There are several common beliefs associated with the right diet plan for a diabetic person. Trouble is, not all are true. There are some who believe that all vegetables and fruits are ideal to keep blood sugar levels under control which even help in weight loss, while others maintain that maida (all purpose flour) and rava, being derivatives of wheat, are safe food items. Some even avoid rice, but eat rice flakes instead.
Eating right is essential for any person with diabetes melitus, because certain choices of food can significantly reduce sugar levels.

Any food item high on fibre content is the best choice. For example, wholewheat, broken wheat and atta are better choices than maida, rava, sevia, noodles, pasta, etc. Since the skin of wholewheat is difficult to digest, the body has to work harder to digest it, bringing the blood sugar levels down. Similarly, wholewheat or atta chappati, wholewheat bread and wheat puttu are better than rice, idli, rice puttu and rice flakes (aval), which are made of fibee-less polished rice. Ragi puttu, ragi dosa, ragi porridge, oats porridge and cornflakes are better food options for a diabetic than rice items.

As for a vegetarian diet – vegetables and fruits, diabetics should pick those that are high on fiber and low on starch. For instance, all greens, cabbage, cauliflower, okra, beans, brinjal, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, kovaika and peas are ideal. Potato and tapioca are best avoided. Among fruits, mosambi, orange, apple, pear and pomegranate are safe choices. Bananas, though, are high in their sugar content and should be avoided. Even the small  banana is high in sugar content.

Milk products including curd can also be part of the diet as long as the milk is skimmed before use. When eating non-vegetarian foods like fish and chicken, try and avoid the gravy as that can contain a lot of fat that is harmful for diabetics.

Diet control can go a long way in helping manage diabetes. Control over the disease, however, involves a combination of medication, exercise and diet management. Remember, if the blood-sugar level is not maintained, over time the condition can be debilitating, causing problems like heart and kidney disease and gangrene of the feet, among others.

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It has been scientifically proven that sugar substitutes have many harmful side-effects. Some of the compounds used to produce these sweeteners are also used to prepare various medical drugs. So it is like popping those medicines daily in large amounts. Imagine the impact on your body if you do this continuously for months or years. Also, many of the compounds in sweeteners have been found to stimulate the formation of cancerous tumors in certain organs. Some chemicals used in these substitutes have been proven to cause damage to the kidneys.

Using sugar substitutes is not the solution to obesity. The best way by which one can  lose weight is by finding a way to get rid of excess fat in the body. Brisk walking and regular outdoor activity will help you lose weight and stay fit. Practicing a safe and healthy diet goes a long way towards shedding those extra kilos. It’s also important to cut out deep fried snacks, fatty food like oil, butter, ghee, cream and chocolates, cakes, cookies, ice creams and desserts, nuts and red meat. Junk food like pizzas, burgers, French fries and fried chicken should be avoided too.

Sugar is necessary for the body and 4-5 teaspoons a day in milk, coffee, tea or curd and even jam on toast is permissible during a strict weight loss program. It is not obligatory to consume a diet drink when you go out; a fresh lime soda with two teaspoons of sugar is a good substitute for a regular fizzy drink. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes at a young age you should train yourself to drink beverages without sugar substitutes and use them occasionally as they have been proven to cause serious damage to the body over a period of time.

These tips have been given by a renowned medical practitioner and is totally agreed upon by several people. If you have liked the article or have anything to say against it, please do comment.

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Before embarking on an exercise or diet routine, it is essential to figure out what you want for your body. Are you looking at losing weight or building muscle mass? Because each of these requires a different strategy.

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE

If you are already at an ideal weight and want to build muscle, focus on strength training exercise, weights, stretches and some yoga as well at least three to four times in a week.

To build muscle mass quickly, the workout should be supplemented with a good diet. The diet must include at least three meals with a perfectly balanced mix of carbohydrates and proteins. You may consume extra protein in the form of skimmed milk or egg white. Also remember that daal should be an integral part of lunch and dinner.

To ensure that you don’t gain weight and keep the fat per cent in your body at a minimum, you need to do 25-30 minutes of a cardio exercise like walking or jogging every day and some weight training at least three to four times in a week.

HOW TO LOSE FAT (WEIGHT)

If your target is to lose a few kilograms to reach that ideal weight, your focus has to be on cardiovascular exercise like a walk or jog in a park, treadmill (without incline) or on a cross trainer for about 30-45 minutes through the week. You could also do yoga or weight training or stretches to tone your body, but these should not substitute a cardio workout.

