Glycemic Index Updates

Many people who are diagnosed with diabetes are overwhelmed with an onslaught of new information, medications, doctor visits and a feeling of helplessness.  Diabetes can be frightening, particularly for anyone who is not familiar with the disease.  We read about complications and insulin and medication and feel hopeless. 

Many diabetics experience a period of denial when first diagnosed with diabetes.  They refuse to believe there is anything wrong with them.  While they remain in denial, the condition worsens.  This can often lead to depression.  Depression and diabetes often go hand in hand.  According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have a greater risk for developing depression than other individuals. 

The stress of management of diabetes can take a toll on an individual.  There are new medications to take, blood sugar must be monitored frequently and a record kept for your doctor.  There are frequent doctor visits and there may be several different medication combinations needed before your blood sugar is kept under control.

On top of that, people who have diabetes are often faced with sudden lifestyle changes.  Foods that they once enjoyed are now taboo.  An exercise regime is often recommended, which can be good for depression, but people with depression often have little energy to begin an exercise regime.  As the depression continues, people often lose interest in monitoring their blood sugar levels and may even skip their medication. 

Symptoms of depression include a loss of pleasure in every day activities you used to enjoy as well as a change in appetite.  You may have trouble concentrating and have trouble sleeping.  Or you may even sleep too much.  Many people suffer from depression, but for a diabetic, it can be life threatening.  Depression and diabetes is a dangerous combination. 

People who are diagnosed with diabetes can empower themselves by learning as much about the disease as possible from the beginning.  This can alleviate the feeling of helplessness that often accompanies the diagnoses.  Ask your physician questions.  Do research.  Find out how you can help manage you disease.

If you feel you are suffering from some of the signs of depression, ask your doctor to recommend a therapist who is familiar in dealing with people with chronic illness.  Therapy can be crucial for a diabetic patient who feels isolated because of all of the extra work involved in treating their illness.  Do not be afraid to discuss your illness with family and friends.  Diabetes is a nothing to be ashamed of, it is a disease that affects millions of people.

If at all possible, join a support group for others who also have diabetes.  Here you can not only find kindred spirits who are experiencing some of the same fears as yourself, but you can also learn new information. 

Any time someone is diagnosed with an illness puts them at risk for depression.  Their world has changed and no longer feels safe.  Worse of all, they feel out of control.  If you are diagnosed with diabetes, take back the control and learn how to manage your disease.  By empowering yourself, you will not only be able to effectively manage your diabetes, you will eliminate the depression.

Upon first being diagnosed with diabetes, many patients ask can a good diet keep diabetes at bay.  Most doctors will agree that a good diet, low in carbohydrates and sugars can help a person with diabetes avoid many of the complications that often accompany the disease.  While a good diet can not necessarily cure the illness, a good diet can keep diabetes at bay.

People who have diabetes have a difficult time processing foods such as sugars and starches.  Instead of processing normally through their system, they stay in the system and turn end up increasing the glucose in the bloodstream.  When this occurs, it is called glycemia  - which is too much sugar in the blood.  People with Type I and Type II diabetes both suffer from having too much glucose in the blood.  As the glucose does not digest normally, it causes problems with the kidneys, liver, eyesight, heart and blood circulation in general. 

Depending upon the stage of their diabetes, a physician will normally prescribe either medication or insulin.  Both help the body process the sugars in the blood, to break them down and allow the patient to expel them.  However, insulin and medication are no substitute for a healthy diet.  Just because a person is taking medication or insulin does not give them carte blanche to consume all of the sugar and carbohydrates they can get their hands on.   It is absolutely essential that a person with diabetes not only take medication or insulin as directed, but also adhere to a diabetic diet.  This means getting familiar with which foods should be avoided and which foods can be eaten sparingly.

The Glycemic Index was established in 1981 to rate which carbohydrates are the worst for those with diabetes.  The carbohydrates that are high on the list, such as white bread, take longer to digest and should be avoided.  Carbohydrates that have low scores, such as brown rice, can be eaten in moderation.  It is very difficult for anyone to avoid carbohydrates completely, which is why familiarizing oneself with the Glycemic Index is so important in the treatment of diabetes.

In addition to carbohydrates that rate high on the Glycemic Index as well as low, there is also an intermediate group.  It may surprise people to know that a chocolate bar is rated in the intermediate group on the Glycemic Index.  This does not mean, however, that one should feel free to consume all the chocolate they want.  The purpose of the Glycemic Index is to help individuals establish which foods should definitely be avoided and which foods are okay in moderation.

So, can a good diet keep diabetes at bay.  The answer is yes.  While it cannot cure a patient of diabetes, a good diet low in foods that have high ratings in the Glycemic Index and high in proteins can help an individual with this condition live a longer, healthier life.  Until there is a cure for this potentially life threatening condition, it is important for all people who suffer from diabetes to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index so they can better understand how to control their disease.

This article was featured in The Fifth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life.

According to the National Diabetes Education Program, there is a current epidemic of diabetes among African Americans.  African Americans are one of the largest groups in the population in the United States that are contracting Type II diabetes.  In addition, diabetes is also one of the leading causes of death and disability among African Americans in the United States. 

There are certain factors that are believed to cause Type II diabetes, which accounts for nearly 95 percent of all cases of the disease.  The causes are generally someone with a close relative with the disease, being an African American or being overweight.  Other factors include having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and having gestational diabetes while pregnant.  It is estimated that about 3.2 million African Americans have Type II diabetes and about one third of them are undiagnosed.

No one is quite sure why African Americans are more likely to get Type II diabetes than any other ethnic group.  One thing is certain, however.  Poor African Americans are more likely to die from complications of the disease than those in other ethnic groups.  This is most likely due to poor health care in certain communities, limited access to drugs that can potentially save their lives and less education.  Affluent African Americans have the same chance as other ethnic groups of dying from complications of the disease.

Many people who live in poor communities, in addition to receiving substandard medical care, little education about disease and limited access to lifesaving drugs, also are inundated with fast food restaurants that seem to target certain ethnic groups.  Fast foods are usually very high in carbohydrates, fats and offer very little in the way of nutrition.  They are inexpensive, however, and many people with little money find this to be the only way they can feed their family on a limited budget.  Unfortunately, most of the foods found in fast food restaurants, particularly French fries, are at the top of the Glycemic Index when it comes to foods that should not be consumed by diabetics.  French fries are pretty much the staple of any fast food restaurant.  They are high in carbohydrates, high in fat and low in protein.  But they are filling.

African Americans can prevent acquiring Type II diabetes in many different ways.  One way is to take a look at the Glycemic Index and realize which foods are harmful to them and which to avoid.  Another way is to start an exercise regime and, if they are overweight, lose some of those excess pounds.  If they are without health care, they should contact their local municipality about screening tests for diabetes.  Many clinics and health care facilities offer screening tests for diabetes for those with low income for free.  This small step may end up saving the life of someone who is on the verge of getting this potentially life threatening illness.

African Americans can also start saying no to fast foods that, in addition to being precursors for diabetes, are also linked to heart disease, high cholesterol and even cancer.  Many fast food restaurants prey on people in low income areas without regard for the health of those individuals.  African Americans need to realize that they are experiencing an epidemic of Type II diabetes in their community and do all that they can to stamp it out.