Dr. Phil Hariram's Health Blog

A pregnant mother can keep her diabetes problem away by following a suitable gestational diabetes diet menu. Keep in mind however that a gestational diabetes menu that works for one woman might not work in the case of another and so it is a good idea that you get your doctor to recommend an appropriate gestational diabetes menu for your particular body weight, type and which must also suit your condition the best.

Gestational Diabetes Menu: Plan Your Daily Food Intake

Typically, you will need to create or be recommended a suitable gestational diabetes menu for breakfast, mid-day and for dinner. Taking each such menu separately you will be able to plan out your day’s intake in a better planned manner which should ensure less suffering on account of being down with gestational diabetes.

A sample gestational diabetes menu for breakfast could include a single hardboiled egg along with a slice of whole wheat bread. In addition, you can eat a teaspoon of canola based margarine that contains no trans-fats and in addition, you can also safely consume a third of a pound of grapes followed with at most twelve ounces of fat-free skim milk. All this should enable you to control your diet and it would mean that you would end up eating just eleven grams of fat, consume approximately four hundred calories as too twenty-two grams of protein.

For snacks during the mid-morning your gestational diabetes menu should consist of a slice of whole wheat bread and one tablespoon of peanut butter, a similar amount of reduced-sugar jam or jelly and just eight ounces of fat-free skim milk.

For lunch, your gestational diabetes menu should look like this: one large whole wheat pita along with half a cup of cooked black beans and similar amount of fresh and chopped tomato as well as an ounce of low-fat cheddar cheese plus one tablespoon of salsa and two tablespoons of olive oil.

For dinner, your gestational diabetes menu could include three ounces chicken breast, four ounces of pineapple, one tablespoon sesame seeds and the same amount of sesame oil plus two teaspoons of soy sauce along with half a cup of green beans, quarter cup of instance rice (uncooked) and one teaspoon of cornstarch and finally quarter pound of strawberries (fresh.)

A gestational diabetes meal plan, when properly formulated, can help to keep blood sugar levels in an acceptable range. The best person that can help you create a suitable meal plan is of course a dietician or your doctor or any one that educates others on handling diabetes problems.

The Low Glycemic Index

The glycemic index brings up to how rapidly (or slowly) a carbohydrate food is changed over to glucose in the blood. High glycemic index foodsare foods such as white bread, refined breakfast food grain, sugar, rice, potato, soft drink, sports drink, candies, tropical fruits and most of the low fat gems and muesli bars. Low glycemic index foods are coarse-grained breads and breakfast food grain, pasta (which includes Continental Wholegrain Pasta & Sauce), low fat dairy farm foods, stone and moderate fruits and sweet potato.

As low glycemic index carbohydrates incline to be less refined forms of carbohydrates which include most of the wholegrain varieties such as oats, they also incline to have better nutrition properties such as being high value in fibre, vitamins and minerals than more processed varieties of carbohydrates. For this cause it is recommended that low glycemic index carbohydrates such as food grain based cereals and cereals form the key of people’s day-to-day dieting. These are the foods that one consume all single day, and hence require being the best choice possible to make sure good health for a long period. Low glycemic index diet is more famous nowadays.
This is not to say that high glycemic index foods are bad foods, it merely means that these more refined or rapidly digested kinds of carbohydrate do not have as numerous nutritional gains as the low glycemic index ones and hence should be taken less often in the diet.

Secrets of Low Glycemic Index Eating

Try and pick whole grains whose soever affirmable
Always keep food grain breads and breakfast food grain at home
Measure components of rice or pasta at night (for instance make sure 4 people are sufficed with one pack of continent-wide Wholegrain Pasta & Sauce)
If one do eat a high glycemic index food such as white rice, try and team with few lean meat and vegetables to assist decrease the glycemic load of the meal
Includes corn, beans, chickpeas or lentils to salads and pastas

Criticism

The glycemic index has been knocked for the following understandings: The GI index does not take into considerations of other elements also glycemic reaction, such as insulin response, which is calculated by the insulin index and can be more advantageous in constituting the effects from some food substancesother than carbohydrates. The glycemic index is importantly changed by the kind of food, its maturity, processing, the length of storage, cooking methods.

