November is Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Thank God we are past the Halloween party full of sugar and other sweet treats. Take some time to check out your symptoms or lack of symptoms.
Find out the symptoms of diabetes. There are four types of diabetes.
1. Prediabetes
2. Type I Diabetes
3. Type II Diabetes
4. Gestational Diabetes.

Read all about it at the American Diabetes Association Web site.

Thoughts About High Blood Pressure

Image Credit: www.nhf.org.nz/images/Heart%20works.jpg


Did You Know?

1. That high blood pressure is known as the silent killer?
   
2. That your body can suffer damage for years before you know you have the disease?
   
3. That 50% of the blood pressure medications are not taken as prescribed?
   
4. That your blood pressure may read differently depending on which arm you use for the reading?
   
5. That losing even 10 pounds can help you lower your blood pressure?
   
6. That 1 our of every 3 adults in the United States suffer from high blood pressure?
   

Here is a checklist to get you ready for your doctor visit.

1. Do you need to lose weight?
   
2. Do you smoke?
   
3. Do you drink alcohol regularly?
   
4. Do you have a family history of high blood pressure?
   
5. Do you have diabetes, kidney disease or sleep apnea?
6. Do you get regular exercise?
7. Do you eat healthy?
   
8. Do you take medications or over the counter medications? List them.
   

What is hypertension, or high blood pressure?

Basically, blood pressure is the force of your blood pressing on the walls of your arteries. Every time your heart beats your blood is forced into your arteries. Your blood pressure is the highest when your heart beats. Your blood pressure is lower in between beats. At night when you are resting your blood pressure is lower. When you are excited or stressed your blood pressure will usually be higher. It is possible to have hypertension for years and never experience even one symptom. You should have regular check ups to keep a handle on what your blood pressure is doing. You cannot find out any other way.

Can Peanuts, Honey, and Dates Be A Part of a Diabetic Diet

Carbs, Calories, Cholesterol, and Diabetes

Nutrition planning can be confusing when juggling carbs, calories, and cholesterol on a diabetic diet. Many people believe that there are foods that must be banned from your diabetic diet. A common misconception is that diabetics can never eat sugar. It is true that simple sugars should not be a large part of the diabetic diet but it is more important to gain an understanding about carbohydrates. Diabetics may need to lose weight so counting calories is important. However, the carbs are the culprits that spike your glucose or drop it to the danger level!

Let's take a look at the nutritional makeup of peanuts, honey, and dates.

Peanuts: 1 cup 875 calories 76.5 gm fat 22.3 carbs 0 cholesterol
Honey: 1 Tablespoon 64 calories 0 fat 17.3 carbs 0 cholesterol
Dates: 1 date, pitted 66 calories 0 fat 18 carbs 0 cholesterol


Peanuts, honey, and dates have no cholesterol and therefore will help to lower your LDL. If you are a diabetic you must take a closer look at these foods by portion size. You will notice that 1 cup of peanuts has a whopping 875 calories, 76.5 gm fat, and 22.3 carbs. Clearly, on a weight management program peanuts must be taken in moderation! Honey and dates have nearly 18 carbs per serving! Before reaching a conclusion about adding peanuts, honey, or dates to your diet you must understand some basic information about eating on a diabetic diet.

A diabetic meal plan should include foods from all the basic food groups. Managing your carbohydrate intake means you should eat enough carbohydrates throughout the day to keep your glucose levels within normal ranges without damaging spikes or lows. To accomplish this you should have 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should have 45 carbs each while your between meal snacks should be about 15 carbs each.

Fat combined with white flour can be as detrimental to your health as eating foods high in sugar content. Potatoes and rice are converted into sugar in the digestive system. Moderation and portion control is the key to managing your diabetes. Eat healthy foods in the right portion to keep your glucose level balanced throughout the day.

Peanuts, dates, and honey are healthy additions to your diet as long as you count your carbs and use portion control.