Diabetes?

[rawbeef]

:-\ I awas at diabetes.org or something of that nature and I took the Diabetes test. It was 0-2 low chance of gettind diabetes 3-9 medium chance 10+ high chance. I was 10 >_> Is there any way to know if I have diabetes or not? I had a blood chek during the end of the summer and it said I didn't. Is it possible that I could of gotten diabetes from then? I don't have any of the symptoms. I'm sure I'll succeed on this diet but I don't want it to be too late >_<

[The Charming Canuck]

Signs of Diabetes are poor circulation, feeling very sluggish and tired after eating even a small bit of sugar, Dizziness after consumption of sugar, either extreme weight loss or gain. I was borderline Diabetic when I was preggers so I know a little bit abou it. Just stay away from sugar loaded sodas and candies, don't eat a lot of white starchy foods such as donuts or cake and try to buy whole wheat bread. Trying to avoid bread altoghether is a good thing if you are Diabetic. I don't knwo what else to say but thats all I know about it.
WINGS

[abrannan]

Well, you've taken the most important first step, you've educated yourself about your risks. Talk with your doctor about it, and (s)he can set up a few regular tests to keep an eye on your situation. And as wings said, stay away from "white" foods that are full of sugars and simple carbs. That includes sugars (soda), non whole wheat breads, potatoes, rice, pasta, and even popcorn. Look at the glycemic index based diets (South Beach, GI diet, the 2005 atkins (they change it again), Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem) to see the sorts of things you should be eating.

Diabetes (and I'm talking type 2 here) is one of those conditions that, while it's not that serious in and of itself (they have very good management techniques and medications these days), adds complications to every other medical problem you may have. By taking a few steps to manage your risk factors now, you can save yourself a lot of problems in the future.

[banana]

You really should talk to your doctor about it rather than worrying about it--print out the online test that's worried you, and take it in to your next appointment!

I don't think that I agree with Abrannan on Type II Diabetes not being a serious disease on its own, as diabetes can destroy many of the body's organs (kidneys, eyes, nerves, etc) without other medical problems. Of course, good management of blood sugars minimizes diabetic complications.

One interesting thing that I've recently read is about the ability of cinnamon to help manage blood sugar; now I try to have some cinnamon every day. I don't usually follow health-food fads, but the evidence for cinnamon seems fairly strong, so far. Plus, it tastes good, and I figure it can't hurt.

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68

[abrannan]

Don't get me wrong, Type II Diabetes can and will mess you up, but my point was that they've got very good medications and management strategies these days, but even with those, Type II makes every other medical issue worse.

Interesting read about cinnamon, but I'll wait until they sort out the lipid soulable fractions vs water soluable fractions to remove the toxic compounds before I start upping the amount of cinnamon I ingest.

[banana]

If you're worried about the fat-soluble components, you can always use a cinnamon stick in your tea, which only releases the water-soluble components. I think I'm not going to worry about it either way, though: I wouldn't start taking pills of high doses of cinnamon, but a half-teaspoon a day isn't all that much - less than a single piece of cinnamon toast! It will be interesting to read future studies about potential toxicities, though.

I don't mean to imply that cinnamon is a miracle drug or that I or anyone else should start religously taking it. I just thought it was interesting. But it also reminds me that one of the reasons why cooking is important is because it is healthy to have a mix of herbs and spices in your diet. And also that healthy eating is about having a variety of healthy foods, including herbs and spices, not just about calories/fat/carbs.