If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, pre-diabetes, or your doctor has warned you that you’re at risk, take action now to reverse your diabetes, and see what the diabetes community on Social Medicine is discussing.
The Rise Of Diabetes
Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease, where one person is diagnosed every seven minutes, yet in most cases, diabetes is also preventable. A healthy lifestyle change can reverse diabetes. The smallest changes can improve your health, changes in the way you eat, adding in a little more exercise, and losing even a modest amount of weight. The diabetes community found on Social Medicine supports you and the changes you make to your lifestyle.
Controlling diabetes
Changing your lifestyle doesn’t mean living in deprivation. But you’ll probably need to learn some better eating habits. You can continue to eat and enjoy your favorite foods, and best of all, you don’t have to give up sweets or resign to carbohydrate counting. A diabetes diet is simply a healthy eating plan that is high in nutrients, low in fat, and moderate in calories.
You have more control over your health than you think. The most important thing you can do for your health is to lose weight. The biggest risk factor for developing diabetes is being overweight. Your risk is higher if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen. Experts say that losing just 5% to 10% of your total weight can help you lower your blood sugar considerably, as well as lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index (GI) tells you how quickly a food turns into sugar in your system. High GI foods tend to spike your blood sugar levels. These foods include white rice, white pasta, white bread, potatoes, sweets, chips, and many processed foods. They should be limited in your diet. Low GI foods include nuts, seeds, lean meats, seafood, whole grains, beans, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta. You should be eating a lot of non-starchy vegetables, beans and fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and berries. Even tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and papayas.
Sweet Cravings
If you crave something sweet, you should limit your bread, rice or pasta intake during your main meal. Eating sweets adds extra carbohydrates; it is best to cut back on other carbohydrates where possible. Make your indulgence count by eating slowly and paying attention to the flavors and textures. Think about cutting down on sweets by reducing soda and juice drinks, reducing the amount of sugar in recipes by ¼, and instead of ice cream, blend up frozen bananas, or a small piece of dark chocolate. You should also begin to replace your daily dessert with fruit.
Alcohol Intake
If you’re diabetic, always monitor your blood glucose, as alcohol can interfere with diabetes medication and insulin. Beer and wine contain calories and carbs, while cocktails are loaded with sugar. Men and women should drink in moderation, with women one drink per day and men two drinks per day.
Fat Types
There are various fats to consider when having a meal. Some fats are unhealthy, while other fats have high health benefits. The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red meat, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats are fats that are less likely to spoil. The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant and fish sources. Good sources include olive oil, canola oil, nuts, avocados, salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health.
Exercise
When it comes to preventing, controlling, or reversing diabetes, consider exercising. Regular exercise maintains your weight and can improve your insulin sensitivity. One of the easiest moderate-intensity activities is walking for 30 minutes five or more times a week, swimming or riding a bike.
Conclusion
Social Medicine is a new world of social networking, that promotes exchange of knowledge, ideas and information, making user experience an energizing and a rewarding one.
Social-medicine.orgis putting the social back into all things medical. Designed to help individuals dealing with particular illnesses, help share their thoughts, experiences, and knowledge with others who experience the same condition. It is designed to be a social, fun and a relaxed way to learn and share information. Its emphasis is on connecting people and has all the social networking features and functionality expected.
Social-medicine.org is differentiated from the other medical social networking sites as it primarily focuses on illness sufferers within the health communities. Social Medicine fosters a community support experience, where real people in similar situations come together, to circumvent negative feelings like disconnection and loneliness, and focus on improving self-esteem, understanding, communication, relationships, and peer support.
Please also find further information on the about page http://social-medicine.org/about/ and a YouTube video on Social Medicine’s functionality at http://youtu.be/MSz1sfJoa2o
