Diabetics and Nutrition

For a diabetic, nutrition plays a crucial role. It prevents the complications related with diabetes and helps to treat the disease. Your body demands the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to produce energy for its functions. It's important that you know what and how much to consume, in order to keep your blood sugar levels in control. 

Protein
Protein is required for fuel energy. However, most of the people consume more protein than needed. Lean meats, fish, chicken, and lean beef products are the best sources of protein. Remember; the way of cooking them is important too. Avoid the high fat methods of cooking. Switch to grilling or broiling your food. It tastes delicious and is low in fats. If you are suffering from kidney problems, it's vital to keep a check on your protein intake.

Fats
All fats are not bad. Your body does need fat to protect your inner organs. Fat contains concentrated energy. It regulates your body temperature, and helps in healing inflammation and pain. Fats also help in the absorption of fat-soluble Vitamins like A, D, and E. 

It is the excess fat that is harmful. Avoid trans fat completely and reduce the intake of saturated fats so that it is below seven percent of your total intake of calories everyday. Start reading the food labels. There are many foods that contain zero trans fat. Include fish products such as salmon or sardines in your diet. Also, start using vegetable oils to get sufficient essential fats for your body.

Carbohydrates
This is another important component of our diet. Like fats, carbohydrates are also good and bad types. The steadiness of your blood sugar levels depend on the type of carbohydrate you are taking. It is easy to count your carbohydrates. Every packet of food that you pick up from the store has carbohydrates in each serving. You should go for complex carbohydrates and avoid the simple ones.

Most of the simple carbohydrates are found in sugar related foods. It includes most of the sweets. Simple carbohydrates are broken down right away to convert them into fuel. However, complex carbohydrates, which are good for your body, take longer to be processed. The most popular sugar substitute used by the diabetics is Splenda. You can utilize it to bake with. As long as you are sure that your blood sugar levels are in control, it is okay to consume a little sugar.

Calorie Counting 
If you are keeping a track on your calories as a technique to reduce weight or control your blood sugar levels, then you make sure that you are taking plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables so that your body gets sufficient vitamins and minerals. Include beans, peas, green leafy vegetables, fruit juices, nuts, and other healthy foods in your diet.

One of the best ways to treat diabetes is to eat a healthy diet. So, kick off the junk and processed food, and welcome fresh and nutritious food in your plate!

Diabetes In The Office

This weeks post is going to be something dear and special to me, it is about dealing with Diabetes in the office. I have been a Diabetic Type 2 for about 6 years and have been Insulin Dependent Type 2 Diabetic; injecting insulin shots 5 times a day for 3 years. So the observations in this post will be from my own personal experiences. And the reactions of my fellow employees are personal and real.

It is amazing to see and hear how today's society deals and comes to grips with diabetes in the workplace. It is varied amongst the office. With the employees that understand it and those who don't. Also it is varied with the employees that seem to want to help and then the small percentage of the few that seem disgusted and don't want anything to do with it.

Lets start with the employees that care. I kept a spare Insulin Pen in the companies refrigerator with my name on it along with what it was. I also handed out about 8 to 10 pouches of Quick Acting glucose gel to various employees around the company. This was for the unfortunate time that I might have a low glucose episode. And of course they knew which drawer in my desk that I kept all my diabetic supplies. And they knew where to obtain my emergency numbers. And when it came to those special holidays and celebration days, they know to help me keep control of all the scrumptious sweet all around the office. It even got to the point when they had Donut Day on Thursdays, the boss’s would bring low sugar or sugar-free pastries in. That is when I felt the concern from “most” of the employees at my workplace.

