Key measure to help Control Diabetes

Here are some key areas that need checked to help control diabetes. Talk to your doctor and make sure you are getting complete checkups.

A1C
This blood test measures blood sugar control over the past 90 days. The closer your A1C is to that of people who do not have diabetes, the less chance you have of damage occurring to your heart, eyes , kidneys and blood vessels. This should be tested 4 times a year and the goal is to be less than 7 on the A1c scale.
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke or kidney failure. Both the AHA and ADA recommend blood pressures less than 130/80. Check your blood pressure often and check with your doctor if it is higher than these numbers.
Foot Inspection
You should check your feet daily for redness, swelling, cracks or calluses. These signs could be warning signs to complications due to having diabetes. In addition, people with diabetes should have there feet inspected by a health care provider every year.
Dilated Retinal (eye) examination
People with diabetes should have a dilated retinal examination every year. Early detection and treatment of changes in your eye can help prevent blindness.
Fasting Lipid Profile
High levels of lipids (fat) in the blood can lead to heart problems. people with diabetes are at a higher risk for heart related problems and strokes. Lipid profile test should be done once a year. If diet and exercise can not control high fat in blood, medications may be needed.
Urinary Protein/Micro albumin
Measuring the urinary protein will you and your doctor information about the health of your kidneys and blood vessels. This should be done once a year.

These are measure and checks to see if your diabetes is being controlled and your body is working properly. Watching these areas of your health can reduce many of the complications that come from diabetes.

Why struggle with Diabetes

I work in the building industry and also write another blog called Green Building Ideas. I am not writing this post to promote my other blog. I am writing to talk about the people I work with in this industry.

I find myself at luncheons, meetings or just around the work place running into other diabetics. I am always surprised at how I find out others are diabetic. Someone will offer me a treat and I will say no thank you I am diabetic. Almost always someone will say "oh don't worry about it I am diabetic too". I see people all the time eating cookies or some other sugary treat and the are diabetic.

I work hard at keeping my blood sugar inline and keeping my weight down. I have been very successful and I do not want to lose ground. But I also seem to get advice from these same people eating the treats at how it is not a big deal and don't worry about what you eat so much.

I have observed these same people since knowing they have diabetes and have found they seem to have more health issues than their coworkers. Now I have to assume that if they worked a little harder at taking care of their diabetes they may not have these issues.

As we go into this New Year and decide on the New Year resolutions, diabetic should put controlling their diabetes at the top.

Eating proper foods, exercising and getting the right nutrients should be every diabetic New Year's resolution. I know it will be mine!

Struggling with Holiday Treats?

Diabetics get frustrated during these holiday times. So many sweets and unhealthy treats around the house make it hard to keep that blood sugar in line. Thanksgiving has now passed and how did you do with all that food? Keeping the proper balance of diet during the holidays can be very hard. I try and stay with the nuts when I feel I need to have a treat like the rest of the family.

Keeping my diet inline during the holidays has to be one of the hardest things for me. All the candy was my favorite part of the holidays. My kids have a hard time buying me gifts because they used to just get me candy. Now they have a harder time getting me a gift. Having your family understand diabetes helps them to reduce the temptations. I even have neighbors that refrain from the candy giving because of my diabetes. I think this is great. Everyone needs to cut back on the amount of sugar that is consumed during the holidays. It all starts at Halloween.

Some of the treats that get made at our house are Chex mix bowls, trail mix and lots of fruit. This allows me to have a treat to grab but keeps the sugar down. I struggle more with my fat content now than I do with sugar.

I am trying to put together some recipes or ideas to help people with diabetes through the holidays. PLEASE post your input here so others may find them.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and may you have blessed Christmas!

Diabetic Help: Diabetes Today

Diabetic Help: Diabetes Today

Diabetic Cookbooks

Here are some great cookbooks to help prepare some great diabetic meals.

Shop the great deals at Amazon.com

Amazon offers a great selection of diabetic books and other resourse items.

Continue shopping at Amazon.com here.

Creating a great meal plan and watching how you eat and what you eat is the start of a successful diabetic life.

If you are counting carbs the best resourse is the Atkiens diet book.

Click Here for My Complete Diabetic Store

Diabetic Help

Diabetic Help: My Multi Vitamin Experiment

Diabetic Help: My Multi Vitamin Experiment

Diabetic Lifestyle

What is your lifestyle!

Changing your lifestyle may have great benifits

Nutritional supplements are in every home. There are miles of floor spaces devoted to nutritional supplements in retail stores. Health food stores are popping up in neighborhoods across the globe everyday. New multi level marketing companies form every year. Nutritional supplements, vitamins, diet products, energy supplements and alternative medicines have become a multi billion dollar industry.

Why has this become such a thriving industry?

Take a look at the people around you and what do you see? We are a society of people on the run and lack of time to keep ourselves healthy. Go to any elementary school and see how many students are over weight.

The average person gets up in the morning and rushes to eat something quick before they run out the door to start there busy day. Then a quick lunch from a fast food stop close to work or a microwave lunch in the company break room. The end the day is a large meal, before retiring in front of the television for the evening. Not counting the several soda pops or energy drinks, accompanied with some sort of candy.

After several years of this type of behavior we are all in search of the magic potion that can reverse the years of abuse. Over weight, out of shape, run down and looking for the youth we once had. We look to the shelves in the store for something to transform us and cure us from the elements that plague us.

Many times it is too late to reverse the effects of a poor diet and lack of exercise. But it is never too late to try and you may even thank yourself for making it happen.

Diabetes and heart disease can be the result of poor diet, over weight and lack of exercise. Dropping the weight, controlling your diabetes and adding exercise can reduce the later complications of diabetes a whopping 56%. Diabetes can not be cured but it can be controlled and the benefits are well worth it.

There are many nutritional supplements that say they can reverse the effects of diabetes. Many people look for the easy path to deal with this disease. Taking a few medications and a hand full of supplements is much easier than changing their life style. The multi billion dollar industry then thrives.

Nutritional supplements are a well needed product in out lives. They can help almost every person in some way. Getting the right balance of nutrients is very important. Many of the process foods we eat lack the proper nutrients that were once in them. There are thousands of different products on the market that can help but it is finding the proper balance of vitamins and minerals. Each of us may need different nutrients based on the foods we eat.

It is easy to get over whelmed with the information that is available on nutritional products that are available today. The American Diabetes Associates or a diabetic nutritionist is the best place to start if you are dealing with diabetes.
If you have diabetes and want to create this healthier life style don't forget the ultimate combination.

1. Get to your proper weight
2. Eat a proper diet that is suited for people with diabetes
3. Exercise every day
4. Get the proper nutrients that your body needs.

I am the person I described in the beginning of this article. My life style was very poor and now I have diabetes to help me live a better and healthier life style. My endocrinologist told me on my first visit that, if I followed this plan I would be healthier and fell better than I ever had. One year later I will agree. I have a disease to deal with the rest of my life but it is controllable with the proper combination.

I am a firm believer in nutritional supplements. A combination of supplements has made a big difference in managing my diabetes.

Diabetic Help

This comes from my other blog http://www.squidoo.com/Diabeticcombo

This post can also be found Brown Clee Care http://browncleecare.co.uk/what-is-your-diabetic-lifestyle