Tag Archives: High Blood Sugar Levels

Obesity addiction

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes

August 29, 2016
Heart protection

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes can seriously be hindered if you don’t engage in physical activities

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes: Proper blood sugar control

For effective heart protection, experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury says that it is important that if you have diabetes, then controlling your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels should be prioritized to help reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. To do this you can chose to:

  • To more physical activity
  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet
  • Control your weight, and
  • Stop up smoking.

If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you may also need to take a cholesterol-lowering medicine such as statins to help protect your heart.

Family history

If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, you have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, heart failure and stroke. Ideally you will be considered to have a family history of cardiovascular disease if:

  • Your father or brother was under the age of 55 when they were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or
  • Your mother or sister was under the age of 65 when they were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

Doctor Akoury says that if you have family history of cardiovascular disease, it will be very important that you consult with your doctor in good time for professional evaluation which may include checking on your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes: How does family history affect me?

Genes can pass on the risk of cardiovascular disease, and they can also be responsible for passing on other conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. There’s no single gene that increases your risk of getting heart disease. It’s likely that several genes are responsible. Lifestyle habits, such as smoking or poor diet passed on from one generation to the next can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes: Can I do anything about my family history?

This is very important but unfortunately there is nothing you can do about your family history. Having a family history of cardiovascular disease is sometimes called a ‘non-modifiable’ risk factor meaning that it’s a risk factor that you can’t change. However, whilst you can’t change your family’s background, you can choose your lifestyle.  So even if you have a family history, you can reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular disease by controlling other risk factors by:

  • Being physically active
  • Eating well
  • Keeping to a healthy weight and body shape
  • Not smoking
  • Managing high blood pressure
  • Managing high cholesterol, and
  • Controlling diabetes, if you have it.

Finally your risk of developing cardiovascular disease also depends on other things including your age. According to the several research findings, it has been established that the older you are, the more likely you are to develop cardiovascular disease. Therefore it is advisable that you be on top of everything when it comes to protecting your health. Talking to the experts is one way of being in the know. I would want to beseech you to call the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for a comprehensive review of your health and treatment where is applicable.

Heart protection if struggling with diabetes: Proper blood sugar control

 

 

 

 

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weight loss

High blood pressure consequences

August 29, 2016
High blood pressure

High blood pressure is as a result of poor weight management. Using good nutrition this can be corrected

High blood pressure consequences: Heart attack and Stroke

Having high blood pressure increases your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Even though this is a life threatening condition, it is regrettable that no proper reason is given as to how high blood pressure is caused. However it is believed that the following can play a part:

  • Luck of adequate physical activity
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Having too much salt in your diet
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Having a family history of high blood pressure.

Doctor Dalal Akoury MD and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and wellness Resource Center says that prevention is always the best and therefore if you are not having high blood pressure, living a healthy lifestyle is very important as it is one of the best ways of preventing this problem from occurring in the future. This may seem very challenging to many people because of different reasons. If this suits your description, then you may want to consult with doctor Akoury for more professional guidance.

How does my General Practitioner know I have high blood pressure?

Like we had said before, this is measurable and your doctor will do just that. If your blood pressure is 140/90mmHg or higher you will probably have to have this rechecked several times. It is necessary to note that everyone’s blood pressure varies during the day. Some people have a condition known as ‘white coat hypertension’ or ‘white coat syndrome’. This is a condition where your blood pressure rises only because someone is taking your blood pressure, and not because you have an underlying medical problem. If you have white coat hypertension, your blood pressure will return to normal when your doctor or stops taking it. It can be very difficult to diagnose and this is why you may need to have your blood pressure rechecked several times, or you may be sent home with a 24 hour blood pressure monitor for the same reason.

High blood pressure consequences: What do the numbers mean?

If you have been to a health institution for high blood pressure measurement, you must have noticed that every blood pressure reading consists of two figures shown as one number on top of the other and measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). A reading of 120/80mmHg for example doctor or nurse will register that your blood pressure is 120 over 80. The interpretation of the figures is that the top figure represents the highest level your blood pressure reaches when your heart contracts and pumps blood through your arteries – your systolic blood pressure. An example might be 130mmHg. The second (or bottom) number represents the lowest level your blood pressure reaches as your heart relaxes between beats – your diastolic blood pressure. An example might be 75mmHg. Not unless stated otherwise the human blood pressure should be below 140/90mmHg.  But as for those struggling with heart or circulatory disease the recommended blood pressure should be below 130/80mmHg.

What do I do to reduce blood pressure?

Finally if it has been established that you have high blood pressure, then it would be advisable that you consider changing your lifestyle and engaging in healthy physical activities, losing weight, reducing the salt content in your diet, cutting down on alcohol and eating a balanced, healthy diet. In the event that you have done all these and still the high blood pressure persists, then you may need to consult with your doctor for professional advice to help you reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

High blood pressure consequences: Heart attack and Stroke

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff

July 2, 2015

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Foods that help curb sugar cravings

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff is one of the best ways of putting to check the ever increasing problems of addiction in our societies.

