Insulin Isn’t Enough

Of course you want to keep track of your blood sugar levels and you need to take your insulin or whatever medication your doctor has prescribed. But that’s not enough. You have to figure out how to lose weight at home. The proper diet can make all the difference in the world. By exercising and eating healthy, many type ll diabetes sufferers no longer need to take medication. They are for all intents and purposes cured.

If Your Home Environment Isn’t Conducive To Losing Weight

Being on a diet and finding time to exercise at home can be hard. The kids don’t want to eat your healthy foods and demand all your attention. Joining a gym with a friend may be the solution to how to build muscle and lose fat, thereby helping to treat not only obesity but your type ll diabetes as well.

Whether it is type l or type ll diabetes, healthy eating habits and regular exercise can only help your situation.

Simple Steps for Prevention

Your diabetes doesn’t have to be a weight hanging around your neck. You can save hundreds of dollars per year off your car insurance simply by following these tips.

1. Always check your glucose level before you hit the road.
2. Bring plenty of snacks with you in your vehicle just in case you start to feel weak and shaky while driving.
3. If you feel like you’re not able to drive safely, always pull over, eat something and give yourself plenty of time before heading onto your destination.
4. Carry a cell phone with you at all times that’s pre-programmed with emergency numbers just in case you need emergency help quickly.
5. Get your eyes checked every six months and monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis.

You Don’t Have To Give Up On Driving

By following the simple steps in this article you won’t have to give up on your driving privileges. Driving while having diabetes is something that millions of people do successfully every single day and you can too.

Prep time: About an hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

-          One and a half to two pounds of split chicken breasts

-          One or two sprigs of dried and crushed thyme

-          Non-stick spray coating

-          ¼ of a teaspoon of garlic salt

-          Two tablespoons of nonfat milk

-          1/8 of a teaspoon of ground white pepper

-          Two tablespoons of onion powder

-          1/8 of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper

-          1/8 of a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken and pat it dry.
2. Cut off the skin and discard.
3. Spray a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with your nonstick cooking spray.
4. Arrange the chicken in a dish – meat side up.
5. Brush lightly with milk.
6. In a small mixing bowl, pour in your onion powder, garlic salt, white pepper, black pepper, red pepper and thyme.
7. Mix the ingredients together and sprinkle over the chicken.
8. Bake in an 375 degree oven for 45 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked all the way through).
9. Serve and enjoy!

A common misconception is that if you’re not a vegetarian, then it’s pointless to eat vegetarian meals. This, of course, is a very ignorant way of thinking and is also detrimental in regards to you enjoying some really delicious dishes. You’re missing out! Don’t believe us? Go ahead and whip up this amazing asparagus polenta recipe and then come on here and tell us differently.

Prep time: About a half hour

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

-          Six ounces of Portobello mushrooms, sliced thin

-          Eight ounces of asparagus, cut into one inch portions

-          One or two teaspoons of olive oil

-          One package (usually about 16 ounces) of prepared Italian herb polenta

-          One cup of water

-          One ounce of sun-dried tomatoes (absolutely NOT the kind in oil), sliced

-          ¼ to ½ a cup (about one to two ounces) of shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Sautee your mushrooms and asparagus in the oil in a large skillet for two to three minutes.
2. Cook (while covered) asparagus until it is crispy-tender (usually takes about five minutes).
3. Mash up the polenta in a medium-sized sauce pan.
4. Mix in the water and cook over a medium heat, whisking until it is smooth and hot (usually takes about five minutes, also).
5. Stir in the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus.
6. Spoon mixture into a shallow casserole or quiche dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is browned and polenta is puffed.
8. Serve hot or warm and enjoy!

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

-          One pound of sea scallops

-          1/3 of a cup of seasoned bread crumbs

-          Two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

-          One tablespoon of olive oil

-          ½ lemon, cut into wedges

-          ¼ of a cup of light tartar sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Prepare the broiler pan with a nonstick spray.
3. Roll the scallops in the bread crumbs (lightly).
4. Place on the prepared pan and drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over them.
5. Broil for about two minutes on each side.
6. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a light tartar sauce (if you want).
7. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

-          Three pounds of spaghetti squash, halved length wise and seeded

-          Two tablespoons of butter, melted

-          ¼ of a cup of chicken broth

-          Two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley

-          ¼ of a teaspoon of salt

-          1/8 of a teaspoon of coarse black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the squash, cut side down, in a microwavable safe dish.
2. Add in two tablespoons of water.
3. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 100% power for 25 to 30 minutes, or until squash is tender.
4. Let stand for five minutes.
5. Carefully remove plastic wrap and pull out squash strands with a fork.
6. Place in a large bowl.
7. Mix up butter, broth, salt and pepper and parsley.
8. Add in the squash.
9. Serve.
10. Enjoy!

Start out by writing down everything you eat. Don’t change your eating habits until you know what your eating habits are. Record every morsel – from the cream cheese on your breakfast bagel to the duck sauce on your stir-fry. Write down portions and amounts of what you eat as well. Check for servings sizes and measure portions you consume. Just as importantly, track your calorie intake. That duck sauce might seem harmless – but in reality be loaded with calories. Understanding how many calories you consume is an important element of weight loss. The amount of calories you consume and the amount of calories you burn determines whether or not you lose weight. So knowing how many calories you consume is crucial to your success. Although it may seem daunting, there are resources that can make your calorie tracking easy and stress-free. Electronic calorie counters can provide you with the calories count of thousands of your favorite foods. Calorie counters can even tell you the calorie count of your favorite fast food items. So whether you are at home or on the go, an electronic calorie counter will help you stick to your weight loss plan.

