Archive for May 2011
What is a Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan?
Gestational diabetes is a disorder which will affect around 4% of all pregnant women in the United States. It is not entirely understood why some women get it because it normally disappears once the baby is born. One theory is that the stress of the pregnancy itself causes it, but whatever the cause any woman who is diagnosed with it will need to follow a gestational diabetes diet plan.
In fact this type of diet needs to be followed if an expectant mother has preexisting diabetes as well. The risk of fetal defects and even death are considerably higher with gestational diabetes. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels, in the mother is the primary cause of any problems caused by this condition. When this happens the fetus will begin to produce large amounts of insulin to deal with the excess glucose (sugar) that is crossing through the placenta.
Increased insulin levels in the fetus cause a condition known as macrosomia which results in larger than normal body and head size. It can also cause respiratory problems as well as hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, hypokalemia, or jaundice in new born babies.
It is highly recommended that any woman diagnosed with gestational diabetes receive nutrition advice and create a diet plan with the help of a registered dietician. It is vitally important to control blood sugar levels during pregnancy and this best done by modifying the diet.
A gestational diabetes diet is individualized for each pregnancy based on the mother’s weight and height. It will also provide an adequate amount of calories and nutrients that are needed during pregnancy as well as controlling blood glucose levels. In addition the mother will need to self monitor her blood sugar levels at least four times a day to make sure her glucose levels are under control. Once good glucose control is established the frequency of self monitoring can be decreased but self monitoring should be continued during the entire pregnancy.
The diet plan should meet the desired weight gain and nutrition requirements needed for a normal pregnancy. For the first trimester weight gain should be in the 2 to 4 pound range and then an additional pound every week for the second and third trimesters. During the second trimester it is recommended that caloric intake be adjusted upwards approximately 100 to 300 kcal/day above that of the first trimester. Protein intake also needs to be increased during pregnancy to 10 grams per day either by drinking two glasses of milk or 1 to 2 ounces of meat. 400 ug/day of folic acid should also be included in the gestational diet to help avoid congenital and neural tube defects.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a very real threat during a pregnancy so restricting calories should only be done under direct medical supervision. The minimum number of calories eaten per day must not be below 1700 to 1800 and these calories should come from foods of high nutritious value.
A gestational diabetes diet plan is a crucial part of any pregnancy for women who suffer from this dangerous condition. Any pregnant woman who is diagnosed with this disorder should be evaluated by a registered dietician who will then assist the woman to meet her dietary needs.
By: Andrew Bicknell
Picnic Menu and Recipes Suitable For Diabetics
SUMMER HAS ARRIVED! Boy do we know it here in Texas! From the weather maps I have seen, I’m sure many of you are also experiencing some pretty hot summer days. And one of the most popular of summer activities is a picnic. Picnics for lovers, picnics for families, picnics with friends, work picnics, picnics at the beach, etc. Who doesn’t love a picnic?
Diabetics enjoy picnics, too, but they often worry that their dietetic needs won’t be met. There’s nothing like a diabetic arriving at a picnic to discover a meal full of starches and sweets. And, unfortunately, many hosts feel that to meet the diabetics needs, they must have a second menu or extra dishes for the diabetic. Not only can this make the diabetic feel as if they are creating extra work for their hosts, it simply isn’t necessary. If you are planning a picnic, check out this menu below. It is an easy menu that will cater to the diabetics needs and the rest of the crowd won’t even know it. Our menu features Southern Fried Chicken, but you could always pick-up carry-out fried chicken if the picnic isn’t at your home or you don’t want to spend time frying the chicken yourself. Our Blackberry Twist Lemonade is a great summer beverage. But, again, if convenience is a big issue, pick up some diet sodas and ice them down.
So load up the picnic basket and head out for some worry-free fun with our picnic menu of Southern Fried Chicken, No Mayo Bean Salad, Vegetable Tray, Sand Tarts, and Blackberry Twist Lemonade.
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
2 1/2 lb frying chicken, cut-up
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
Wash chicken and pat off excess water. Mix remaining ingredients together and place in a zip-top type plastic bag. In a large skillet, put canola oil to about 1/2-inch depth and heat. Place chicken pieces 1 or 2 at a time into bag with flour mixture. Shake to coat well. Shake off excess flour and add chicken to skillet. Cook chicken over medium heat, turning to brown all sides, for 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat, cover tightly, simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Remove the lid from skillet the last 10 minutes of cooking to allow chicken to brown. Remove from skillet and drain on paper toweling.
