Healthy and Fulfilling Life despite Diabetes

I’m Deborah Susan, a dietician and personal trainer specializing in nutrition, physical fitness and diabetes diet plan for diabetics. Over the years I’ve noticed a trend in the questions that diabetics and their family members have been asking. Also, many of my clients had often suggested I not let my knowledge and experience go waste; instead, I should write a book that would help society cope and live a healthy life despite diabetes. A friend recently suggested I start with an article and if I like the response I could write a book.

Although many have said I have a way with words, I must state that I am not a writer or author and have until today, never written so much as an article let alone a book. I’ve decided to take the plunge primarily because I have seen intense and unnecessary suffering caused by wrong information, phobia, misguidance and myths. Lack of proper guidance and knowledge ultimately proves expensive in more ways than can be imagined.

In writing these article, it is my ardent desire to provide useful, practical knowledge (including a few low fat low carb recipes for diabetic) to help people living with diabetes to make decisions that enable them to live successfully with diabetes.

To begin with, although 99% of you probably already know what diabetes is, I’d like to define it precisely so that at the end of this first article, we are all on the same page and do not have differing ideas on what diabetes is.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which your body cannot control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood because (a) your pancreas (not kidneys) does not produce enough insulin or (b) your body cells are resistant to the action of insulin, that’s why we take insulin diabetic syringes.

When your blood glucose level rises, the glucose cannot get into the cells which means despite all the sugar, your body is deprived of energy. Lack of energy triggers the break down and conversion of fat and muscles into alternate source of energy. Always prefer to use diabetic glucose meter for checking your glucose level regularly

What goes wrong in diabetes?

Since the Glucose in your blood does not get utilized, it gets flushed out through urine. Meanwhile the body breaks down fat and muscle as an alternate energy source causing rapid (and dangerous) weight loss. Rapid break down of fat causes build up of toxic chemicals in your blood. If left unattended, all organs in the body begin to deteriorate and fail, ultimately leading to death – and a painful one at that.

Type 1 Diabetes

Myth: Diabetes begins with Type 1 and then progress to Type 2

Truth: Wrong! Type 1 and Type 2 are two totally different types of diabetes

People diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin. They need to be treated with insulin given by insulin syringes & injection or via diabetes Insulin Pump. (Insulin via a tablet would not be effective as it would be destroyed in the digestion process).

Type 2 Diabetes

This is the more common form of diabetes. Obesity is the primary reason for Type 2 diabetes. People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes do not produce sufficient quantities of insulin. Initially your pancreas respond to the demand (created by obesity), by producing more insulin. However, it cannot do so indefinitely. Corrective action includes reducing body fat by checking through Body Fat Scales and leading a healthier lifestyle. If corrective action is taken soon enough, then people suffering from Type 2 diabetes need not take any medication such as glucose tablets or glucose supplements and can lead a healthy normal life. Failure to take corrective action will create a need for insulin injections to supplement the inadequate quantum of insulin produced by your pancreas.

Myth: Type 1 diabetes is serious

Truth: Yes and No. However Type 2 likely to be more harmful because people often have it for years before being diagnosed. Having it for years can lead to long term complications.

Now that we know what diabetes is, in my next article I shall attempt to answer the second most frequently asked question: Why does diabetes develop?

I hope my effort in writing these articles helps you lead a more knowledgeable and healthier life.

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