If you have diabetes, everything you eat and drink should be part of your recommended meal plan. Otherwise, you risk developing complications or health risks due to a blood sugar count that is either too low or too high. When you have diabetes, it’s often a case of ensuring balance in your life – physical activity, weight range, blood sugar and yes, a well-balanced diet.

The Food Pyramid

The diabetes food pyramid is divided into 6 food groups. These food groups are outlined below, starting at the top, which makes up the smallest portion of the pyramid and ending with the bottom, which should contain the largest portions in a diet plan. The recommended servings per day are enclosed in parentheses:

• Sweets, fats and alcohol (small servings only, preferably reserved for very special occasions).
• Meat and meat substitutes including tofu (4 to 6 oz).
• Milk (2 to 3 servings).
• Fruit (2 to 4 servings).
• Vegetables (3 to 5 servings).
• Grains (6 to 11 servings) and starchy vegetables (3 to 5 servings).

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach diet has been popularized and promoted by many weight loss gurus because it is quite effective in helping people lose and maintain weight. For people with Type II diabetes, however, the South Beach diet may not always be effective. Experts cite its adverse effects on people who have problems with their kidney functions. If you’re considering using the South Beach diet and you have Type II diabetes, you may want to consult your doctor first. The South Beach diet may not be a good diet plan to follow especially if you have impaired kidney functions caused by diabetes.

The Caveman Diet

A rather extreme form of diet that some people are recommending is the caveman diet or the Stone Age diet. It is argued that diabetes didn’t seem to plague cavemen and that majority of the foods included in the caveman diet are similar to the foods recommended for diabetes.

Consider, for example, the fact that refined grains and sugars were nonexistent and that fat was not taken in large amounts. Other foods associated with obesity (and therefore contributory to Type II diabetes), such as salt, hydrogenated fats, vegetable oils and even milk were also not readily available. What was present was high fiber and fresh, all natural fruits, meats and vegetables.

While this diet may seem a little strange, it is not totally without sense. What it promotes is the use of fresh foods and natural fiber, along with minimal intake of refined or processed sugars carbohydrates and oils. In other words, use a simple but healthful diet plan to help combat the effects of Type II diabetes.

Looking for a Diabetes Diet Plan

The best way to ensure that you follow the recommended portion and that you eat only the recommended foods for Type II diabetes is to work with a dietitian or nutritionist. This is especially important if you are pregnant. Pregnancy may require special diets, especially if you’re diabetic.

However, there are certain sources for free diet plans you can use, perfect if you’re looking for a way to maintain a diet on a daily basis. The American Diabetes Association website has plenty of information about Type II diabetes diet along with a list of foods that may be included on a menu. Diabetes Educators also has a website where you’ll find plenty of free recipes, diet plans and recommended food portions.

Putting a Diet Plan into Practice

Just because you have this condition doesn’t mean you should stop living an active, healthy life. You will have to deal with certain restrictions, however, but with conscientious maintenance and a good diet, there is no reason why you should be limited by your condition.

Following a recommended and sensible diabetes Type II diet will take some effort on your part, especially if you’re used to a more lenient lifestyle. However, remember that maintaining a sensible diet is important to help you live a healthy and productive life. Use the resources and information that you already have and look for extra help if you need it. Controlling this health problem is possible and only you can make sure of that.

If obese or overweight Americans don’t begin to eat right and fit more exercise into their schedules, there could be another economic crisis on the horizon, according to Dr. Joseph Donnelly, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management at the University of Kansas.

“No one, and I mean no one has any idea how we’re going to financially deal with this when we wind up with 35 to 50 percent of Americans with Type II diabetes,” Donnelly said. “It will bankrupt the healthcare system.”

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About 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, he said, a condition that can lead to a multitude of health conditions including Type II diabetes, heart attack, stroke, breast cancer and arthritis.

“It’s a disaster and it’s not waiting to happen, it’s happened,” Donnelly said. “I don’t believe there’s another medical condition or disease that affects 66 percent of the population.”

Donnelly and a team of researchers recently released a study that says adults need 250 to 400 minutes of exercise a week to lose weight. That’s about 35 to 60 minutes a day.

The report prompted the American College of Sports Medicine to update its 2001 physical activity guidelines for weight loss, which had recommended 150 to 300 minutes of exercise per week for overweight and obese adults, or about 20 to 43 minutes a day.

If you’re of normal weight and you don’t want to gain, the 2009 guidelines say you need to exercise about 150 to 250 minutes per week or about 20 to 35 minutes a day.

The exercise should be moderate intensity, which can be compared to brisk walking, Donnelly said.

The study, called “Appropriate Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults” examined exercise only, but to lose weight, you must also restrict calories, Donnelly said.

Resistance training (weight or band exercise) is not effective in weight loss, but it is important to maintain muscle mass during weight loss, Donnelly said.

There are a constellation of weight loss/diet combinations, but the bottom line is, “good things happen” when you burn 2,000 to 2,500 calories a week with exercise, Donnelly said.

Is it realistic?