NO MAYO BEAN SALAD
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup pickle relish
3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Splenda
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.
VEGETABLE TRAY
Make a pretty presentation of fresh, colorful vegetables. I suggest baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, tomato wedges, fresh broccoli crowns and olives.
SAND TARTS
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup Splenda, granulated
2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp Splenda, granulated
2 tsp cornstarch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and 1/4 cup Splenda granulated at medium speed with electric mixer about 2 minutes until creamy. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Shape into 1-inch balls and place onto cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool.
Process 2 tablespoons Splenda granulated and cornstarch in a blender or food processor. Roll cookie balls in mixture.
BLACKBERRY TWIST LEMONADE
2 cups fresh blackberries or unsweetened frozen blackberries, thawed
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup Granulated Splenda
4 cups cold water
Put berries, lemon juice, and Splenda into blender. Process mixture until smooth, scraping down sides. Press mixture through a sieve into a pitcher. Discard solids remaining in the sieve. Stir in water. Serve over ice. Yield: 7 servings with 4 grams sugar each.
By: Linda Carol Wilson
Easy Diabetic Dessert Recipes
If you are a diabetic and are curious about experimenting with desserts, then I encourage you to consult your doctor first. Your doctor will have the information that you are looking for and will help to guide you on the right path. After you do this, your doctor may even refer you to a nutritionist.
This is what I ended up doing and it worked out great. I know it costs a lot of money, but I can put a price on how much it helped me. My nutritionist explained all kinds of things that I was unsure of and helped me to develop a meal plan.
Anyways, once I was educated about the foods and such that my doctor advised me to have, it was much easier to compile recipes. Note that the “diabetic dessert recipes” that I have now are not what most people would actually call a dessert, but they serve as something new and great to me.
My doctor had told me that it was okay to have apples, so what I did was to start brainstorming healthy ways I could prepare an apple and what I could pair it with to create an easy diabetic dessert. So I found a product called cool whip, most of you have probably heard of cool whip, and decided to use it for my recipe. Cool whip had a very low amount of carbohydrates and sugars. It is also available in a sugar free version.
The best way that I could think of to prepare the apple for the easy dessert recipe was to bake it. This makes the apple tender and warm and ready to eat in no time. Then all I did was add a little cool whip for a creamy taste, and my easy diabetic dessert was complete. I know its not much, but it tastes great
By: Bill Ridger
Diabetes Symptoms – How to Know If You Might Have the Disease
Millions of people suffer from diabetes, a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood sugar. These levels can result from ineffective production of insulin, inadequate insulin action, or a combination of both. Because many of the early symptoms of diabetes seem harmless, the condition can go unnoticed for a long time, meaning many people don’t get treatment until they are very ill. Early detection is an important part of getting the right treatment and adjusting your lifestyle to take diabetes into account. Here are some symptoms that might indicate you have Type 2 diabetes:
(1) Frequent urination and excessive thirst – Excess sugar causes your kidneys to work overtime. If they can’t keep up, the sugar is excreted into urine, and takes fluid from your tissues with it. This means you have to visit the restroom frequently, and often causes you to crave liquids.
(2) Unusual weight loss or gain over a short period of time – Losing sugar regularly can cause you to lose calories and weight. People with Type 1 diabetes are particularly prone to this problem. You may also gain weight unexpectedly, which will make your tissue less responsive to insulin action. This is why overweight people are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
(3) Frequent or extreme hunger – Diabetes can keep sugar from food from reaching your cells. This can lead to constant feelings of hunger.
(4) Recurring fatigue – When you can’t use sugar to properly fuel your cells, you may feel tired, even though you haven’t exerted yourself.
(5) Vision seems blurred – Diabetes can cause fluids to be pulled out of the tissues in your eyes. This makes it harder to focus. If this goes untreated, new blood vessels can form on the retina and old ones can become damaged. This causes lights to develop rings around them or appear to flash. People with this problem may also see dark spots. In serious cases, diabetes can cause blindness.
(6) Numbness or tingling sensations in your legs and feet – Excessive sugar levels can create nerve damage. This causes tingling and sensation loss in the extremities and is most often noticed first in the legs and feet.
