With sedentary lifestyle, refined and processed food habits, obesity and diabetes is the new age epidemic. India, in fact, is being termed as the diabetes capital of the world given the huge rise in the number of cases over the last couple of decades.
There are well established risk factors for diabetes and if these can be managed, then the chance of delaying onset, controlling progress and containing complications are highly possible. Read on to know how simple things can be effective in preventing and managing diabetes.


Weight control: Obesity is the most important risk factor for developing diabetes. A person with normal BMI is 20 to 40 times less likely to develop diabetes than an overweight person. Losing about 10% of the excess weight can help prevent diabetes by more than 50%. Check with your doctor what should be the ideal recommended weight for you and draw up a routine (diet, exercise, etc.) that will help you achieve and stay around that weight range.
Exercise: All methods of exercise help in moving the muscles, which is drastically reduced given our sedentary lifestyle. Moving the muscle (as much and as often as possible) ensures they absorb more glucose and reduce the stress on insulin production. Something as simple as brisk walking for 30 minutes is good enough to reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 50%.
Don t be a couch potato: If watching television is your favourite pastime, it is time to change it. This puts people at risk of developing obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Also, watching television is usually associated with overeating, further adding to the risk of diabetes.
Fibrous foods: Eating fibrous fruits and vegetables as compared to refined and fried foods helps prevent diabetes. 
Whole grains vs processed foods: When you have to choose between a pizza and a bowl of brown rice, go for the latter.
Good fats vs bad fats: Polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds and help control diabetes. Trans fats present in margarine and baked foods are best avoided.
Non-vegetarian foods: If you have a choice, pick fish and poultry versus red meat (processed or otherwise). The fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and helps control inflammation.
Leave the whites: Get off white rice, white refined sugar and white flours. Include brown rice, brown or demerara sugar and wheat flour instead. 
Smoking: Quit smoking and you will note how beneficial it is in preventing diabetes. 
Alcohol: Moderate amount helps in effective functioning of the insulin.
If you have a family history or have risk factors, follow the above to prevent diabetes.

Diabetes - 10 Easy Steps To Help You Prevent it 

Changes in the colour of your urine can reveal important information about your health. If your urine takes on a hue beyond what's normal, it can be indicative of something wrong with your health. In general, the normal urine colour varies from pale yellow to deep yellowish-brown, which is a result of a chemical pigment in the urine called urochrome.

1. Red or Pink

- When your kidneys, urethra, bladder or any other urinary tract organ gets infected or inflamed, blood cells get leaked into the urine, giving it a red hue. The causes behind the presence of blood can be urinary tract infections, kidney cysts, kidney stones, enlarged prostate and even cancer. Taking blood thinners can also cause you to have blood in your urine.
- Certain foods like blackberries, rhubarb and beets can cause your urine to turn pink.
- The use of certain medications like a particular class of antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis can turn your urine red. Likewise, a drug used to numb discomfort in the urinary tract can cause a red/pink discoloration of your urine.

2. Blue or Green

- The consumption of coloured food dyes containing green or blue pigments can cause you to pass urine of such hues.
- Certain anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory medications can turn your urine green/blue.
- A very rare medical condition called familial benign hypercalcemia (fbh), characterised by high levels of calcium in thE blood and low levels of the mineral in the urine can cause your urine to turn blue.
- Green urine can also occur if your urinary tract gets infected by the pseudomonas bacteria.

3. Dark Brown

- Having large amounts of these foods - aloe, rhubarb (a type of leafy green) and broad beans can cause you to pass dark brown urine.
- Certain anti-malarial drugs, laxatives and muscle relaxants can darken the colour of your urine as well.
- Dark brown urine can also be caused by disorders of the kidney or liver as well as infections of the urinary tract.
Injury of the muscle as a result of excessive training can result in dark brown urine.

4. Orange

- Problems with the bile duct (the duct through which bile from the gall bladder and liver passes before entering the duodenum) or liver along with the passing of light coloured stools can result in orange urine.
- A cause of orange urine may also be dehydration as fluids bring about a decrease in the concentration of compounds present in the urine.

5. White

- The presence of calcium or phosphate sediments in the urine can give it a white hue.
- White urine can also be a result of funguria infection (a form of fungal urinary infection wherein the fungus produces white sediments) or a bacterial infection.



