There are 24 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with diabetes and according to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2007 there were 246 million people worldwide with the disease, up from a previously reported 194 million in 2003.

And yet diabetes is not a contagious disease, although in the western world it does appear to be a disease of lifestyles, related to the also growing number of overweight people in the developed countries where there is abundant availability of food choices.

At this time, in an age of wonderful medical achievements, no cure has yet been found for diabetes, a very serious disease. But there are ways to control and manage the condition that will lessen the severity and slowdown the damage that it can do to the body.

The food that we need to sustain us is the major component in the battle with diabetes.

Our daily food intake can be an ally or an enemy, depending on the types of food choices and quantities that we consume.

In simple terms, we need to eat to provide energy for the cells of our body that are constantly performing a multitude of chemical reactions in order to maintain the functioning of all the organs and tissues of the body, in other words, to keep us alive. The basic “currency” of the energy needed by the cells is glucose. Glucose is a form of sugar and is delivered to the cells by the bloodstream as it circulates throughout the body.

The foods we eat, mainly the carbohydrate portion, are the source of most of the glucose. If you look at the Nutrition Facts label on any packaged food you will see the carbohydrate content in grams for the specified serving of that particular food item. As an example, a thick slice of processed cheese has 4 grams of carbohydrate,

The foods that we consume consist of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. In the process of digestion, the digestive system mechanically and chemically breaks down the food into smaller chemical fractions until they can pass through the walls of our intestines and into the bloodstream where the circulating blood delivers the essential nutritive and energy components to the cells and where, aided by the hormone insulin, glucose is absorbed into the cells. This is a well regulated and balanced process efficiently controlled by the body. Except in the case of diabetics.

Diabetics, the name given to people who are diagnosed with diabetes, suffer from the condition in which the sugars in the bloodstream provided by the foods they eat, as described above, are not controlled, or are poorly controlled, in a manner that leaves too much unabsorbed glucose in the bloodstream and also with unused insulin. This is a dangerous situation and if appropriate actions are not taken to control the levels of glucose in the blood, then serious health consequences will be the result.

The Four pillars of managing diabetes are:

1. An appropriate dietary intake that provides all the necessary nutrients to maintain otherwise good health and is also tailored to minimize the large spikes in blood sugar levels that will naturally occur after every meal. To properly plan a menu for a diabetic person requires consideration of the amounts of carbohydrates, fat, and protein and the total calories that the food choices provide. Once an understanding of those factors is gained, it becomes relatively easy to know how a meal will likely influence the glucose levels in the blood - and these can be monitored from time to time by the use of a simple in-home measuring device.

2. Maintaining, or reducing down to an acceptable body weight as defined by the Body Mass Index tables used by physicians, and essentially having the right percentage of body fat to be healthy in accordance with current medical thinking, usually 15% for males and about 22% for females.

In addition to the appropriate dietary intake mentioned above, it may also be necessary to include a form of exercise in order to reach the desired weight range, a weight range such as that indicated by the Body Mass Index, but also taking into account the level of activity expended in daily working and personal activities.

3. Self-monitoring of blood sugars on a daily basis, at home, using a simple measuring device that takes only a few seconds.

4. Periodic checkups by your personal physician who will monitor your progress and prescribe medications if necessary. Checkups for diabetics are usually at 3 to 4 month intervals and include a clinically administered blood test that provides information on many other blood components in addition to glucose.

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