Regular workouts alone are not enough to stay fit. You need to have control over your stomach as well. You have to completely avoid all food containing excess oil like deepfried snacks, chaat, buttery popcorn or corn, nuts and oilseeds like almonds, flaxseed, walnuts, butter, ghee, cream, all sweets, desserts, cakes, cookies, chocolates, ice creams, etc.

If you don’t eat three well-balanced meals a day, you will not only lose fat but also muscle tissue, especially if the protein intake is not adequate. This will make you look aged and your skin will begin to sag and wrinkle. Never substitute a meal with just fruits, salads or boiled vegetables.

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Milk is one of the simplest forms of protein that can be consumed every day. About 100 ml of cow’s milk contains approximately 3 grams protein, 4 grams fat and 4.5 grams lactose or milk sugar. Today most people, young and old, are health conscious and follow an enthusiastic exercise regimen. Even young children are engaged in extra sports or coaching classes for some game or sport. This means more work out of the muscles, more wear and tear and muscle rebuilding. But in following such a lifestyle, the question is if this individual is consuming an adequate amount of protein to rebuild and repair these muscles.

Tissue and muscle building, maintenance and repair is a constant process, requiring frequent and adequate supply of protein. Inadequate consumption of protein leaves people feeling exhausted and their bodies unable to build and maintain muscle. Milk, however is one of the best sources for this protein and can be consumed every day. In fact, drinking a glass of milk or 2 to 3 cups of milk-based tea or coffee is a habit for most people. And if milk is not ingested directly, there are others who make up for it by consuming curd.

While these are a good source for protein, it is ideal to remove the cream or skim the milk as the fat in milk is of animal origin and can add too much fat and cholesterol to your body. The recommended quantity is about 500ml skimmed milk every day, that would give you approximately 15 gms of protein. Those who work out and train regularly may increase the intake to 750ml of skimmed milk per day. Those who prefer curd should remove the cream from the milk before setting the curd.

Milk is also a rich source of calcium which is important for smooth functioning and contractions of the muscles. Milk also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B12 which are important for healthy skin, nerves and muscles. Vitamin D in milk helps in the proper utilization of calcium for the muscles bones and teeth. As long as you do not suffer from lactose intolerance, it would be a wise step to include milk in your diet.

There is, however, an argument that milk is a fattening food. Yes, the cream in milk is fattening but if it is removed then milk is a healthy and essential food for all ages.

Thus drinking a glass of milk everyday will give you enough energy to stay healthy and helps you build strong bones and muscles. If you feel that this information has helped you or feel like contradicting it, do leave your comments and I will reply as soon as possible.

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Trouble is that the answer to all these is ‘No’. Everyone’s buying and consuming what’s convenient, fast and tasty. It sure is easier to eat a chocolate or desert after dinner than wash and cut an apple or fruit. At the end of a long working day, there’s just no time or inclination to prepare a salad. Making rice or pasta or just ordering a pizza, is anyday easier than slogging out in a kitchen to make atta rotis.
But then, man was meant to eat both cooked and raw food, whole fruits and salads, and natural foods like grains of wheat, ragi, jowar, bajra, corn, oats and whole beans like channa , rajma, moong, mote, lobia, etc. These raw fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains and beans are packed with vitamins and minerals that help us keep well and fit and boost immunity. Also, the common question of  ‘how o lose weight with natural diet’ can be well found here.

Adults and children who follow a healthy diet regularly tend to fall ill less often. Moreover, the extra vitamins and minerals help the body processes to function more efficiently and smoothly giving a feeling of wellness, high energy levels and fitness that no tonic or pill can supply. Fuits and vegetables are also a great source of natural fibre that help prevent obesity and several related lifestyle diseases. Fibrous food also prevent constipation and acidity.

How does the fibre work? Fruits, salads, rotis and beans help fill us up and are low on calories and fat. For example, eat an apple at 11am instead of a cookie. Have a fruit after dinner rather than a scoop of icecream. Eating a salad with both lunch and dinner helps cut down on overeating rice or sabji during the meal. Two phulkas in a meal are more healthy and filling than a cup of polished rice.

Every time fibrous food is consumed, the body has to work harder to digest it. If you take two slices of white bread and two slices of whole wheat bread or two idlis and two phulkas, they are over 50 calories each. So what’s the difference? The difference is that when you have to digest the whole wheat bread or the phulkas your body will have to work harder, so it will burn some stored fat, break down some cholesterol in your blood or use up some extra glucose, lowering your blood sugar levels.

