Meal planning for diabetics

meal planning for diabetics
meal planning for diabetics

When it comes to going on vacations or holidays it can often times seem overwhelming and confusing especially if you are trying to take care of meal planning for diabetics.

I know for me personally I have several diabetics in my family such as my grandmother and it often times can get discouraging trying to make sure we have meals that we all can enjoy but that won’t affect her sugar. For diabetics it can get tricky but the key part is not to let it get to you and impact how you feel about the situation.

When it comes to meal planning for diabetics or her in general I will make my meals ahead of time and not add any sugar to my baked beans, green beans or any other dish until I pull her a few spoonfuls out into a separate container so that she has her own without sugar. After, I remove her some food without the sugar then I can add any type of seasoning that I would like to the rest of the food. This will prevent her from having too much sugar but also allow her to eat what the rest of us is eating without feeling left out.

Meal planning for diabetics can be tricky around the holidays because there is so many different, yummy, sugary foods and deserts to eat and fix so I try to buy sugar substitutes such as Splenda or Sweet in Low and use instead of regular sugar because diabetics are allowed to use sugar substitutes.

Meal planning for diabetics can be rather challenging but by knowing what you can and can’t do is a great start to being able to plan accordingly so that the diabetic doesn’t feel left out and neither does anyone else.

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Manage Diabetes with Vanadium

vanadium diabetes
Vanadium Diabetes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Managing Diabetes with Vanadium

Vanadium is a trace element that occurs naturally in both animals and plants.

Although it is not yet classified as an essential nutrient, Vanadium is a very important potential medicinal agent mainly because it appears to mimic the actions of insulin because of its unique ability to normalize blood glucose levels. Animal studies and a few human studies have proven that vanadium lowers blood sugar level and improves sensitivity to insulin. In one human study, vanadium also lowered the total bad cholesterol (LDL).

What is the relationship between vanadium and diabetes?

Research shows that vanadium improves the body’s metabolism of glucose (also known as blood sugar). Moreover, it promotes the glucose of blood sugar into the cells where it is normally broken down and used to produce energy.

Compounds of vanadium have several insulin-like effects which include the ability to significantly improve insulin resistance and homeostasis in patients with diabetes mellitus. Moreover, it improves muscle and liver sensitivity in patients with type II diabetes.

How does vanadium work?

The compounds found in vanadium have the ability to stimulate the uptake of glucose, lipid and glycogen synthesis in adipose, hepatic and muscle tissues and the activities of gluconeogenic enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate and phosphoenol gluconeogenesis) in the kidney and liver. Moreover, the lipolysis in cells contributes to the anti-diabetic mechanisms and insulin-like effects of vanadium.

Vanadium activates various vital elements in the insulin signal transduction path-way in order to mediate metabolic actions of insulin in the body. Vanadium enhances insulin action and signaling because it increases the tyrosine phosphorylation of various substrate protein sand also inhibits the activity of PTPases (protein tyrosine phosphatases) which are negative regulators of the insulin signaling pathway.

· Hypoglycemic effect of Vanadium

Peroxovanadium and organic compounds have an acute glucose-lowering effect a few minutes or hours after their administration. Moreover, vanadium compounds have proven to be quite effective in modifying lipid and glucose metabolism in cultured cell lines, adipose tissue, muscle and the liver.

· Effect on glucose transport

Vanadium evokes an increase in the transportation of glucose which is psychologically relevant. It also restores the cell surface translocation and expression of insulin sensitive protein in the skeletal muscle and heart. Therefore, vanadium enhances glucose transportation through an effect on protein GLUT-4.

· Effect on glucogenesis

In addition to the stimulation of uptake and utilization of glucose, vanadium also decreases the production of hepatic glucose which in turn improves glucose homeostasis.

Clinical studies in human subjects have documented significant improvement in insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control.

Dietary sources of Vanadium for Diabetes

Some of the best sources of vanadium are

  • shellfish,
  • mushrooms,
  • parsley,
  • black pepper,
  • dill weed,
  • radishes,
  • cereals,
  • olives,
  • corn,
  • wine,
  • grains,
  • beer, and
  • grain products.

On the other hand, vanadium exists in various forms, including vanadate, vanadium oxide, vanadium pentoxide, and vandyl sulfate which are commonly found in various nutritional supplements.

Some of the herbs that contain vanadium in average amounts include parsley and dill.

How should vanadium be taken?

Vanadium supplements should not be given to children. Although we don’t know the exact amount of vanadium needed by the human body, the average diet normally provides 6 to 18 mcg of vanadium.

Precautions

Due to the interactions with medications and the potential side effects of vanadium, dietary supplements should be taken under the supervision of a knowledgeable and reliable medical practitioner. Common side effects of vanadium include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas and stomach pain.

People with anemia, an infection, high cholesterol, or health problems that cause low white blood cell count should not take vanadium without consulting a doctor first. Since vanadium may lower the blood sugar level, diabetics who are taking medication to control their blood sugar (drugs for diabetes) might be at risk of low blood sugar and hypoglycemia if they take vanadium.