(7) Illness or flu-like symptoms – If you fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, or other flu-like symptoms, you may actually be suffering from poorly controlled blood sugar. Diabetes can cause your body to be unable to efficiently use sugar to provide energy, leaving you feeling rundown and ill.
(8) Consistent or recurrent infections – If you develop a wound that’s slow to heal or becomes easily infected, this may be because your high blood sugar levels impair your ability to heal. Women may also have bladder or vaginal infections when they develop diabetes.
Remember that treatment is vital to managing diabetes. If you suspect that you have this condition, talk to your doctor as soon as you can. He or she can perform tests to help you discover whether or not you have diabetes, and can help you manage the symptoms.
By: Napoleon Hill
Diabetes Symptoms – Recognizing Them Early
When I was growing up, my mother feared that I had diabetes, I was one of the lucky ones and it passed me by, however my mother was smart to watch for diabetes symptoms.
Diabetes Statistics: Approximately 8% of the population in the United States has diabetes. This has increased by over 13% from 2005 to 2007; we must recognize the diabetes symptoms if we’re going to gain the upper hand on diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, previously known as insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset, occurs when the body own immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells. These are the body’s only mechanism to generate insulin naturally and regulate our blood sugar.
Type 2 diabetes, previously known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset, is the largest section of diabetes suffers, account for over 90% of all cases. This type of diabetes occurs when our body begins to develop a resistance to insulin.
This type of diabetes is closely associated with.
Older age Obesity Family history Physical inactivity, and Race/ethnicity
Speaking in general terms, diabetes is what happens when there are high levels of glucose in your bloodstream. In someone who has a normal and healthy pancreas, insulin is produced naturally, allowing the body’s blood sugars to be properly regulated. Conversely, if the pancreas does not operate effectively, the body does not generate enough insulin, and the body may develop diabetes.
While this is not a definitive list, a very short list of diabetes symptoms would be…
An overwhelming hunger, coupled with an almost debilitating thirst
The urge to urinate quite frequently
Being very tired or fatigue for no apparent reason
If you’re experiencing any of these diabetes symptoms that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve contracted diabetes, it does mean you should consult with your doctor or health care professional and take a glucose tolerance test, which should indicate conclusively whether you have diabetes. Remember that diabetes symptoms are an indication, not necessarily a statement that you have diabetes.
For the purposes of this article will assume someone has Type 1 diabetes and that you’ve consulted your doctor. Normally this treated with a strict dietary regimen, regular exercise and suggested weight loss, coupled with insulin prescribed by your doctor.
Type 2 diabetes is in most cases less severe, can often be treated with a sound dietary regimen, exercise and weight loss without the need for insulin. While initially that may seem much the same as Type 1, insulin is normally not required. This type of diabetes is also known as Late-Onset Diabetes, possibly because it normally occurs in those of middle or elderly age.
If you’re a parent and have a child showing diabetes symptoms, they could be experiencing juvenile onset diabetes, and an immediate doctor’s visit is strongly recommended.
WHEN DIABETES SYMPTONS INDICATE A CALL TO YOUR DOCTOR:
You feel very thirsty and find yourself urinating, much more often than normally.
You become nauseous, for no apparent reason, and this happens more than once.
Weight loss has become an issue, and you’re unsure why you’ve lost weight.
Your breathing has changed, and you notice your breathing deeper and more rapidly than before.
Your breath smells very strange, and even brushing your teeth are gargling with mouthwash, it’s only a temporary solution.
You find that your vision has become blurred, possibly you feel weak and tired, and you’re thinking is not as clear as it should be.
You notice that your coordination is not as good as it should be.
You have a small cut that simply won’t heal.
People can and do live with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, however early detection is the key to health and longevity. If you or someone close has been displaying diabetes symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.
By: June Carr
Free Online Diabetic Meal Plan to Lose Weight – Feel Great – Reverse Diabetes
If you or someone that you know has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes then you need to know that the first step to treat this disease is a special diabetes meal plan. It is a known fact that the most effective way to treat diabetes is with a diabetic meal plan. The medications that were given to you by your doctor will not cure your diabetes, only the meal plan will do that.
There are now companies that are releasing the plans online. Every weight loss diet is based on the meal plan. This plan will allow you to lose weight and reverse your diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes causes elevated blood sugar and when your blood sugar goes up then you become hungry. This will be a never ending cycle unless you use the plan to curb your appetite, lose weight and bring your blood sugars to normal.
Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of Americans because of our poor diet. However all this can change in one day if you know how to eat right. But we have found that most Americans are not aware of how to control their blood sugar levels.
If you are suffering from diabetes then you need to compare your diet against the online plan to assure the right amount of nutrients and limiting your calories. The dieticians that have created these meal plans have placed the proper level of nutrients so you have energy to work and do what you need to do each day and the proper level of calories so you can lose weight.
By: Elizabeth Edinburgh
What Should Diabetics Eat? Food Choices For Type 2 Diabetics
Learning what to eat and what not to eat is essential for someone suffering from diabetes. A Type 2 diabetic should be able to control his glucose level at near-normal blood sugar levels with diet and an oral anti-diabetic medication. If diabetes is not controlled, the risk for infection and other complications increases.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that has devastating complications such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, increased risk of infections, and complications such as coronary artery disease and stroke. Diabetes is the major cause of blindness and also the leading cause of lower-extremity amputation and renal disease.
If you consult a doctor, he will first determine whether you are a type 1 or type 2 diabetic. Patients with type 1 diabetes are treated with insulin and continuous source of carbohydrates for survival. Patients with Type 2 diabetes are treated initially with medical nutrition therapy (a diet therapy) and medication of metformin.
To know what Type 2 diabetics should eat, use the diabetes food pyramid. This will help you make wise food choices by eating more from the groups at the bottom of the pyramid and less from the groups at the top. Foods for diabetics are divided into groups based on their composition. At the bottom of the pyramid are starches. The next level is fruits and vegetables. The next level is meat and meat substitutes and milk. At the top is fats and sweets.
Diabetes should eat some starches in each meal because it is healthy. The American Diabetes Association emphasizes on intake of starches for diabetics such as eating 6 to 11 portions of bread, pasta etc. in a day. Starches include bread, grains, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes which provide carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Vegetables and fruits are on the next level because they provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and little carbohydrates.
Plan what to eat to control your diabetes. Use of a diabetic meal plan will be very helpful to keep your blood glucose level at normal range. I have studied various meal plans and have determined the most effective meal plans for diabetics. For breakfast, for example, I recommend eating bread made of whole wheat with a teaspoon of margarine or ? cup cottage cheese. You can also have half a cup of oatmeal with half a cup of double toned skimmed milk and a small banana.
By: John E Wilson
Diabetic Diet Plan For a Healthy Lifestyle
Keeping diabetes under control should start with a healthy lifestyle. A regular and balanced diet can work miracles on your blood sugar levels. Here are some points to remember when building a diabetic diet plan.
Build a meals timetable and follow it religiously. Try to eat at the same hours each day. This can be tricky if, for example, you work in shifts or don’t have a lunch break but, to the furthest extent possible, try to follow a regular meal schedule. You could even go as far as asking to do only day shifts, even if this means a cut in salary. Remember, your health is at stake.
Switch to a healthier, organic diet. Stay away from all foods that have a large dosage of carbohydrates (potato chips, pizza and anything baked with white flour) and totally eliminate soft drinks from your life. They contain huge amounts of sugar (a couple of teaspoons per cup) that will poison your body and make your blood glucose level go through the roof. Starches, fruit, green vegetables, low fat milk and derivatives (like yogurt) should be on your day to day menu. As refreshments, natural juices are recommended, provided they are consumed in moderation and don’t contain large amounts of glucose. Sugar has to be replaced by alternative sweeteners. Alcohol is known to raise the blood glucose level, so avoid it.
When in doubt on what and how you should eat, ask your diabetes treatment team for advice. Your physician should advise you on the right dosage of insulin or pills per day and how you should adjust it according to what you eat, and your dietitian should be able to help you build a diet plan that suits your lifestyle, your daily routine and the way you usually eat.
By: Murali V
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms Revealed
Type 2 diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) makes up the majority of diabetes cases. It’s estimated that around 13 million in the USA suffer from Type 2. Unlike Type I, Type II progresses at a slow pace. It can creep along and be unnoticed for years. For this reason, Type 2 diabetes is beginning to be called the “stealth disease.” This type of diabetes can walk around with a person from day to day and they will begin to believe it’s a normal process of their life. Well, I have news for you, it’s not and it’s very lethal if left untreated. If you notice any of the symptoms below, you should visit the doctor immediately. Untreated cases of diabetes account for most of the cases of fatalities of diabetes.
