If you, or someone you know, is one of the millions of people living with type 2 diabetes, you know what a struggle it is to manage your diet and keep your blood sugar level in check.

What you may not know is that it is possible to reduce your blood sugar levels to a normal count, even reversing the progress of this dangerous condition to the extent that you never develop diabetic retinopathy or suffer an amputation due to the nerve damage induced by the diabetic condition. Here are some sound nutritional strategies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes that can make you a former diabetic! You'll always need to maintain good eating habits, but you can prevent many complications and live a normal life.

Many Sufferers Are Older

Many people with type 2 diabetes are older and this presents problems in maintaining adequate nutrition. As we age, we are less able to absorb certain vitamins and minerals necessary to good health. All of the nutrients we need work in concert, to some degree and there are inter-dependencies. If you are deficient in one nutrient, other nutrients may not be able to do the job they should be doing. Ask your physician to do the lab work to determine any nutritional deficiencies you now have, and get a recommendation on any supplements you need to correct these deficiencies. Being fully stocked up on all the vitamins and minerals necessary is a huge step forward in the effective treatment of type 2 diabetes.

More Frequent, Smaller Meals Are Better

If you are eating the recommended three squares, try eating six small meals each day. This allows your body to metabolize foods in a more measured way, helping to keep your blood sugar more stable, without taxing your pancreas.

Switch To Sugar Substitutes

You know that sugar is just plain bad for you. This is because it goes straight to your blood, with no intermediate process of metabolizing. This is why a candy bar gives the non-diabetic an instant rush of energy. It's so important to avoid sugar like the plague. Many products, from soda to canned fruit, are now being made with Splenda(TM). Splenda(TM) truly does satisfy the sweet urges and is highly recommended in the treatment of type 2 diabetes patients.

Stay Away From "Bad" Carbs

Carbohydrates are one of the most puzzling parts of good nutrition to the type 2 diabetic patient. Doctors typically tell diabetes patients to limit their intake of carbohydrates to a certain number per day. What's puzzling is knowing which to choose. Here are some guidelines on specific carbohydrate foods which are of especial use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

You know you've got to watch the bread! It's just that all breads are not created equal. While two slices of regular white bread may contain about 30 carbs, this is a poor choice when compared with a whole grain bread which may have 40 carbs in an equal amount. It turns out that there are "good" carbs and "bad" carbs. You need to avoid the bad carbs, which generally are white, while the good carbs are brown.This is the basic rule of thumb.  Although the whole grain bread contains more carbs, it also contains more fiber and nutrients that you, as a diabetic, need. Also know that, to correctly determine the number of carbs in any food, you must subtract the grams of fiber from the total number of carbs. The high fiber content also helps your body to 'sweep' your digestive system and flush out toxins. Removing toxins is an important component in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Eat The Right Vegetables

With vegetable choices, be smart. Eat onions and garlic in abundance, adding them in to salads, soups and meat dishes. Both are rich in inulin, which mimics insulin. The same is true of parsley. Load up on any of the cruciferous veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Kim-Chee is a pickled cabbage, a Korean specialty, in a very spicy brine which contains hot peppers. The hot peppers are excellent for vascular health, so you get double your value in this food. Indian cuisine includes many cauliflower dishes in combination with a curry seasoning, which includes a healthy dose of turmeric. Turmeric is known to lower blood sugar levels. In fact, diabetes is virtually unknown in the non-Westernized, traditional Indian populations.

Treatment of type 2 diabetes must always include a regimen that protects the heart and kidneys, in order to avoid some of the complications diabetes can bring. The omega-3 fatty acids present in cold water fish are so valuable to the diabetic patient, you can hardly eat too much. These fatty acids regulate cholesterol levels, reduce high blood pressure and relieves psoriasis, probably due to the selenium content. Psoriasis is a common problem in diabetics, who are typically deficient in selenium.

While all nutrients are important in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, there are a few to which you should pay close attention. The B vitamins become more difficult to absorb as we age. Nerve damage is characteristic of type 2 diabetes and an adequate supply of vitamin B6 is essential to controlling this damage. Zinc plays an important role in good health and nutritional treatment of type 2 diabetes. Chromium is a trace mineral which facilitates the use of insulin and suppresses cravings for sugar. Each of these nutrients may be taken as supplements.