Vanadium doses of more than 1.8 mg per day can cause kidney or liver damage.

Possible interactions

People who are being treated with medication such as antiplatelets (blood thinners) or anticoagulants should not take vanadium without consulting a health care provider. The risk of bleeding might increase when vanadium is taken with colopidogrel (plavix), warfarin (Coumadin), aspirin and heparin.

It is evident that the relationship between vanadium and diabetes is possibly promising and tenuous all at the same time. However, diabetes mellitus is still a major health problem for humans despite the availability of various oral glycaemic drugs and insulin.

Therefore, there is need for new therapeautic approaches that can treat diabetes effectively and more efficiently.

 

 

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Low cost diabetic supplies

low cost diabetic supplies
low cost diabetic supplies

Are you looking for a great place to purchase low cost diabetic supplies? Low cost diabetic supplies can be a big deal to a diabetic because without paying low cost for them the diabetic may not be able to take care of their diabetes properly and maintain them. For a diabetic if they don’t maintain their diabetes they can face long term medical problems which can mean more problems for them down the road that could even result in death.

Low cost diabetic supplies are a great way for someone to save money all while being able to take care of their diabetes at the same time as well as staying within budget and possibly even saving money. These days it seems like everyone is on tight budgets and for a lot of people they are having to make lifelong decisions between their health and being able to afford their medications, diabetic supplies and equipment and also their power bills or getting groceries. So by being able to have the options of low cost diabetic supplies can help them not have to make those tough decisions.

Low cost diabetic supplies can be found in a variety of ways, the most popular one is through the internet. There are many different websites that offer and promise you low cost diabetic supplies so that you can save time and money by being able to order your supplies online at low affordable costs.

Low cost diabetic supplies are a great alternative to helping people with diabetes maintain their diabetes and prevent from occurring other medical problems because they are faced to choose between medications and diabetic supplies and equipment instead of their standard bills.

Low cost diabetic supplies are the great alternative to being able to know that there are still good companies out there who will work with you so that you can stay healthy all while staying on a budget.

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What should be on a grocery list for diabetics?

 

grocery list for diabetics
grocery list for diabetics

Diabetes is a disease that changes the lives of diabetics and their families forever. Low sugar diets, sugar free foods, are all big changes for those who have enjoyed these luxuries for years. So when you are diagnosed with diabetes where can you get a grocery list for diabetics? Diabetes is a disease that is taking over the world. With today’s vast amounts of sugar filled foods and the fact that more people with diabetes are living means that the amount of infected is only going to grow. Diabetes is where the organ known as the pancreas quits or slows in the production of a required chemical, insulin. Insulin is used by the body to change the sugar in the blood into a form of fuel that the body can use. When the insulin in the body becomes to low the blood sugar goes to high and begins to damage the body. The damages that the high blood sugar causes are heart disease and damage, eye damage, nerve damage. So monitoring your blood sugar is a have to.

A grocery list for diabetics should consist of low sugar items. This means vegetables instead of fruit, meat instead of sweets. These new changes should be talked to your doctor about. First and most important thing to do is to talk to your doctor about what you can and can’t eat and what is good and bad for you. He may even be able to give you a grocery list for diabetics. This will be very useful when you go to the store to get your new stockpile of food. Also look online and talk to others who deal with diabetes for help and advice on diet plans and good food choices. So talk around for some good choices of a grocery list for diabetics.

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The dangers of low blood glucose levels

low blood glucose level
low blood glucose level

What is the danger of a low blood glucose level? A Low blood glucose level is extremely dangerous. It can cause confusion, dizziness, altered mental status, and even fainting, all of which can lead to serious harm to the person.

Hypoglycemia (as it is called) is the opposite of Diabetes. With diabetes the low blood glucose range is about the same as a normal person average glucose levels, meaning the glucose levels are extremely high (and this is dangerous in the long run). However with hypoglycemia the low blood glucose level is extremely low. This is caused by either lack of food or too much insulin in the body. This can be reversed if food is taken such as simple sugars to boost the body and complex carbohydrates following quickly afterwards.

The average low blood glucose level is 60.8 mg/dl and the high blood glucose level being 104.4 mg/dl. The amounts for a person suffering from hypoglycemia can be as low as 50 mg/dl. At these levels the brain does not get the amount of glucose needed, and this can result in serious damages. At first the person will suffer dizziness and confusion, but as it progresses shaking, altered mental status, and fainting will occur al are very dangerous.

There is several ways to treat a low blood glucose level. The first is going to your doctor (which is always best, especially if you suffer with this often). The second (which your doctor may prescribe) is using a blood glucose meter. A blood glucose meter is a small hand held item that is used to measure the amount of glucose in the blood. The unit uses small plastic strips to measure the amount s in the blood and display the results on the side in seconds. So using this unit is the best way to treat a low blood glucose level.

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