Spinning is a high intensity form of stationary bicycling done in a group setting. Amy Bruns, 43, of Ventura, goes to spin class two to three times a week because she can get more intense exercise into a shorter period of time. Like many Americans, time is at a premium for Bruns. The dietician was not surprised to hear that exercise guidelines had been increased. But she wondered whether it was realistic for people to follow them.

“I don’t believe it’s particularly achievable with our American lifestyle,” Bruns said. “People have children, jobs, sports and other commitments.”

Ventura Family YMCA Healthy Lifestyles Director Rich Gross believes the most important thing is to get moving for 15, 20, 30 minutes. Just get started.

“I would rather people take small steps in the right direction rather than set themselves up to fail,” he said. “By shooting for seven days a week and attaining only four or five and feeling like they didn’t attain their goal, they get discouraged and quit.”

Donnelly believes the 35 to 60 minute-per-day exercise goal is realistic. It’s a matter of re-setting priorities.

“The average American watches four hours of television a day,” he said. “Both (former President George W.) Bush and President (Barack) Obama are dedicated exercisers. I mean, they’ve got nothing to do? I don’t buy that at all.”

‘The Weight of the Nation’
How much our obesity epidemic will cost us will be released in a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a national conference in July in Washington, D.C., called “The Weight of the Nation.”

Dr. Beth Tohill, lead epidemiologist for the CDC’s Obesity Guidelines and Recommendation team, gave a preview.

“I can tell you that the obesity prevalence has continued to go up the past couple of years,” she said. “Not one state has slowed down.”

According to the CDC, 59 percent of adults in California were overweight in 2007 and about 50 percent said they were not engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity.

The last time the CDC released data about the national cost of obesity was 2000, when the obesity-related illnesses contributed an extra $117 billion to the national medical bill.

Tohill said the CDC is holding its conference in Washington to encourage lawmakers to create policies to help Americans cut the fat.

“The CDC’s direction is, we want to understand the behaviors,” she said. “We know what to do. Why aren’t we doing it? It’s going to be environmental or policy change.”

[relatedposts]The CDC also has physical activity guidelines, but only for those seeking the health benefits of exercise, and not necessarily weight loss. Its guideline is 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week.

The experts all agree that it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you choose, as long as you get moving.

“I’m not saying people have to come to a gym,” the YMCA’s Gross said. “If you can do it at home, find what works.”

Donnelly reminded those on the road to weight loss about the real work that begins once the weight is off.

“The key of course is maintaining the weight you have lost and for that, physical activity is king,” Donnelly said.

By Kim Lamb Gregory

Simple blood test for blood sugar levels

However it does mean that you are susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease if you do nothing about it.

Unfortunately, more often than not, there are no physical symptoms to warn you if you are in a pre-diabetes stage. So it’s worth getting yourself checked out and, if you fall into any of these categories, ask your physician if you are likely to be at risk of pre-diabetes:

• You are overweight and you are aged 45 or older
• Your weight is OK and you’re aged 45+. Ask your doctor during a routine check-up if testing is appropriate for you
• You are an adult under age 45 and you are overweight
• You have high blood pressure; low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides
• Your family has a history of diabetes
• There’s a history of gestational diabetes in your family
• You have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• You belong to an ethnic or minority group that has a high risk for diabetes, such as African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino.

you can take positive action to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart diseaseThe good news is, if after testing you discover that you do have pre-diabetes; your blood-sugar levels are rather higher than they should be but not in the diabetes range, you can take positive action to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

• Reduce the amount on your plate – eating just a little less helps reduce your risk factor.
• Avoid snacks; if you must snack go for a healthy rather than sugar-laden option.
• Drink a glass of water 10 minutes before eating to take the edge of your appetite so you don’t overindulge in food.
• Choose whole-grain foods or sugar-free foods.
• Take a little more exercise; such as walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift or an escalator.
• Don’t shop for food when you are feeling hungry. You’ll be more tempted to buy the foods that increase your blood-sugars; add on weight and generally create a higer risk of moving from your pre-diabetes state into being a fully diagnosed type 2 diabetic.

[relatedposts]Taking these and other simple actions can reduce your risk of turning pre-diabetes into type 2 diabetes.

Living with Type II Diabetes?

Diabetes Type II Schematic

For many people with type 2 diabetes, controlling blood sugar is a struggle every day. In fact, a report issued last year by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) showed that two out of three Americans with type 2 diabetes analyzed in a study were not in control of their blood sugar.

It is important to control blood sugar because it lowers the risk of serious health problems later. Diabetes can cause heart disease, stroke, blindness, loss of limbs and kidney disease.

But now, there’s new help to better manage type 2 diabetes. Life and fitness coach Bob Harper of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and a panel of diabetes experts created easy-to-understand and motivational steps people can take to get their blood sugar down. They are called 6.5 Steps Toward Better Blood Sugar Control. These steps are different because they can fit easily into everyday living.

