintain relatively steady blood sugars and foods that will make your blood sugar spike. Certain carbohydrates are your enemy. A dietitian will help you sort things out and get you on the right track.

Processed foods and refined sugars can actually make your diabetes worse. This is according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The HSPH recommends you choose healthy, low-glycemic index foods like whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice, nuts, beans and legumes and lots of fruits and vegetables like asparagus, spinach and broccoli, tomatoes, cherries and peaches.

Starchy foods like potatoes, bananas and corn are not recommended. Starchy foods are too readily converted to simple sugars in your body and will spike your blood sugars making it more difficult to regulate them.

It is also recommended that you never skip meals and, if possible, eat five small meals a day with the same number of carbohydrates at each meal. If this is not possible then make sure that you have some healthy snacks available to eat between your three main meals each day.

Making a weekly menu will help you plan all the meals out that you will eat each week. This makes your grocery shopping trip so much easier because you have everything planned already so you can just make your shopping list from your menu plans. You will have everything you need to make the meals you want to eat, no more trying to decide what to eat at the last minute.

Each week you will have your diabetes diet menus posted in the kitchen so you can track what you are eating and see, at a glance, if any changes need to be made.

Experiencing Ache Knees and Back? You may have Osteoarthritis

Experiencing Ache Knees and Back? You may have Osteoarthritis
Kamau Austin

Are you noticing as you mature you are experiencing stiffness or
pain in your knees, ankles, back, and elbows? If you are 35 and
above symptoms like these may be the early signs of
Osteoarthritis.

What is Osteoarthritis?

According to the US government’s National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases “Osteoarthritis is the
most common type of arthritis, especially among older people.
Sometimes it is called degenerative joint disease or
osteoarthrosis.”

Moreover Osteoarthritis is a joint disease that mostly affects
the cartilage. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the
ends of bones in a joint.

Unlike other forms of arthritis which may affect internal organs
Osteoarthritis primarily causes problems between the cartilage
and joints.

Healthy cartilage allows bones to glide over one another. It
also absorbs energy from the shock of physical movement. In
osteoarthritis, the surface layer of cartilage breaks down and
wears away.

In other words as we mature you can start to experience
Osteoarthritis because the cartilage between you knees, back,
and other joints may begin to erode or wear away.

This allows bones under the cartilage to rub together, causing
pain, swelling, and loss of motion of the joint. Over time, the
joint may lose its normal shape. Also bone spurs, small growths
called entophytes, may grow on the edges of the joint. Bits of
bone or cartilage can break off and float inside the joint
space. This causes more pain and damage.

According to government studies Osteoarthritis affects about 20
million Americans. Over 50 % of Americans over 65 have
osteoarthritis in a least one joint. It is more common for men
than women to have osteoarthritis before 45. However after 45 it
is more common for women to experience the symptoms of this
condition. By 2030 70 million Americans will be over the age of
65 and may be at risk for osteoarthritis.

While younger people may get osteoarthritis from sports related
knee and joint injuries osteoarthritis is primarily a condition
more mature people experience. If you experience symptoms like
the ones described above talk to you doctor to see if you have
osteoarthritis or some other condition.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis seem to appear in the knee, lower
back, ends of the fingers, back of the neck, thumbs and hips.

Some of the treatments the doctor may prescribe are:

1. – Exercise is inexpensive and may help with a number of
health problems including certain forms of osteoarthritis. As
you may know exercise can help improve your attitude,
disposition, mood and overall outlook, decrease pain, increase
flexibility, improve the heart and blood flow, maintain weight,
and promote general physical fitness.

Reports have shown if done correctly, it has few negative side
effects. The amount and form of exercise will depend on which
joints are involved, how stable the joints are, and whether a
joint replacement has already been done.

The proper exercise may help you recapture some range of
movement in stiff joints.

2. – Weight control: Osteoarthritis patients who are overweight
or obese need to lose weight. Weight loss can reduce stress on
weight-bearing joints and limit further injury. A dietitian can
help patients develop healthy eating habits. A healthy diet and
regular exercise help reduce weight.

3. Medicines: Doctors prescribe medicines to eliminate or reduce
pain and to improve functioning. Doctors consider a number of
factors when choosing medicines for their patients with
osteoarthritis. Two important factors are the intensity of the
pain and the potential side effects of the medicine. Patients
must use medicines carefully and tell their doctors about any
changes that occur.

4 – Surgery : As a last resort a surgery to replace a joint may
be in order from your doctor.

For many people, surgery helps relieve the pain and disability
of osteoarthritis. Surgery may be performed to remove loose
pieces of bone and cartilage from the joint if they are causing
mechanical symptoms of buckling or locking Resurface (smooth
out) bones Reposition bones Replace joints. Surgeons may replace
affected joints with artificial joints called prostheses. These
joints can be made from metal alloys, high-density plastic, and
ceramic material.

Before undertaking expensive surgery or investing in pricey
medicines perhaps you should consider taking a health supplement
called Phosoplex. Phosoplex a product of Optimal Therapeutics,
boasts some of the best ingredients available to help alleviate
pain associated with Osteoarthritis.

I have used Phosoplex when training in fitness activity to help
rid myself of knee and back pain. I would strongly recommend you
investigating this quality product if you seek relief from
Osteoarthritis.

About the author:
Kamau Austin is a health and fitness enthusiast and advocate. He
is also the publisher of … www.healthandfitnessvitality.com .
He writes on a regular basis on timeless health and fitness tips
at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful health and fitness
news and tips at…
http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm