Posts Tagged ‘weight gain’
Reviewing Dietary Recommendations
Wrapping one’s mind around diet nutrition can sometimes be confusing. For instance, a 120-pound fifteen-year-old girl will not need as many calories as a 220-pound twenty-five-year-old man. To further confuse matters, that 120-pound fifteen-year-old girl’s 150-pound peer of the same age will need more calories. A fifteen-year-old girl with juvenile diabetes will have an entirely different set of nutritional needs as well. Online, there are many resources and tools to help the average American figure out what his or her dietary needs are, depending on height, weight and level of physical activity.
The “2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” are the most current recommendations for diet nutrition, at least until the 2010 edition comes out. According to the guidelines, a “healthy diet” is one that is full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, including lean protein like poultry and fish, beans, eggs and nuts, and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Consumers are encouraged to make smart choices and eat a wide variety of foods, while staying within the caloric needs for their height and weight. Each day, Americans should be consuming calories, amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. While requirements change for people depending upon their size and level of physical activity, the average person consumes around 50 grams of fat and 2,000 calories per day to remain at a stable weight.
For someone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the normal dietary rules may not apply. Generally, most diabetics will need to reduce the amount of fat consumed (particularly saturated fat), quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption to no more than 3 or 4 per day. Diets should be rich in mono-unsaturated fats (like olive oil), oily fish, starchy whole grain carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, cereal), and fresh fruits and vegetables. A diabetic will need to check his or her blood sugar level before eating to see that it’s 70 to 130 and then again a few hours after eating to make sure it’s below 180. People with low blood sugar will need to have certain snacks handy, like fruit juice, hard candy, sugar or honey, soft drinks and milk. Small or medium sized women should eat 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day (6 starch, 3 vegetables, 2 fruits, 2 milks, 4-6 ounces protein and up to 3 fats). Larger women or small to medium sized men should have 1,600 to 2,000 calories (8 starch, 4 vegetables, 3 fruits, 2 milks, 4-6 ounces protein and up to 4 fats). For more information, check out the Diabetes Food Pyramid at www.nih.gov.
Some people wonder, “What about diet pills? Are they safe? Do they work?” The short answer, according to Redbook Magazine, is yes. In some instances, drugs like fen-phen and ephedra have helped people lose weight but with dangerous side effects, such as mood swings, nausea, anxiety, hypertension and even addiction. Two new drugs on the market are Alli, which is a drug blocking fat absorption and Zimulti, which helps you slim down and lower cholesterol. Both offer safer alternatives that work. People who take Alli ($54 for the starter kit) are able to block about 100 to 200 calories per day and lose 50% more weight than those who aren’t on it. What is the downside? Loose, oily stools and possibly a lack of Vitamin A and D. Zimulti reduces insulin and appetite and helped dieters lose two-and-a-half more times the weight than those who were not taking it. The downside is that many people taking it experienced anxiety and/or depression. The best way to lose weight is the old-fashioned combination of diet and exercise, although these little pills can help severely obese individuals who feel they need that extra head start.
Am I Diabetic?
The National Health and Nutrition Examination survey revealed that 6.3 million Americans are diabetic and don’t even know it. Moreover, each year these patients with type 2 diabetes run up an $18 billion health bill. Researchers looked at health care use patterns of people for two years leading up to their diagnosis to determine the results. The study also revealed that 4 to 6% of men ages 25 to 64 and 14% of men ages 65 to 69 have undiagnosed diabetes. Medical costs include $2.3 billion for cardiovascular disease, $720 million for hypertension, $443 million for kidney problems and $293 million for neurological afflictions. Perhaps you may be wondering, “Am I in need of diabetes care?”
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system turns against itself, attacking insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Scientists believe viral and genetic factors are at play here, with most people receiving a diagnosis when they are younger. This type of diabetes occurs evenly in males and females, but is more common in Caucasian sectors of the population, particularly in northern European countries like Sweden and Finland. The onset is sudden for a type 1 diabetic, who has blurry vision, feels constantly hungry, thirsty and fatigued, and loses weight rapidly. If they do not receive insulin everyday, they can lapse into a coma. You may need immediate medical attention if you’re always thirsty, you urinate frequently, if your breathing becomes more rapid, if your abdomen hurts or if your breath smells like nail polish remover.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, accounting for 90 to 95% of all cases. For unknown reasons, African Americans are 1.6 times more likely to develop the disease than Caucasians. Similarly, Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely and American Natives/Alaskan Natives are 2.2 times more likely to become a diabetic. It’s believed that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are twice as likely to get diabetes as well. Eighty percent of those who develop this disease are overweight and many of these patients are also older. Many diabetics will encounter rapid heartbeats, trembling, sweating and irritability, while always feeling hungry and fatigued.
There are several ways to test if a person is diabetic. For type 2, doctors can perform a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test, which is convenient, easy and less expensive than other tests, according to the American Diabetes Association. For this test, you’ll need to fast for eight hours, and then blood will be drawn and sent to a lab. A normal fasting, blood glucose level would come back 70 to 100 milligrams per deci-liter, whereas a person with diabetes would have a level beyond 126. Sometimes the test results will come back inconclusive and a Casual Plasma Glucose Test will be done, with blood drawn at a random interval. If the glucose level is over 200, then diabetes is likely the culprit. Pregnant women may receive an Oral Glucose Test. A Hemoglobin A1c Test is another important diabetes blood test, which examines blood sugar levels over a 6 to 12 week period through home blood glucose monitoring.