Diabetes May Simplify Life's Choices

I can occasionally learn something by reading blogs of others, whether they are Type 1 or Type 2. Catherine Price at A Sweet Life dot org wrote a blog on January 17, 2011, that really hit home. I had not really thought about diabetes this way, but she is so right that I must add my thoughts as a Type 2 and with heart disease.

Yes, diabetes does make life simpler in so many ways. I go shopping for groceries with my wife and by myself. I do look for something to change the menu, but I seldom get past the label. It is easy to pick up fresh vegetables and some fresh fruits as from experience I know that the carbohydrate count is within the range I am looking for. Once in a while, it is easy to select a few of the higher carbohydrate fruits as we both like them and I can limit the portion size that I will eat.

Then we come to the packaged products. If it isn't the carbohydrate content, then it is the sodium content that rejects them. Most canned fruits and vegetables are ruled out because of the sodium levels or the carbohydrate levels. Some canned fruits and vegetables can be made acceptable by rinsing them and then soaking them in clear water and draining this liquid, thereby eliminating the liquid they were canned in.

Catherine says it very well that we would not choose to have diabetes, but it can be a blessing in disguise (I say it is a large blessing) as we eliminate many foods we would not otherwise reject. I add sodium because of heart disease which eliminates other foods. Now with the American Heart Association issuing their call to the public, health professionals, the food industry, and the government to increase efforts to lower the amount of sodium that we consume on a daily basis, we have more hope.

The AHA has issued their statement to get people to limit their sodium intake to 1500 milligrams of sodium per day. This is down from the 2300 milligrams that was their standard. Anyone concerned about heart disease and high blood pressure, the standard now is 1500 milligrams. Thank you to the AHA for their revision. Therefore, I now feel much safer with my personal upper limit being at 1200 milligrams of sodium intake.

Everyone should read their release published in Science Daily here. Now if the American Medical Association and other professionals organizations will follow their lead, we can all be healthier.