Diabetic Daily Life

What is SPLENDA?

2009-02-10T18:29:00.001-08:00

SPLENDA, so far is the only artificial sweetener which is made from actual sugar. It tastes like sugar and is the brand name for the raw ingredient sucralose. SPLENDA is used world wide as an articical sweetener in processed foods and drinks. It is also used as a sugar substitute for baking purposes and as a sweetener for hot or cold drinks available in both packet or powder form. It is available in almost any supermarket.

Non Diabetic Hypoglycemia

2009-02-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

Non-diabetic hypoglycemia is a condition in which the glucose levels in your blood drop too low. When your blood sugar is too low, your muscles and your brain do not have enough energy to function correctly. This type of low blood sugar happens in people who do not have diabetes. Non diabetic hypoglycemia comes in two forms. These two types are called fasting hypoglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia. Fasting hypoglycemia usually occurs when you have gone without food for eight or more hours. Reactive hypoglycemia usually happens about 2 to 4 hours after you have a meal. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit our website.

Diabetes and Cancer

2009-02-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Diabetes and Cancer are both common diseases. About 25% of people will develop some type cancer at some time during their life, and about 10% of people will develop diabetes or at least pre-diabetes. This means that quite often someone who has diabetes will get a cancer, but this is something that happens because of the odds. There is no actual medical link between the two illnesses. However, mounting evidence is leaning in the other direction. Building research says that type 2 diabetics are at a slightly higher risk for many different types of Cancer. This is because reports show that high sugar levels can spur the growth of cancer cells. This is another reason for diabetics to use diet and exercise to control their blood sugar and keep it low.

Is Diabetes Life Threatening?

2009-02-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

Being a diabetic means you have a higher risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other life threatening diseases. High sugar levels in the blood wear down every organ in the body. However, most diabetics can improve their chances for a longer life through diet, exercise, proper medical care and keeping your blood sugar levels under control.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

2009-02-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

Gestational diabetes is when diabetes is newly discovered during a women's pregnancy. At about the rate of 6%, which means 6 out of 100 pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes. This is important to keep an eye on when you are pregnant because having to high of blood sugar when you are pregnant is not good for you or your baby. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit our website.

How do I Prevent Diabetes?

2009-02-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Although there is a genetic possibility of diabetes, you can help to prevent diabetes by exercising, eating properly and trying to maintain a proper weight. Also, sleeping at least 5 to 7 hours a day is good. Your can have your doctor give you a bloodtest for diabetes, especially if you have any of the risk factors of diabetes. Such as, but not limited to, increased thirst and urination, blurry vision, or unexplained weight loss. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you should notify your doctor and have a blood test to determine if you have diabetes.

Who is at Risk for Diabetes?

2009-02-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Your risk for diabetes increase as you get older, are overweight, or if you do not stay physically active. However, one of the main risk factors of diabetes is if diabetes runs in your family. General studies show that If one of your parents has diabetes, there is a 50% chance that you will develop diabetes also. If both of your parents have diabetes, the odds are 80% that you will develop diabetes. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

General Diabetes Dieting Tips

2009-01-30T17:56:00.001-08:00

General dieting plays an important role especially for diabetics using insulin. With type one diabetics, a skipped meal may lead to a considerable low blood sugar condition called hypoglycemia. Also a bad habit to have is eating sugary foods such as sweets or fruit which hit the bloodstream almost immediately. Avoid cakes, desserts, jam, pies etc. Sugar can help to advance a condition like diabetes. Even if you are taking insulin and you just take a little more insulin to make up for eating a sugary item, eating processed carbohydrates like pies or cakes will fill you up with worthless calories and keep you from eating nutrient filled foods that your body requires to stay healthy. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Calorie Counting - Part of a Diabetic Diet?

