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TYPE I DIABETES AND THE “NORMAL” BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:44:48 +0000

What is the “right amount” of glucose in the blood? In fact, what is sugar doing in the blood in the first place, and why does the body need a complicated system of hormones to keep it in balance?

Glucose is the favored energy fuel for most cells of the body. It is carried throughout the body by the blood. A relatively small amount of sugar can supply the needs of the trillions of cells in the human body. All the blood of an average-sized adult man usually contains just about a teaspoon of glucose. But a person’s blood sugar level is not the same all the time. It goes up shortly after a meal, when foods from the digestive tract are passing into the bloodstream; and it goes down when a person hasn’t eaten for a long time. During your long night’s sleep, you don’t eat anything, so your blood sugar level is generally lowest just before breakfast. (This is called your fasting blood glucose level.)

In a healthy person, the swings in blood sugar level are not permitted to go very far. When sugar floods into the blood after a meal, the pancreas quickly secretes insulin, which helps the body cells get the sugar tucked away into storage. When a person has fasted or is starved, glucagon keeps the blood sugar level from falling too low. In a healthy person, the blood sugar level rarely rises above a concentration of 160 milligrams in each 100 milliliters of blood (which is expressed as 160 mg%), even after a meal, or falls below 60 mg%, even during a fast. The normal fasting blood sugar level ranges from 70 to 120 mg%, or about 80 mg% on the average.

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TYPE II DIABETES AND OTHER FORMS OF DIABETES

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:01:36 +0000

Some people have high sugar levels only at times of great stress, or during an illness. When tested at other times, they seem perfectly normal. This condition is called “prediabetes” or previous abnormality of glucose tolerance (PrevAGT). Everything may go back to normal, or the disease may crop up in a more serious form later. A person with this type of “hidden” diabetes may only need to eat a sensible diet, get plenty of exercise, and have regular checkups to make sure the condition has not progressed.

Some women develop high blood sugar while they are pregnant, then return to normal after the baby is born. This condition is referred to as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (gestation is another word for pregnancy). Women who have abnormal blood sugar levels during pregnancy have an increased risk for complications during pregnancy, and also for developing real diabetes later.

Some people have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be classified as diabetic. These people are said to have impaired glucose tolerance, because the body is not using sugar properly. Impaired glucose tolerance may persist for many years; some people may then develop diabetes, and some return to normal.

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THE G.I. FACTOR AND WEIGHT REDUCTION: PLANNING LOW G.I. MEALS

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:53:04 +0000

Breakfast

1. Start with a bowl of low G.I. cereal served with skim or low-fat milk or yoghurt.

2. Try something like All-Bran™, rolled oats (raw or cooked) or Guardian™.

3. If you prefer muesli, keep to a small bowl of low-fat muesli—check that it doesn’t contain added fats.

4. Add a slice of toast made from a low G.I. bread (or 2 slices for a bigger person) with a dollop of jam, sliced banana, honey, Vegemite™, marmalade, or light cream cheese with sliced apple. Keep butter or margarine to a minimum, or use none at all.

5. If you like a hot breakfast, try baked beans, a boiled or poached egg, cooked tomatoes or mushrooms with your toast.

Lunch

1. Try a sandwich or roll, with only a smear of margarine. Choose a bread with lots of whole grains through it (not just sprinkled on top) if you can, for a low G.I. factor. Add plenty of salad fillings.

2. For the filling choose from a thin slice of leg ham, pastrami, lean roast beef or chicken or turkey smallgood, or a slice of low-fat cheese, salmon or tuna (in brine), or an egg. An extra container of salad or vegetable soup will help to fill you up.

3. Finish your lunch with a piece of fruit, or fruit salad with a low-fat yoghurt, or a low-fat flavoured or plain milk.

Dinner

1. The basis of dinner should be high carbohydrate grains and root vegetables.

2. Eat as many vegetables as you can, using a small amount of meat, chicken or fish as an accompaniment rather than the main ingredient.

3. Use lean meat like topside beef, veal, new-fashioned pork, trim lamb, chicken breast, fish fillets, turkey. Red meat is a valuable source of iron—just choose lean types. A piece of meat, chicken or fish that fits in the palm of your hand (no fingers) fulfils the daily protein requirements of an adult.

4. If you prefer not to eat meat, a cup of cooked dried peas, beans, lentils or chick peas can provide protein and iron without any fat. At the same time they supply low G.I. carbohydrate and fibre.

5. Sanitarium products such as Nutmeat™, Casserole Mince™ and tofu are based on high protein legumes like soya beans and peanuts and are good meat alternatives.

6. Boost your fruit intake and get into the habit of finishing your meal with fruit—fresh, stewed or baked—or try a fruit ice, such as Vitari™.

Snacks

1. It is important to include a couple of dairy food serves each day for your calcium needs. If you haven’t used yoghurt or cheese in any meals, you may choose to make a low-fat milkshake. One or two scoops of low-fat ice cream or custard can also contribute to daily calcium intake.

2. If you like grainy breads, an extra slice makes a very good choice for a snack. Other snacks can include toasted English-style muffin halves, a crumpet with a smear of margarine, bagels or fruit loaf.

3. Fruit is always a low kilojoule option for snacks. You should aim to consume at least 3 serves a day. It may be helpful to prepare fruit in advance to make it accessible and easy to eat.

4. Low-fat crackers (like water crackers) are a low kilojoule snack if you want something dry and crunchy, although they may not be as sustaining as a grainy bread. Popcorn (home prepared with a minimum of fat) is another good alternative.

5. Keep vegetables (like celery and carrot sticks, baby tomatoes, florets of blanched cauliflower or broccoli) ready prepared to snack on, too.

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