The alarming surge in diabetes, in one world map

Around the world, the number of people living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980, and most of the burden of the disease is concentrated in poorer countries. What’s wrong? Why do more and more people become diabetic?

The Effects of Fat, Protein, and Glycemic Index on Postprandial Glucose Control

Mealtime insulin dosing calculation should focus on meal composition—including fat, protein, and glycemic index—rather than carbohydrate counting alone, according to a systematic review published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

Current guidelines only focus on carbohydrates as the basis for calculating insulin doses; however, data indicates that other micronutrients—namely fat and protein—can affect insulin requirements, and the other issues depend on the type of carbohydrates ingested,” explained senior author Howard A. Wolpert, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Joslin Institute for Technology Translation, both in Boston, Mass.

Starch and Root Vegetables and Diabetes

There are a whole range of root vegetables and most of them are also starches – a type of carbohydrate. Basically, some plants store glucose as starch – giant chains of sugars.
So when it comes to root vegetables and starches, are they safe for type 2 diabetics to eat or not?
Even if there isn’t a great deal of evidence to show benefits of root veggies for type 2 diabete, having a wider variety of foods keeps things interesting and it also provides a wider range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to the body.

Type 1 Diabetes: An Unrelenting Disease

All of those factors make getting the right amount of insulin a difficult balancing act. Too much insulin can cause blood sugar levels to dip dangerously low, leading to confusion and mood changes, or even seizures and death, according to JDRF (formerly called the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Too little insulin leaves blood sugar levels too high.

Over time — in addition to making someone feel tired and thirsty — high blood sugar levels can eventually lead to a higher risk of long-term complications, such as heart disease, vision problems and kidney disease, the ADA says.

People with type 1 diabetes have to become nutrition experts and learn how to count the carbohydrates in their food. It’s the carbohydrates in foods that get processed into blood sugar in the body. Then they need to learn a mathematical formula to figure out how much insulin they’ll need.

Insulin pumps may help with the math, but they don’t do all the work — not yet, anyway.

Carb Counting Methods Explained

There are only 2 different carb counting methods and they are much simpler to use than you think. Let’s go over them together here and clear up any confusion.

Diabetes Meal Planning: Advanced Carb Counting – is it for all?

If you’re currently using carb counting as a meal-planning method, you’ve probably learned that a little bit of skill is involved. In theory, it seems easy. In reality, it can be tricky. Nevertheless, with practice and perseverance, carb counting is a meal-planning approach that works well. Read the full article at: www.diabetesselfmanagement.com With DietSensor, advanced […]