When you eat a salad with your meal, you chew longer and your stomach will be busy breaking down those raw vegetables for the next 2 hours. If you extract a juice from an apple your body has hardly any work to do to digest it. But if you eat the apple you are chewing for 10 minutes and then the body has to cut through the skin, get into the pulp, pull out the juice and break down the sugar. Internal exercise and work is going on. You feel full, fresh and you get thinner, lighter and healthier in the bargain.

I hope this article has given quite an information as to why we need to follow a natural diet. Your feedback and comments on this are welcome

A glass of fruit juice can contain as much as 4 to 5 teaspoons of natural fruit juice, which transforms into a lot of calories. The same is the case with aerated soft drinks, as they contain sugar, several additives and permitted colors, that can be harmful to the body if consumed every day. Moreover, each 300ml of soft drink has up to 7 teaspoons of sugar. After drinking an aerated drink you are likely to still feel thirsty, as the sugar content raises your blood glucose levels that needs to be diluted with adequate consumption of plain water.
For long, the recommended daily water intake was 8 glasses. But newer research suggests that 10 glasses or 2-2.5 liters of water may be ideal. And this 2.5 liter liquid intake should be plain water. Any other liquid — coffee, tea, juice, buttermilk — cannot be considered to be the required water intake. Always remember that the body needs a certain amount of water to dilute the blood, aid mobility of the digestive tract and to flush out the kidneys effectively.

Though 2.5 liters of water is ideal for adults and about 2 liters for teenagers, drinking up to 3 liters is considered a healthy option as it helps relieve problems such as constipation, acidity and in some cases even acne. However, if you have a medical condition that requires you to drink less, then follow your physician’s order.

Water is almost medicinal

Up to 60 per cent of the human body is made up of water. From this reservoir, water is removed every day as perspiration, urine, saliva and enzymes. This has to be replaced every day. Just as a plant wilts if not watered properly, the body also suffers if the required amount of water is not consumed.

Recent research shows that a person’s mental capacity to work with figures and numbers is heightened when fully hydrated.
When a person does not drink enough water the saliva and perspiration gets concentrated and gives off an offensive odor.

Water can provide protection against those cancers that are caused by pollutants that come into our bodies via the air we breathe and as pesticides, fertilizers, etc, sprayed on the foods. These can attack a weak organ or tissue in our body and cause cancer cell formation. We cannot stop breathing or eating all these foods but we can drink plenty of water, which will flush out all these toxic substances.

Finally, if you are on a weight loss program, then when breaking fat in the body, waste products called ketone bodies are formed and they have to be removed. Therefore, drinking 3 liters of water is highly commended.

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• Swap tea…
  …for something else. If you want to get in shape fast, ditch your regular cup of tea and go for a fat burning one instead. Studies show that green tea revs up your metabolism, so aim for several cups a day.

• Take Supplement:
  Fish oil supplements are a great way to shed pounds. A recent study found that volunteers who took them lost, on average, 2 kilos over three months without changing their diet or exercise habits. Fish oils are great for helping your body burn fat more efficiently.

• Avoid Salt:
  Thats the advice most weight loss experts give. When people cut down the salt in their diet, they instantly look slimmer and less bloated. Too much salt makes your body retain water, which makes you puffy around your face and stomach. Go for low salt breakfast options. Dont ass table-salt to your food or cooking, avoid salty snacks such as crisps and geasy on processed sauces which are often packed with salt. Avoid foods that contain more than 0.5g of sodium per 100g on the label. The fresher your food, the less salt it’s likely to contain. Be careful about take-always — Chinese food in particular, is loaded with salt because of the sauces.

• Ditch Sugar:
  Sugar is a diet baddie. Even though sugary foods – such as boiled sweets and mousses – are often labelled ‘low-fat’, they’re incredibly high in calories. And if you dont work off the calories by exercising, that sugar gets stored as fat – around your stomach and waist. Sugar also increases your hunger. So ditch the sugar in your tea and also the colas that you gulp down everyday. Eat low-sugar snacks instead. Chopped vegetables, for example are rich in fiber, so they’ll keep you fuller for longer and will aid your digestion, which helps to reduce bloating. Alcohol is practically pure sugar, so give that a miss, too. If you drink regularly, you’ll notice the difference after giving it up for a week.

• Relax:
  If its day seven already, dont worry. You can still lose weight! Stress really does make you fat. It causes hormones to be released into your body that encourage fat deposits around your waist and stomach. Scientists have found that those with the biggest waist mesurments had the highest stress levels. The hormones secreted during stress cause more fat to be stored, particularly around the abdomen.

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