Posts Tagged ‘fitness’

Diabetes And Your Diet

diabetes_healthFirst question is how prevalent is diabetes?

Using Australia as an example that has a total population of around 20 million inhabitants, in the last full year official figures show 70,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes during the year.

At present 700,000 people are diagnosed with having diabetes and a conservative figure indicate that for each person diagnosed there is another that is not diagnosed but does suffer from diabetes. The organization Diabetes Australia forecast that by the year 2010 the number of sufferers could be close to 10% of population. This rate of increase is happening throughout the developed world and is caused by lack of exercise and poor diet. We could be quite cruel here and say that people are queuing to shorten their lifespan because diabetes does reduce your lifespan.

We must exercise more and be more conscious of what we eat. Attention to diet should start from a very young age; in particular we should concentrate on serving sizes and avoiding fatty foods.

People most at risk of type 2 diabetes, the most common, are overweight and do not exercise. They may have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, if you fit this category asks your doctor to check for diabetes next time you visit.

I saved the scariest fact for last: The total number of people in Australia with diabetes or “pre-diabetes” is 3.2 million or 15.1% of the total population.

7 Weight Loss Tips for Kids and Their Families

weight_loss1Here is a sure-fire list of diet dos and don’t to help your family triumph over obesity:

1. Try again.  Weight loss and healthy eating is not easy.  There will be times when you and your family will struggle with this new lifestyle.  It is important to keep trying.  Failure is certain if you are not trying.

2. Avoid portion distortion. When serving food you must use portion control, a buffet-type or family-style situation tends to promote overeating.

3. Start the day off right with a good breakfast. A bowl of low-sugar cereal with low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt with a granola or breakfast bar, or an English muffin with peanut butter, rather than a doughnut or muffin. A healthy breakfast will put your family on the healthy track for the rest of the day.

4. be a ‘healthy’ role model. If there are chips, cookies and Twinkies and no fruit or vegetables when your kids look for snacks, how can they succeed?  Line your refrigerator and cabinets with fresh fruits, nuts, low-fat cheese, and easy things for kids to snack on besides ‘junk food’.

5. Be positive. Say, Let’s go pick out fruits and make a fruit salad, don’t eat this or that. Use positive words and phrases when talking with your kid.

6. Make healthy eating a family affair.  Create family meals together and for the entire family. Do not single out an overweight family member with special diet food.  Your entire family can benefit form healthy eating regardless of weight.

7. Make time for physical activity. Make physical activity a family activity. Every night after dinner in the summer, go for a half-hour walk and make it an activity that kids look forward to.