Over the years, friends sometimes have asked me to get answers to question that are important to them. Their reasons for asking me are that the information is difficult to find, too-technical, and/or too much information to understand. Recently some of my friends have asked me about Diabetes. I would like to share with you, what I have learned; I hope that it can be useful to you or somebody that you know. I am not a doctor, or and expert in Diabetes; therefore, I can only give you a little bit of information. For complete information, please speak to your doctor.

What is it? Diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes, is an unseen epidemic in the modern world. It results when the body has too much sugar, and not enough insulin. The insulin is a hormone (chemical) that is produced in an organ called the pancreas.

When we eat food, the food is changed into sugar. The sugar then needs to be moved around the body into the individual cells, where it can be used as energy. The Pancreas (an organ) makes insulin [a hormone (chemical)] that moves the sugar to the cells. With diabetes, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin, or the bodies’ cells won’t accept the insulin when it arrives.

Who gets it? Diabetes doesn’t arrive in a second; rather it builds up over years. There are however, certain “risk” groups, for example: if you are over 45 years old; if you are obese (very overweight, particularly around the stomach); if you have less HDL cholesterol (HDL is the good cholesterol; think H stands for happy); if you have high blood pressure; and if you get little physical exercise.

I won’t give the specifics of how much overweight, how high your cholesterol or blood pressure, or how much exercise you need; you need to discuss that with your doctor.

Thankfully, diabetes gives warning signs before it arrives. For example: You may be more tired, be more thirsty, hungry; have problems with vision, and suffer more infections.

This isn’t a medical or technical article; I simply want to give you some information that you can use.

If you’re overweight then you could be eating the wrong foods, and too much of them. The wrong foods give you high “triglycerides.” Triglycerides are related to cholesterol – you don’t want them. Try to reduce your use of saturated-fats. These fats are found in meats, some dairy products, and some oils (particularly cocoanut and palm). How you recognize them is that they are solid when at room temperature.

Whether you are diabetic or pre-diabetic (The stage before diabetes starts), there is much that you can do. This is important to understand when you decide on your food. The following are good foods to think about.

Whole grains are good and refined grains are bad. The best grains are oats, and wild (dark) rice. They are higher in fiber because they have the ‘husk’ (the outside layer) on them. These grains breakdown more slowly in your stomach; therefore, they are better for insulin regulation. White bread and processed foods do the opposite. With whole grains (higher fiber) you feel more full; as a result, you eat less frequently. With food eaten less frequently, you can loose weight, and this can benefit your diabetes and heart disease (there seem to be connections between the two).

High calcium foods are good. They fight high-blood pressure as well as diabetes. Good sources of calcium are dark-green vegetables like broccoli, legumes, soy products, salmon, and sardines.

Drink enough water. This leaves less room in your stomach for food, and it makes you less likely to drink “sugary” colas.

One can of pop, can have eight teaspoons of sugar. If you drink 3 cans a day, then you possibly drink 24 teaspoons of sugar each day. Sugar is in candy, power-drinks, and corn syrup as well as many other products. Please look at the labels when buying your food. You want to keep away from potato-chips, pretzels, cookies, fries; in fact all junk food.

The young kids and teenagers shouldn’t eat these ‘items’ (I can’t really call them food); however, the older folks are at greater risk. They definitely should keep away from them. These ‘items’ are low; or non-existent in nutrients, and high in calories.

Starchy foods like pasta and white bread can increase blood sugar; therefore, they should be kept to a minimum. Legumes such as chick-peas, broad beans, split peas, Adzuki beans, Navy beans, and onions are good, because they absorb slowly; also, they require less insulin to be produced over a greater period of time.

Apples have pectin. This regulates the blood sugar. The natural sugar absorbs slowly.

Banana is good, because it contains potassium and a starch that doesn’t digest well. It should not be a ripe banana, but rather one that is green with a little yellow.

The herb fenugreek (and fenugreek powder) can be beneficial because it can drop the amount of blood; sugar you have.

Other foods are olives, olive oil, nuts, mangoes, garlic, lemon, artichokes and bitter melon.

Exercise, even simple walking, is good. Warning: When you walk in cold weather you need to burn more calories to produce energy and heat. This increases the demand for blood sugar. The result can be hypoglycemia, so please talk to your doctor before you start any exercise program. Individuals with diabetes often have problems with the flow of blood through the body. They can get ‘frost bite’ quite easily – be careful! You must know what frostbite looks, and feels like.

If you can, then please read more on the subject. Your doctor is the best place to start in the fight against diabetes. He/she is a professional.

As a Christian it is my wish that you have good health. I hope that my article can give you a little insight. Food is something that you can take control of personally – and now.