Eating smart, avoiding sugar,managing your carbohydrate intake, and a regular program of exercise can help you beat diabetes! A wonderful prospect, wouldn't you agree?

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Developing patterns of healthy eating for kids is not easy, but it is doable! I know kids like all sorts of junk food more than what's good for them,

but it's worth trying to develop these healthy patterns when they're young. Lifestyles have changed for children, and that's not necessarily a good thing. They spend more time watching TV or playing video games or sitting at the computer. Why when I was a boy (something my father said to me a million times), we spent a lot of our free time playing games outside, games like basketball, volleyball, etc. That was before the PC and the Internet came into our lives.

Obesity On The Rise

And the sad result of this is the incidence of obesity among children and teenagers, and,surprisingly , some are developing Type-2 diabetes. This is a real tragedy. These young diabetics will be battling this disease until they come to grips with it and lose all that extra weight and modify their lifestyles dramatically. It'll be a lot easier on them now if you can instill some modest changes in their diet and tried to get them up off the couch and pursue some physical "fun" thing like shooting baskets or throwing a Frisbee around, so they wouldn't end up with this more serious problem.

A Constant Struggle

Every parent knows what healthy foods for kids are, yet it's a constant struggle to convince them. There are a number of reasons. For example, during a visit to a friend's home, that Mom may offer sweet treats, which the kids interpret as something they don't get so frequently at home. Although the friend's Mom intends the goodie as, well, a treat, kids arrive home, telling their own Mom, “Wow, Mrs. Smith let us have a bunch of cookies! How come you don't?” You hear the accusation in the question.

Almost every kid has a sweet tooth and would rather have a candy bar than a healthy blueberry muffin. When kids go to school, there are sodas, chips and candy bars available in vending machines. Peer pressure is incredibly powerful. You become the odd person out, so boring and strict in your promotion of healthy eating for kids. You soon feel that your efforts are doomed to failure. Many a Mom eventually caves. Don't  make this mistake! This only contributes to a child becoming overweight and often, a lifelong struggle with weight control and a poor self image.

Subtlety Might Be The Answer

There are lots of ways to continue making healthy eating for kids your priority. You just need to be subtle, persuasive and consistent. You can win them over to your way of thinking. Here are some suggestions.

You know that a kid's favorite question is, “Why?”. Although this can drive you crazy after the 100th time you hear it today, this question can be a secret weapon in your battle to develop long term patterns of healthy eating for kids, which sticks with them long after they've left home. Remember, poor eating habits tend to stick just as tenaciously. Here's how to use the “Why?” to advantage.

Try Promoting Nutrition

Get an age-appropriate primer on nutrition, which gives information on the role that good nutrition plays in keeping a body healthy. When you hand your child an orange for an after school snack, chances are that you'll hear, “Aaaw, why can't I have a cookie instead?” You grab the book and turn to the section on vitamin C. Little kids can relate to the misery they endure with frequent colds, while teens respond to zit and skin blemish issues. The point is, you've given them a legitimate reason. They may still try for the cookie, but they'll settle for the orange. Don't force your program of healthy eating for kids down their throats, just subtly and gradually educate them on good nutrition.

Don't Go Overboard

No kid is going to go for a relentless parade of healthy food. You've got to let up once in a while, without overdoing it. For example, if you serve a fruit pie with ice cream, or even an over the top chocolate cake once a week, such treats will not make them fat or unhealthy. Instead, it changes their perspective on treats, as something terrific to look forward to at Sunday dinner. Surprise them with the giant pizza every now and then. This type of careful distribution of treats eliminates the 'forbidden' factor. They'll soon come to see for themselves that balance, moderation and healthy eating for kids, is a good thing.

Set A Good Example

You must also be setting a good example. If you choose to indulge in chips, candy or whatever your unhealthy pleasure may be, while they're stuck with a banana, your strategy won't work. They'll start using their lunch money at the vending machine.

Which brings us to our last point. How do you teach them that junk food should not be a staple of healthy eating? Show them how to read food labels and get one of those pocket books which list food additives. There are several which give the scoop on every additive used in processed foods and what it does inside your body. Some are enough to make your hair curl, or straighten as the case may be.

The bottom line in successfully promoting patterns of healthy eating for kids is to  give them reasons to want to eat healthy food. This strategy works!

Technorati Tags: Family, Health, healthy eating, junk food, Natural Foods