2009-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would say a little about calorie counting. Since many diabetic diets focus on weight loss, following a diabetic diet plan of low carb, high protein and low fat is great, but a good diabetic diet plan also keeps track of how many calories you consume on a daily basis.I saw on the last Olymics that Mark Phelps eats 10-12 thousand calories a day. And look at how skinny he is. No fat at all. I cannot even imagine how that is possible. Although they did say that he spends like 5 hours a day in the pool and being in a pool and swimming is supposed to be the best exercise there is. This is because you have resistance on all your muscles equally. I imagine this has a lot to do with the fact that he has no body fat.But, me anyway, I can't do that. Or at least I won't even try. So I have to do many things in my lifestyle to maintain my sugar level and weight loss goal. Counting calories is a part of my diabetic diet plan. I eat 2000 calories at a maximum per day, I try to eat less, but it doesn't always work out. I probably average about 2000 calories a day. Everybody should discuss this with their doctor as to what their specific daily caloric intake should be and try to adhere to that as closely as possible. It is very easy to do once you get used to it. You just have to make sure when you are looking at the Nutritional Facts information that you are paying attention to the SERVINGS PER CONTAINER amount. If there is 5 servings per container then you have to multiply this times each serving size to have the actual amount of calories are in the whole container. And as far as fast food goes, all fast food companies websites all contain the nutritional facts for their respective menus. The actual restaurants might not display this information, but their website will. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diabetic Diet - What is it?

2009-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

If you have just recently been diagnosed as a diabetic, you are probably wondering just exactly what you are supposed to eat. After your diagnosis and once your medications are straightened out, this should be your main concern. This will vary with each person due to age, weight, how active you are to begin with and of course just your general overall health. But as a general assumption, low fat, low carbohydrate and high protein diet will be what your doctor will be discussing with you. Of course this is a very wide open array of food. It is not just one or two kinds of food that you can eat. You can eat almost anything, but of course you have to watch your serving size and there are certain things that you should naturally avoid. You will just need to educate yourself a little. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diabetic Snacks

2009-01-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

Snacking is a very important part of a diabetic diet. This helps to keep your blood glucose from dropping to low in between larger meals. Personally I prefer fiber plus bars because then I know I have enough fiber in my diet alone just from those bars. Atkins snack bars is another good choice for snacks but look at the nutritional facts on anything because something might have to many carbohydrates or to much sugar for your individual diet plan. Also pretzels, popcorn and even yogurt if it has splenda in it is a good choice as well. You just have to read the nutritional facts and remember that you are buying a snack, so judge accordingly to your individual diet. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Vitamin manufacturers false claims

2009-01-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

As you pick and choose which vitamins or vitamin supplements to take, good vitamins advice is to stay with name brands. Since the vitamins and vitamin supplements industry is for the most part not regulated, a lot of companies will misrepresent or even boast false claims about the effectiveness of their vitamins or vitamin supplements. Therefore, I would only take vitamins or vitamin supplements made by reputable companies which are well known and have been around for a long time. These companies would have the most to lose from such claims. There are enough brand name vitamins and vitamin supplements around so that you should not have to go to a name or brand you have never heard of before. In other words, good vitamins advice is the old adage, if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Extra Vitamins, Good or Bad?

2009-01-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

If proper dieting means getting 100% of our required daily vitamins, then if we take 2000% of our daily required vitamins and vitamin supplements then that will burn that tire off really fast, right? Wrong. Well I can just take extra vitamins and vitamin supplements and then I do not have to eat vegetables, right? Wrong. If it was that simple, everybody would take vitamins with vitamin supplements and everybody would have perfect bodies. The truth is that while taking an overabundance of certain vitamins and vitamin suppleents or nutrients can actually harm you, for the most part if you take more vitamins or vitamin supplements than what your body requires, your body will just pass them right through without offering any benefit at all. With that being said, the best vitamins advice is that no vitamin or vitamin supplement manufactured will ever be able to replace a proper diet. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Why do we need to take vitamins?

2009-01-19T18:48:00.001-08:00

Vitamins and vitamin supplements are nutrients and building blocks for our bodies which are needed to process the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in our diets. It is very hard to get all the daily requirements of vitamins and vitamin supplements each and every day. Therefore, even a properly balanced diabetic diet, will need use of some type of daily multivitamin. Just as an example, most people will eat three 1 to 3 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The recommendation to get all your daily required amount of vitamins is 5 servings. That is why it is practical vitamins advice to say you should take vitamins with vitamin supplements. You can look at vitamins and vitamin supplements as a sort of nutritional backup. However, a proper diabetic diet contains fiber and other nutrients that cannot be replaced through daily use of vitamins and vitamin supplements. So you should not think it is ok to survive on a grapefruit diet just because you are taking a daily vitamins or vitamin supplements. You still need to eat a healthy diet. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Alcohol and the Diabetic Diet Plan

2009-01-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

If you read the about me section of my website you will see that I do not recommend the use of alcohol by diabetics. But that is my personal choice. But if you are going to drink, you should keep the amount of alcohol in your diabetic diet to a minimum. This is because alcohol is processed in the same manner fat is in your diabetic diet. Some people I know who are diabetics say their doctor says it is fine for them to drink, but I have never had a doctor yet who has said alcohol or cigarette use is fine in a diabetic diet plan. All doctors I have met discourage alcohol or cigarette use in diabetic diets even if they use either their self.

