Posts tagged "high blood pressure"

Managing Diabetes for Health Wellness.

Diet plays a vital part for those having this medical condition as well as a need to monitor their blood glucose level for general health and wellness

Individuals with diabetes need to take care of their food and drinks carefully. nadequate glucose control may contribute to severe complications such as heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage.

Fortunately diabetes can be controlled mostly with medication but a appropriate diet plan is also vital in controlling the condition.

What must diabetics understand about the food they eat?

Maintain a balanced diet

If you suffer from diabetes, it is imperative that you have a balanced consumption of nutrients (such as carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals) just like everyone else. Being a diabetic does not mean that you should avoid carbohydrates. You still require your carbohydrate and protein as well as fats, only that the quantity has to be balanced as opposed to having too much of one.

Spread your carbohydrate intake

Consume different carbohydrate-rich food at each meal.  Bread and cereals for breakfast, noodles for lunch and rice at dinnertime. For snacks (in between main meals), go for wholemeal crackers with a glass of low-fat milk.

Consume complex carbs

Rice, bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals and tubers are all excellent sources of complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrate-rich foods have a tendency to take longer to digest and do notbring about your blood sugar to rise rapidly as opposed to basic carbohydrate-rich foods such as cakes and sugar-laden stuff which at once raise up your blood sugar.

Opt for the high-fibre varieties

As diabetics are more most likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, it is best for them to choose a diet made up of high-fibre, low-fat foods. Select wholemeal bread and unpolished (brown) rice rather than white bread or plain rice.

Avoid overeating for health wellness

Consuming food past what your body demands contributes to unhealthy weight gain which not only worsens diabetes but leads to other lifestyle diseases like hypertension and heart problems. Overeating also increases the tendency to consume more fats than needed.

Consume smaller, more frequent meals

Your body can only take care of so much glucose at one time. So spread out your food intake to ensure that your glucose levels are consistent and your body are not required adjust to different blood glucose levels.

Monitor and adjust

As a diabetic, constantly checking your blood glucose levels is necessary. If your level is high, it might well be that the food you are consuming is too high in carbohydrate content or sugar, and conversely, if your blood sugar reading is low, you must boost your carbohydrate consumption. (However, for any insulin adjustment, seek professionalassistance first.)

Sweet safety

With or without diabetes, everybody is advised to cut down on  his or her sugar intake as it provides just calories with no health benefits. Choose repalcement sweeteners or simply go sugar free. It is strongly suggested that you check the nutritional values in so-called sugar-free items as they might contain increased amounts of carbohydrate to make up for the shortage of sweetness.

Whilst diabetes requires you to maintain control of your diet, it is not a good idea to always be strict about it. Feel free and let yourself to savour those sugary delights every now and then. Consult your dietician for asensible diet plan.

 


3 Examples of How Coffee Drinking Can Affect Your Health

There is a lot of debate about whether or not coffee is good for health. Many people are under the impression that coffee has a negative impact on health but new research indicated that 1 or 2 daily cups of “Joe” can have a positive impact on overall health. Unfortunately, research has also shown that excessive coffee drinking can produce harmful health effects. The prevailing wisdom is that consuming more than three or four cups of coffee per day is bad for your health. Continue reading to discover the many different effects drinking coffee can have on your health. By the way, another effective way to be healthier is by making all-natural green smoothies with a Vita Mix 5200 blender. Buy Vita-Mix blenders, they’re rated #1.

There is a powerful antioxidant called methylpyridinium that is found in roasted coffee. There is only one food type where methylpyridinium can be found in any major amounts: roasted coffee. Oddly enough it can’t be found in raw coffee beans. It is the roasting process that creates the methylpyridinium. When in the form of raw coffee, the compound is called trigonelline. Once brewed, the antioxidant methylpyridinium is created. You can find this in all types of coffee, including decaffeinated coffee and even in instant coffee. This type of antioxidant has been shown to protect the body against various forms of cancer.

Coronary artery disease, or heart disease, is a severe disease that researchers say is the result of drinking coffee heavily. The research shows that drinking coffee can often be associated with raised numbers of the markers within the body for inflammation. Most times, research has talked about how inflammation has a bad affect on the cardiovascular system. These large amounts of caffeine can greatly increase cholesterol levels, which is a huge factor for raising the risk of coronary artery disease. It was also shown that many of those negatively affected patients were also exposed to other factors that can lead to heart disease, such as smoking, drinking large amounts of alcohol and living a sedentary lifestyle. Yet researchers agree that people that drink less than three cups of coffee daily might help their heart health, rather than negatively affect it. The goal is to drink coffee in moderate amounts and to reduce being exposed to things that can greatly increase your risk for coronary heart disease.

Despite a lack of formal study it is widely believed that caffeine increases the risks of high blood pressure. As coffee is a stimulant, some people have been known to feel anxious or irritable after drinking too much coffee. Drinking coffee can hamper the ability to resist stress for some people. In these cases people will feel anxious or stressed about things that do not ordinarily bother them. Some of the symptoms may be higher than normal blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and a rapid heart rate. This is particularly true of heavy coffee drinkers. Research does indicate that drinking coffee in moderation is good for your health. Of course it’s important to remember that drinking too much (three or more cups daily) can be bad for you. Be sure to limit the amount of coffee you drink to no more than 2 or 3 cups each day. This way you’ll benefit from some of the good effects coffee can have and you’ll be avoiding the more negative health risks that could be present. Lastly, remember to read our Vitamix review.