Diabetes has been spreading like an epidemic in America and most European countries. This life threatening disease has no cure but can be well controlled with the right diet and eating habits. There are many dietary supplements except a balanced diet is available today in the market that helps in controlling diabetes. These supplements can be easily taken and has been proved beneficial in fighting this terrible disease. The dietary supplements are known for giving more nutrients to your body and are therefore very useful in fighting diabetes and other diseases.

There is not much confirmation for proving the benefits of dietary supplements but current ongoing research has shown good results. You can add supplements if your food is not providing you enough nutrients. These dietary health supplements also contains vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Vanadium type of supplement is a solution for increasing body’s response towards insulin. You can control blood sugar levels through chromium. Diabetic people are known to have low magnesium levels and thus magnesium helps manage the problem.

Dietary supplements should not be the only matter that one should depend on. A person suffering from diabetes needs to follow a  balanced diabetic diet that aims to control the blood sugar levels. Supplements should be taken only if the diet is not providing sufficient nutrients or under certain circumstances. Although these health supplements provide vitamins and essential minerals and nutrients, one should not take them without consultation. These supplements are best taken under medical guide. Always take care while taking health supplements because improper use of these can be fatal for you.

A doctor’s permission is needed while combining health supplements along with medicines. However, combination of few supplements and medicines can lead to a brutal damage. When undergoing any other health problem, it is best to let your doctor know about the medicines being taken. The best way to curb diabetes is by following a healthy and balanced diet. There is nothing special diet for the diabetes food. Any type of food groups gives a good health when eaten in sufficient amounts.

There should be fresh vegetables and fruits in a healthy diabetic diet. Including complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats in your diabetic diet plan is good. Trash and fried foods should always be avoided. Foods that are baked or low fried is exceptionally better than a deep fried food item.  Diabetic food need not be boring and tasteless. You can definitely cook healthy yet relishing food. Add a bowl bowl full of brown cooked rice or whole grain pasta in your diabetic diet it is healthy enough. Fish, eggs, skimmed milk, yoghurt, sour cream, nuts, beans, vegetables, and fruits, lean meats are also proved to be healthy and must be a part of diabetic diets.

Consulting a doctor or an experienced dietitian will help you plan your healthy diet. By understanding various food groups you can sketch your own diet to meet your body’s requirements. Diabetes diet health supplements can prove useful to fight diabetes; however, there is no guarantee of the same.

An Excellent Healthy Drink for Diabetics

Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, sugar, body, sweetener, color or preservatives?

The taste is incredible, extremely refreshing and gives diabetics the best drink without any carbohydrates. A large and affordable assortment of flavored carbonated water concentrate is available for free delivery world wide from www.allfreightfree.com.

Cakes and sweets are not a challenge to diabetic people now. Being identified with this terrible disease no longer seems like a curse. You can easily like cakes that are luscious as well as sweet. Diabetic cake recipes’ has made it suitable for people to overeat on cakes in a healthy style. You can find many websites displaying a number of diabetic cake recipes by surfing internet. Diabetic Children can enjoy their birthday cakes as these diabetic cake recipes have made it easy for them. One no longer has to stay away from cakes at time of celebrations or festivals.

You would love to try these few diabetic recipe for your dear ones. Besides delighting its taste buds these diabetic cake recipes also keep you healthy at the same time. One need not worry about abnormal blood sugar levels because the diabetic cake recipes are prepared by experts. Taking the cake elements in right amount will help you enjoy the cake in healthy manner.
Here is the first diabetic cake recipe of cheese cakes that all of us love to gorge on.