Diabetic Diets should involve the use of the Glycemic Index

2009-01-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

The glyemic index is a handy little table which categorizes how much a particular food will cause your blood sugar level to increase after your meal. It is based on the type and amount of carbohydrates which are in a particular food and the effect this food will have on your blood sugar readings. Diabetic diets which include foods that are low on the table appear to make your blood sugar readings to not spike up as high after you eat. People who follow a diabetic diet plan consisting of a lot of foods low on the table also usually have lower body fat. Foods high on the table in turn cause your blood sugar readings to spike up higher after you eat. People who follow a diabetic diet plan consisting of a lot of foods high on the table therefore tend to have more body fat. Following a diabetic diet plan based on the glycemic index is a good habit to follow and is used by many diabetics today. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diebetic Diet Plan Basics

2009-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Regardless of what other people may have told you, there is no exact formula for a diabetic diet, and that was good news for me. The type of diabetic diet plan needed for a person with diabetes to eat properly are also good for everyone else in the house. This means you will not have to make separate meals for yourself just because you are the one on the diabetic diet in the house. Of all the different categories or types of food there are in the diabetic diet plan, which consist of calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, the carbohydrates have the greatest influence on a diabetics blood sugar readings. Most people on a diabetic diet also have to keep track of total fat and protein intake, plus keep track of total calorie consumption. In order for you to keep your blood sugar readings low, you need to have a good diabetic diet plan, exercise regularly, and take the medications as your doctor prescribes. For more information on how to live a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diabetic Diet Plan tips

2009-01-13T17:51:00.001-08:00

When you are a diabetic, it is important to follow your diabetic diet every day, not just when you want to, in order to keep your blood sugar levels low and prevent diabetic complications. Make sure your diabetic diet plan includes enough fruits, vegetables, meats, and other forms of protein. Consume the right amount of calories (as decided upon between you and your doctor) to maintain your proper weight (again as decided upon between you and your doctor). Make sure your diabetic diet plan includes foods high in fiber such as whole grain breads, fruit, and cereal. This will help you maintain regularity. You should try to eat at least 25 grams of fiber every day. Studies show that diabetic diets which include high fiber can improve the diabetics cholesterol levels, as well as help to control their blood sugar readings. For more information on a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diabetic Exercise and why it is so important

2009-01-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

Exercise can help you control your weight and lower your blood sugar level. It also lowers your risk of heart disease, a condition which can be common in people who have diabetes. Exercise can also help you feel better about yourself and increase your overall health. These are just a couple of reasons about why it is so important for a diabetic of either type or even a pre diabetic to take advantage of these and many other aspects of exercising. For more information on a diabetic daily life consisting of a diet and exercise lifestyle, feel free to visit my website.

Diabetic Exercise Checklist

2009-01-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

1. Always talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.
2. Until you consistently are used to how your sugar level reacts to exercise, you should check your blood sugar readings before and after exercising.
3. Check your feet for blisters before and after exercising. If you feel you need a new pair of shoes buy some. You can just buy a cheap pair that feels good. Gym shoes should be replaced about once every 6 months anyway. So you do not have to buy an expensive pair.
4. Taking care or our feet is very important. After your workout try applying spray, cream or powder, whichever works best for you.
5. Drink water or fluid while you are exercising. Something with electrolytes is ok, but watch the nutritional facts for sugar.
6. Have a warm up period before exercising and cool down period when you are finished.
7. Have a protein bar or packaged snack of some type with you in case your blood sugar level drops while exercising. This is especially a good idea in the beginning until you get used to how your sugar level is going to react to exercise.

For more tips on dieting and exercise feel free to visit my website, Diabetic Daily Life.

Cardio or Strength Training - which is best for diabetics?

