Diabolus Diabetes Space

Exercise helps you manage your blood sugar levels and keep your heart healthy. You have no intentions of ever entering a bodybuilding competition, nor do you imagine that your bikini-clad physique will turn heads at the beach. While you are not an exercise fanatic, you take care of yourself and know that exercise is a vital component for overall health, but not necessarily a means to a prettily packaged end.

For you, exercise is a catalyst for tighter glucose control. Sweating a few times a week helps you achieve this, but you wonder if you could or need to do more. Is there a reasonable middle ground between obsessive exercise and simply picking up the pace, and are there health-conscious goals you should be moving toward?

Burning the Fat

In order to burn fat you’ve got to increase your target heart rate 60-65 percent. To determine this target, use the Karvonen Formula online at exercise.about.com. It’s best to maintain this heart rate for a minimum of 20 minutes while exercising.

Unfortunately, a short daily walk may not achieve this. However, you don’t have to go to great lengths to succeed. Instead of that short walk, climb stairs or jump rope. You’ll feel the difference within the first few flights or revolutions. Stick with either of these exercises for 20 minutes and you’ve entered that fat-burning threshold. Maintain a regimen of this workout for five days a week, and you’ll see lower glucose levels along with an overall lower resting heart rate, a sure sign of better health and performance.

Cardio Conditioning

Once you’ve mastered the 20 minute burn it’s time to enter the cardio zone and increase the intensity. Our bodies adapt to almost anything. Therefore, routine in exercise becomes the enemy. Increasing the intensity of your workout or switching up your the exercises helps alleviate this problem. While you’re at it, why not burn more fat and condition that heart?

The…

How do you get enough protein? Doesn't it come from meat, which is also high in fat? There are other excellent sources of protein that are also low in fat. Read this article to learn how to get the healthy protein you need.

Protein—it makes up 16 percent of your body weight and the average person needs about 50 grams of it, every day, to be healthy. (Get a personal estimate, based on your body weight here -http://www.unjury.com/reg/calculator.shtml) It is what your hair, skin and muscles are made of. Protein is an important part of any diet whether or not you live with diabetes.

When most of us think of protein we think of meat. It's an accurate link, but most meats are high in fat. It seems like a catch-22 for healthy eaters—you need protein, but fat is the enemy.

So how do you get one without the other? There are several high protein foods that are not meat.

• Beans: Navy, kidney, lentils or chick peas—it makes no difference. They all pack a high protein punch.
• Cheese & Eggs: This one makes sense considering where they come from. Just be sure to get low fat cheese and eat only reasonable amounts.
• Avocados
• Greens: Dark greens like spinach, Kale, and Mustard Greens have quite a bit of protein, as well as iron and even some calcium in them.

All this information is great, if you use it. Here are two high protein, low sugar recipes that use ingredients other than meat.

High protein salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby spinach salad mix (if you don't like spinach, substitute another dark green)
• ¼ cup cooked and dried navy beans
• ¼ cup cooked and dried kidney beans
• ½ cup chick peas
• ½ of a ripe, medium sized avocado, diced
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1 stalk of broccoli, chopped into bite–size pieces

Preparation: Get a bowl…

Hispanics immigrating to the United States who maintain their cultural diet were more likely to have a higher fiber intake and better control of their HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, according to research.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, reported the findings. They also found that there were relatively few alterations to behaviors such as smoking and recreational activity between the groups who adapted to traditional American meals. Post migration dietary changes have a negative impact on health and may increase the odds of developing diabetes.

The effects of immigration are debatable in more than the political realm. Immigration can have serious impacts on a person’s health. Hispanics and African Americans have a higher rate of diabetic-related complications than Europeans or Asians. But, that risk can be reduced by adhering to their native dietary traditions.

The report in the Annals of Family Medicine found that Hispanics who spoke Spanish were more likely to adhere to the healthier diet. Those who spoke English as their primary language were more likely to adopt less healthy American dietary habits.

There are many community efforts targeting Hispanic families to encourage physical activity and discourage smoking. Schools are beginning to reintroduce physical education classes, particularly in those neighborhoods of high minority populations to stem the tide of a growing problem with diabetes.

Researchers at the famous diabetic treatment and research facility, Joslin Clinic in conjunction with researchers at Fluminense Federal University in Brazil, printed similar findings last month in the journal Diabetes Care. The conclusion to their study demonstrated overweight Hispanic children had more markers for diabetes than those who were within normal parameters.

Recently I was out running with a colleague. While stretching, pre-run, we discussed the changes in our bodies from the limber athletes we once were to the creaky and tight-muscled athletes we are today. I asked about my colleague’s use of supplements, especially glucosamine and fish oil, both of which are touted as a panacea for our ailment. He laughed and spoke about the inconsistency with which he has tried to incorporate both, but then offered a rather insightful observation. “You must know your body on an almost molecular level. I’m sure you are aware of changes within that most will never understand.”

His statement stayed with me during our 5K run. Just what are the implications of diabetes on sports performance?

In a way, well-controlled individuals with diabetes are much like high performing athletes; we are both forced to be uniquely in-tune with our bodies. I can ascertain that my sugar level is elevated by the tight and restricted muscles in my legs. They feel as if they are pumping molasses. The same is true for low blood sugar. For me the surrounding environment feels pressured and my patience disappears. I become almost distant from myself, to the degree that I question how I must appear based on the sound of my own voice and the response of those around me. Similarly, athletes must be aware of their breathing, pacing, exertion, form, and strategy, all while being cognizant of how their body is responding to the way they intend it to move.

Therefore, for those of use who have diabetes and are athletes, our monitoring must be two-fold. I am particularly aware of just how efficiently I am performing throughout any cardiovascular, weightlifting, or skills-based exercise. I can easily sense how my muscle response and know if my sugar level is high, low, or just right. I imagine that this dual awareness exceeds what most athletes must consider, and may actually impair athletic performance. Thinking takes energy, and too much…

Avoiding sugar may seem straightforward, but there are hidden sugars in some unexpected foods. Read more about corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and hidden sugary surprises in foods.

On the surface, it may seem easy for me, a person living with type 1 diabetes, and others to restrict sugar. However, once you turn to the labels of the more standard food items in your refrigerator, as I did, you will find sugar lurking, along with the evil twin and its variations, high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup.

"High Fructose Corn Syrup was introduced into the American Food Supply in the 1970's, at roughly the same time as partially hydrogenated oils. Since then, we've had epidemic levels of obesity, the highest rates of disease, and the lowest life expectancy of any industrialized nation. Those facts are not a coincidence."

The preceding statement and others like it strike fear in me. Here is a short list of the aforementioned items, along with their sweet ingredients and place amongst the product's composition:

• Peanut Butter: sugar, 2nd ingredient
• Ketchup: high fructose corn syrup, 3rd ingredient; corn syrup, 4th
• Strawberry Jelly: high fructose corn syrup, 2nd ingredient; corn syrup 3rd; sugar 4th
• "Lite" Syrup: high fructose corn syrup, 1st ingredient
• Light Mayonnaise: sugar, 6th ingredient
• Thousand Island dressing: corn syrup, 2nd ingredient; high fructose corn syrup, 5th
• Low Fat Italian dressing: high fructose corn syrup, 2nd ingredient
• Four Cheese spaghetti sauce: sugar, 5th ingredient
• Apple Juice: high fructose corn syrup, 1st ingredient

The USDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons of added sugar daily for the average person eating a healthy 2,000 calorie diet (http://www.cspinet.org/new/sugar.html). However, most people consume twice the recommended amount of sugar. This should…