Tuesday, October 7, 2008

DIABETIC SICKNESS II

Having Diabetes is no fun, the fundamental rule behind managing diabetes is one's ability to lower blood sugar and keep it at a safe level. Obviously a type 1 diabetic has a completely different way of doing this, namely the intravenous use of insulin via daily injections but the type 2 diabetic should be concerned with more natural ways to lower blood sugar.

How is this accomplished? There are three main aspects to controlling blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetics, unfortunately, these rules do not apply to the type 1 in quite the same way since the nature of their condition is hinged upon a different set of rules.

The 3 natural ways of lowering blood sugar are as follows.

1. Controlling the level of carbohydrates eaten on a daily basis. When we talk about carbs, we mean all carbs, not just biscuits and cakes. Pasta, rice, grains, pulses, fruit and fruit juice, sugar in your coffee, flavoured yogurt, ready made soups, wholemeal bread, root vegetables, cereals. The list is nearly infinite and once you start to read the back of every pack of food you purchase, you will realize just how many foods contain carbs. They are everywhere. The carbs you do eat should only be from the low glycemic end of the scale. There is plenty of free information the glycemic index available online, read as much as you can.

Arming yourself with this knowledge and cutting back severely on the level of carb intake is fundamental to maintaining better sugar levels. Don;t worry about feeling washed out or strange if you don't have your morning double helping of cereal and orange juice. Your body is quite capable of supplying you with is own energy source. It has done for the thousands of years before doughnut stores were invented and man's food supply was limited to pretty much meat, berries and, well more meat really.

2. Start your day either by skipping breakfast or having one based more around protein, fat, low carbohydrate nuts and vegetables. Keeping those so called sugar cravings at bay starts with never enticing your system with them in the first place. Much like when a smoker lights up his first cigarette early in the morning and from then on kicks the nicotine cycle into play. So it is with the carb/sugar craving cycle. Once your body has had sugar and carbohydrate. It releases insulin to combat the rising glucose levels. You body shuts down its natural (fat metabolism) cycle and converts over to carbohydrate metabolism. From then on throughout the day, as your sugar levels dip every few hours and you start to experience that shaky, foggy, irritable washed out feeling. Your body will automatically crave and seek out the nearest available source of carbohydrate. Be that bread, pastry or lump of sugar. Since the body temporarily shuts down fat metabolism, it seeks to keep the carbohydrate burning cousin going in its place. And will do so unless you foregoe the sugary snack and spend a few more hours climbing the walls until your body rights itself and balance is restored.It is no coincidence that most people are snacking every couple of hours.Try not starting the day with carbs. You will be surprised.

3. Another golden natural way to lower blood sugar is to eat absolutely no carbs after about 5 in the evening or more to the point, after you finish work, this may be a little different if you work nights but you get the point. Since your body burns carbs far better when you are active, namely working, it will keep levels down so much better during the day. Come the night time and your second helping of pasta carbonara later, things wont be quite so dynamic from your metabolisms point of view.

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