2009-01-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Talk to your doctor to make sure about what type of exercising is right for you. The type of exercise you can do will depend on different factors but the biggest will probably be your overall general health. Most doctors will suggest aerobic or cardio exercise primarily for diabetics because this type makes you breathe more deeply and makes your heart work harder. Aerobic or cardio exercises include just for example walking, jogging, bicycling, stationary bicycles, treadmills or even swimming . If you have problems with your feet , then you could swim or use a rowing machine or even a stationary bicycle. No matter what kind of cardio exercising you choose, you should warm up before you start and cool down when you're done. Try to spend 5 to 15 minutes warming up by doing a low intensity exercise such as using the equipment you are going to do your cardio workout on at a very low level at first for a warm up period. Do the same process at the end of your cardio exercising. Once you get a little routine with some consistent cardio exercise going on a daily basis then you can start to think a little about how you want to try to work in strength training if you wish. Just remember when you start any exercise program, start slowly and try to gain consistency so you are doing your cardio exercise program at least 5 times a week (personally I try to do something everyday).
As far as strength training goes, gradually increase the intensity and length of your strength training workouts as you get in better shape. Some people do their strength training 3 days a week. Some prefer 5 or 6 days with workouts broken into different muscle groups. Either way is fine. For more information on diabetic exercise programs and diet tips feel free to browse my website, Diabetic Daily Life.

Do diabetics have risk with Cardio Training?

2009-01-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, one for instance is that exercise will lower your blood glucose levels. This happens because regular exercise makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which means your blood sugar level may get too low after exercising. This is something that you should keep a very close eye on, at least in the beginning until you get comfortable with how your sugar level readings are before, during and after your workouts. If one day your sugar level is a little to low after a certain type of exercising, then the next time you do the same workout take a protein bar with you to the gym and eat this during your workout.

How do I pick a cardio training activity?

2009-01-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

The first thing you need to do is start trying different cardio activities until you find one that you like. pick an activity. There are plenty of different kinds, so there is no reason you can't find at least one that you like. If you like to go outdoors, and weather permits, running, biking or walking are some ideas. If you like health clubs, you will see that they have a large variety of stationary bikes, recumbent bikes, elliptical trainers, treadmills and stair masters. Just about any cardio training is fine, so long as it involves getting your heart rate in between 95 and 140 beats per minute and you try and keep it there for 30 minutes not including warm up and cool down sessions. For other imformation about diabetic exercise and why it is so important, feel free to browse my site, www.diabeticdailylife.com

Diabetic Cardio Basics

2009-01-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Cardio training is simply doing something that raises your heart rate to in between 95 and 140 beats per minute. This same information is usually displayed on any cardio machines that are in gyms or if you buy a cardio machine for your house. Here are a few reasons why cardio is important:
1. It's helps you burn calories which in turn will help you lose weight.
2. Since your heart is actually the main muscle in your body you are actually strengthening your heart.
3. It benefits your lung capacity.
4. It is of great importance in controlling diabetics blood sugar readings.
5. It helps in lowering your cholesterol and your blood pressure.
6. It makes you feel and look better.
7. Cardio training improves sleep.
8. Cardio training helps to reduce stress in your life.
Bottom line: you need cardio if you want to lose weight and keep your weight under control.
For more information on diabetic exercise needs feel free to visit my exercise page on my website.

Cardio training - how much?

2009-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

After you pick your cardio training type, the most important thing is how long you do it and trying to keep your heart rate consistent. You should work on this before you work on getting your heart rate high. If you're a beginner, be careful and start with a few minutes, adding a little more time every time you workout until you're up to 30 minutes.
All I hear is to workout for 30 minutes a day on cardio. But, if you don't have that kind of time, do whatever you can. Do mini-workouts throughout the day. Put exercise at the top of your list and find the time, even if you have to do 3 ten minute workouts.
If you feel like you want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day that is fine. But I never do more than 90 minutes of cardio even on a good day. Actually 30 minutes is good enough with my medications to keep my glucose levels in check but keeping your weight in check sometimes takes a little more. You can always start spending some time with strength training if you want more exercise. For more information on cardio training tips, feel free to visit my cardio training page on my website.

