What are those good fats in foods? What fats should you and I stay away from. This article is about trimming the fat from the fat confusion about food. After reading this article you will have a clear view about what fats in food to consume and which ones to stay away from. Being diabetic this is only good news.

First let’s look at the bad fats

These bad fats are called saturated fats and trans fats. These bad fats show up in foods like chocolate, (sorry) cream sauces, butter, high fat meats like sausage, bologna, hot dogs, bacon, French fries and stick margarines to name a few foods where these ingredients prevail. For a complete list do a search on the internet and use trans fats or saturated fats to search on.

Why are trans and saturated fats bad for diabetics?

Trans and saturated fats do not mix well with diabetes. It’s about circulation. Because there is more sugar in the blood of diabetics circulation of the blood is slower. These two types of fats do the exact opposite of what you want to have happen in your body. The LDL which we want to be low goes up and HDL which we want to increase goes down.

What are some good fats?

Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are the good guys as far as fats are concerned. These fats help our bodies. They make our cell membranes more flexible, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce mortality from heart disease. Cold water fish like salmon and bluefish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Use canola and/or olive oil to sauté, cook, prepare salad dressing or bake.

Some diabetes diet tips.
Grill instead of fry. Lean meat instead of fatty meats will keep you lean. For meats and seafood eat two to three ounce servings. Forget about a half of a pound to a pound of beef. Skin that chicken before cooking or eating. Keep your saturated fat intake down. You and your diabetes diet plan will be much better off.

Your diabetes diet is essential to being healthy and turning the tide on your diabetes. Grab your free e course to help you gain the edge over your diabetes.

If you would like to learn more about diabetesnaturalsolutions.com/home.htm diabetes solutions go grab your free e course about diabetes. Go here right now diabetesnaturalsolutions.com/home.htm diabetesnaturalsolutions.com

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Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar levels of the body are elevated over a period of time and within a specific range. This condition may be associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes, however ongoing research tends to indicate that there are a lot of strategies that someone with prediabetes can use to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes can also increase the risk factors for the individual for cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. The condition may also lead to complications with vision and kidney function as the individual ages.

Determining prediabetes factors

Prediabetes factors are measured by your IFG or impaired fasting glucose score and/or the impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Some individuals may have both IFG and IGT at the same time.

IFG is measured by fasting overnight and then taking the blood glucose test. Individuals with 100-125 milligrams per deciliter are considered to be in the prediabetes range. Approximately 33.8% of the American population age 40-74 will have IFG.

IGT is an oral glucose test that gives a reading of 140-199 milligrams per deciliter after a 2-hour period. Out of the same population of 40-74 year olds 15.4% will have IGT, and 40.1% will have prediabetes.

Can it be controlled?

The good news is that research shows that some lifestyle changes can have a big impact on these factors, and can delay or even prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes. In the Diabetes Prevention program individuals that walked or moderately exercised for 2 _ hours per week, watched what they ate and stayed on any prescribed medication were able to reduce the rate of diabetes by 58% over 3 years. These individuals were all at high risk for prediabetes prior to entering the study.

In addition there are several medications including metformin, and acarbose significantly reduced the rate of type 2 diabetes. The studies showed that the medications were most effective if the participant was between 25-40 years of age and was heavier (60-80 pounds overweight) at the start of the study. Some improvement was also noted in older or less overweight individuals but it was not as marked.

Type 1 diabetes currently has no known methods of prevention. Ongoing studies are attempting to locate the factors that indicate the onset of type 1 diabetes in an effort to be able to introduce prevention programs.

Diagnosis

As with all components of diabetes the key to understanding and managing prediabetes is to get the correct diagnosis as quickly as possible. Blood glucose tests should be done if there is a history of diabetes or heart attack or stroke in your family. It is important to also follow through on any recommendations that the doctor may make for further testing. Early diagnosis of prediabetes can allow the physician and the patient to begin to address the issues of weight management, exercise and diet and can lead to the delay or even the prevention of the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Karen Newton is a registered nurse and acclaimed author with over 25 years of health care experience. Her newest book, Diabetic Diet Secrets, is an easy to follow guide to losing weight and getting control of your diabetes. Karen offers a free Diabetic Tips Course at diabeticdietsecrets.com/diabetictips.htm diabeticdietsecrets.com/diabetictips.htm.

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Metformin (brand names: Glucophage, Fortamet, Riomet) is an oral anti-diabetic medicine meant specifically for Type 2 Diabetics. That is, for diabetics who do not need to take a daily injection of insulin.

Metformin helps reduce plasma glucose levels and lowers the production of glucose by the liver, without increasing the concentration of insulin in the blood. This unique effect on blood insulin level is what separates Metformin from other glucose-lowering drugs of the sulfonylurea class, e.g. glyburide (Micronase; Diabeta) or glipizide (Glucotrol).

How Metformin does this, is by increasing the sensitivity of muscle and fat cells to the absorption of insulin, thus improving glucose uptake from the bloodstream. Insulin metabolizes glucose, but if cells are not sensitized to insulin, both insulin and glucose will stay in the blood stream and not get transported to body cells. A prolonged condition of this nature will result in high blood glucose levels you find in Type 2 Diabetes.

