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Eating Healthy on $7 A Day or Less
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NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Diabetes is an expensive disease. When a family member has either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the family's income has to cover medications or insulin and syringes, monitoring equipment and strips, medical visits, diabetes books and magazines, and, of course, healthful foods. No wonder it's tempting to shortchange the last item. But healthful foods are actually a blue chip investment. Good nutrition will help keep your blood glucose in balance now and will likely help prevent costly complications and expensive medical care later. (Diabetes Meal Planning and Diabetes Menu)
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Pterocarpus
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Pterocarpus is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds that are reported to have blood sugar lowering effects in laboratory studies. (Diabetes Nutrition)
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Mineral Deficiencies And Food Cravings
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Clinicians note that deficiencies in certain minerals may trigger carbohydrate/sugar cravings. (Sugar Cravings, Diabetes Nutrition)
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Vitamin C: Important for Diabetics
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Vitamin C protects against Syndrome X, diabetes, and their accompanying disorders in many different ways. It works most directly by blocking many of the deleterious effects of elevated glucose and insulin. Important information for diabetes management and diabetes nutrition. (Diabetic Nutrition)
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Diabetes and Omega-3
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The essential fatty acids also affect the ability of the body's cells to respond to insulin. In a 1993 study, Australian researchers learned that insulin resistance is related to what kinds of fatty acids make up the cell membranes. The more Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids there are in the cell membranes of adult diabetics, the more their tissues respond to insulin. Learn more about how the essential fatty acids can help in managing diabetes. (Diabetes Nutrition and Diabetes Research)
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Magnesium Is Important For Heart Health
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Since magnesium is required for muscle contraction, and the heart is a muscle, the mineral is related to heart abnormalities and even to heart attacks. Magnesium depletion predisposes one to hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and may predispose to narrowing of blood vessels and perhaps myocardial infarction (damage to heart muscle, which often precedes a heart attack). Read more about the importance of magnesium in your daily diet. (Heart Disease and Diabetes Nutrition)
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Why You Need the Bs
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B-complex vitamins are essential for your body to convert sugar and starches to energy, a chemical process called carbohydrate metabolism. A shortage of any one of them can cause problems. Vitamin B6 deficiency has been linked to glucose intolerance, which is an abnormally high rise in blood sugar after eating. (Diabetes Nutrition and Diabetes Management)
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Why Take Supplements?
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that a large percentage of Americans get less than 70 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of antioxidant vitamins and many essential minerals. Countless studies link a host of diseases (including atherosclerosis and heart disease, high blood pressure, colitis, diabetes) to today's highly processed diet, high in saturated and trans fats, caffeine, and refined carbohydrates. (Diabetes Nutrition and Diabetes Management)
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Fish Oil Supplements May Be Safer Than Eating Fish
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Consumption of fish oil supplements vs. fish meals may confer the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids without the risks of toxins. Read more about the benefits of fish oil supplementation. (Diabetes Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease )
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Diabetes - The Inflammation Syndrome Connection
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Many nutritional supplements can lessen the inflammation in diabetes, but it is essential that the underlying diet be corrected. That said, a key objective of supplementation should be to lower glucose levels and improve insulin function, which should in turn reduce inflammation. Helpful supplements include chromium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and the omega-3 fatty acids. (Diabetes Nutrition, Inflammation, Arthritis, Heart Disease)
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The Many Benefits of Omega-3's
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Flax is a seed that contains alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3s have been shown to reduce heart disease risk and also may help relieve depression and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, flaxseed contains more plant lignans (a phytoestrogen and a fiber) than any other seed, and lignans may protect against breast, prostate, ovarian, uterine and colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease. (Diabetes Nutrition and Diabetes Research)
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Zinc
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Zinc, the second most abundant trace mineral in the body, plays critical roles in glucose regulation, the proper function of insulin, and weight control. (Syndrome X, Insulin Resistance, Diabetes Nutrition)
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Gymnema Sylvestre
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Gymnema sylvestre, also known as gurmar is another herb from India's Ayurvedic medical traditions that has been used for centuries to neutralize excess sugar. As with many other Ayurvedic herbs, its properties have been confirmed by scientific studies. (Diabetes Nutrition, Insulin-Dependent Diabetes)
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Bright Eye Basics
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Researchers now think healthy food and lifestyle choices (whether it's quitting smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, or eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables that have eye-healthy antioxidants) improve the odds that your eyes will look their best and brighest. (Diabetes Nutrition, Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Cataracts)
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Get Up And Go Vitamins
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Americans are suffering from an energy crisis in more ways than one. Forget about sky-high fuel costs and consider this: in as many as 50 percent of all doctor visits, the chief complaint is fatigue. (Diabetes Nutrition, Fatigue, Exercise)
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