Cardio training tips

2009-01-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Everyone will tell you what the best cardio training is. I will let you in on a big secret. The best cardio training exercise is the one that you like doing that will keep your heart rate in between 95 and 140 beats per minute for the time you have set for your goal. It is important to do something you like. I cannot stress that enough. If you try one thing and you do not like it do not say to yourself I cannot do this, just try something else and keep trying different things until you find something that you like. Try and be flexible. Once you find something you like, change it around a little bit. This way you do not wind up getting bored. I like the stationary bikes. So at the gym I ride a regular stationary bike, I bought a recumbent bike for my house and I even bought a couple of different regular bicycles which I ride around outside all the time. This is what I like. On the other hand, I know a lot of people who do all the different cardio machines at the gym all the time, you might like that much of a variety. Then of course you see the people who just jog all the time, even when it is cold. I guess that is what they like, so that works for them. What ever you like, that is the key. For more information on exercise tips for diabetics feel free to visit my exercise section on my website.

Diabetes daily cardio training requirements

2009-01-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

This will all depend on what you want to accomplish. If you are at your target weight and you want to just have a little help controlling your blood sugar readings then 30 minutes a day is just fine. But if you want to lose weight that is another story. Then we are talking 90 minutes per day minimum if you seriously want to lose weight. Keep in mind, if you do not do at least 90 minutes a day then you will have trouble losing weight. Of course you have to watch how many calories you consume also. If you are consuming 3000 calories a day, doing cardio 90 minutes a day and are not losing weight what would you think the problem might be? You guessed it, so try a little less calories, like about 1200 for an average size women or 1600 for an average size male. Eat this many calories a day, do 90 minutes cardio training (with your heart rate in between 95 and 140 beats per minute) and you will lose weight. For more information on this subject see my cardio training section of my site.

Diabetes - Type 1 overview

2009-01-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

Type 1 diabetes used to be known as childhood diabetes. This is because it used to be the opinion that Type 1 diabetes was acquired only in childhood. But this has since been proven wrong, since it can acquired at any age. About 10 percent of all diabetic cases in America are type 1.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces no insulin. Type 1 diabetes starts when this happens.
This happens because type 1 diabetics immune system cells attack the beta cells in the pancreas and destroy them. These beta cells are the ones that should be producing the insulin.
This is why type 1 diabetics require insulin injections to control their blood glucose levels. For more information, feel free to visit my section on type 1 diabetes at my site, Diabetic Daily Life.

What is the best type of cardio training?

2008-12-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

What are diabetic complications?

2008-12-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

When you hear someone has died from diabetes, that is somewhat not true. Diabetics who don't take care of themselves in the proper manner will over time develop diabetic complications in the area they were neglecting. For example, having diabetes does not mean that you will definitely have heart and circulation problems. But if you don't have your cholesterol checked regularly, take the cholesterol medicine you are supposed to be taking, and eat nothing but food loaded with high fat, you are more likely to develop this type of complication. Diabetes simply means that you are more at risk of developing some of these and/or other diabetic complications. So you have to take care of yourself a little more than a non diabetic. Plus, there are lots of treatments that work well to cut your risk so that you can lead a long and healthy life. For more information on types of lifestyle changes needed which will help to avoid these diabetic complications, feel free to visit my website.

New Diabetic Drug Technology

2008-12-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Some people have been asking me lately about this topic. The only thing I see wrong with the new technology towards new diabetic drugs is this. Most new diabetic drug research and development focus on the effect that the new drug has on blood sugar levels and do not consider the effect the new drug will have on a patient's quality of life in the long run. They are just taking into account that the best thing for a diabetic is to control their blood sugar levels. Which indeed is probably the case. But, I don't see anywhere in clinical studies for these new drugs where it says these new drugs are safe to take for an extended period of time. This tends to make me believe that this is not even a part of their clinical studies. More information on this topic is available through the link to my website. Also if the new drug you are looking to find information for is not available, check back later. I am working on this section now, so new additions will be added to my site every day or so.

Diabetes Food Pyramid

2008-12-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

The image to the right is an image of the diabetes food pyramid. The bottom of the pyramid which is the biggest part of the pyramid is supposed to be the majority of your daily food intake. About 40% according to the ADA. The top of the pyramid is the least amount of food type you should eat on a daily basis. I don't agree with this because the bottom of the pyramid is breads grains and other starches. The American Diabetic Association says their ideas are based on years of clinical research and that their way is the best. You should check your blood sugar readings 1 hour after you eat and have your doctor adjust your medicine accordingly if you follow their plan. But I am a type 2 diabetic who takes Byetta and Actos and otherwise controls my diabetes with diet and exercise. If I consumed 40% of my daily food intake from this food group I would have to go on insulin to control my blood glucose levels. I don't think this is a good idea. I try to eat as least of this food group as possible. Although I do eat 2 Fiber Plus whole grain snack bars daily to get my required daily intake of whole grains and fiber. So as much talk as their is about the diabetic food pyramid I don't agree with the 40% of your daily food intake from the bottom portion of the pyramid aspect. Maybe 15%-25% tops, thats it. Sorry, maybe if you are taking insulin already this is a good idea, but not yet for me. I will stick with low carb, low fat and high protein for my diet.