Once you’ve determined how much you actually eat and the number of calories you consume, you can then look at changes you may need to make. By tracking how much you eat, you can see over a period of time how your food consumption affects your weight loss. You can also congratulate yourself for healthy habits you may not have known you have. Tracking what you eat provides you with the tools to be successful at losing weight and managing your goal weight once you’ve shed the pounds.

The situation is such that you are already suffering from diabetes, and the challenge is to make sure that it doesn’t become worse. So what do you do? Well of course you can’t get the sugar levels down in your body in just one day. There is a gradual process involved, and you need to make sure that you do regular check- ups.

Most cases where the diabetes condition of a patient gets worse is when he/she hasn’t been taking care of his/her diet. Eating wrong foods is anyway unhealthy; consider eating them post diabetes, and you are in for serious trouble. Therefore, following diabetic diets menus is a must for diabetes patients. These diets help you to know what exactly you are consuming, and how it will further affect your body.

You need to include whole wheat breads, brown rice and spaghetti, along with a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diabetic diets menus. Of course, cutting down on sweet and sugary foods is a must. There are two types of diabetes, and while type 1 doesn’t have many serious repercussions, type 2 is extremely dangerous.  Patients suffering from type 2 diabetes can even suffer from frequent fainting spells, and their body becomes very weak. Thus, consumption of healthy foods with the help of diabetic diets menus becomes a must.

A lot of health experts also suggest that consumption of skimmed milk products such as yogurt, and cheese is also very helpful, and should be included in diabetic diets menus. Low- fat cheese and butter are commonly available in the market, and are good for general health, not only for diabetic patients.

Other ways to ease the complications of diabetes is to take medication, such as daily injections of insulin or taking a pill, such as glucophage.

The people who are most likely to become diabetic are individuals who are overweight, as well as inactive.

In addition, many develop diabetes because people in their family are susceptible to it due to heredity. It is also the lifestyle of a person that contributes to this occurrence.

Avoiding exercise, eating lots of fats and sugar within your diet, as well as being overweight or obese, are some of the factors surrounding diabetes. It can occur at anytime with signs including frequent urination and excessive thirst.

When someone is diabetic, they are unable to produce or correctly use insulin throughout their body, which is the hormone that is responsible for changing sugar, starches and other food into energy.

One of the ways to follow a diabetic diet is to eat foods from all of the four basic food groups, as well as decrease the consumption of alcohol, fat, and sweets.

You can incorporate a wide variety of nutritious foods into a diabetic diet.

A diabetic’s diet must follow this lifestyle change wherever they may be.

When eating out at a restaurant, there are a few tips to follow when deciphering the types of food items and meals you should look out for or avoid.

When choosing something that will adhere to your diabetic diet, you should avoid foods that are described as being “creamed,” “fried” or “sautéed.” These foods are most likely to contain loads of fat.

Foods that contain a lot of cheese, butter, oil or mayonnaises should be avoided on diabetic diets. If you must taste these foods during your meal, you should order them to arrive as a side item.

Other foods that can stray from diabetic diets include those that are prepared with sweet and sour sauce, as well as teriyaki and barbeque. They contain high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates that should be avoided while on a diabetic diet.

Diabetic diets should count the number of calories from fat as being 30% less than the total number of calories eaten throughout one day.

Diabetic diets should include foods that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol, such as skinless poultry, fresh fruit, and vegetables.

When on a diabetic diet, you should stay away from red meats, eggs, as well as whole-milk dairy products.

Diabetic diets work better when the dairy in your life comes from low-fat or fat-free selections.

10-20% of your daily calories on a diabetic diet should come from proteins in foods, such as lean meat, fish, and low-fat dairy products. The rest of a diabetic diet should consist of carbohydrates coming from whole grains, beans, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit.

Overall, there is no official diabetic diet to follow and it really depends on the individual diabetic.

If you are able to work closely with a dietician, doctor, or nutritionist, you will be able to find a balance within your diabetic diet and exercise routine.

While the golden arches, etc. may be tempting, it is best to pass them by as often as possible.  However, there are always times we have to do what we have to do.  If you are out and absolutely must have something quick and you find yourself only in “fast food alley”, don’t despair.  Or perhaps you just have to give in to the little ones and go for it.  Fast food is an option when ordered properly.  Here are some tips to help you make good decisions once you step into that bastion of greasy fried food.

1. Be sure to order the small sizes.  Forget the “super size value” the cashier will tempt you with.  Remember it is not a “value” if you shouldn’t have it.

2. Avoid the deep fried foods.  You know you shouldn’t have them so forget it!  No french fries for you; order a small side salad instead.  And go easy on the dressing.  A drizzle won’t hurt you.  The whole package will!

3. When ordering your sandwich, go for the grilled chicken or the smallest size burger.  Then you need to stick with this  important step; ask that your sandwich be made without the dressing and mayo based sauces.  If you want something on your sandwich, ask for mustard, catsup, lettuce, tomato, pickle and/or onion.    If you get the small burger, break off the excess bun.  Many times the burger is almost lost in a big bun.  You know you shouldn’t have that extra bread!  Or you could remove the top of the bun, eliminating over half of the bread.

4. Drink water or unsweetened tea.  Yes, you can have that diet drink if you really must.  However, water is best for you with the unsweetened tea following in a close second.

5. Skip dessert.  You really don’t need a fried pie or cookies, etc.  If you really must partake of dessert, go for a fruit and yogurt parfait or a simple small ice cream cone.

As you can see, it really is possible to do fast food once in awhile without feeling guilty.  Just make it a rare occasion.  As diabetics, we simply cannot afford to be visiting “fast food joints” on a regular basis.