Archive for January, 2011

Diabetes – Learning To Eat The Right Foods To Keep Your Blood Sugar Low

January 30th, 2011


If you have been diagnosed with Diabetes than one of the most important things you can do is to have a good diet plan. Your blood sugar levels need to be stable in your body and having the right foods to eat will help maintain this. There are many different diets options available for you and it is a good idea to try several and see what your body reacts the best to. Getting the right nutrition can help slow down any damage that you can get to your body from diabetes.

One of the best things to do when getting involved with a diet that is favorable to a diabetic is to what the amount of sugar and carbohydrate intake that you have. The carbohydrates basically will turn to sugar once they are digested into the blood stream. It is also a good rule of thumb that food that is grown is usually ok to eat. You should also include more starches to your diet such as, cereal and bread.

One of the other important factors is weight control if you have diabetes. You should have a healthy lifestyle when deciding a diet plan. It is important to maintain a healthy weight so that it will keep your blood sugar in control. Alcohol consumption and smoking will complicate your condition and can cause further damage so it is always a good idea to stay away from these items.

It is always good to remember that if you have diabetes you can have a healthy lifestyle and a controlled diet to help you have control over your blood sugar and your life.

By: Bryan Burbank

About the Author:
Learn how to find: The Best Diet for Diabetes

Get Great Advice About: Losing Weight

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Weight Loss.

http://findadietplan.com



How to Eat a Low GI Diet to Balance Your Blood Sugar

January 30th, 2011


The Glycemic Diet is a diet which is based on a scale which is known as the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index (or G.I. for short) depends on how quickly a food is converted into sugar in the body. Foods with a higher G.I. number are more quickly converted into sugar than foods with a low G.I. number. They are rated on a scale of 1 to 100. It is a method of ranking carbohydrate foods. Food substances rated above 60 are usually considered to be of high GI value.

Low GI foods take a longer time to digest and are slowly released into the bloodstream. High GI foods digest quite quickly and result in rapidly releasing the glucose into the bloodstream which stimulates excessive production of insulin. Hence, low GI diet is advisable in balancing blood sugar. It is proved that low glycemic food helps to reduce the incidence of Type II diabetes and helps in controlling Type I and II diabetes.

Eating low GI diet doesn’t mean that only foods with low GI values are to be consumed. It is advisable to substitute high GI foods with low GI foods whenever possible and low GI foods are to be included in each meal. Medium and high-GI foods can be consumed in moderation.

Usually, GI diets contain low fats that are 30 percent of calories, moderate proteins that is about 20 percent of calories and approximately 50 percent of calories from carbohydrates. Paleocarbs are carbohydrates which contain vegetables, fruits and tubers. All these carbohydrates are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals and most of them have a low GI value. Consuming low GI diet is a way of controlling carbohydrate intake while including carbohydrate foods in the diet.

Below mentioned are a few food substances which can be consumed as low GI Diet –
Low GI sources of vegetable protein:

o Beans.
o Green beans
o Soya
o Lentils
o Legumes
o Nuts
o Leafy vegetables
o Salads
o Mushrooms

Low GI sources of animal protein:

o Sliced ham
o Smoked beef
o Smoked chicken
o Lower fat sausages like chicken or pork
o Skinned chicken
o Dairy products like yogurt, whole, low fat or skimmed milk.
o White chocolate

Low GI sources of carbohydrates:

o Wheat rice
o Fresh tomato
o Pickles
o Peppers
o Sweet potato
o Corn
o Seaweed
o Pasta
o Fruits
o Cerals
o Noodles

Below mentioned is a list of High GI foods which are not recommended or are recommended in moderation –
High GI Foods-

o Dates.
o Watermelon.
o Parsnips, swede and cooked carrots.
o Broad beans,.
o Pumpkin.
o White bread.
o Cornflakes.
o Baked and mashed potatoes.
o Chips.
o White rice.
o Popcorn.
o Wafer biscuits etc.

Hence, a diet with low GI is quite beneficial not only in controlling the blood sugar but also helps in keeping the insulin levels balanced and helps in the management of diabetes. Low GI satisfies our hunger for a longer period of time and also helps in reducing our food cravings. Low GI foods helps in reducing weight too.

By: Jason Szova

About the Author:
This article has reprint rights you can reprint this article on your website or anywhere on the web just make sure. That the resource box is intact: This article has been brought to you by Real Results Magazine if you would like more free information on health fitness fat loss and bodybuilding please visit [http://RealResultsMagazine.com] If you want to transform your body this year visit [http://totalbodytransformations.com]



ADHD and Sugar – The Truth About the Effects of Sugar on Your Child

January 30th, 2011


ADHD and sugar is a huge topic of debate between parents of children with ADHD who have seen the effects of sugar on their kids, and doctors and scientists who say that sugar has no effect on children one way or the other. The fact is that all the scientific evidence is inconclusive either way. Sugar may or may not have a real effect on children with ADHD, but it’s probably better to be safe than sorry, as a low-sugar diet is good for general health, at any rate.

What Sugar Does

You’ve probably already heard that sugar is simply empty calories. This means that eating sugar fills up your calorie quota for the day without adding any vital nutrients and vitamins to your body. In an age of childhood obesity, this alone should be enough to cause you to steer your child away from consuming large amounts of sugar.

Further than this, though, sugar actually leaches nutrients from the body because it takes so many nutrients and vitamins to process it. This may link ADHD and sugar intake because many people are beginning to believe that ADHD is caused or exacerbated by nutritional deficits in a child’s diet. If this is the case, eating more sugar may cause an even higher deficiency in nutrients, causing ADHD symptoms or making them worse.

ADHD and sugar have also been linked because many children with ADHD do not metabolize sugar properly. Even people who process sugar normally can experience blood sugar rushes and crashes after a high-sugar, mostly-carbohydrate meal, and the effects of sugar can be even stronger in ADHD children.

What This Means for Your Child

As has been stated, the actual scientific evidence linking ADHD and sugar is inconclusive. Most studies have shown that sugar doesn’t cause hyperactivity, but some studies have proven that high sugar intake can make it more difficult for a child to concentrate, which could, in turn, exacerbate other ADHD symptoms, as a child who isn’t concentrating is likely not to listen to directions and to generally run a little wild.

The good news is that unlike many other nutritional problems that may contribute to your child’s ADHD, you can easily control his or her sugar intake. This is, in fact, one of the first recommended alternative methods of treatment for ADHD.

Another treatment option that seems to be at the forefront of available treatments is homeopathic remedies. A good homeopathic remedy can be just as effective as an ADHD prescription drug, without the harmful side effects. It can regulate the chemicals in your child’s brain, allowing your child to be able to focus and concentrate better. Controlling how much sugar your child eats along with placing him on a homeopathic remedy may be just the safe, natural ADHD cure you’re looking for.

To control your child’s sugar intake, start small. Don’t try to strip her of all her favorite foods in one day. Instead, slowly cut out those treats with the highest sugar content and replace them with healthier alternatives. For instance, replace a sugary breakfast cereal with a bowl of creamy oatmeal sweetened with honey. You can also try new recipes for cookies and candies that involve less sugar.

Since ADHD and sugar haven’t yet been linked in most scientific studies, there’s no way to know just what effect a low-sugar diet will have on your ADHD child. But because of the effects of sugar on the body in general, trying to eliminate sugary items from your fridge and pantry will make your whole family happier and healthier.

By: Shannon Pollock

About the Author:
Shannon Pollock is a passionate advocate of natural health remedies who has been researching their use for many years. Find out more about some of the most effective treatments for ADHD on her site, Natural Health Remedies and More.