Managing Your Diabetes

When you eat, your body converts much of your food to sugar and uses it for energy. Your pancreas produces a hormone known as insulin, which helps your body absorb glucose into the bloodstream. If you suffer from diabetes, it may be because your pancreas is unable to make enough insulin, or because your body cannot absorb insulin properly. The latter will cause an excess build-up of sugar in your system. Diabetes can cause several serious complications including heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. Dr. Tomas Rios and Dr. Nicolin Neal at Rios Healthcare Associates in Houston TX can help you manage your diabetes.

Type I Diabetes

This type of diabetes usually affects younger individuals and is caused when the pancreas can no longer produce insulin. Treatment is a lifelong commitment that involves:

• Monitoring blood sugar
• Taking insulin
• Eating a healthy diet
• Keeping a healthy weight
• Regular exercise

Type II Diabetes

This type of diabetes arises when the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin, or when insulin doesn’t function adequately. This form of diabetes affects people who are overweight. Treatment usually involves:

• Maintaining a healthy diet
• Regular exercise
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Possibly taking diabetes medication or insulin

Diabetic Diet

You can live a healthy lifestyle with diabetes if you follow these simple dietary tips provided by your Houston TX doctors to help you maintain a balanced metabolism:

Low Glycemic Index: This includes food that is digested slowly without causing rapid rises or depletions of blood glucose levels.

Complex high-fiber carbohydrates: This type of carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly. This increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin and prevents blood sugar from peaking.

Alpha-lipoic acid: This is an antioxidant that promotes glucose absorption and can also improve nerve damage of diabetes sufferers.

Omega 3: Protects against the hardening and blockage of the arteries.

Foods to avoid, suggested by your Houston TX doctors

Refined and simple carbohydrates: These include glucose, sucrose, and fructose and are found in white bread, refined sugar, honey, white rice, white bread, and corn syrup.

Alcohol: High amounts of fat contained in alcohol can lead to heart disease and liver damage.

High sodium food: Excessive salt intake can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

If you live in Houston TX and would like to find out more, you can reach Dr. Tomas Rios and Dr. Nicolin Neal at Rios Healthcare at (832) 323-9230.