Since sugar is food legally allowed for human consumption, it usage should not be a reason for us to suffer health complications. If there is anything that will cause this sweet food stuff to be a bitter stuff, then we must be able to arrest it and enjoy the sweetness of sugar. We have therefore purposed this article to bring to you some of the few foods items that are applicable in taming sugar addiction. Our topic of discussion is therefore going to focus on taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center have reported that sugar cravings can be curbed by feeding on naturally available varieties of anti-craving food stuffs like tomatoes, chicory greens, cinnamon, fish, apples, oats, eggs, beans and romaine lettuce. With the help of doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of this health facility (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) we are going to focus our discussion on the foods that can help reduce and stop cravings for sugar and other sweet substances. Therefore for any concern that you may be having about sugar cravings and nutrition, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for the best diet tips that will naturally fight off sugar cravings from your life.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a nutritional champion and one of the best foods to feed on a regular basis more so if you want to restrain your sugar cravings. Along with romaine lettuce and onions, tomatoes are up there at the top of the list of the most chromium-rich foods. In addition, tomatoes are a great source of serotonin, which is great news as studies suggest that decreases in serotonin levels can cause us to crave sugar. Serotonin is a chemical that functions as a neurotransmitter helping brain cells and other nervous system cells communicate with one another.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Chicory Greens

If you’re looking for a great functional food to prevent sugar cravings, you may want to give chicory greens a try. According to traditional Chinese medicine, sugar cravings may be a sign of an imbalance which can be rectified by eating bitter-tasting foods such as the leaves of the chicory plant. As an additional bonus, chicory greens contain vitamin B6 which is a credited and well-known anti-craving nutrient.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Cinnamon

Cinnamon has extraordinary properties that can help keep sugar cravings at bay. A mere half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels and reducing food cravings. The main active ingredient in cinnamon is called hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effect of insulin. Cinnamon also appears to prevent post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate (GER), which means that the food remains in the stomach longer.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Fish

Fish is a great food to add to your diet if you want to curb sugar cravings. Fish works its anti-craving magic in two ways: First, it appears to make the body more sensitive to the hormone leptin. Leptin has been shown to promote development of gray matter in the part of the brain that regulates food cravings and can consequently result in fewer sugar cravings. Second, fish is a rich source of glutamine, an amino acid that provides energy to the brain and helps build and maintain muscle mass. It may also help reduce cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. This is likely to be a result of glutamine’s stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels: when the levels are low, glutamine suppresses insulin to prevent further decline of the sugar levels. Glutamine also stimulates the release of glycogen to help increase the blood sugar to normal levels.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away goes the old adage. But did you know that apples can also keep sugar cravings at bay? Apples contain pectin, a type of dietary fiber that makes you feel fuller and for a longer time, so you will eat less during the day. The high concentration of pectin also contributes to the fact that apples have a low glycemic rating compared to most other fruit. As most of the pectin is in the skin, it is best to buy organic apples so that you can eat them unpeeled.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Oats

Eating a bowl of freshly cooked oatmeal for breakfast is a great way to start your day off right. Oatmeal has the highest satiety ranking of any food, and eating them early in the day has been shown to reduce cravings as well as the number of calories consumed throughout the rest of the day. This is because, unlike most other carbohydrate-rich foods, oatmeal digests slowly and thus helps keep blood sugar on an even keel. Further, oats are a good source of many B vitamins as well as zinc.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Eggs

Eggs are a great source of B complex vitamins which are known for their ability to control sugar cravings. Eggs are also packed with protein, which helps control food cravings and prevent overeating by making you feel full for longer. Probably the best way to include eggs in the diet is to have them for breakfast: according to a research conducted at the Rochester Centre for Obesity in America it was established that eating eggs for breakfast could limit the calorie intake throughout the rest of the day by more than 400 calories. With all that and the fact that they taste great too whether boiled, poached, or scrambled, it is definitely worth including eggs in your diet.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Beans

Beans are wonderfully versatile legumes that come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Yet, they are all tasty and highly nutritious. They should also be an integral part of any nutritional plan designed to stave off sweet cravings. Beans are loaded with protein and fiber a stellar macronutrient combo for preventing cravings. What’s more, beans appear to promote the release of cholecystokinin in the small intestine. Cholecystokinin is a digestive hormone that has appetite suppressant qualities. If your diet is currently low in beans, it is best to add them gradually as they may initially cause intestinal gas.

Finally we need to hold on to sugar if we have to be safe from all the effects that are associated with its craving. There are so many things in health that will not be clear to you until you get to consult with the relevant professionals. In our case of sugar cravings, we are all aware of the sweetness of sugar but may not be informed of the dangers of its addictiveness. Therefore to get more clarity about this beyond this article, you need to schedule for a special appointment with doctor Akoury for a more in-depth professional approach about your concerns on sugar cravings today.

Taming sugar addiction using natural food stuff: Foods that help curb sugar cravings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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