A1c test and Byetta

2008-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Went to the doctor the other day and my A1c test came out at 6.0. It was 10.3 the last quarter. This is the difference Byetta has made in the last 3 months. This again goes to show the importance of the A1c test to anyone with Diabetes. I used to check my sugar before I ate every day to make sure my blood glucose level was low enough to eat. This is what I have been doing the last 10 years or so. My A1c test results were always around 6.2 to 6.8 every time I went. Then all of a sudden 10.3. This was apparently because my pancreas either stopped creating as much insulin as it was or it was creating the insulin incorrectly. Had it not been for the A1c test, god only knows how long I would have gone before I noticed my sugar was shooting up to like 400 or so after I ate each time every day. Needless to say, I check my sugar after I eat every day now, only every now and then do I check it before I eat because I can feel when my blood glucose level goes to low, but I cannot tell when it goes high. I also firmly believe in the injectable drug Byetta because now when I check my sugar an hour after I eat, my sugar is 85 to 110. I just take a shot an hour before I eat twice a day before my bigger meals. When I came home after finding out my daily blood glucose level was 10.3, I checked my sugar an hour after I ate and sure enough my blood glucose level was 385. Byetta is an injectable drug, (not insulin) which softens the sugar spike after you eat. I will add a section on Byetta on my website next. So if you or someone you know is a diabetic, make sure you or that someone you know has their A1c test as recommended by their doctor. I have mine once every 3 months, because that is what the A1c test is, a daily average over the past 3 months.

pre-diabetes

2008-09-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone who winds up with type 2 diabetes usually had what they are now calling “pre-diabetes” first. So, it is a good idea to catch if at all possible your diabetes in the “pre-diabetes” stage. If you can do this you could delay or possibly even prevent type 2 diabetes from ever fully developing. This can possibly be achieved simply by following the same daily lifestyle of physical activity and proper nutrition required by a type 2 diabetic and caught early enough in the pre-diabetes stage.

Calorie Counting

2008-08-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would say a little about calorie counting. A lot of diabetics try to eat a low carb, high protein diet low in fat. This is great. But it is also important to keep track of how many calories you eat on a daily basis.
I recently saw on the Olymics that Mark Phelps eats 10-12 thousand calories a day. And look at how skinny he is. No fat at all. I cannot even imagine how that is possible. Although they did also say that he spends like 5 hours a day in the pool and being in a pool and swimming is supposed to be the best exercise because you have resistance on all your muscles equally. I imagine this has a lot to do with it.
But, me anyway, I can't do that. Or at least I won't even try. So I have to do many things in my lifestyle to maintain my sugar level. Counting calories is part of my dieting plan. I eat 2000 calories at a maximum per day. I try to eat less, but it doesn't always work out. I probably average about 2000. Everybody should discuss with their doctor what their specific daily caloric intake should be and try to adhere to that as closely as possible. It is very easy to do once you get used to it. You just have to make sure when you are looking at the Nutritional Facts information that you are paying attention to the SERVINGS PER CONTAINER amount. If there is 5 servings per container then you have to multiply this times each serving size to have the actual amount of calories are in the whole container. And as far as fast food goes, all fast food websites all contain the nutritional facts for their respective menus. The actual restaurants might not display this information, but their website will.

What is the A1C test?

2008-08-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Once you find out that you have diabetes, you and your doctor will work to keep your sugar readings at proper levels. Main advantages of keeping your blood sugar under control are that you will feel better overall and you may prevent or at least delay as long as possible the start of diabetic complications.

The best way to personally keep track of your blood sugar is to check your sugar level yourself with blood glucose testing meters. This test will tell you what your blood glucose level is at the time you are checking it. The only thing bad about this is that everybody has a sugar level which goes up and down all the time. Especially after you eat. This is where the A1C test comes in.
The A1C test takes a daily average over the past 3 months. This way you and your doctor get a better overall picture of how your diabetic plan is going.

