Health and You

Archive for July, 2010

To maintain a correct blood sugar, the following seven principles have to be adopted by the diabetic patients, whether they have low-sugar or high sugar.

Principle one:
Adopt a diet higher in protein, lower in simple carbohydrates and with only a moderate amount of fat. A diet of nuts, wholesome grains like wheat, ragi and very little of rice, all kinds of wholesome grains and for fat a little raw-coconut or mustard of sesame seeds.

Principle two:
Eat slow absorbing carbohydrates rather than faster foods. i.e., whole grains, fruits and vegetables which break down sugar in a time consuming manner.

Principle three:
Grace, don’t stuff. Try spacing out the meals into smaller, less elaborate snacks.

Principle four:
Say good-bye to fast foods. Most of the highly refined, sugary foods contain hyper concentrated sugar. These “sweet nothings” are enough to challenge the sugar thermostat of a big elephant. Every bit of these sticky sweet confections throws the pancreas into a high-stage, red alert, in a biochemical panic to combat the infusion of high power sugars. The wild variations of sugar and insulin will put a tremendous strain on the pancreas and other organs, at once sending the energy level through the roof, then bringing it crashing down again, which leads to hyperglycemia/hypoglycemia syndrome. Therefore, give up those fast foods/junk foods today itself.

Principle five:
Say good-bye to tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco. Since diabetes is a disease of unnecessary ups and downs, it is better to minimize the causes of these gyrations. Getting rid of artificial stimulants is the best way to do this. Further, the cycle of low blood sugar and high stimulants puts a real strain on several of the most important organs, including adrenal glands, stomach, nervous systems and cardio vascular systems. So give them up today itself.

Principle six:
If you are overweight, reduce. Losing weight will help the arteries and kidneys not to mention the sex life. It may also help lower the risk of fluctuations in the blood sugar level.

Principle seven:
Always be on the move. Do some exercises whenever you get time. Especially do some yoga or simply walk for 40 minutes every day, early in the morning, on empty stomach. Always sit straight, which will help you to burn fat faster.

When a patient feels like Hypoglycemia related symptoms, take a low-sugar, high-protein snack such as a handful of nuts or some low-fat-butter milk or some complex carbohydrates. If after eating, the patient feels the symptoms subside, it suggests that the problem may be due to an over sensitive food-insulin-blood sugar action. Instead of this, if the patient takes refined sugar or simple carbohydrates, that will make a high-sugar reaction. What the patient actually needs is a high protein or complex carbohydrates (Groundnuts / Coconuts / Dates / Papaya) that will gradually release protein or complex carbohydrates into the blood stream which will not only of if. In short, the effect will be ‘retarded release of sugar’.