Diabetes
Diabetes "Basics"
Diabetes means that your blood glucose (often called blood sugar) is too high. Your blood always has some glucose in it because your body needs glucose for energy to keep you going. But too much glucose in the blood isn't good for your health.
Glucose comes from the food you eat and is also made in your liver and muscles. Your blood carries the glucose to all the cells in your body. Insulin is a chemical (a hormone) made in a part of the body called the pancreas. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood. Insulin helps the glucose from food get into your cells. If your body doesn't make enough insulin or if the insulin doesn't work the way it should, glucose can't get into your cells. It stays in your blood instead. Your blood glucose level then gets too high, causing you to have diabetes.
The signs of diabetes are:
- being very thirsty
- urinating often
- feeling very hungry or tired
- losing weight without trying
- having sores that heal slowly
- having dry, itchy skin
- losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
- having blurry eyesight
You may have had one or more of these signs before you found out you had diabetes. Or you may have had no signs at all.
People can get diabetes at any age. There are four types of Diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. In this form of diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them. Treatment for type 1 diabetes includes taking insulin shots or using an insulin pump, making wise food choices, exercising regularly, taking aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.
Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes. People can develop type 2 diabetes at any age -- even during childhood. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin, and the fat, muscle, or liver cells do not use it properly. [See "What Is Insulin Resistance," below.] Being overweight can increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Treatment includes using diabetes medicines, making wise food choices, exercising regularly, taking aspirin daily, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. For a complete list of type 2 symptoms, click here.
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes. The good news is that people with Pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet, reduce their weight by 5-10 percent and exercise for 30 minutes daily or more.
Gestational diabetes
4 % of all pregnant women, about 135,000 cases in the United States each year develop this temporary diabetic condition caused by the hormones of pregnancy. However, a woman who has had it is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
There are 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.
Almonds and Diabetes
The health benefits of almonds for the diabetic are being explored. Studies have found that almonds had beneficial effects on serum lipids in the diabetic patient (24 ps), they reduce the surges in blood sugar by decreasing both insulin secretion and fat oxidation stress(9 ongoing research), and improving fat and glucose profiles due to the increase in blood plasma vitamin E.(11,1 on going research)
Diabetes and sugar substitutes
For years diabetics have had a limited selection of pleasant tasting food alternatives available. Almond Glory foods combine the health benefits of the almond with sugar alternatives that are safe and approved by the American Diabetic Association.
With the desire to meet the needs of a growing diabetic community, natural and artificial sugar substitutes are being found and created that minimally affect the glycemic levels in the blood. Stevia, xylitol, maltitol, sucralose, saccharine, Acesulfame-K, dextrose are some of the current sugar substitutes available at this time with many more to become available as the research continues to be done.
Almond Glory Sugar Free has chosen sucralose,as its sweetener of choice, giving their foods a subtle sweetness with out any aftertaste. Many sugar free chocolates are now available to the diabetic. However, after numerous taste tests, Almond Glory chose a sugar free dark chocolate imported from Spain. Made from real coco butter and maltitol (sugar alcohol) its delicious taste and creamy texture creates a surprise in every bite with out raising your blood sugar levels.
With Almond Glory products diabetics can once again have the foods that they love with out causing harm to their bodies.
Visit the American Diabetes Association website: www.diabetes.orgDiabetes and organic sugar
Sugar is sugar to your body: grains, wheat, candy, white sugar, organic sugar, fruit, and veggies. However, the processing of sugar can have harmful chemicals for many people. For that reason Almond Glory offers a product line made with evaporate cane juice organic sugar. This sugar contains no pesticides, no herbicides, no chemicals, and it is not bleached. This sugar is certified USDA ORGANIC and FAIR TRADE for more info visit www.wholesomesweeteners.com.
Almond Glory's low glycemic product line made with organic sugar
Almond Glory also offers a low glycemic product line that uses organic sugar as its sweetener of choice. The carb counts are higher on these products, however, for the diabetic who is counting their carbs carefully and also wants to reduce their artificial sweetener intake Almond Glory provides a viable alternative.