Tag Archives: diabetics

Slice of Life Diabetic Health: A Nutritional Supplement For Diabetes

Gummy vitamins have become increasingly popular for both children and adults alike. Most vitamins are difficult to swallow and are what I like to call “horse pills.” However, medication in a more appealing vehicle makes it more likely for a person to remember to take them every day. And with all the seriousness of diabetes, a gummy multivitamin may help to provide a nutritional benefit with a little bit of fun.

Slice of Life Diabetic Health is a gummy multivitamin that contains cinnamon extract. It touts that it is sugar, dairy, and gluten-free and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Some supplements included in the product include alpha lipoic acid – a fatty acid that helps to better utilize blood sugar; chromium and biotin, which are believed to have effects on lowering blood sugar; and lutein, which is commonly found in eye vitamins to delay the progression of macular degeneration since one of the complications of diabetes and poor blood sugar control are vision problems and possible blindness. (more…)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Sarah

Losing Weight with Diabetes Isn’t a Hopeless Case

No matter how heavy you are, if you have diabetes, losing weight will help you in your fight to control it. Experts say that losing even 10 or 15 pounds can bring about health benefits such as:

Lowered blood sugar
Reduced blood pressure
Improved cholesterol levels
Less stress on your hips, knees and ankles

But the issue isn’t losing the weight, it’s maintaining the weight loss in order to sustain the health benefits.

One diabetic expert, Richard Kahn, PhD, who was the chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association for nearly 25 years, is denouncing some weight loss programs as being ineffective in reducing the incidence of Diabetes and helping the patient to keep the weight from coming back. He outlined his theories in his paper that was published in the January edition of Health Affairs. Kahn stated that even though patients in one study lost 4% to 6% of their body weight, they regained 40% by the time the study ended three years later. He goes on the say that “one of the issues that prevents people from keeping the weight off is cheap, widely available, delicious food that we eat again and again.”

Listening to Kahn, one would conclude that it may be hopeless to even attempt weight loss because, in the end, you will just gain it all back and have to start over.

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Posted on January 11, 2024 by Carol

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to Satisfy Diabetic Dieters

On Thanksgiving, some of us abandon our healthy diets for the day and give ourselves a free pass to indulge. Unfortunately, for the 25.8 million people in the United States with diabetes, a second helping of pie isn’t always an option.

While Type 1 diabetes refers to insulin-dependent diabetes where the body does not produce insulin, the most common form of diabetes is Type 2, in which the body fails to use the insulin it produces. While some people manage their diabetes with medication or insulin injections, others can manage their diabetes with diet and exercise.

When you’re diabetic, whether you are trying to lose weight or manage the symptoms of your disease, you can still indulge on Thanksgiving with a few modifications.

At most Thanksgiving dinners, the turkey is the centerpiece of the meal and naturally high in protein and low in carbohydrates and sugar. If you’re cooking for a diabetic guest at your table this year, swap some of your favorite high-carb, sugar-laden appetizers, side dishes and desserts for healthier versions and see if anyone notices the difference.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Maris

Dieting in the Raw

The raw food diet approach has gained some popularity in recent years. But some of that may be pure curiosity rather than a commitment to the purported health benefits. A raw diet is an organic and vegetarian approach to eating that is supposed to detoxify your body and help you shed pounds. The theory is that when foods are cooked, they lose some of their vital nutrients. The folks who produced the documentary Raw For 30 Days set out on an experiment. Given the massive obesity epidemic that the U.S. is facing, they came up with the idea of taking six diabetics and putting them on the raw diet for 30 days to see how it would positively affect them. Think of it as the anti-Supersize Me (by Morgan Spurlock).

The documentary sets out to prove that a raw diet had nearly immediate health benefits, as evidenced by the participants’ quick sugar level drops. There are surely many reasons for this. The skeptic in me says that the reason their health made a quick turnaround was simply that they gave up junk and processed foods. If you eat all natural foods, it will be a positive thing. Is it because it wasn’t cooked? I have my doubts, but as I’ve said before, while it’s a very extreme way of eating, it’s not extreme in an unhealthy way.The general moral of the story is that healthy natural foods are your best medicine. Decide for yourself, and learn more about the documentary Raw For 30 Days.

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Jason

A Fast Track to Heart Health?

Do you want to decrease your chances of getting heart disease? Don’t eat. Well, consider fasting once in a while.

In the 1970s, scientists found that Mormons had a smaller chance of dying from heart disease than the general population. This was accredited to the prohibition of smoking. But in a recent study, fasting seemed to play a role as well.

In the current study of 4,500 people, those who fasted were 39 percent less likely to be diagnosed with coronary artery disease than those who didn’t fast.

While 90 percent of the people in the Utah study were Mormons, the results applied the same to the other 10 percent. The study did not put any time frame on fasting, but one can probably assume that 24 hours was typical.

Fasting is definitely not for everyone, especially diabetics who need to monitor their blood sugar levels.

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Jason