Our bodies consist of 75% water, so water is an essential nutrient. We lose about 1,5 litres of water a day through skin, lungs, gut and urine. This is essential, as it ensures that waste products are eliminated from the body. Every chemical and metabolic reaction that takes place in the body requires water to be present. Water has a direct job in maintaining
Diabetes can affect every part of the body, including the skin. As diabetics are more prone to skin infections, good skin care is an essential part of your daily hygiene routine. The skin is the largest organ of our body, the average adult having approximately two square metres of skin! Our skin acts as a "raincoat" to waterproof us and is essential for controlling
NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU HAVE SMOKED YOUR HEALTH WILL IMPROVE AFTER YOU GIVE UP!! If you have diabetes and you are a smoker, you are adding insult to injury by continuing to light up. Smoking inflicts further damage to your body's already poor insulin response. The chief culprit in insulin resistance appears to be the nicotine in tobacco. Nicotine is one of the
As a diabetic, caring for your eyes is imperative - looking after your blood sugar levels is the beginning of good eye care. Retinopathy is a condition of the retina caused by the progressive deterioration of blood vessels that supply blood to the retina. Diabetes weakens the walls of these blood vessels, and sometimes the vessels break, causing haemorrhages within the retina or other
As a diabetic, foot care is of the utmost importance. Poor circulation in the feet and legs is one of the problems facing diabetics and is characterised by leg pain and leg cramps. If this is not attended to, the result can be chronic ulcers, numbness and in severe cases gangrene, which can necessitate amputation of the affected limb. Exercise is important to enhance
We are all exposed to stresses in our daily lives, each one being real and relevant to our own situation. Individuals handle work, life or relationship stresses in different ways. What may seem extremely stressful to one person, will not be a stressful situation at all for another. We all need to learn how to handle stress so that our health is not affected.
Teeth And Gums With diabetes, your body has a tough time fighting off infections, including bacterial infections of the mouth and gums. Poor sugar control makes gum problems more likely. Make sure you see the dentist every 6 months for a thorough examination of your teeth and gums, as well as a professional cleaning. Your dentist will pick up any early problems before they
Alcohol is essentially a toxin, and your body treats it as such. Alcohol requires no digestion and rushes to your brain within a few minutes. Peak levels are reached in your bloodstream 30-90 minutes after having a drink. The suggested consumption level of alcohol is one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men, provided: You know how alcohol affects
Nutrition People with Diabetes have to take extra care to make sure that their diet is well-balanced. Your doctor or dietician will help you create meal plans which will improve your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The following recipe books by Elizabeth Delport and Gabi Steenkamp are recommended. The explanatory notes, hints and tips that accompany every recipe, reinforce good nutrition