Ingredients you would require

2/3 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup powdered milk and 3 pkgs. Equivalence, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup hot water, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1/3 cup cold water.

Method

Take cold water and soften gelatin in it, later add hot water to it. Stir the gelatin until it is soft. After some minutes add the remaining components and mix it well. Swirl the mixture in blueberries and freeze it well before serving.

Cheese cakes being all time favorite, here is another delicious low calorie diabetic cake recipe.

Ingredients

12 oz. Add low fat Ricotta cheese,, 3 graham crackers, finely crushed, Grated peel of 1 lemon, 2/3 cup non-instant milk powder, 12 oz. low fat cottage cheese, 5 tbsp. Take lemon juice or to taste, Butter or oleo for pan, 4 eggs, separated, 2 tsp. Bring pure vanilla and 3/4 cup Fruit Sweet.

Method

Take a bowl and blend cheese, fruit sweet and egg yolk together. Continue blending by adding milk powder to it until the beat is soft. Now include lemon strip and juice along with vanilla to the mixture. Keep on blending it well till it becomes soft. Pound egg white separately till a nice foam is formed and then add it to the mixture and beat it again till it is well mixed. Firstly take a spring form pan of 9 inch and spread the butter to the bottom. Put graham crackers scraps on the pan till the entire area gets well buttered. Now put the mixture in the pan and dry it out at 350 degrees. Pour some water in the oven to keep away from drying. After baking for almost 45 minutes insert a tooth pick or knife to check if the cake is baked.

You can prepare cake of your choice from these fantastic diabetic cake recipes on every event. Simply surf the internet every time you want to change in your diabetic cake recipe.
An Excellent Healthy Drink for Diabetics

Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, sugar, body, sweetener, color or preservatives?

The taste is fantastic, extremely refreshing and gives diabetics a great drink without any carbohydrates. A large and affordable assortment of flavored carbonated water concentrate is available for free delivery world wide from www.allfreightfree.com.

I get asked a lot about ocean pollution and how it affects nutrition products. Should you be alarmed?

Not quite.

Let me start by mentioning that by pollution, most people mean heavy metals and PCBs. It’s bad enough that you have to avoid fish products because of possible contamination. But now supplements as well? Well you shouldn’t worry. I’m going to show you the exact qualities to look for in all your food products to make sure you’re staying as safe as possible.

To avoid these, you need a product that undergoes through a triple phase molecular distillation purification process to maximize purity.

You want to make sure the oils of any supplement are distilled in a pristine, controlled vacuum environment which insures contaminant removal above and beyond traditional purification methods.

Your product must also surpass all national and international standards for environmental pollutants. This means dioxins, PCB’s, pesticides and heavy metals – and of course mercury.

Some might say this is overkill. So should you ignore those people and be worried about contaminents?

Definitely.

A Canadian study showed samples of analyzed commercial fish oil had detectable amounts of PCBs and pesticides.

Notice the study involved “commercial grade fish oil.”

This same grade is found in drugstores, your local grocery or health store, and anywhere you shop. It’s cheap and can be horrible for your health. Previously, I bought all my supplements where I’d find myself shopping anyway – but not anymore. The risk is too substantial.

Contrast this with pharmaceutical grade fish oil which may have many health benefits:

1. Vascular health increased.

2. Lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Lowered symptoms of rhuematoid arthritis.

4. Blood thinning.

Regular old fish oil just doesn’t compare. Not with the amount of pollution these days.

So only stick to pharmaceutical grade fish oil – that’s what I do every day.

Being told by your doctor that you have borderline diabetes can be a scary thing. It’s a life changing situation. But, every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are being told just that as the number of diabetes cases continually rises. Currently, there are over 18 million known case of diabetes in the U.S. that have diabetes. It’s estimated that there’s approximately 6 million more people that have diabetes and don’t know it. And it remains a serious health problem costing patients billions of dollars in health care every year.