A perfect example of how important this test is just happened to me recently. I have been a diabetic for about 11 years now, I am off insulin now, however I take Actos to smooth out the amount of insulin that my pancreas does still produce. I do cardio exercise for a minimum of 90 minutes per day and I eat a low fat and high protein diet of 2000 calories per day or less. I was checking my sugar 3 times a day right before I ate (to make sure my sugar was not to high to eat something). My sugar level every time I checked it for 11 years was always in an acceptable range. (75-135). My A1C test always came back with flying colors. I had this test 4 times per year. All of a sudden my A1C test came back the last time I went to the doctor very high. My doctor said "how are your finger sticks going?" I said fine. She said well your blood sugar level is averaging about 300 per day. I said "not when I am checking it". She said "well, maybe your sugar is starting to spike after you eat more than usual." So I checked it after I ate and sure enough it was 279.

So, for now anyway I am taking Byetta, which softens the sugar spike after you eat. It also has a tendency to suppress your appetite. Which means with some people, they lose weight. In my case it does suppress my apetite. I have been on it 2 months and my sugar after I eat goes no higher than 127 which I am sure will bring down my A1C test average. I don't know this yet, because I don't go to the doctor until next month. But I check my sugar before and after I eat now and I am sure it will be back to normal. And so far I have lost 8 lbs. Not exactly an astounding amount of weight loss, but the important thing is I did not do anything different to lose this weight. I just found myself eating a little less.

But that just goes to show the importance of the A1C test.

Cardio Exercise Benefits

2008-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

The benefits of cardio to a diabetic in controlling blood glucose levels are enormous. People think that all they have to do is take their medicine and that's all they have to do. But cardio exercise can help not only control your blood sugar but your blood pressure and weight as well. Actually I think exercise can probably help a lot of medical conditions that people have today. Of course, this doesn't mean you can stop on the way home from the gym and get a large pizza. A proper low fat, low carb, high protein diet is also needed to control blood sugar, blood pressure and your weight. Not to mention, smoking. Smoking is one of the major contributors to high cholestorol
levels in people today. I could go on and on. Visit my website for more info on diabetic daily life.

Who can get diabetes?

2008-08-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is not contagious. You cannot "catch" it. However, certain stereotypes can increase the chance of developing diabetes. Americans are increasingly overweight. According to recent reports, the number of diabetics in the United States is predicted to be about 8.9 percent of the population by the year 2025. That's almost 9 out of every 100 people will be a diabetic. Think maybe America is headed in the wrong direction? Think about this. In the old days people used to all eat at home and maybe eat out as a treat once a month or so. Then, after school kids would come home and run around and ride their bikes until dinner, then after dinner, go back out and play until it was time to come in. But now through the competiveness of fast food restaurants and the need for both parents to be in the workforce, the timesaving factor of stopping at McDonalds on the way home and picking up dinner for the family at probably the same price it would cost you to make dinner anyway just makes all the sense. Then through the marvels of today's technology, after dinner the kids go back to their playstation 3 or xbox 360 (where they probably were after school until before dinner) and stay there until bedtime. And I don't even want to go into supersize. That's just foolish to tack all those extra carbs which are not needed onto the diet of your children or yourself. People say "well, my kids like McDonalds fries". That's fine but do you think they will like being diagnosed with diabetes when they are about 30 years old or so later in life? Diabetes can be inherited, but this is not always the case, for the most part it is developed over the course of many years through improper dieting and not enough of an active lifestyle. So what I recommend to turn this problem around is that everyone start eating a low fat (not no fat), low carb (not no carb) diet as high in protein as possible. The reason I say not no fat and not no carb is because people always try these type of fad diets and even if they do work they will eventually find that they cannot continue this type of diet forever. Then once they stop the diet, the old bad habits come back and all the weight and problems come right back too. So, you need to work a sensible balanced diet into your lifestyle, something you can live with in comfort. Then, I reccomend having some type of cardio machine in the house for the family to use. Some examples of these are available here. However, remember the competiveness of business today dictates that you get what you pay for. Don't run out and buy the cheapest exercise bike you can or it will break and so will your plan for your family to exercise in the comfort of your house. Personally, I have a LeMond Fitness gforce rt in my house. It cost about $2500.00 on sale. But I have gone through cheap bikes that cost 3oo to 500 dollars every six months or so for years. My LeMond is like the day I bought it (about 18 months ago) and I ride it 2 hours every day at least 5 days a week, and less on the weekend but I still make sure to work in at least half that even on my days off. Through proper cardio exercise and a proper diet, everyone can be healthy and happy. And don't worry, the kids can can still play their playstation 3 while they are riding the bicycle. Don't make the price and ease of fast food and todays technology put you or your children on the road to diabetes. With just a little old fashioned effort we can turn this problem around and start heading in the right direction.