Scientific studies had been conducted to prove that Metformin reduces the complications of diabetes such as heart and kidney diseases, as well as blindness. Metformin has been approved by the FDA since 1994. It’s been successful in lowering blood sugar levels without going about it excessively. If blood glucose level is overly reduced, this will lead to hypoglycemia - with common symptoms ranging from headache, mild confusion, dizziness, sweating, and abnormal behavior, to loss of consciousness, seizure, and coma.

That’s why the side effects of taking Metformin can sometimes look similar to those found in hypoglycemia. This can happen for people who somehow developed an intolerance of taking it, causing a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis.

You must get emergency medical help if you find any of such symptoms of lactic acidosis: weakness, increasing sleepiness, slow heart rate, cold feeling, muscle pain, shortness of breath, stomach pain, feeling light-headed, and fainting. This condition of lactic acidosis is likely to develop if you have congestive heart failure, impaired kidney, or liver functions.

In addition, older individuals are more susceptible to contracting it. People younger than 17 years old should not take slow release Metformin. In any case, no children below 10 should be given any form of it.

Other side effects might include symptoms of an allergic reaction such as throat, tongue, lip, or face swelling, breathing problems, or hives. You might also experience shortness of breath, even with the mildest of exertion, rapid weight gain, swelling, flu-like symptoms, body aches, chills, fever, headache, weakness, or even mild nausea. While taking Metformin, you might experience stomach pain, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, or muscle pain as well.

If you have a history of heart, liver of kidney disease, do not take Metformin. If you are in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis (over production of glucose from the breakdown of your body muscle and fat tissues), call your doctor for treatment with insulin.

You should always contact your doctor before commencing a treatment - get to know which of your other types of medications (whether prescription or OTC drugs, or vitamins and herbs) will raise or lower your blood glucose level, and what types will adverse interactions with Metformin.

Disclaimer: If you need more information about Metformin, I urge you to talk to your doctor or a qualified professional.

[Copyright © 2007, Heather Colman. Find more of Heather's articles at ebookpalace.com eBook Palace. Her articles are available for ebookpalace.com/syndicate.html syndication. Reprinting individual articles is permissible provided no changes are made.]

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This is an associate’s sad story of her childhood following her father’s diagnosis of diabetes, which I shall reproduce here in her own words.

I remember the day when I learned that my dad had diabetes. I never truly understood what it meant but I knew it was something bad. I was 12 years old.

Every Sunday, my family always makes it a point to bond and have fun together. After going to church, my father would always brings us to the beach where he would teach us how to swim. It’s only a kilometer away from where we lived, so sometimes we would just jog or hike there. Along the way, he would tell us stories about his childhood and how he survived a hard life as a teenager, because his father died too soon. He worked his way up to get a good job as a sales manager and he was proud of it. We always have fun. My father provides us with everything. His dreams for us were always big and ambitious. Often he talks about how he wanted to give us a better life; to send all of us to school and college to finish a degree. That is why he works so hard to make ends meet. A large family of 6 children like us certainly needs a family man who not only cares but works hard as well. I can see my father working day and night not minding the stress and pressure just to support and feed his large family. He has always been an energetic man, with so much compassion for his work and his family. But that was before diabetes set in.

Slowly, I saw changes in my father’s behavior. Not that he became less of a loving father or a good provider. But his energy slowly waned. I would find him home and in bed sleeping the whole afternoon. He didn’t move as much or go to the beach with us on Sundays. He didn’t have the same energy he used to have before the disease and he seemed to be always tired and easily get fatigued. Most often he argued with my mom about his diet. He became irritated when my mom reprimanded him about not sticking to his meal plan. His numb feet kept him from making long walks or hiking with us. My sister and I massaged his aching feet every night. He became very conscious of not hurting or cutting himself. He was always hungry and thirsty and soon his vision became blurred.

One day he had an accident trying to save me and his right leg was injured. I saw a devastated look on my father’s face. The wound never healed and soon enough the doctor broke the worst news I had in my whole life. When gangrene set in, the whole infected area became black and smelly. It was not a good sight, and for my father, it meant gathering up all his courage and facing the worst possible consequence.. AMPUTATION.

He looked so weak but I saw courage in his eyes. He was ready for the operation. After long, agonizing hours of waiting, he was out from the operating room and into the recovery room. Hours later we saw him get up a smile with a teary eye.

For eight years he suffered but without complaint. He was getting around with one leg. He still managed to provide for us and his spirit to go on ,despite the disability was astounding. He became more spiritual than he used to be. Then his left leg started to develop sores; his blood sugar level soared up. Then the sores became ulcers and they never healed and soon a second amputation. He then became weary and emotional. Not a word does he speak that doesn’t bring tears to his eyes, when he talks about his life. We would gather around him and cheer him up. Everyone in the family cared for him. We would take turns in preparing his food and attending to his needs. My mom carried the greatest burden of emotional pain because every day she saw the man whom she dearly loved, in agony because of a disease that has taken not only his limbs but his pride as well.

Over the years my father developed heart disease and high blood pressure among other things and two years after his second amputation, he succumbed to death because of complications.

My father died at the age of 55. His example of courage and love has been our guide in following our own paths in life. Diabetes had taken so much from him. Years where he could have done so much if only he hadn’t acquired the disease. Now, everyone in the family is making a very conscious effort to stay away from this dreadful disease. Diabetes with not take any one of us again.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to diabetic-guides.com/ Diabetics

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