What are the symptoms of borderline diabetes? What exactly is borderline diabetes? Sometimes called pre-diabetes, it’s a condition where a person has glucose levels between normal levels and levels that would identify them as diabetic. The reason that many people don’t know they have the condition is that it’s relatively free of symptoms. In a person without diabetes, the body will produce insulin to help the cells break down food into energy. In diabetics and pre-diabetics, however,  either the body is unable to create insulin or it is unable to utilize the insulin. This is one reason why people with borderline diabetes tend to be tired much of the time. They are eating, but their body is unable to break down the food into usable energy.

A lot of physicians have discontinued using the terminology borderline diabetes to describe this condition. The way they see it, a person who exhibits the symptoms of pre-diabetes is, in fact diabetic. and they see no real medical reason to confuse the situation. many also feel that telling someone that they have borderline diabetes inhibits the person from taking diagnosis seriously – since it is only borderline. Others feel that the condition of these patients is more accurately described as insulin resistant or impaired glucose tolerance. Other doctors, however, still use the term and find it useful to keep the distinction between pre-diabetes and diabetes.

For medical care physicians that continue to use the term, borderline diabetes is diagnosed when a person’s glucose level, as determined by glucose tests, fall between 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter.

Unfortunately, in most cases, a person who has borderline diabetes will see the disease progress to diabetes. In some cases, however, with a change of eating habits and other healthy lifestyle changes, the disease will be reversed.

According to many health experts, pre-diabetes is a preventable disease. Studies have shown a distinct correlation between the increase in the amount of fast foods that we eat and the new incidences of type II diabetes. Likewise, there is a correlation between our increasingly sedentary lifestyles with increases in the number of people diagnosed with diabetics. Making the defeat of diabetes even more urgent is that a person with pre-diabetes or diabetes is at greater risk for a host of other diseases including heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and more.

Fortunately, scientists and researchers have started to discover and catalog the many risk factors that predispose one towards getting diabetes. They are hopeful that, in the near future, diabetes will be looked upon as disease of the past.

IN THE past, people tended to avoid those who suffered from mood disorders. As a result, many who were afflicted became social outcasts. Some encountered job discrimination. Others were shunned by members of their own family. Often, this only aggravated the problem and prevented those who were ailing from getting help. They primarily lacked the capability to estimate the signs of clinical depression that are already evident in their situation.

It is Important to Get Professional Help

In recent decades, however, great strides have been made in understanding clinical depression and bipolar disorder. Now it is well-known that these conditions are treatable. But getting help is not always easy. Why? A mood disorder is not diagnosed with a simple blood test or an X-ray. Instead, a person’s behavior, thinking, and judgment are monitored over a period of time. A number of symptoms must be present for a diagnosis to be reached. The problem is that sometimes family members and friends do not realize that what they are observing constitutes evidence of a mood disorder. Furthermore, even when family members feel that the situation is serious, it may be difficult to convince the sufferer that he or she needs medical attention. Or if you are the one who is ailing, you may not be inclined to get help.Of course, everyone feels despondent on occasion, and this does not necessarily indicate a mood disorder. But what if these feelings seem more intense than a mere bout with the blues? And what if they persist for an unusual length of time—perhaps two weeks or more? Furthermore, suppose the depressive moods are preventing you from functioning normally, either at work, at school, or in social situations. In such a case, it might be wise to consult a professional who is qualified to diagnose and treat depressive disorders. This is especially true when considering that a person is already experiencing the different signs of clinical depression.

When a biochemical imbalance is involved, medication may be prescribed. In other cases, a program of counseling might be recommended to help the sufferer learn how to cope with his or her condition. At times, both approaches combined have produced beneficial results. The important thing is to reach out and get help. Many times sufferers are frightened and ashamed of their condition, the real shame, though, is suspecting you have a problem and not seeking the help that you so desperately need.

