Do you have anyone in your life, a family member, friend or co-worker who gorges themselves on really bad food choices? Does this individual also admonish everyone around them that they are living their life as they see fit and it is none of your business how they are living it?
By God, they will eat any damn thing they want, and they will damn well eat as much of it as they feel like? It is none of your concern how they eat!
Did you ever consider how selfish and destructive this self centered attitude can be?
Is there any chance you might actually be this individual and never thought about how your life actually does affect the lives of those around you?
If you are this individual, odds are that you have never considered yourself as being selfish and uncaring of others. Never the less, when you consume an unhealthy diet long enough, your health will eventually begin taking a nose dive and that is exactly when you are quite likely to become a burden on your loved ones. Look around at the people in your life and you are likely to know at least one if not multiples of people who are having to care for a loved one who has eaten themselves into sickness.
Type 2 Diabetes has become much too common among all age groups today!
Like most people, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you never planned for a life with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Hell does anyone ever get out of bed one day and make the decision to just do something stupid to wreck their own lives? Probably not.
No, it is more likely that you had other more pressing issues on your mind than the junk foods you were going to pig out on later in the day when you might find yourself mindlessly eating from daily stress or shear boredom. As with many good people, you were probably thinking about caring for your loved ones, paying your bills, volunteering in your community, or maybe coaching a youth league sports team. However you envisioned your day, getting diabetes or becoming prediabetic through a crappy diet was probably nowhere on your agenda.
Maybe you think you just don’t give a damn about eating healthy.
If you do not give a damn about eating healthy, you are quite simply being a fool. Your dietary habits will eventually cause you to become a burden on others if you are not careful. Have you ever seen or known of a diabetic who had a foot or leg amputated?
Do you foolishly believe this cannot happen to you? Will you need help from loved ones if this does happen to you? Are you prepared to put aside your pride in order to ask for assistance from another individual?
Did you ever consider the unnecessary medical expense burden you might be placing on your family and what they might be missing out on because you require blood sugar testing supplies and medicines such as Metformin?
I’m going to get real, if left unchecked, diabetes will trash your health and it can, and will progress all stealthy like a Ninja in the night. Diabetes typically does not become noticeable to the one afflicted only once the damage has reached advanced stages. Therefore, if you have actually been newly diagnosed with diabetes, have prediabetes, or are planning to cook for one who does have diabetes, it is high time you get your act together, and learn about all the critical elements of this highly preventable and treatable disease.
Diabetes defined.
Broadly defined, diabetes is a metabolic disorder that disrupts the way our bodies use the energy we receive from the foods we consume each day. During digestion, most of what we consume, particularly carbohydrates, is broken down into glucose which is the form of sugar in our blood that provides energy. In order to reach all of the cells in our body, glucose requires some assistance in order to hitch a ride in our bloodstream. In order for glucose to actually get into our cells, it requires the hormone insulin that is produced by the pancreas, which is a small gland that is located just behind the stomach.
If your body is healthy, your pancreas will produce the exact right amount of insulin to move the glucose from your blood and into the cells, In people with diabetic conditions, either the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Or, your cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. As a result of this, your glucose backs up in your blood, then overflows into your urine,and then passes out of the body without ever nourishing it, Like spilling gas if attempting to fill up your car with the fuel cap still on, you will just piss away needed glucose.
Types of diabetes
- Type 1 diabetes. Also defined as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack and destroy the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. A person with type 1 diabetes must take insulin in order to survive!. For this piece, type 1 is not our focus as it is not preventable.
- Gestational diabetes. (also not our focus) As the name implies, this type of diabetes develops in women during pregnancy, and often disappears after the birth of her baby. Note: Women who have experienced gestational diabetes carry a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within ten years! For this reason, these ladies need to be forever more, mindful of what they eat.
- Type 2 diabetes. Our main focus as it is entirely preventable through good dietary habits and exercise. This type is by far the most wide spread form of the disease. (Again, this is entirely preventable which makes it even sadder.) About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have this type. Risk factors include older age, obesity, family history, previous gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and certain ethnic backgrounds. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are over weight! Unlike type 1, type 2 develops gradually. At first the body has trouble using its insulin effectively, which is a condition called insulin resistance. After several years, insulin production decreases, glucose builds up in the blood, and your body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel.
- Prediabetes. Which is also referred to as Metabolic Syndrome, prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. This condition is identified by impaired fasting glucose, or impaired glucose intolerance depending on the test used to diagnose it. People with prediabetes are at a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. You can turn this condition around if you choose. You are not helpless.
Will any of these conditions affect others in my life? Damn right they will!
The first 2, you have little control over. Type 2 and prediabetes you have absolute control over if you make intelligent decisions with your dietary habits and by getting up and moving your body with exercise. Despite the sobering reality of diabetes, there is hope for you if you reach out and take control over your life instead of letting it control you. If you have prediabetes, you have the full power within yourself to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, by making intelligent lifestyle choices, you have the power to manage, or even lower your blood glucose levels. Yes, you can bring your A1C back into normal levels if you make the choice to do so. You can do this simply by following our methodology at David’s Way.
We highly promote a diabetic friendly diet for everyone through:
- Counting your calories in order to lose or manage your weight. You can learn your needed calories by clicking on our Calorie Counter Pro .
- Eating a high protein, lower carbohydrate diet where you target about 125g of complex carbs per day, and .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight with the remaining calories comprised from healthy fats. No, this is not Keto!
- Quit consuming sugar and simple carbs unless the simple carbs come from a food source such as fruit with a good fiber component to control the absorption of sugar into your blood stream.
- Quit eating processed foods that are full of sugar, unhealthy fats and an over abundance of preservatives.
- Do eat whole foods such as lean meats, full fat dairy products and lots of beans and vegetables.
- Ensure that every bite you consume has nutritional value to it. Ensure that the foods you consume are providing you with all the protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals in it to keep you healthy and strong.
- With your doctors clearance, get involved in vigorous exercise you can enjoy. Exercise does not have to be complicated or expensive. A good brisk walk will work wonders for your body if you cannot do anything else at first.
Studies have clearly shown that even a modest weight loss can help you to lower your risk of developing diabetes. One major study of more than 3000 people with prediabetes found that diet and exercise resulting in a 5 to 7 percent weight loss, about 7 to 10 pounds for a 150 pound woman, lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.
Like it or not, you have a responsibility to your loved ones who may one day have to care for you to manage your health through a good clean diet and exercise. Eating healthy is not boring, nor is it expensive when you consider the savings from medical bills, or all the extras you eat because of sugar cravings.
By taking responsibility for your health and well being you can prevent yourself from ever having prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Through diet and exercise, you can permanently lose your excess body fat in a healthy manner by following our principles at David’s Way. You can also lower your risk of heart disease and stroke by getting and keeping your blood pressure under control along with reducing your risk of micro-vascular complications such kidney and nerve issues too.
A good healthy diet an exercise is not rocket science, yet these simple things can save your life and cause less stress in those within your circle of family and friends. We give you the tools to live a healthy life if you make the personal choice to do so. For further information you can always contact us through our Contact Tab in the blog menu. We will answer all comments and questions as all are most welcome.
Make the choice today to get yourself to a healthy body fat percentage in order to protect your health and to hopefully never become a burden upon anyone else. Remember, someone will always have to pickup the broken pieces behind you when you choose to Live your life as you see fit. Please do not complicate this effort for your loved ones.