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Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome XIf you think that you may have diabetes you will definitely want to discuss it with your medical or alternative medicine physician. Statistics indicate that problems with carbohydrate metabolism, diabetes and their resulting health problems continue to be some of the most costly expenditures in the health care budget. Insulin resistance, poor regulation of blood sugar, obesity and adult-onset diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitis, NIDDM) (type 2 diabetes) are increasing at an alarming rate. Sixteen million individuals in the U.S. have NIDDM and one third of them don't even know it! An additional 30-40 million have problems with glucose tolerance, the precursor to full-blown diabetes. There are numerous popular dietary approaches which can be of benefit to the diabetic. How to know which is best is the problem. They include the Dr. Phil's Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Atkins Diet, the Mediterranean Diet and others. We will discuss the proper dietary approach including information on the glycemic index in the paragraphs to follow. There are two types of diabetes mellitus. Type I or “insulin dependent” diabetes is hereditary and usually of early age onset. Type 2 or “non-insulin dependent” diabetes usually begins later in life and is a direct result of a life time of bad dietary and lifestyle habits. Type 2 is perhaps the most common of the serious illnesses directly associated with diet. Obesity is the most common contributing factor to development of type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is most likely to occur in persons with family history of diabetes. Given the near epidemic proportions of Type II, now is the time to do something about your risk for developing it, even if you don't have it now, and even if there is no family history. If you do have diabetes, Type I or II, syndrome "x" or the prediabetic condition known as dysglycemia, there are a number of dietary and supplement measures you can take to minimize your symptoms and even reduce your insulin requirements. First and foremost, if you are overweight, lose it. Diabetes can be spelled o-b-e-s-i-t-y! Please refer to the Weight Loss (see below) pages of this web site for tips on losing weight. Second, you must exercise . This is beginning to sound like not much fun, isn't it? Well, sorry, if you have had a lifetime of fun as a couch potato now is the time to get serious and extract as many more years of quality life out of that body as you can. There is a difference between growing old and growing old in a state of misery. Now is the time to return to activities of quality living. You need to burn more calories than you eat and exercising is the way to do it. The type of exercise is not as important as your enjoyment of it. Do something you enjoy so you will have a chance of staying with it. It doesn't have to be aerobic. Just burn some calories exercising 20-30 minutes a day. Even a walk is better than nothing. If you have cardiovascular risk or there is any doubt about your fitness to exercise, see your doctor before beginning. Please see our exercise link below. Third, reduce your caloric intake and eat balanced meals. This means you should get about 40% of your calories from complex carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 30% from fats. Here is a quick reference chart of the caloric requirements of a person with the average sedentary lifestyle: DAILY CALORIC REQUIREMENT FOR SEDENTARY ACTIVITY
To calculate the number of calories you are eating you must first know the carbohydrate, fat and protein content of the food you are eating. When you eat out, it's easy, restaurants are required by law to have a chart giving those statistics. Otherwise, you will need to get a textbook or other nutrient content of foods chart from your library, dietitian or the internet www.ntwrks.com/~mikev/chart1.html With the chart in hand, here's how to calculate your caloric intake:
So, to calculate your daily intake, simply take the total grams consumed of each nutrient and multiply by the appropriate caloric number and then total the three. For example let's say today you ate:
Get it? O.K. Go get skinny. You need to do this if you expect to control diabetes. Please see the Weight Loss pages of this web site listed at the end of this discussion. Fourth, eat the right foods . You should increase the fiber content of your diet. The recommended daily intake is fiber is 25 grams. The average American gets, maybe, 12 grams. Fiber lowers your blood sugar and cholesterol as well as protects you against colon cancer and heart disease. You should eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, preferably raw, a day. Increase your intake of the omega-3 fats and oils including fish oil, flax oil, canola oil and olive oil. Avoid partially hydrogenated and trans fat oils like the plague! These bad fats are found primarily in deep fried and packaged snack foods. There are certain foods which increase insulin resistance and should be avoided. The first is milk. Historically, one component of the legendary food pyramid is that of the “dairy group” and it is commonly recommended to diabetics. Recent studies, however, have disclosed that milk increases insulin resistance. Besides, milk is for calves, not humans. We don't recommend milk for anything under most circumstances. See www.not m ilk.com for a few eye openers. Other foods which are detrimental include hydrogenated fats and sugar. It is now known that if you have food allergies, those allergenic foods will also increase insulin resistance. Avoid all this stuff, it's bad for your blood sugar levels! Fifth, take supplements . Other supplements which have been reported in the scientific literature to have a positive effect on the maintenance of blood sugar levels are vanadyl sulfate, chromium picolinate, magnesium, niacinamide (the best is inositol hexanicotinate), and vitamin E. Herbs known to be effective are gymnema, fenugreek seeds, and Siberian Ginseng. If you have or are at risk for diabetes, it would be a good idea to take your supplements under the guidance of a nutritionist. Glyconutrients Glyconutrients are a rapidly rising star in the world of alternative medicine. There are a number of good studies and many anecdotal reports and case histories reporting the effectiveness of glyconutrients in dealing with diabetes. To read the science and studies behind glyconutritionals please visit www.Glycoscience.org. We strongly urge you to make a study of glyconutritionals and the benefit they may offer.
Listed below are supplements we recommend for our patients with diabetes. They are available factory direct from the Metagenics Company. Metagenics sells pharmaceutical-grade nutrition products not available in stores. They are available only through healthcare providers. You may order them through our clinic web site, Performance Plus Rehabilitation Center. For your own security, you must register and log in to our clinic web site with a username and password. Once you have registered and logged in, which only takes a brief minute, Online Store will appear on the left panel and you simply follow the links to the supplements of your choice. Save your username and password for future use. Products we commonly recommend for this condition include: Insinase MetaGlycemX UltraGlycemX Ask for Patient Guide These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Metabolic Dysglycemia, Diabetes, Insulin Resistance Related Pages of this Web Site Food Allergies |