What the Colour of Your Urine Says About Your Health?

At this point of time, diabetes is one of the most chronic, fastest growing lifestyle disease in the world. Also known as diabetes mellitus, the condition is basically a metabolic disorder, wherein the human body cannot store and use fuel for the energy. This fuel or glucose is the one that powers all our bodily organs and ensures that we have the energy to carry out activities throughout the day.

And while diabetes is a popular medical condition, a lot of people don't have much information about it. Although, they know the major types of diabetes, they have no clue about the difference between them. Here we outline type I vs type ii diabetes-

***Type I diabetes- Formerly known as juvenile onset or insulin dependent diabetes, type I diabetes is the one in which your body's immune system destroys all kinds of cells that release insulin. Over a period of time, this results in elimination of insulin production from the body, because of which the cells cannot absorb glucose or sugar and produce energy. Type I diabetes have episodes of low blood sugar level and it cannot be problem. Symptoms usually start from childhood or young adulthood.

***Type ii diabetes- The adult onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes can develop at any age, particularly after the 30s, although the cases of same are rising rapidly among children. This type of diabetes involves production of insulin, but not in a right way, a condition known as insulin resistance. For this kind of diabetes, the person usually might not have symptoms before the diagnoses and there are rarely any episodes of low sugar level. It can be easily prevented or delayed by following a healthy lifestyle and indulging in regular exercising.

If you have any of the above symptoms or have more questions related to diabetes, click on consult privately to ask me.

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You Surely Know About Diabetes. But Do You Know Its Various Types?

Many of us thrive on the diet rich in processed fast foods as we hardly get time to cook a wholesome meal for ourselves in this fast-paced schedule. Moreover, junk foods hardly have anything to contribute to our body while the baked goods strip off all the essential nutrients. These are some of the prime reasons behind vitamin deficiency. Even though that doesn t mean that it will leave your body impaired or lead to any disease, but it can prevent some organs from functioning properly.

This is because vitamins & supplements are regarded as co-contributors for all the essential biochemical reactions within the body. Fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss and irregular heartbeats are some of the well-known signs of vitamin deficiency, but you should be aware of the unusual vitamin-deficiency signs as well.

White and red acne on the arms, thighs, and cheeks: Dietitians say this means that your body is not just deficient in Vitamins A and D, but some essential fatty acids as well. If you spend long hours in air-conditioned spaces and live in a region high in pollution, you are more likely to suffer from these deficiencies. You should eat a lot of fishes, eggs and green leafy vegetables in this case. You should consume dairy products since they contain healthy fats along with all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can think of.
Tingling sensation followed by numbness in the hands and feet: This indicates that your body is deficient in B vitamins such as B12, B6, and folate or B9. It is a health issue directly connected with the peripheral nerves and their ending on the skin. These symptoms may be accompanied by depression, anemia, fatigue and even hormone imbalances. Foods like eggs, mutton, chicken, nuts, wheat germ, brown rice, grains, and sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin B.
Cracks at the corner of the mouth: This is a common symptom indicating a deficiency of B vitamins along with iron and zinc. This problem is mostly seen among vegetarians since they do not eat enough iron, zinc and Vitamin B12. It could also mean that you are cutting down on some proteins required for your immunity building owing to excessive dieting. You should include more poultry products, tomatoes, lentils, and peanuts. Make sure that you eat dairy products such as paneer, yogurt, and ghee or clarified butter.
Muscle cramps along with throbbing pain in calves, arches of feet and back portion of the legs: If this is the case with you, then you are not just deficient in vitamin but calcium, magnesium and potassium as well. This may also happen if you are training hard since you are likely to lose more minerals through heavy sweating. Have a lot of fresh fruits, dry fruits and vegetables to fix these issues.
The key to avoiding such problems is to have a balanced meal every day. 

Vitamin Deficiency - 4 Signs Your Body Is Giving You!

The number of children suffering from eating disorders are on the rise. Change in eating habits, stress, depression, low self-esteem, lack of control in life, anger and loneliness are some of the causes of eating disorders. Some genetic disorders could also be a reason for eating disorders.

