Your
Nutritional Health and Diabetes
Most
people are aware that improvements in diet are an essential
factor in both the prevention and control of diabetes.
There are several different kinds of diabetes, but generally
it can be described as a very serious malfunction which prevents
your body from properly metabolizing and using carbohydrates,
fats and proteins. In fact, in many cases (but not all), nutritional
deficiencies caused by poor diet are a large part of the cause
of diabetes. Vitamin, mineral and enzyme imbalances together
with other nutritional deficiencies accumulate in our bodies
over a long period of time and are usually the result of many
years of abuses such as eating too many refined foods, fats,
sugars, etc. and consuming too few fresh foods and too little
fiber.
These
deficiencies can eventually change body chemistry. A diabetic
condition often results when, over a long period of time, the
pancreas is overworked by poor diet and loses its ability to produce
enough insulin, a hormone used by the body to stabilize blood
sugar levels and metabolize food. Additionally, the body may also
lose its ability to use what insulin is produced. Some of the
symptoms of diabetes are constant thirst, frequent urination,
increased appetite with rapid weight change, itching skin, hypertension
and high blood sugar.
Slow-burning
body fuels such as unrefined complex carbohydrates require less
insulin to metabolize and there is substantial evidence that a
high fiber, vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet is the key to controlling
diabetes and lowering the risk of diabetes-related problems, as
well as preventing the onset of diabetes.
However,
restoring nutritional balance is a very individual problem. Because
we are each biochemically unique, our needs for specific nutrients
vary greatly. Also, as we age our body chemistry changes and requires
that we take a very different approach to nutrition in our
middle and later years. Nutritional analysis, such as my symptomatology
questionnaire provides, is an important first step in determining
the status of your nutritional health and beginning a customized
program to correct your unique nutritional deficiencies.
Diet
should be the prime focus of any changes you make. As well, there
are vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements and concentrated superfoods
that can help you regain your nutritional strength. But they must
be the right ones for you -- the ones that your body needs. Please
note that I do not sell foods, vitamins or any other nutritional
products -- I provide nutritional analysis and counseling. My
recommendations usually include specific foods, vitamins and nutritional
supplements that are available from your local suppliers.