You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Blood sugar’ tag.
Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re a diabetic. My last A1C was a 9. Down 1/2 a point from the time before. That’s down from a high of 11, so I’m heading in the right direction. I’m hoping to have it even further down when I’m checked again in December. It’s hard, but I know I can do it. Mostly right now my daily sugars are in line to where they’re supposed to be. It doesn’t mean I don’t have bad numbers now and then, but they are a lot less frequently than what they were before I started paying attention.
Let’s face it, nobody wants to poke their finger 12 times a day. Right now I’ve been doing it twice a day. Fasting in the morning and just before dinner and once or twice a week 2 hours after dinner. This gives me a good awareness of where my sugars are at so I can adjust my medication.
The second step I’ve been doing is paying attention to what I eat. I’ve downloaded the app, “My Fitness Pal,” so I can keep track of the crap I’ve been shoveling down my neck. By daily recording what I eat, has opened my eyes to the crap I eat and how much of it. By being aware, I’m changed my diet considerable but over time. Not everything in one day. By doing the above I’m seeing a lot better numbers in my daily sugar readings. That makes my endocrinologist a happy doctor. Making me a happy man.
Next step, I have to start walking/exercising a bit more than what I do.
Blood Sugar Fasting: 141
Weight: 267
Short bursts of fast walking could hold the key to managing diabetes, according to a study.
Researchers found that patients who alternated between three minutes of rapid walking and three minutes of slow walking over an hour had better control of blood sugar levels than those who walked at a constant pace.
Traditionally, those with diabetes have been advised to stick to walking at a moderate pace and avoid high-intensity exercise in case it causes injury and discourages them from keeping active.
But scientists from Copenhagen University found interval walking training – or alternating between fast and slow walking – had greater health benefits and led to better control of blood sugar levels, a key marker for type 2 diabetes.
The research is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
The Danish study involved patients aged between 57 and 61 who had type 2 diabetes and were receiving a variety of medications except insulin. Eight were randomly assigned to a control group, 12 to a continuous walking training group and 12 to an interval walking training (IWT) group.
The two walking groups were instructed to train for one hour, five times a week, during the four-month study period.
Their activity was tracked using a heart rate monitor and a training computer that included an accelerometer to measure their speed and movement.
Lovers of dark chocolate have known for some time that their favourite treat can help protect them against high blood pressure and cut the risk of diabetes.
But now scientists say that it can even benefit those who are already at high risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Although regular chocolate eating doesn’t work quite as well as drugs, the researchers say it has virtually no side effects and, perhaps not surprisingly ‘high rates of compliance’.
Miracle food: Dark chocolate can benefit people who are already at high risk of heart attacks and strokes
A team of researchers from universities in Melbourne, Australia, used a mathematical model to predict the effects and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 individuals at high risk of heart disease over a decade.
They all had metabolic syndrome – a mix of problems including raised blood pressure, obesity, high fat levels in the blood and an inability to control blood sugar levels – but no history of heart disease or diabetes and they were not on blood pressure drugs.
Daily consumption of 100g of dark chocolate could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over ten years, according to the study published on bmj.com.
This could be considered an effective intervention, said the researchers. It would be cost-effective too, costing £25 a year per head of population.
This would cover advertising and possible subsidising of dark chocolate for the less well-off.
The protective effects have been shown only for dark chocolate which is at least 60-70 per cent cocoa. Milk or white chocolate does have not provide the same benefits.
It is rich in flavonoids which are known to have heart protecting effects.
Sceptics say the high calorie content of chocolate tends to offset the benefits.
Previous research shows eating chocolate reduces blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of diabetes
Can controlling your blood sugar and preventing diabetes complications be as simple as eating the right foods? Yes. Certain foods are packed with nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels, protect your heart, and even save your vision from the damaging effects of diabetes. These 12 foods can give you an extra edge against diabetes and its complications.
1. Apples
In a Finnish study, men who ate the most apples and other foods high in quercetin had 20 percent less diabetes and heart disease deaths. Other good sources of quercetin are onions, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, and berries.
2. Cinnamon
A study at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, found that if you use ½ teaspoon of cinnamon daily, it can make cells more sensitive to insulin. Therefore, the study says, the cells convert blood sugar to energy.
After 40 days of taking various amount of cinnamon extract, diabetics experienced not only lower blood sugar spikes after eating, but major improvements in signs of heart health. And you can sprinkle cinnamon on just about anything.
3. Citrus Fruit
Studies show that people with diabetes tend to have lower levels of vitamin C in their bodies, so antioxidant-packed citrus fruit is a great snack choice. It may seem quicker to get your C from a pill, but since fruit is low in fat, high in fiber, and delivers lots of other healthy nutrients, it’s a better choice.