Eating disorders may lead to several health conditions which may arise in case of abnormal eating patterns. The common modes of eating disorders in children are as follows:

Anorexia
Children who are affected with anorexia think they are very overweight in spite of actually being very thin. Anorexia affected children consume less than a thousand calories per day.
The treatment for anorexia nervosa generally includes a mix of mental treatment and regulated weight gain program. The best ways to deal with anorexia are:

1. Psychological Treatment: Different psychological treatments can be used to cure anorexia of different stages in children. They include cognitive analytic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and focal psychodynamic therapy. A family's response is also an important psychological factor. Proper encouragement and effort should be provided.

2. Weight gain program: A weight gain program will guide an anorexic child to improve his diet habits and slowly gain weight. A patient is monitored carefully; the traits are recognized and a diet pattern is given, which is ideal for him.

Bulimia
Bulimia nervosa is another category of eating disorder. The main characteristic of this disorder is overeating in the highest level. Binge eating is observed, followed by attempts by the affected individual to lose weight. A bulimia affected child is constantly trapped in the cycle of overeating and then thinks about losing weight.

In spite of not liking the idea of binge eating for the fear of getting obese, a child affected by bulimia cannot follow this and continues binge eating. Later, they take extreme measures to lose weight. The primary methods to deal with bulimia are:

1. Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy or talk therapy includes examining the bulimia and related issues with an expert. It has been proven that psychotherapy restricts the symptoms of bulimia. The three modes of psychotherapy include, Cognitive behavioral therapy, Family-based therapy and Interpersonal psychotherapy

2. Medications: Medicines such as anti-depressants can be taken by bulimia patients along with psychotherapy. Prozac is one medicine that can be taken.

3. Proper diet plan: For bulimia affected children, having a proper balanced diet is very important. A diet expert should be consulted, who will make the most essential food pattern for the child. Undertaking a weight-loss program is also vital.

Binge eating
Similar to bulimia, binge eating includes out of control eating in huge quantities in a short period of time. The food is not vomited out, and binge eating causes obesity. Intense emotions are experienced in binge eaters. Binge eating in children can be treated with behavioral therapy, medications and psychotherapy.
Eating disorders are quite common in children who are yet to gain maturity. 

These disorders may lead to severe health consequences, which may affect a child physically and psychologically. A proper treatment is also essential to deal with these disorders.

How to Treat Eating Disorders in Children

Diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can easily be managed by controlling our diet. Along with being aware of your sugar intake, your diet should help you lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, this does not mean you have to resign yourself to a lifetime of tasteless food.

Here are a few diet tips that can help manage diabetes: 

Choose high fiber carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are an essential element of the daily diet but have a huge impact on blood sugar levels. Hence, it is important to pick the right carbohydrates. Your diet should have a limited amount of refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, soda etc. and should be focused more on high fiber carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, rolled oats and bran flakes that are digested slowly. This prevents your body from producing excessive insulin.
Be sweet smart: The key to indulge your sweet tooth and controlling diabetes is moderation. Abruptly, removing sugar from your diet can make you crave for it. Instead, gradually lower your sugar intake. If you can't miss out on the dessert at the end of a meal, reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your meal. Adding healthy fats like peanut butter, yogurt or nuts to your dessert can also slow down the digestive process and thus control blood sugar level.
Keep a food diary: When you are diabetic, it is very important to eat at regular intervals. Eating frequent, small meals are often better than fewer large meals. Try and maintain a food diary to keep track of your calorie intake. This helps identify problem areas of where your body is getting excessive calories from. When you are aware of the calories associated with things you eat, it is easier to cut down on snacks and replace unhealthy snacks with healthier options.
Choose fats wisely: It is impossible to completely cut out fats from your diet. While some fats such as liquid vegetable oils and commercial baked goods are unhealthy, others have important health benefits. Unsaturated fats are the healthiest and safest. Replacing your vegetable cooking oil for olive oil and biscuits with nuts are easy ways to make smart choices with your fat intake.
Go green: Green leafy vegetables are low on carbohydrates and high on nutrients. Thus, make them an integral part of your meal. Vegetables like kale, spinach, lettuce, etc. can be eaten raw or cooked. Along with being nutritious, they also add texture and color to your meals, thus making them more visually appealing.
If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

5 Tips To Control Diabetes Through A Diet!

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