Tag: White Bread

Can A Good Diet Keep Diabetes At Bay

Upon first being diagnosed with diabetes, many patients ask can a good diet keep diabetes at bay. Most doctors will agree that a good diet, low in carbohydrates and sugars can help a person with diabetes avoid many of the complications that often accompany the disease. While a good diet can not necessarily cure the illness, a good diet can keep diabetes at bay.

People who have diabetes have a difficult time processing foods such as sugars and starches. Instead of processing normally through their system, they stay in the system and turn end up increasing the glucose in the bloodstream. When this occurs, it is called glycemia – which is too much sugar in the blood. People with Type I and Type II diabetes both suffer from having too much glucose in the blood. As the glucose does not digest normally, it causes problems with the kidneys, liver, eyesight, heart and blood circulation in general.

Depending upon the stage of their diabetes, a physician will normally prescribe either medication or insulin. Both help the body process the sugars in the blood, to break them down and allow the patient to expel them. However, insulin and medication are no substitute for a healthy diet. Just because a person is taking medication or insulin does not give them carte blanche to consume all of the sugar and carbohydrates they can get their hands on. It is absolutely essential that a person with diabetes not only take medication or insulin as directed, but also adhere to a diabetic diet. This means getting familiar with which foods should be avoided and which foods can be eaten sparingly.

The Glycemic Index was established in 1981 to rate which carbohydrates are the worst for those with diabetes. The carbohydrates that are high on the list, such as white bread, take longer to digest and should be avoided. Carbohydrates that have low scores, such as brown rice, can be eaten in moderation. It is very difficult for anyone to avoid carbohydrates completely, which is why familiarizing oneself with the Glycemic Index is so important in the treatment of diabetes.

In addition to carbohydrates that rate high on the Glycemic Index as well as low, there is also an intermediate group. It may surprise people to know that a chocolate bar is rated in the intermediate group on the Glycemic Index. This does not mean, however, that one should feel free to consume all the chocolate they want. The purpose of the Glycemic Index is to help individuals establish which foods should definitely be avoided and which foods are okay in moderation.

So, can a good diet keep diabetes at bay. The answer is yes. While it cannot cure a patient of diabetes, a good diet low in foods that have high ratings in the Glycemic Index and high in proteins can help an individual with this condition live a longer, healthier life. Until there is a cure for this potentially life threatening condition, it is important for all people who suffer from diabetes to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index so they can better understand how to control their disease.

Better Your Brain Performance: Stop IQ Deficiency

You may have personally experienced, or just heard from other people, of the mental boost that they get from smoking. Perhaps, for a short period of time such boost may be true, however in the long run, the effect of the tobacco consumption may be more dangerous to your brain than what you have expected. If you want to better your brains well-being, you have to worry about what affects your IQ.

An Addiction Research Center conducted a research regarding the long-term effects of alcohol on an alcoholics brain functioning. As expected, alcohol was found to be associated with mental problems and lower IQ scores. And as an addition to their findings, they also found out that long-term smoking has an effect on decreased brain power.

The results showed that alcohol has more severe effects on the thinking skills of alcoholic men who have been smoking for quite some time already. It has an adverse effect on memory, problem-solving skills and even the IQ of these men.

Among these alcoholic subjects, cigarette smoking was seen to be related to reduced mental functioning. However, even though the cause and effect relationship between smoking and the decreased mental performance was not clearly established, there are still some things which point out to the fact that cigarettes are the cause to such effect. In order to prove this point, more studies will have to be conducted.

Aside from these bad vices, there are still other things which may cause the reduction of your brain power.

Other Short-term Causes for Poor Thinking Performance

According to some more studies, foods which include artificial food coloring and sweeteners may be bad for the brain, more especially if they are consumed in large quantities. Usually, the children are the ones more affected negatively by these artificial flavorings and colorings. Examples of these kinds of foods are colas, white bread and hydrogenated oils.

The hydrogenated oils may cause the clogging of the arteries, and thus may result to heart diseases. Because of the clogs, it would be harder for the blood to flow to the brain. Artificially sweetened foods are unhealthy as well because they can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels. These fluctuations may cause short-term brain fogging and even diabetes. Thus, it would be wiser for you to stay away from excessive sugar products.

