Diabetes is a condition that affects the pancreas to the extent that it does not release the required quantity of insulin, which can lead to a high blood sugar level as the body starts to absorb excess glucose from the food that it ingests. This can be of various types and have different implications for different patients. While many experts insist that keeping a low cholesterol level and low weight is a primary requirement for the treatment of diabetes patients, there are a number of myths in this regard. Not eating fat is one such myth that we are out to prove wrong today.

So read on to find out why diabetic people need to eat fat:

Saturated Fats and Trans Fats: There are studies that demonstrate how saturated fats can actually prove to be beneficial for diabetes patients. These can be found in various sources like fish and nuts. This releases heptadecanoic acids, which can normalise the blood sugar levels as well as the insulin and triglyceride levels in the body.
Dairy Fat: The use of milk and yogurt as well as butter can actually be helpful in bringing the blood sugar levels down. It also shows up favourably on the lipoprotein markers. Butter, in particular, is known to have clarifying properties that can bring down the risk of diabetes as well. One must take care to use dairy products that are fat-free. 
Animal Fat: Having meat which releases fat and having dairy products like cheese and milk which releases healthy saturated fats are two different things. One can replace carbs and meat with these kinds of products so that there are better absorption and creation of quality animal fats which can actually help the insulin levels.
Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats: Food items like fish and nuts that carry high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help patients suffering from diabetes by clearing the bloodstream of cholesterol and high lipid levels. This also prevents the risk of heart disease and arterial blockages. These kinds of fats are also found in flax seeds, soya products and walnuts. 
Going low on carbohydrates and avoiding sugar is usually recommended for patients suffering from diabetes. Yet, it is important to have your fill of essential fats as mentioned above with the help of dairy products, clarified better, omega three fatty acids, dry fruits, soya products and some amount of vegetable oils, as these actually have a number of benefits for these patients.

Why Do Diabetic People Need To Eat Fat?

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar level rises in your body either due to less insulin level in the body or reduced sensitivity of the body to insulin. The foods you eat have a major role in controlling your blood sugar levels. You need to pick your foods wisely to prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking.


The various foods that you should be eating if you have diabetes are:

1. Dark chocolate: chocolate contains good amounts of flavonoids that help in improving insulin sensitivity and limits food cravings. It also reduces your chances of heart attack.

2. Blueberries: blueberries are rich in fiber that helps you in managing your blood sugar levels. They also contain anthocyanins that assist in regulating your blood sugar levels.

3. Fish: fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation in the body, thus reducing your chances of heart problems. Fish is also a good source of protein that helps you in feeling fuller.

4. Olive oil: olive oil is rich in antioxidants that help in reducing your chances of heart diseases and diabetes.

5. Oranges: make sure you eat plenty of oranges as they are rich in vitamin c and they reduce the risk of diabetes. You may also opt for broccoli or strawberries.

The various foods you should avoid are:

1. White rice: white rice is a refined grain which, when consumed, tends to spike your blood sugar levels. You can instead opt for brown rice.

2. Bananas: banana may contain vitamins and minerals, but are also rich in carbohydrates. Instead, opt for fruits like berries that are not only rich in fiber and antioxidants, but also have a low glycemic index.

3. Sugary foods: the term sugary foods is used to describe foods such as pastries, cakes, and cookies. These foods are carbohydrate rich and do not contribute much in making the body healthy. Instead, replace them with natural foods such as chickpeas and peanuts.

4. Dried fruit: various dried fruits contain a high concentration of sugar, which happens due to the dehydration process by which they are formed. So replace them with fresh fruits such as guava and peaches to control your blood sugar levels.

Amongst all other dry fruits, almonds and walnuts can be had in moderation as they contain essential fatty acids and do not affect blood sugars.

Foods to Eat and Avoid When You Have Diabetes

Diabetes is growing to be the epidemic of modern days. The challenge here is it is not just about managing your sugar levels, but the whole lot of symptoms that diabetes brings with it. From bones to teeth to kidneys to wounds, diabetes affects all body systems. It is therefore very essential to watch out for symptoms of diabetes and curb it in its early stages. This will help control diabetes significantly along with its effects on the whole body.

Diabetes Complications-

Long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually. The longer you have diabetes   and the less controlled your blood sugar   the higher the risk of complications. Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening. Possible complications include:

Cardiovascular disease. Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis). If you have diabetes, you are more likely to have heart disease or stroke.
Nerve damage. Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves, especially in your legs. This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain. Left untreated, you could lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs. 
Kidney damage. The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters (glomeruli) that filter waste from your blood. Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Eye damage. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness. 
Foot damage. Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. These infections may ultimately require toe, foot or leg amputation.
Skin conditions. Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections.
Hearing impairment. Hearing problems are more common in people with diabetes.
Alzheimer's disease. Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. 
The following are some of the basic must do's if you have diabetes. These can go a long way in preventing adverse diabetic side effects.

