Nutrition

Valentine’s Day is one of the hardest holidays through which to stay on track. After all, the holiday is characterized by offering sweet things to your sweetheart…and receiving sweet things from your sweetheart. However, Diabetics, especially Type 1 Diabetics, need to be careful about accepting sugary surprises from their loved ones next week.

It has been five weeks since you made your 2008 New Year’s Resolution. How’s progress? Whether your resolution involves losing weight, managing your Diabetes better, or changing your lifestyle, remember, that when it comes to properly managing your Diabetes, your mental and physical health are both important. Therefore, sticking to that resolution might be your ticket to properly managing your overall health.

Buddy Up

With the Holiday Season quickly approaching, it’s time to start looking for tips and strategies that can help make this season tasty, even if you or your loved ones have special nutritional needs. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Reduce Glucose

Some energy drinks are made with vitamins. Energy DrinksOne of the latest trends in energy drinks is the infusion of Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is supposed to help boost the metabolism and increase energy levels. However, it is important to note that the benefits of taking vitamins have never been fully proven by researchers to be effective.

Obese people with diabetes can lose weight if they use plates and cereal bowls with markers for proper portion sizes, a new study has found.

Read more on this story at {EXT http://news.sawf.org/Health/39142.aspx}SAWF News{/EXT}. For more stories on diabetes care and other related topics, read Diabetes in the News.

What are the risk factors for Diabetes?

Risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes include:

• Older age
• Obesity
• Family history of Diabetes
• Prior history of Gestational Diabetes
• Impaired glucose tolerance
• Physical inactivity
• Race/ethnicity

African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes, which was previously called insulin-dependent Diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset Diabetes, may account for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes, which was previously called non-insulin-dependent Diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset Diabetes, may account for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of Diabetes. Gestational is a type of Diabetes that only pregnant women get. If not treated, it can cause problems for mothers and babies.

It is important for Diabetics to be aware of what a carbohydrate is and how it reacts within the body. In general, a carbohydrate is a unit of energy, similar to a calorie, that is derived from sugars ingested into the body.

The Glycemic Index is a measure of how fast it takes a particular food to raise your blood sugar level for up to two hours after you eat. As you probably know, not all foods have the same amount of sugar and not all sugars act the same way after they are consumed.