The theme for Week 9 of the Go Red BetterU is unerstanding sugary blood, and fixing your risk.
I would venture to say EVERYONE has heard of diabetes. But, I would be willing to bet that a good number of us don't really know exactly what diabetes is. I have a family member struggling with Type 2 right now, and even though I've been reading up, there's still a lot for me to learn.
This week's program explains diabetes as this:
Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into our bodies' cells. When insulin isn’t available or the body can’t make efficient use of it, glucose rises in the blood. Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is defined as a fasting blood glucose of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more. There are two types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults. In type 1, the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Without daily injections of insulin, people with type 1 diabetes won't survive.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It appears most often in middle-aged adults. It develops when the body doesn't make enough insulin or develops “insulin resistance” and can’t make efficient use of the insulin it make.
That information, in itself, is extremely helpful for understanding the disease.
How to prevent it, on the other hand, may still be a mystery. This week's program walks you through how you can drastically reduce the likelyhood you'll develop diabetes in the first place, and perhaps lessen diabetes' impact if you already have it.
As for diet:
Don’t Fall Victim to a Fad
While every woman wants a quick fix, it is not the answer to heart health. Use these strategies for spotting fads and seeking proven, long-term solutions.
- Does the diet sound too good to be true? If so, it probably is! Fad diets often promote weight loss that is dramatic and rapid – more than the recommended ½ to 2 pounds per week.
- Does the diet promote elimination of certain food groups? Fad diets often do, which can lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals and result in fatigue.
- Does the diet promote skills and strategies for lifestyle change related to eating and physical activity? Fad diets usually do not. Instead, they focus on short-term changes and fail to address all of the factors of a healthy lifestyle.
- Does the diet or product provide scientific evidence to support its claims? Most fad diets or products provide personal testimonies or reference very small studies (often done with animals – not humans!), but no reference to valid research.
Both of these snippets of information are included in this week's program. Along with much, MUCH more. The Go Red BetterU program is completely free!!! It can't hurt to give it a shot. If nothing else, you'll be better informed and perhaps motivated to devote time to making sure you're living a heart-healthy life.
www.goredforwomen.org