Aside from these foods, other intangible things are believed to cause decrease of brain power. Personal problems such as egotism may be a factor. Because of egotism, a person may limit his ideas into just one view, which is his own. Because of egotism, he becomes settled with just his original thought and he would think that since his thoughts are more important than others then there is no more need to look at the ideas that come from others.

As you may have noticed, the effects of the bad eating habits as well as the personal problems may just be temporary. Thus, if you stop eating all those junk foods and start eating healthy; and likewise stop being so egocentric, then your brain functioning may just return to its normal performance. Fortunately, these factors affect the brain efficiency temporarily; unlike with alcoholism and smoking wherein the effects really do affect the IQ.

However, despite the effects permanence, the fact still remains that you should take care of your brain. You should keep it healthy all the time by doing things beneficial to your mental health. Whether or not the efficiency of your brain is affected temporarily or permanently, the truth is that it is still harmed for a certain period of time. You should know better, your brain performance should always be at its prime.

Asthma And The Yoga Diet

One of the most effective ways to treat asthma attacks is through the Yoga diet. Dietary errors are quite common these days because many people live unhealthy lifestyles. The ideal Yoga diet for asthmatic individuals are the pure or Sattvic foods. These foods are easily digested and not only that, they are also very nourishing.

Most asthma patients are lacto-vegetarians. According to major researches, a predominant veggie diet is the best way to treat and control asthma attacks. The proteins contained in meat products are very difficult to digest and so it burdens your metabolic system. If youre not ready to become a predominant vegetarian, you can simply cut down your consumption of red meat. After some time, you will get used to it and little by little, you can remove red meat from your diet. Being a predominant vegetarian has its advantage and it benefits asthma patients greatly. You also need to cut down on poultry, fish, and even eggs. If youre going to eat sea foods, dont fry them.

You must remember that asthmatics should limit their consumption of fats, carbohydrates, proteins but you can also help yourself with moderate germinated grains, green veggies, pulses, and fresh fruits. Try to eat more dried fruits such as berries or oranges, black raisins, and prunes. Have adequate servings of tomatoes, beets, cucumber, lettuce, and carrots. It would be best to serve green vegetables slightly cooked or sauted together with white bread.

Asthmatics are also advised to eat less to avoid discomfort. If you eat too much, you will feel like youve overeaten or that youre over-full. You must take your time while eating. Try to chew the food well and drink plenty of water. When youre eating, try to avoid liquids as much as possible and drink after youve finished eating.

Like any other healthy individual, asthma patients needs adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A is very effective in treating asthma. You can find this vitamin in cantaloupe, squashes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, apricots, pink grapefruit, spinach, and broccoli. Fruits with intense colors contain high beta-carotene, so choose your fruits well.

For hemoglobin formation and enhanced autoimmune function, take an adequate amount of vitamin B6. You can find it in whole grains, fortified cereals and breads, fish, meat, eggs, legumes, nuts, and beans.

Have servings of apples, avocadoes, apricot, blackberries, blackcurrants, kiwi fruits, blueberries, pears, and peaches because these fruits are rich in vitamin C.

In order to improve blood circulation, get enough vitamin E. Try to eat spinach, olives, seeds, nuts, corn, wheat germ, asparagus, and leafy green vegetables. Vegetable oil is also very important in your diet.

Roasted peanuts, walnuts, almonds, unsalted peanuts, mixed nuts, oatmeal, peas, raisin bran, baked beans, and dried peas are rich in zinc which supports your adrenal glands. Selenium, essential fatty acids, and holy basil or tulsi are also very important.

Oftentimes, these foods cause asthma fish, eggs, shellfish, chocolate, milk, food preservatives, citrus fruits, and coloring. To reduce the inflammation of the airways and get enough antioxidants, eat apples everyday. Dairy products can also lead to excess mucus, to try to limit your consumption of these products. Phlegm is doubly produced if you eat plenty of sugar-rich foods, rice, pickles, iced drinks, ice, chutneys, and fried foods. Avoid them so that you can aid the digestion process.

Follow the right asthma diet to prevent asthma attacks.