There are two main forms of diabetes, primarily defined by whether the diabetic requires insulin. For diabetic individuals who do not require insulin, the disease sometimes can be controlled entirely by diet. While many different diabetic diets...
With the exception of fiber, the digestive process breaks down all carbohydrates into glucose, your body’s primary source of energy. In normal metabolic functioning, your pancreas manufactures and releases insulin, a hormone that escorts...
Diabetics who have to take insulin have what is known as type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is far less common than type 2 and used to be referred to as juvenile diabetes because the majority affected by the condition are children. Type 1 diabetes...
Whether you like to eat out at Mexican restaurants or prepare your own Mexican foods at home, they can either be unhealthy or super healthy. The ingredients and the preparation methods used make a difference in the nutritional quality of any...
You can beat insulin resistance with food by controlling the number of calories you consume, the amount and type of carbs you eat and the amount of fats you take in. All three of these play a major role in regulating your blood sugar and...
Insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, helps the body use or store glucose from food. Type 1 diabetics do not produce insulin, so they must take insulin shots every day. Some type 2 diabetics must also take insulin shots. Insulin is injected...
Diabetic meal plans focus on regulating blood sugar to prevent complications such as heart disease, stroke and blindness. Diabetics on insulin must spread their carbohydrate intake evenly throughout the day to avoid drops in blood sugar. Type 2...
Blueberries are often found on lists of superfoods, and for good reason. Packed with powerful antioxidants, blueberries are low in calories and high in fiber. They are predominately composed of carbohydrates, like most fruits, so if you are on a...
For diabetics, stabilizing blood sugar can help prevent the serious health complications associated with high blood sugar. Kidney failure, neuropathy -- diabetic nerve damage -- and blindness are caused by chronic hyperglycemia. The carb counting...
Diabetes is a condition that affects the ways your body is able to utilize insulin and glucose for energy. If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, your physician may have recommended insulin injections to reduce your symptoms. By making...
Taking the right approach to your diabetes makes all the difference in your ability to stay healthy. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder effecting how our bodies use digested food. Diabetics' bodies cannot regulate insulin, which is the hormone...
Insulin plays an important role in communicating to cells in the body when nutrients are available in the bloodstream. When the body fails to produce significant quantities of insulin or insulin receptors do not respond properly to insulin,...
Insulin is a hormone responsible for transporting sugar from the blood into the cells. People with diabetes either do not make enough insulin, known as type 1 diabetes, or cannot properly use the insulin they do make, known as type 2 diabetes....
Cinnamon comes from the bark of a cinnamon tree. It contains 38 percent of the daily value of manganese in a 2 teaspoon serving size. Cinnamon also contains 15.1 percent of the recommended daily allowance of dietary fiber and 14.5 percent iron,...
Having too much or too little blood sugar can cause serious health problems. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, is a major cause of diabetic complications; hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can cause dizziness, sweating, hunger and headaches....
A balanced meal is important for everyone, particularly individuals with diabetes. Certain foods can help control diabetes and other insulin-related disorders by lowering blood glucose or sugar levels after eating. Cleveland Medical Center notes...
Trying to find out what you should and shouldn't eat can be confusing if you're trying to tie together a healthy yet diabetic friendly diet. Look to foods at the lower end of what is called the glycemic index as they offer you important nutrients...
The body converts food into glucose, or blood sugar. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, regulates the level of glucose in the blood. The blood sugar enters the cells of the body to be used as energy. Blood sugar levels need to be...
Diabetes is on the rise in the American population. Between 1980 and 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that incidence of diabetes rose 176 percent. The key to managing this disease is to keep blood sugars within a...
According to the National Diabetes Clearinghouse, about 23.6 million people in the United States have diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition that affects the way the body metabolizes food for energy and growth. In diabetics, the pancreas does...
If you have diabetes, there are many tools that you can use to help you take control of your disease and help prevent long-term complications. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, type II diabetes can lead to...
Legumes are a class of vegetables containing edible seeds inside pods. A major nutritional benefit of legumes is their high-protein, low-fat, high-fiber content, making them an excellent substitute for higher-fat animal protein when you're trying...
Potassium is an important electrolyte with major effects in diabetes. Whether too much or too little potassium is circulating in your blood can affect your chances of developing diabetes and your risk of complications if you already have the...
For a non-diabetic, consuming too much or too little sugar is naturally regulated by the pancreas, which releases insulin. The diabetic--with either Type 1 ("juvenile") or Type 2 ("adult onset") diabetes--has compromised insulin functioning,...
Eating right is essential for individuals with diabetes, and certain foods can help to balance insulin levels along with medications and exercise. Individuals with hyperinsulinemia, or excess production of the hormone insulin, can also benefit...
When you have diabetes, your daily diet becomes more complicated than just eating when you're hungry. What you eat and when you eat can affect your blood sugar in significant ways. To keep your disease under control, you need to make wise choices...
Glucose is a simple sugar known as a monosaccharide that is utilized as the body's primary source of energy. Glucose is produced from carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and is transferred through the bloodstream to the body's cells. The cells then...
Although associated with children, juvenile diabetes can strike at any age. Juvenile diabetics do not make any insulin at all, which usually happens through the pancreas, and they therefore have to inject artificial insulin to stay alive. Insulin...
For those with diabetes, the burden of daily insulin injections can expand far beyond the prick of a needle. Beneath the insertion point are cells called subcutaneous fat. These fat deposits, known as hyperlipotrophy, can eventually give birth to...