4. Cold-Water Fish
Heart disease strikes people with diabetes twice as often as it does people without the illness, according to the American Diabetes Association. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids—the “good fat” in cold-water fish such as wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, and Atlantic mackerel—can help lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
5. Fiber-Rich Foods
A study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that people who increased their fiber intake from 24 to 50 g daily had dramatic improvements in blood sugar levels. In fact, the high-fiber diet was as effective as some diabetes medications.
Rather than try to figure out exactly how much fiber is in different foods, focus on trying to get a total of 13 daily servings of a mixture of fruits, vegetables, beans, brown rice, and whole grain pastas, cereals, and breads.
6. Legumes
Legumes of all sorts—chickpeas, cannelloni beans, kidney beans, and lentils—are a great addition to soups, salads, and a variety of ethnic dishes. And this low-fat, low-calorie, high-fiber, high-protein food helps to reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease. The fiber slows the release of glucose into your bloodstream, which prevents the blood sugar spikes that worsen diabetes blood sugar control and make you feel hungry.
7. Green Tea
Studies show that chronic inflammation—caused by high-fat foods, lack of exercise, and eating too few fruits, vegetables, and good fats—can increase risk of hearts attacks and thwart the body’s ability to absorb blood sugar. A simple solution: Drink green tea and orange or cranberry juice. They’re all packed with flavonoids—powerful inflammation-fighters. Swap one in for one cup of coffee a day.
8. Nuts
Studies show that people who eat nuts regularly have lower rates of heart disease than people who don’t eat them. (People with diabetes are at increased risk of heart disease.) Even among the healthiest eaters, the ones who also eat nuts boast the best health record. Exactly why isn’t known yet, but one reason could be compounds called tocotrienols.
The key to eating nuts is not to eat too many; they’re so high in calories that you could easily see the aftermath pouring over your pants. Either measure 2 tablespoons of nuts, count how many it is, and limit yourself to that number, or keep a jar of chopped nuts on hand. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons a day on cereal, yogurt, veggies, salads, or wherever the flavor appeals to you.
9. Spinach, Kale, and Collard Greens
All of these green leafy vegetables are good sources of lutein, a carotenoid that’s good for the eyes. That’s especially important because people with diabetes may develop debilitating eye problems as complications of the disease. These foods are also great sources of fiber, B vitamins, iron, calcium, and vitamin C.
10. Chocolate
Researchers at Tufts University discovered that dark chocolate improves insulin sensitivity, a crucial improvement in preventing or treating type 2 diabetes. What’s more, dark—but not white—chocolate also produced a significant drop in blood pressure, reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol, and improved blood vessel function.
Just don’t overdo it. Dark chocolate is great for the occasional indulgence, but it still packs a lot of fat and calories.
11. Steak
There’s something in steak besides the protein, iron, and B vitamins that’s good for us. It’s a compound that’s part of beef’s fat profile called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Doctors Michael Murray and Michael Lyon point out in their bookBeat Diabetes Naturally that experiments have shown that CLA works to correct impaired blood sugar metabolism and also appears to have significant anti-cancer properties.
In the most recent research, scientists in Norway supplemented the diets of 180 people with a few grams of CLA and reported that they lost 9 percent of their body weight in one year. For a 200-pounder, that’s an 18-pound weight loss!
To get CLA from steak, choose meat from range-fed beef. Eating natural pasturage give these animals far more healthful CLA than the usual grain-rich diet. And keep portions to 3 or 4 ounces.
12. Vinegar
Two tablespoons of vinegar taken before a meal can help your blood sugar go down. A study at Arizona State University East tested three different groups of people to see what the results would be in healthy people, those with prediabetes (they had signs diabetes was developing), and confirmed diabetics. Before each of two meals a day, the subjects were given 2 tablespoons of ordinary vinegar.
The results: An hour after the vinegar treatment, the diabetics had blood sugar levels that were 25 percent lower than without vinegar. The prediabetics had an even better result: Their levels were lower by about half.
http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/diabetes/12-powerfoods.php
Had uneventful day 2 yesterday as I continued the “Fast”.
I only got five hours of sleep that night as I went to bed late, so I was dragging the whole day.
For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal. Lunch was a bowl of tomatoe bisk soup from Fry’s while I had Chinese vegetables for dinner (No meat). Through out the day I snacked on a bag of mixed nuts.
Overall, I dropped 1.5 pounds, but most importantly my sugars are dropping. This morning’s result was 223.
Today starts day 3
So now I’m on Lantus insulin. Took my first dose last night before bed. I woke up at 2:30am for a trip to the bathroom and it wasn’t pleasent. I don’t know if it was something I ate (Chef salad I made myself) or the medicine. I just hope it doesn’t become a nightly thing. Though this morning my sugars were much lower. Not in the #’s I and my doctor like to see, but lower then I’ve had in awhile. I did discover an alcer on the bottom of my foot, so I’m off to the podiatrist this morning.
Chronicles of a Diabetic 