But, where there is good there is almost always bad. And yes, I am talking about the employees that didn't want anything to do with diabetes or with me knowing I was diabetic. The one thing that sticks out the most for me is one incident that happened in the main employee break room. With the type of insulin that I inject, I am suppose to inject it right before I eat. I mean, the injection has to take place 2 to 5 minutes before I place the fork in my mouth. On this particular day, one of the main managers in my company, called me to his office and said a lot of people complained about seeing my inject under my shirt in the corner of the beak room and it “grossed” them out or made them queasy. Now for one, NO blood is ever seen since it is a clear liquid going in. And two, the size of the needle is only 3mm long (about the size of a strand of hair). Now give me a break, I could have gone to rest room and back in the break room but I eat lunch everyday with the same people, the same people year after year and they don't get “grossed” out.

In all, I think society needs to come to grips with Diabetes. It is a growing epidemic. And speaking out on insulin diabetics in public is also coming from the people that say public breast feeding is wrong. There is way more things wrong in this world than worry about medicating yourself in public. I am a STRONG advocate for diabetes in the workplace and diabetes research that I have become an advocate for the American Disabilities Act in the workplace.

Diabetes Symptoms



All too often we get sick but ignore the symptoms we may be feeling, shrugging them off to a cold, stress from work, or just not feeling well.

There are certain symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored if they develop. These symptoms could lead to blindness, amputation of limbs, coma or even death. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often come on suddenly and are severely dramatic. The extra stress of diabetes can lead to something called diabetic ketoacidosis.

Symptoms of ketoacidosis may include nausea and vomiting, which may also lead to dehydration and serious problems with the blood levels of potassium. This could lead to a diabetic coma and ultimately death. Other symptoms of diabetes may include extreme fatigue. We all get tired at times, but diabetes triggers a more severe fatigue than normal.

People with diabetes also experience unexplained weight loss. This is because they are unable to process many of the calories they consume. Losing sugar and water in the urine also contributes to the weight loss. Extreme thirst is another symptom of diabetes. Diabetes develops high blood sugar levels and the body tries to compensate by diluting the blood, which translates to our brain that we are thirsty. With this is also excessive urination. It is another way our bodies have of getting rid of the extra sugar in our system. But this can also lead to dehydration.

One of the hardest symptoms to deal with is poor wound healing. Wounds heal slowly, if at all when the carrier has diabetes. This along with infections that are not easily remedied can attribute to ulcers and loss of limbs.

Vegetarian Diabetes Diet

Diabetics must choose any food they eat very carefully, as each food choice they make has a profound impact on their overall health on a meal-to-meal basis. Diabetes affects people of all ages, both genders, from all walks of life and backgrounds. Untreated, it can cause wounds to heal slowly, infections take longer to cure, blindness, and kidney failure. Diet is one of the most important ways of controlling diabetes, and a vegetarian lifestyle with its emphasis on low fat, high fiber, and nutrient-rich foods is very complementary.

Affecting more than 30 million people worldwide, this disease inhibits the body from properly processing foods. Usually, most of the food we eat is digested and converted to glucose, a sugar which is carried by the blood to all cells in the body and used for energy. The hormone insulin then helps glucose pass into cells. But diabetics are unable to control the amount of glucose in their blood because the mechanism which converts sugar to energy does not work correctly. Insulin is either absent, present in insufficient quantities or ineffective. As a result glucose builds up in the bloodstream and leads to problems such as weakness, inability to concentrate, loss of co-ordination and blurred vision.  If the correct balance of food intake and insulin isn’t maintained, a diabetic can also experience blood sugar levels that are too low. If this state continues for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to coma and even death.

Though incurable, diabetes can be successfully controlled through diet and exercise, oral medications, injections of insulin, or a combination. Instead of counting calories diabetics must calculate their total carbohydrate intake so that no less than half their food is made up of complex carbohydrates. Many diabetic vegetarians have discovered that as a result of their meatless diet, they’ve had to use insulin injections less, which gives them a feeling of power and control over their disease.

Diabetes Symptoms

All too often we get sick but ignore the symptoms we may be
feeling, shrugging them off to a cold, stress from work, or
just not feeling well.

There are certain symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored if
they develop. These symptoms could lead to blindness,
amputation of limbs, coma or even death.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often come on suddenly and are
severely dramatic. The extra stress of diabetes can lead to
something called diabetic ketoacidosis.