There is amazing technology and medicine today to help you cope with diabetes.
Below is a list of the top symptoms for users that may have Type 2 Diabetes:
Any of the Type 1 symptoms listed above: Any of the symptoms listed above can and probably will be apparent in an individual that has Type 1 diabetes.
Tingling or Numbness in Legs, Feet, or Fingers: You may have a burning sensation or heightened sensitivity in these extremities or on other spots of your skin. Symptoms, such as leg cramps can appear or worsen at night time. These may be signs that circulation is poor or nerve damage is beginning to progress.
Frequent Infections: Diabetes weakens the body’s defenses against invasions of bacteria. Infections of the gums, urinary tract, or skin can keep recurring and take a long time to clear up. This shows that the disease may have begun interfering with the immune system.
Itching of Skin and Genitals : This is the result of an underlying infection or dehydration, a common by-product of diabetes.
Slow Healing of Cuts and Bruises : Diabetes has affects how cells use the nutrients taken from food. The body may have difficult repairing damaged tissue. Diabetes is also known to thicken blood vessels, slowing circulation and preventing wounds from receiving nutrients and oxygen.
The problem millions of people face a year is that these symptoms can be overlooked and even blamed for other conditions. You have to make sure that your blood sugar level is checked yearly, at the very least, and more frequently if there are manifestations of any of the symptoms above.
Below is a list of the top symptoms for women that may have gestational diabetes:
o Many women experience no symptoms at all
o Thirst
o Hunger
o Urination increase
o Fatigue
o Nausea
o Vomiting
o Bladder infection
o Vaginal infection
The symptoms above should be used as a resource to diagnose yourself with diabetes, it should simply be a resource to pre-diagnose yourself. The only way to truly know if you have diabetes or not is to visit the doctor and be tested. If you have any slight assumption in your mind that you may have diabetes, then visit the doctor immediately, do not leave this disease untreated or it could result in a very dangerous and possibly fatal result.
By: Gary Sanders
Diabetic Cake Recipes – Can You Really Enjoy Cakes and Desserts When You Suffer With Diabetes?
When you understand the particular effect which diabetes has on your body, you can learn just how your day-to-day eating routine works with your condition; and simply schedule dinners, as well as indulge in sweets that you never thought you could have.
Let’s take a very basic view of how diabetes can affect your entire body.
Your body takes all the food you eat and alters a lot of it into glucose (that is basically a liquefied sugar) – it then uses this glucose for strength – little bit similar to placing fuel in your vehicle. That glucose goes into your cells inside your system and the cells use the glucose as energy. We all have a hormone called Insulin – this is a little something produced by your body all by itself which also assists the glucose transfer very easily, directly into cells within your body.
Diabetes is known as an illness which comes about when the glucose cannot enter your own cells, due to the fact that either there isn’t adequate insulin in the body to assist the glucose, or maybe no insulin at all; or there is sufficient insulin and there is a different biological reason why the glucose can’t transfer to the cells.
If this is the result, that’s the reason someone with diabetes is required to manage his or her blood sugar levels “manually” rather than leaving it to their very own body to regulate it. As for every person, it is important that you simply organize the food you eat simply by knowing what food creates glucose by knowing just what exactly carbs, sugars and nutrients do to your blood sugar levels.
Will it mean that someone with diabetes cannot eat sugar in any way – so they really are unable to munch on cake or desserts?
There is certainly still a misconception around that somebody who has diabetic issues simply cannot consume any kind of sugar whatsoever. One good thing is this isn’t strictly accurate. For everyone who would like to have balanced nutritious eating plans, especially someone who has diabetic issues, has to really arrange their menu in advance and also eat all things in moderation.
Having plenty of quality recipes available which are really easy to bake, have got uncomplicated ingredients, with surprisingly yummy results just got considerably simpler.
Can you actually bake an incredibly tasty diabetic chocolate cake?
The fundamental thought to diabetic recipes is to use a lesser amount of sugar but not to lose any of the sweetness to the taste. Unfortunately, much less sugar may result in sweets tasting a little strange as well as sometimes totally inedible.
It does not have to be so. With good quality recipes it is possible to still produce delicious diabetic chocolate cake along with other diabetic sweets that are perfect for yourself and even the whole family. And you probably know this, less sugar in your diet is a must if you have diabetic issues but great for your family too – especially when they cannot taste the difference!
By: Iain Steele