But I learned that anyone can change their life“Through my years of coaching and training, I’ve worked with many people with type 2 diabetes and have seen how hard it can be to live with this disease,” said Bob Harper. “But I learned that anyone can change their life. It’s all about finding the right tools and motivation. I urge people with type 2 diabetes to step it up and use the 6.5 Steps and make them a part of their daily lives.”

The 6.5 Steps can help people with type 2 diabetes every day because they focus on the basics of diabetes management: eating healthy, being physically active, monitoring blood sugar and, when appropriate, taking one or more medicines. These all play a part to help lower blood sugar.

Healthy Eating: Healthy eating reduces the risk for complications such as heart disease and stroke. Good choices include many foods, such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat dairy products, beans, and lean meats, poultry and fish. There is no one perfect food, but watching portion sizes is key to a healthy diet.

Physical Activity: Regular physical activity can lower blood sugar levels. It can also help manage weight and reduce the risk of developing heart disease and high blood pressure. There are little things people with type 2 diabetes can do every day to be more active, such as walking with a friend or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

[relatedposts]Blood Sugar Monitoring: There are two tests for checking blood sugar. One test is the blood sugar monitoring that patients do on their own. It gives people with diabetes a check of their blood sugar level at the time the test is taken. The other one is called the A1C test. The A1C test shows a person’s average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months. Experts say that a good A1C goal is 6.5 percent or less for most people with type 2 diabetes.

Medicines: Most people with type 2 diabetes take medicine to help control their blood sugar levels. Many need more than one medicine to help treat the disease in different ways.

For people with type 2 diabetes, it is important that they team up with their doctor or other health care professional and think of them as a partner. They should work with their health care team to make a plan to get their blood sugar under control.

Living with Type II Diabetes?

Diabetes Type II Schematic

Type I diabetes, also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in that the body stops producing insulin altogether. Type I diabetes is generally diagnosed in children or young adults. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in older adults, however, it is becoming substantially more prevalent in the younger population.

With the onset of diabetes, whether it be Type I or Type 2, we lose our ability to adequately utilize sugar. When this occurs, blood sugar levels increase due to the body’s inability to transport sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream. Sugar is very important in that it is the basic fuel source for the cells in our bodies. Insulin is necessary for the transport of sugar from the blood and into the cells.

Diabetes is a serious condition and can lead to many other health problems. Some problems that diabetics commonly encounter are an increased risk for heart and circulatory problems, high blood pressure, visual problems and blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. With the diagnosis of diabetes, it becomes extremely important that blood sugar fluctuations are tightly controlled. With good control of blood sugar levels and the prevention of prolonged periods of elevated blood sugar, people with diabetes can live long and healthy lives.

Diabetes is a serious condition and can lead to many other health problemsFortunately for the newly diagnosed diabetic, there are more and more tools available to help monitor and control the condition. Glucose meters are becoming smaller and easier to use. Blood samples necessary for glucose meter use are much smaller than in the past. Painful finger pricks can now be avoided with blood samples being able to be taken from alternate, less sensitive areas, such as the forearm. In the relatively near future, there will be non-invasive glucose monitoring devices not requiring a sample of blood at all.

A simple blood test, known as the A1c test, can measure the average blood glucose levels over the previous three months. This test is a very good way to monitor and critique how effective current treatments, diet, medications, etc. have been recently. This test is now available for home use and as such does not even require a visit to the doctor.

Type 2 diabetics have more options available to them for blood sugar control than do Type I diabetics. Not only are there oral medications, often eliminating the need for insulin injection treatment, but other methods that may eliminate the need for medications altogether.

Type 2 diabetics should look to multiple sources of information in order to determine the best methods available to deal with their condition. A good start is a physician specializing in the treatment of diabetes. Most physician specialists will have nutritional counseling available to help understand the relationship of various food items with blood sugar levels.

Additionally, diabetics should become very familiar with vitamin, mineral, and herbal options to improve blood sugar metabolism and control. A few examples of supplements that are well known to help in this regard are chromium, magnesium, and vanadyl sulfate. Various natural glucose transport factors can be very helpful in aiding the body’s transport of glucose from the blood and into the cells. Vanadyl sulfate has been shown to improve glucose sensitivity and decrease insulin resistance.

[relatedposts]Various herbal preparations have been shown to significantly improve blood sugar levels, sugar metabolism, and reportedly even improve the function of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Notably, Gymnema sylvestre, known as “sugar destroyer” in Sandskrit, has been shown to have positive effects and benefits for diabetics.

Along with proper nutrition, appropriate supplements and vitamins, other important considerations are weight control and exercise. Excess weight tremendously increases the burden on the pancreas as fat requires much more insulin than lean tissue. Exercise not only helps control body fat and reduce weight, but additionally aids the transport of sugar from the blood and into the cells.

Diabetes is a very serious condition, but proper diet, glucose monitoring, and exercise can substantially improve our ability to control the condition. We should attempt to educate ourselves not only in the importance of tight blood sugar control, but also the various methods and options available to help in this regard. By utilizing good judgment in diet, weight control, exercise, and appropriate supplementation, diabetics can markedly reduce complications and lead long and healthy lives.

Living with Type II Diabetes?