What is the glycemic index?

2008-07-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

The glycemic index measures how fast a food will raise your blood sugar. For more information on the glycemic index and a simple glycemic index chart, plus a couple or recommended reading books on the glycemic index click here.

Welcome to my diabetic community

2008-07-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have decided to build this blog to be an online diabetic community where you can share your diabetic lifestyle with others. Somewhere you and others can share thoughts and ideas on living and coping with diabetes.
The objective of this blog, my lens and my website is to help others either ease into the fact that now they have to live with this new problem in their life.
There are general facts about diabetes everywhere on my website. If you see anything that is not true contact me and I will remove it. It is my intention to educate people on how to live with diabetes in their life today. I am not a doctor or any type of medical person. I am just an average person who found out I was a diabetic. More information on myself is available on the about me page of my website.
I have have built this blogging section to help people that want to ask questions, but might not know who to ask, perhaps because they think it is a foolish question or they just don’t know who to ask. I know I had a lot of those. Or maybe they would like a different way of accomplishing something, such as you don’t like the diet the doctor gave you. Well, there is no actual diabetic diet. I know when the doctor told me what I was supposed to eat, I was ready to look for another doctor. Hopefully, myself or someone will be able to answer your questions or at least guide you in the right direction for answers. It is also for other people or myself who wish to share anything that could be of value to anyone with diabetes or even possibly someone whom you might know that is a diabetic.
Diabetes is a terrible illness, but it does not mean the end of your life. It just means you might have to change a thing or two.
If you or someone you know has diabetes, take a look around my website and my lens. My website could offer some type of information you have been looking for. I have a dieting section, complete with recipes(some, the recipe part is slow going, I am not a major chef and I don't want to steal anyone elses recipes), but all the nutritional information is correct. I also have a section on exercising, a section on vitamins and some other tips about living with diabetes. And of course I also have advertising, but all advertising is for products I use, have used, or fully understand and therefore I will recommend. If anyone has any bad experience with any product I endorse, please let me know. This might be a product that I recommend, but have not used. Such as the alli, which is the only diet plan recommended by the FDA, and I have yet to hear anything bad about alli except it cost to much. But if you cannot lose weight by limiting your calories and exercise, then by what means can someone justify saying that something is to expensive when it is in regards to your personal health? I say if you can't lose weight in the conventional manner and alli helps you lose weight, go for it! Anything that improves your personal health and helps you control your blood sugar does not cost to much.

What is diabetes?

2008-07-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a disease which occurs when your pancreas does not produce enough insulin to counteract the sugar level the body creates through your diet and that of which your liver produces. For a more detailed description visit my website, Diabetic Daily Life.

Diabetes Overview

2008-07-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. It is one of the largest growing deseases in the United States today. Some people say that it is because Americans are the most overweight country in the world. Although obesity is a common factor in many diabetics, this is not a proven fact.

Alcohol and Diabetes

2008-07-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

I personally don't recommend drinking alcohol on a diabetic diet. Alcohol has almost as many calories as fat. If you drink alcohol, only drink it occasionally and when your blood sugar level is well-controlled.

Eating right with diabetes

2008-07-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you have diabetes, it is very important to eat right every day to keep your blood sugar levels even. Count your calories and maintain the right calorie amount your doctor says you should have. Personally I try to avoid anything that is white and contains starch. Such as bread and pasta. Try to eat 3 well balanced meals containing the lowest amount of fat possibe. The importance of your diet when you have diabetes cannot be overstated. For a much more detailed overview on diabetes and dieting, click here.

Dieting Basics

2008-07-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
Despite what you may have heard, there is no diabetic diet. Eating a normally balanced fat-free diet is the same diet that is good for anyone else. However, diabetics must monitor the intake of carbs a lot more than that of non diabetics. You of course cannot just depend on dieting alone. For a more detailed view of all things related to Diabetic Daily Life, just view my site.