Symptoms of ketoacidosis may include nausea and vomiting,
which may also lead to dehydration and serious problems
with the blood levels of potassium. This could lead to a
diabetic coma and ultimately death.

Other symptoms of diabetes may include extreme fatigue. We
all get tired at times, but diabetes triggers a more severe
fatigue than normal.

People with diabetes also experience unexplained weight
loss. This is because they are unable to process many of
the calories they consume. Losing sugar and water in the
urine also contributes to the weight loss.

Extreme thirst is another symptom of diabetes. Diabetes
develops high blood sugar levels and the body tries to
compensate by diluting the blood, which translates to our
brain that we are thirsty.

With this is also excessive urination. It is another way
our bodies have of getting rid of the extra sugar in our
system. But this can also lead to dehydration.

One of the hardest symptoms to deal with is poor wound
healing. Wounds heal slowly, if at all when the carrier has
diabetes. This along with infections that are not easily
remedied can attribute to ulcers and loss of limbs.

Food Obsession !!

Sometimes as a diabetics, it really helps in our "therapy" to just write and ramble on. Sorta like just unloading what is on our chest or what is on our minds. I really dont know what made me think of this subject but I was thinking about it on the drive to my job this morning.

I am a new "insulin pusher" as of 2 weeks ago, however I have been on Byetta and various other diabetes pills over the course of the last 4 years. So being on insulin is a whole new world for me. Sometimes, it seems to be over whelming.

So why is there an obsession with food? it seems it is a constant thought in the mind. Having to set the units to what is eaten is good but you try to keep the carbs as low as possible. Then in no time the stomach is growling. This happens after each meal. One has to look for low carb foods and has to research which foods are filling but yet dont have many carbs. I guess this goes all back to carb counting but that will be another blog another day.

It just gets frustrating on having to watch everything that goes in the system and having to calculate it, count it, measure it and so forth. I am sure one day I will have all this as second nature. But in the meantime, it is very frustrating.           

The Feeling Of Consumption

   After my last visit to my Endo and the quite lengthy consultation with her, I now feel that being an insulin dependent diabetic is very life consuming. With all things considered, I know it has to be. All the daily shots (which total 5 a day) and let's not forget the famous Metformin (which is 2000mg per day). Then of course all the other pills like High Blood Pressure, High Tryglicerides and Depression (now is double the dose). I feel like a walking pharmacy at times.


   As for my diet, I am really trying hard to maintain a Vegetarian diet or at least the Flexitarian diet (with occzasional fish). I do know that living like this is better for the environment and for my health. I have already seen my cholesterol drop drastically. And exercise is basicall walking, yoga and light cardio at the gym. I do know some is better than none. I used to do alot of ouside gardening but the recent Texas heat has taken a major toll on my gardens. There is always next year. That is the kind of sweat I like doing.

   As for feeling over whelmed, it is the constant thinking of what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. I try to keep my total meal carbs at a maximun of 40 carbs. Am always thinking of that next meal and the meds involved with that meal. What to eat before and after a workout and how much insulin is needed for that workout.

   Not to mention, the last things my Endo told me is that within a year I will be put on the PUMP. Now that was the last "needle in my haystack". Do I feel relieved or a failure? It is just all overwhelming to me. I am just CONSUMED with diabetes at this point in my life.

Spreading the SparkPeople.com



I recently purchased the domain - DiabeticVIP.com . The VIP stands for Vegetarian Insulin Patient. I have pointed it to my personal profile page on SparkPeople in hopes to help spread the word of SparkPeople. I have also set up a Twitter and Facebook account with DiabeticVIP to further the spread of SparkPeople.


Since I have taken the lead to become Team Leader on 3 different teams, I feel I dont need a personal website as this will now become my main source of Blogging and getting my body fit and healthy. There is so much work and information that can be communicated here. I love this site. I feel that it is going to transform my life as well as helping other transform theirs.

All I can say is - Thank you SparkPeople for helping me become a new me.