Diet: Whether diabetic or not, it is always important to watch your diet. You are what you eat. Eat what your body needs, reduce refined foods, processed foods and increase the amount of whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Eating small frequent meals goes a long way in managing sugar levels than binging at one meal and starving the rest of the day. Reduce intake of saturated fats; include more lean meats. Choose grilling and steaming over frying and roasting. Diet is very important in diabetes. Recommended foods - Healthy carbohydrates, Fiber-rich foods, Heart-healthy fish and Good fats. Foods to avoid - Saturated fats, Trans fats, Cholesterol and Sodium
Exercise: Every week, make sure about 2 hours is dedicated to physical activity. This could include any exercise of your choice, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, aerobics, hiking, jogging, skipping, gymnastics, or playing games like football or basketball. While in most cases, the person can do these on their own, in some people, supervision may be required.
Watch your weight: For a diabetic person, controlling weight to a desirable level of BMI of 18 and 23 is very important. Obesity is one of the predisposing factors for diabetes, and reducing weight controls the onset of diabetes and helps the progression of symptoms in diabetics.
Smoking: Another risk factor for diabetes onset, quitting is the best option. If not feasible, reducing smoking and gradually quitting should be aimed at. Not just diabetes, the effects on overall health will be evident almost immediately after quitting.
Stress management: One of the main risk factors for diabetes, there is no getting away from stress. Everybody has their stresses but the trick is to manage it well. Whether it is music or meditation or medication or counselling, make sure stress levels are managed. This also helps prevent diabetic complications like heart disease and stroke and promotes well-being.
Constant Checkups: Periodic check-up of blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, eye exam, dental checkup, foot checkup to test for nerve damage are all extremely important. Take your medications regularly without fail.
Diabetes requires a change in lifestyle, which may seem tedious initially. But after a while, it will become the norm and then diabetic control does not feel like something additional that is to be done.

Diabetes - 6 Ways You Can Prevent it

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!

Diabetes is also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic diseases, which raises the glucose level in the blood. If suffering from diabetes, parts of your body might get affected with other diseases as well, like bad eyesight, etc. 

Diabetes is of 3 types:

1. Type 1 Diabetes: where your body stops insulin production.

2. Type 2 Diabetes: where your body does not produce enough insulin to function on or where the cells of your body do not react toward the insulin produced

3. Gestational Diabetes: This is the diabetes you or your partner may suffer from during pregnancy.

Suffering from diabetes can make your lifestyle extremely difficult as you will have to go through a lot of restrictions. In order to avoid diabetes and its various outcomes, here are some tips you can follow:

1. Keep your weight in control: Make sure you are of the right weight according to your height. If you are more than what you should weigh, and you are creeping towards obesity, you have a high chance of succumbing to diabetes. If you are already obese, start working towards losing weight. Even if you lose 5% of your weight, you will slash the risk of having diabetes by 70%. 

2. Walk: No exercise is better and easier than walking. Try walking as much as you can. Walking will help you reduce the risk of getting affected with diabetes. If you walk for around 35 minutes every day, you are cutting down the risk of diabetes by almost 30%. Walking, being an exercise, helps your body use the insulin produced in your body more efficiently. 

3. Drink coffee: Coffee, unlike common belief of being harmful, is actually very beneficial when it comes to keeping diabetes at bay. Coffee contains caffeine, which is believed to improve metabolism. Coffee also has potassium, magnesium and various antioxidants which enable the cells to absorb glucose. Drinking coffee regularly might lower the risk of diabetes by 29%.

4. Get proper rest at night: If you sleep for less than 6 hours every night, then the risk of you suffering from diabetes is doubled. But that doesn't mean you are supposed to oversleep. If you sleep more than 8 hours, the risk of being affected with it rises to almost 75%. Hence sleep at least for 6 to 8 hours each night for a healthy life sans diabetes.

4 Tips to Keep Diabetes at Bay

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, chiefly caused by insulin fluctuation in the body. A study shows that, 1 out of 3 people suffering from diabetes are likely to develop a skin condition sooner or later; and in some cases, these skin problems serve as symptoms of diabetes. Although these skin problems can be cured easily if treated early, proper care must be administered at all times. Here are 7 skin conditions that affect diabetics:

1. Bacterial infection

Although anyone can get a bacterial infection, people suffering from diabetes are likelier to contract them. Usual bacterial skin problems that tend to trouble diabetics are boils, lumps near the eyelids, nail infections and carbuncles. Diabetics are also prone to infections deep in the skin and of the underlying tissues. The affected area is usually warm, red and swollen.

2. Fungal infections

People who have diabetes have an increased risk of contracting the fungal infection, especially the one known as candida Albicans. The fungus tends to create a red, itchy rash, which is surrounded by blisters and scales. These are usually found in warm places of the body like the armpits, or between the fingers of the hand or perhaps even the toes. Common fungal infections in diabetic people include athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm.

3. Tingling and itching

Among the many causes of itching, diabetes is one. Yeast infection, dry skin and poor circulation are the primary causes of itching among patients of diabetes. Usually, the lower part of the leg tends to itch the most, if poor circulation is to be blamed.

4. Skin problems related to neuropathy

Diabetes can be the cause of nerve damage in some cases; and neuropathy is a common symptom of diabetes. This type of damage can cause a loss of sensation in a part of the body. On event of an injury, one may not be able to feel it. As a result, an open sore or wound, if left unattended, can develop into an infection.

5. Digital sclerosis

Digital sclerosis, a condition marked by tight, waxy, thick skin that develops on the back of the hand, is common among people who have type 1 diabetes. In this condition, the joints of the fingers get stiff and, thus, lose their mobility and elasticity. Skin of the toes, forehead and knees may also get affected.

6) xerosis

Xerosis is another common skin condition that accompanies diabetes. In this condition, the skin becomes very dry and itchy.

7) acanthosis nigricans

Acanthosis nigricans is the condition where diabetics get darkening of skin leading to skin tags around neck and armpits.

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Related Tip: Does Hormonal Imbalance Hint the Risk of Diabetes?
 

7 Skin Problems Diabetes Gives You

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