Fast Food And Diabetes: Tips And Options For Eating Out

Fast food and diabetes: Tips and options for eating out

Fast food and diabetes: Tips and options for eating out
To manage diabetes effectively, people need to follow a healthful diet. Fast food has a bad reputation for being unhealthy and highly processed.
Like junk food, fast food should be avoided most of the time. However, with a bit of know-how, people with diabetes can eat fast food in moderation without putting their health and wellness at risk.
It is important for people with diabetes to approach fast food options with some caution, and when possible, be prepared for what might be on offer.
Before going to a favorite fast food restaurant, people with diabetes should consider some of these tips:
Menus and calorie counts can often be found online, which can help people with diabetes make sure there is a meal option for them.
Do not go when overly hungry. Starting any meal on an empty stomach can cause even those with the best intentions to overeat and make less healthy choices. When possible, people with diabetes should plan to eat a fast food meal after having a healthful snack, such as an apple, to avoid overeating.
Know before going. Due to popular demand, many fast food restaurants have calorie counts on their menus and nutrition information on their websites. In other cases, independent websites might offer reviews and food facts. No matter the source, it is a good idea for people to look at the menu options and have a meal planned out ahead of the trip, whenever possible, to limit impulse orders.
Drink water, not soda. People with diabetes should avoid soda due to the high sugar content and the risk of causi Continue reading

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Fructose: Good or Bad for Diabetes? - dLife

Long thought to be the better sugar for people with diabetes, fructose may not be so great after all.
Most people think of fructose as a natural fruit sugar. After all, its one of the main sugars (along with glucose and sucrose) in fruits. In fact, the amount of fructose in most fruits is relatively small, compared with other sources. Fruit also contains a host of greatnutrients, including fiber, which slows the absorption of sugars.
The fructose found in processed foods, however, is another story. Between 1980 and 2000, Americans decreased their intake of sucrose (table sugar), but the amount of fructose consumption more than tripled. The reason for this was that food makers replaced sucrose (table sugar) with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to sweeten foods and beverages.
HFCS does not come from fruit. Its a highly processedblend of sugars (typically 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose) derived from corn. Because the fructose in HFCS is part of a man-made blend (as opposed to the natural compound of sugars found in fruit), the body metabolizes it very differently from other sugars.
Also, people with diabetes were told that because fructose doesnt raise blood glucose levels, it was a good alternative to sugar. Therefore, they began using fructose-rich agave nectar under the mistaken assumption that itposed no diabetes-related risk.
Unlike glucose, which enters the bloodstream and raises blood sugar levels, fructose is taken up directly to the liver. Sugar and honey contain about 50percentglucose and 50 percentfructose, so regardless of which is consumed, bloo Continue reading

The Future of Diabetes Management

Director at The Medical Futurist Institute (Keynote Speaker, Author & Visionary)
Diabetes is an adamant condition requiring constant attention. Let me show you how technology can take the burden off the shoulders of suffering patients andtheir loved ones.
One in eleven persons has to cope with diabetes worldwide on a daily basis
According to the latest estimates of the WHO, 422 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide - and the number is growing steadily. It means thatone person in eleven has to manage the chronic condition on a daily basis, which might lead to stroke, blindness, heart attack, kidney failure or amputation. There are two types of diabetes: when the body does not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) and when the organism cannot utilize the generated insulin (type 2 diabetes). While the latter can be prevented with conscious lifestyle choices, the former is a mystery to the medical community. But if someone has diabetes,that means having a constant companion.
In both cases, the treatment of the symptoms requires constant blood glucose control, which usually requires a kind of insulin intake at regular intervals, as well as blood pressure control and/or foot care.It is a truly technologically dependent condition: you needto monitor your blood glucose level, your blood pressure, your weight, follow a meal plan, test your blood every now and then. Luckily, there are so many digital health innovations for diabetes patients out there that diabetes management has been improving for years steadily - and it will significantly change in the coming years. Continue reading

Diabetes Groups Issue New Guidelines on Blood Sugar

HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder, and treating the disease often requires a personalized, multi-pronged approach, say new expert guidelines on treating high blood sugar levels, issued Thursday.
The recommendations are a joint effort by the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
"We're making a lot of progress in managing type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. "The new guidelines are more patient-centered. The message is to choose an appropriate [blood sugar] goal based on the patient's current health status, motivation level, resources and complications."
"It is very possible to manage type 2 diabetes well and keep blood sugar under good control," he noted. "It's important that patients have a discussion with their doctor about what their [blood sugar] goals should be, and what is the best treatment or treatments to get them to that goal."
The new guidelines are scheduled to be published in the June issue of Diabetes Care, but were released online ahead of publication on April 19.
Fonseca said the new guidelines were necessary because the management of type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly complex; there is a widening array of medications available to treat the disease, and new research studies are constantly being released highlighting both the benefits and the risks of current treatments.
The biggest change in the new guidelines is an emphasis on a patient-centered approach t Continue reading

5 Ways Diabetes Made Me A Better Mother

I’m not a huge fan of Mother’s Day. Mind you: my kids are wonderful about it, and so is my husband. I just kind of want to live a life in which we all almost always appreciate one another, and remind one another of it. That said, I have someone – or rather something – special to thank this Mother’s Day:
Diabetes.
Say what?
Yes, you heard me right. Because while I did not know it when diabetes barreled into my daughter’s life nearly 20 years ago, it was the best worst thing that ever happened to me as a mother.
Diabetes has brought much grief, but I can say without hesitation that it has made me better in many ways. It’s forced me to be strong and diligent, and given me skills and insights I didn’t necessarily want, but that made me grow for the better. Part of who I am as a mother is thanks to diabetes.
And so, for Mother’s Day this year, I’m going to thank diabetes for a few things, like:
Courage
It takes guts to be a good mom. The easy way out for all parents, I think, is to let fear rule you. Diabetes pushed me to let go of fear, like the summer my daughter was six – not yet even reading, and I dropped her off for two weeks at diabetes camp. I joke that I hid behind a tree for hours, popping out and yelling “are you low??!!” every few minutes that first day (not really – but I did hang around for hours). Leaving her in the care of others, with barely any contact at all, took guts. And it taught me: she can be fine without me. I carried that courage over to the rest of my parenting life, not just with her, but with my daughter without diabetes
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