Hence, as an advice, it is important to heed the suggestion that at the brink of knowing that you are already experiencing the signs of clinical depression, it is important that you consult the experts as soon as possible. Yes, the signs of clinical depression should not be taken for granted as doing so may result to even many serious damages. Through a clinical depression test, you are sire to get the best help you need upon knowing what your case of depression is.

Go here for more about beck anxiety inventory and anxiety attack symptoms

Hyperuricaemia is a higher than normal blood level of uric acid. There are individuals with high blood uric acid levels and have never had an attack of gout. Are these people at risk of arthritis of the joints and kidney stones from urate crystals deposits? Yes they are.

Firstly the diagnosis of asymptomatic hyperuricaemia is made more frequently because of more screening, and blood tests for insurance purposes. Secondly you can break it down to primary and secondary types. In the primary type there may be a genetic link. In this case there is a deficiency of an important enzyme leading to excess production of uric acid. When this is severe (Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome), there are severe problems.

Secondary hyperuricaemia results from factors affecting the production and/or elimination of uric acid. These include medical conditions, drugs, metabolic conditions, obesity and alcohol consumption.

Sometimes hyperuricaemia is suspected when patients present to the doctor with tophi. These can be acute or chronic. An acute tophus is usually small and later soften when it becomes chronic. They look like small nodules and as they grow bigger, the skin overlying them looks shiny and feels smooth. Sometimes they can ulcerate and release white chalky stuff. If the patient is treated with allopurinol the tophi usually becomes smaller.

Dr. Phil Hariram

Arthritis Guide.

In the days before adequate treatment controlled the blood level of uric acid, chronic gout presented with multiple joint involvement and chronic poly-arthritis. Today this is rare and only found in patients who refuse medication, have poor compliance or unable to take suitable medication.

Here the acute gout attack will become more frequent. Then other joints become involved. The crystals deposited in and around the joints are needle shaped and I suspect this is why acute gout is so painful.

I had an elderly patient who had heart failure and was on large doses of diuretics and ace inhibitors. She developed acute gout. Her medication was looked at and altered. Unfortunately her uric acid level remained very high. She was started on allopurinol.

She developed an allergic rash to allopurinol. In fact everything the consultant prescribed gave her problems. In the end she had no medication and refused any attempt to try anything for her gout because she was worried about side effects.

She was put on a specific diet. Eventually she developed poly-arthritis. Her fingers had big nobbles for joints and she had problems walking around her ground floor flat. Tophi developed first on the ear then elsewhere.

A joint badly damaged by chronic gout will on x-ray show erosions, secondary calcium deposits and soft tissue swelling.

Allopurinol is the drug of choice in chronic gout. By maintaining the blood level of uric acid within the normal range, separation of urate crystals into joints and kidneys are prevented.

Dr. Phil Hariram.

Arthritis Guide.

The first explanation of podagra was in the sixteenth century by Burgamer, a German Physician. He said podagra is a pain in the feet with or without swelling which comes from dampness or drought.

Podagra is acute gout affecting the big toe and typically the first metatarso-phalangeal joint. It is as a result of higher than normal uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is mainly excreted by the kidneys.

Diuretics and other drugs can affect the function of the kidneys and reduce excretion of uric acid. This can cause elevated level of uric acid in the blood and acute gout.

Over indulgence in alcohol can trigger acute gout. Beer is the worse alcoholic beverage for gout. Port was linked to gout in the eighteenth century. At the time, port was stored in lead lined casks and lead diffused into the port.

Lead in the consumed port accumulated in the body and in the kidneys, it affected the ability of the kidneys to excrete uric acid. The imbalance caused high uric acid in the blood. This condition is called Saturine gout.

Sometimes podagra can develop following initiating treatment with allopurinol. Gross over eating especially seafoods and red meat can trigger podagra.

No one knows exactly why podagra is the commonest manifestation of acute gout. Some suggested that the first metatarso-phalangeal is used a lot and takes a lot of the body’s weight when walking.

Dr. Phil Hariram,

Arthritis Guide.