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Dietary advice tips for diabetes
My wife is suffering with diabetes. Can she take potato in her diet or not? What are the best diets for her?
( 3 Aug 2007)
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Diabetes is an ailment where the body is either unable to produce insulin or produces it in inadequate amounts, or is unable to utilize the insulin produced by the pancreas, resulting in an unhealthy rise in the blood sugar level. In this condition, the body fails to completely digest and assimilate carbohydrates and fats. The main symptoms of diabetes are excessive thirst, headache, general weakness, breathlessness, dizziness and loss of consciousness.
The main causes of diabetes are dietary imbalances and obesity. Diabetes is also hereditary in nature, and usually affects people in their middle age or later. Sometimes, women get diabetic during pregnancy but the blood glucose generally subsides to its normal level post-delivery. Stress and anxiety are also major contributors to the rise in the level of blood glucose. Diabetes may lead to serious conditions like kidney failure, damaged blood vessels, blindness, nervous disorders and heart attack.
Patients of diabetes should strictly avoid foods rich in carbohydrates and fats. Potatoes are rich in both, and are best avoided. It is also recommended that the patient eat lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables, as these are rich natural sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as natural sugars that can meet the requirements of the body without raising the blood sugar level. Drinking at least 10-12 glasses of water every day is also suggested. Stay away from deep-fried snacks, red meats, butter, carbonated and alcoholic drinks. It is also essential that diabetic patients engage in some form of regular physical exercise, as a sedentary lifestyle is one of the chief culprits for weight gain and the consequent rise in blood sugar level. Walking, jogging or swimming for an hour every day improves blood circulation and helps burn out excess fat, thereby keeping the blood sugar level within safe limits. Besides these general measures, you may also follow a few simple home remedies to treat diabetes. Soak a handful of fenugreek seeds in a cup of water overnight and the next morning consume both the seeds and the water on an empty stomach. This will help bring down the blood sugar level in a few months. Alternatively, drinking the water in which a few raisins have been soaked overnight also has similar effects. Eating an orange or a couple of tomatoes every morning at breakfast is also known to be a natural remedy for diabetes. For another remedy, eat a boiled bitter gourd or drink its juice raw every day to naturally treat diabetes.
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answered by G M on 22 Apr 2010, 12:39:54
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go on the internet and look up "glycemic index" it is a list of foods and how much sugar they make in your body, The web sites have a load of info. the lower the index the better the food for a diabetic.
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answered by n on 3 Aug 2007, 11:24:06
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