We must be absolutely crazy. We eat the wrong kind of foods. We also consume the wrong kinds of drinks. Secondly we eat too much of them and as a consequence a high proportion of the population is obese also known as overweight. This sends alarm signals warning of such conditions as diabetes 2.

Lots of drinks such as lemonade is fizzy and contains high amounts of sugar. The average American eats one cup of sugar every day or 210lbs per year. We eat sugar in a variety of ways. It’s in sweet foods such as cakes, cookies, pastries. It’s in ice cream. It’s in many tin foods and sauces. Any label that claims “no fat” or “low fat” has high levels of sugar listed on it. It is eaten at vast amounts and is used in many foods and people, in particular, children are consuming it at frightening levels.

No wonder obesity is continually rising and is becoming a major health problem. One of the biggest health problems that is affecting many people across the world is Type 2 diabetes. Once it sets in your system and gets uncontrolled diabetes increases your risk of heart disease, blindness, nerve pain and kidney damage.

Most people who develop this type 2 diabetes are overweight. It develops because either your cells do not produce enough insulin, the body’s hormone that regulates sugar levels in, or your body ignores the insulin you do produce. This means that glucose level in your blood-stream is too high and could cause problems. High glucose levels leave your body’s cells starved of energy and over time. The good news is something can be done about it. It comes from the ocean in seaweed that has health benefits for diabetics and those wanting to lose weight.

Seaweed is being harvested for foods and drinks across the world. There is one good quality seaweed and it comes from a nutrient-rich brown seaweed from the Pacific Ocean. Another factor about this seaweed it is high in fibre. As a consequence this may help with your weight control by filling you up and not out. The more nutrient-balanced foods, and drinks we consume they can eliminate food cravings brought on by nutritional deficiencies.

Think of being overweight or obese as a visible warning that you need to take urgent action. Sound nutrition is virtually important in helping you lose weight and keep it off. There have been lots of studies around the world about edible seaweed, has been found in studies to help modify the uptake of glucose in the gut and contains substances that help modify its metabolism, according to fat-either in diet or in large folds under the skin.

Some foods are better than others in helping with weight loss. With the control in helping stabilize your blood glucose and control insulin resistance. It has also been suggested inflammation plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, and scientists, as reported in February 23, 2004 Time magazine article, “The Firs Within”, have found a “complex interplay between inflammation, insulin and fat-either in the diet or in large folds under the skin.” While scientists are trying to sort out this connection, again certain foods, particularly edible seaweed are known to quiet the flame of inflammation.

Type 2 diabetes is, for most part, a preventable disease. Weight control through proper diet and exercise is the most important lifestyle change you can make. By losing weight and keeping it in control you will look better and feel better. Your diet should be high in fibre, low calorie and contains sugar-stabilising ingredients. Health Promotion should come to your attention so that you can live a long and healthy life. A life where we have some control to prevent us from having Type 2 diabetes.

Are you suspecting that you may be the next victim of diabetes?

If yes then following are the top 5 signs of diabetes:

Unquenchable Thirst: Do you have a feeling that no matter how much do you drink; you still are unable to get enough water? If your answer is yes then this is a telltale sign that your body is dragging extra water from the blood. That is why it is becoming impossible to restock the water. So if you are making frequent trips to the rest room because of drinking plenty of water but still unable to hydrate then it is better to contact the doctor.

Frequent Urination: Unquenchable thirst leads to the second warning diabetic symptom. Not being able to hydrate is one of the worst things a person can experience. There are few things but even if we assume for a moment there isn’t anything. It is mocking to drink plenty of water constantly without hydrating yourself. Most of the water is going waste and causing you to spend a lot of time in bathroom.

Whenever there is an added amount of glucose in the body the urge to take a leak become frequent. Most of us must know about insulin resistance. The kidneys become unable to filter the blood and become overflowed. They draw excessive water from blood for diluting the glucose. This keeps them heading towards the rest room.

Weakness/Fatigue: Here again glucose is the culprit. If insulin does not help glucose to convert into energy or the cells of the body fail to react properly towards insulin; then the glucose stays in the blood and the body cells start to starve from energy. So the endless cycle of fatigue and weakness starts.

Sudden and Unexplained Weight Loss: This is a more noticeable diabetic symptom in type 1 diabetes. As the pancreas of the body has quit performing its function, the body has to look for other energy sources. So where is the other energy source?

It is the muscle mass and fat cells of the body. Type 1 diabetic’s body start to use these fat and muscle mass and as a result the person experiences a sudden decline in body weight. This symptom is not very obvious in type 2 diabetics. The reason is that type 2 diabetic gradually become resistant to insulin.

Tingling/Numbness In Extremities: Though the term sounds funny but it is the warning diabetic symptoms. It is an alarming that body is behaving like an engine without oil. It is a sign of damage to the nervous system because if persistent high blood glucose levels.

Other warning Diabetic Symptoms: There are some other warning diabetic symptoms as well which raise a red flag. These are dry skin, blurriness in vision, recurrent infections and slow healing wounds and cuts.

Though most of these symptoms are the warning diabetic symptoms still sometimes they can be the result of something entirely different. It is always better to consult the doctor so you can have a clear diagnosis in black and white.

Obviously, I have a child with Type 1 Diabetes; however, what you need to know is that I almost lost my daughter to this disease about 6 years ago when she was first diagnosed. Diabetes did not “run” in our family; therefore, we had no idea what the signs and symptoms were.

On Valentine’s Day of that year, we awoke to find her in a coma. We rushed her to the hospital only to find out that she was Diabetic with a current blood sugar level of 1482. At that point in time, my heart sank. The fact that she was Diabetic didn’t even cross my mind, at that point. It was the mere fact that she was in a coma and had to be lifeflighted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

When we arrived in St. Louis, it was only then, that I realized the severity of the situation. As good as the doctors and nurses are, they were only honest when they told us that they didn’t know whether or not they would be able to bring her out of the coma. Only time could tell. It was pure torture to wait as long as we did, but after 36 hours, my daughter woke up only to find out that her life had changed.

Being a parent of a child that has Type 1 Diabetes, means being on your toes at all times. My daughter has literally put us through a lot, as she likes to “mess” around and see just what she can get by with. We have caught her sneaking insulin injections just so she could eat more, instead of just telling us she was hungry. We have caught her lying about what her blood sugar levels are (compared to her glucometer) so that we didn’t know that she has, once again, been sneaking food and/or candy. We have had to go as far as to pad lock her Diabetic kit in order for her not to be able to open it without our help.

She’s older now (but still in Junior High) and it seems as time passes on, that she just keeps getting more and more daring. I have found out, here recently, that she is still mad at her disease. She has even said that she hates her life and others hate her because she’s diabetic. Although, I would give my life to switch with her, it just isn’t a possibility.

As a parent, you have to be strong for your child. What your child is going through is tough. They just don’t understand how or why this has happened to them. It makes them different from other kids, and to them, they are not “normal”. They need the support of both friends and family until they get old enough to realize that this is something that just cannot be helped and they are going to have to learn how to live with it peacefully. One of these days, I pray that she will be able to accept her disease for what it is and learn how to live in harmony with it.