5 Tips For Dining Out With Diabetes

5 Tips for Dining out with Diabetes

The complications associated with having diabetes can seem overwhelming at times, but dining out doesn't have to be an added struggle.
Whether you're having a quick business meeting over lunch or sitting down to a multi-course meal at a fancy restaurant, there are ways to ensure you make smart and healthy choices while still enjoying yourself.
Simple Guidelines for Dining out with Diabetes
Time it right. Balancing your blood sugar is all about consistency. Instead of getting stuck in a situation where you could be waiting a long time for a table, make reservations before you head out to eat. If you can't do this ahead of time, bring a snack that will keep your blood sugar stable should you find yourself sitting around. Also, make sure you know how and when to adjust your insulin doses around meal times.
Send back the freebies. If you're eating at a place that offers free bread, chips, or some other type of carbohydrate-heavy snack, don't be afraid to send it back to the kitchen. If food is sitting in front of you, you're more likely to snack on it before your meal arrives – which could spell trouble when it comes to your overall caloric intake and blood sugar.
Make your meal. Get creative with the menu if you don't see entrees that fit your nutritional bill. A few high-protein appetizers on top of a side salad can be a meal in itself. Also, make sure to ask for substitutions or special requests, like extra vegetables instead of French fries, dressing on the side, or that your meal be made with no salt during the cooking process.
Drink smart. Alcohol tends to make you eat Continue reading

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An 11-Year-Old Has 3D-Printed a Device That Safely Stores Diabetes Test Strips

It's well established that diabetes wreaks havoc on people's blood sugar levels, but one thing we don't usually think about is the amount of waste produced by all those blood tests that need to be taken daily when you have the disease.
Now 11-year-old William Grame from Canberra in Australia has 3D printed a device that hygienically stores all those old blood test strips, and it's small enough to fit inside a diabetic's portable test kit. His invention has won the years 5 to 6 category of the Origin Energy littleBIGidea competition, and he'll be heading off to the US to visit NASA as part of his prize.
When diabetics test their blood sugar levels throughout the day, they prick a finger and place a dot of blood on a special test strip. This is then inserted into a blood glucose meter, which tells them if they need to inject themselves with insulin to help manage their blood sugar levels.
Grame, who has type 1 diabetes, was inspired to create the device after constantly getting in trouble for leaving his test strips on the floor at home. "There are around 380 million diabetics in the world, each testing their blood at least a few times a day," said Grame at a presentation of his device this morning in Sydney.
He's tested his device over the past few months and showed that it can securely store around 50 test strips, which means he only has to empty the device into the bin once a week. In the meantime, it keeps his blood-stained strips off the floor, and makes his life, and his family's, a little easier.
He created the blueprint for the blood disposal test strip disposal unit Continue reading

Stem Cell Breakthrough Puts Type 1 Diabetes Cure In Reach

Harvard scientists have announced a breakthrough that could eventually allow millions of diabetics to shed the yoke of daily insulin injections.
It took over 15 years of trial and error, but researcher Douglas Melton and his team have discovered a method to transform human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells which can then be injected into the pancreas. The discovery has generated a new wave of momentum in the field, with research labs across the country already working to replicate and build upon Melton’s results.
“I think we’ve shown the problem can be solved,” Melton told National Geographic Thursday.
Building the Recipe
The researchers developed a 30-day, six-step process that transforms embryonic stem cells into pancreatic beta cells, the same sugar-regulating cells that are destroyed by the immune system of people with type 1 diabetes. The new cells can read the levels of sugars that enter the body after, say, a meal, and secrete the perfect dose of insulin to balance sugar levels.
Other researchers have had some success harvesting beta cells from cadavers and transplanting them into people with diabetes, but this method can’t round up enough of those cells to have a lasting effect.
Melton’s method produces millions of the insulin-secreting cells, which were then fed through a catheter to the kidney capsules of 37 diabetic mice.
“We can cure their diabetes right away — in less than 10 days,” Melton told NPR.
When the mice were later given glucose injections, 73 percent showed increased levels of human insulin in their bloodstream, indic Continue reading

10 Warning Signs of Diabetes You Shouldn’t Ignore

In the latest report by the CDC. experts have explained that by 2050, about one-third of the adult Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes. According to The Nutrition Source, the online magazine of the Harvard School of Public Health, 24 million people in the US struggle with this serious condition. What’s more devastating, about 6 million of these people are not even aware that they have it.
Diabetes is a health condition in which the body cannot produce enough insulin or it is not able to process it. Being diagnosed with diabetes means that the body is unable to process the sugar properly, and the blood glucose levels are higher than normal.
There are three main types of diabetes
1. Type 1 Diabetes -- It is an autoimmune disease, and health experts used to call it juvenile diabetes. It occurs when the immune system turns against the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
2. Type 2 Diabetes -- It is the most common type. In this case, the body does not produce insulin to regulate the blood sugar or the cells have become resistant to insulin, meaning they are unable to use it properly.
3. Gestational Diabetes -- This disease affects 5-10 percent of the women during or after their pregnancy
People are often not aware they have diabetes, because early diabetes symptoms sometimes seem harmless. By recognizing the early symptoms you can control the disease on time and prevent any further damage.
Here are some of the most common signs of diabetes:
-- Frequent urination. The kidneys work harder to get rid of the extra glucose in the blood, as the glucose is eliminat Continue reading

Diabetes Diet: Why Limiting Processed Foods Is A Healthy Choice

One way to help prevent or manage diabetes is limiting our intake of processed foods.
The phrase “processed foods” generally refers to products that are chemically processed, created with heavily refined ingredients, and contain a plethora of artificial additives.
Three Reasons To Limit Processed Foods
Limiting the intake of processed foods aids those with or at risk for diabetes three ways. It helps lower blood sugar levels and body fat, reduces the ingestion of weight-promoting empty calories, and cuts consumption of heart-unhealthy fats.
1. Sugars and Refined Carbs
Processed foods are generally high in sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup, and we know that eating too much sugar can lead to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Refined fructose, usually some form of corn syrup, is found in nearly every processed food product. This is a problem since fructose is primarily metabolized by the liver. Consuming too much fructose can overwork and damage our liver—just as imbibing a lot of alcohol can. Further, the liver metabolizes fructose directly into fat that goes immediately into our fat cells, increasing the likelihood of weight gain and obesity.
The simple carbohydrates found in processed foods (e.g., refined grains) can significantly elevate blood glucose. Refined carbs digest quickly and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream as sugar. This causes glucose spikes, increased insulin levels, and may trigger insulin resistance.
2. Pleasurable Empty Calories
Many processed foods are full of taste bud tickling flavors that strongly stimulate our brain’s reward ce Continue reading