Food And Vitamin Loss Over Time

You know the claim on food value from the label that is stuck on it; let's pick a nutritious drink product and on that drink is some nutritional claim that states it has a shelf value of two years. After those two years that product still needs to contain 100% of the vitamin C level.

Vitamin deterioration
That does not mean that when the drink product was manufactured it contained 100% of vitamin C and after the two year has gone, it only contain half that level of vitamin C. What it means is that the manufacturer had to put an overage of that vitamin in the product because the vitamins will deteriorate over a period of time. Usually the higher the temperature the higher rate of deterioration, and the longer it is stored means something too.

Vitamin C is the most sensitive vitamin. The government does routinely inspect the food manufacturing companies with products that have this problem. What the food companies and food scientist does when the product is formulated they will add an overage of vitamins and minerals. It protects the product during the shelf life.

200% of vitamins in the product
So if they want the product to contain 100% of vitamin C after 2 years, then they have to put 200% of vitamins in the product, because of the deterioration that takes place. 2 years later it will have lost half of its value, and contain the claimed amount.

Food companies have documentation on all food products that they have manufactured. They know the exact deterioration rate on all their products, and therefore they can predict the deterioration rate of new and similar products. That means that a new nutritional beverage formula can be based on the level of a know products nutrition values.

Vitamin questions
That makes me ask my self. Can I trust that the food I buy from the store has the nutrition value that it claims? Can I feel sure that my body gets all the vitamins it must have to function? I say better be safe than sorry!

Exercise for Diabetics

Exercise for Diabetics

The two most common forms of diabetes are referred to as Type 1 and Type 2.  Type 1 diabetes, also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in that the body stops producing insulin altogether.  Type 2 diabetes is generally diagnosed in older adults and occurs as the body stops producing enough insulin or the individual becomes resistent to their own insulin.

With either form of diabetes, we lose our ability to adequately untilize sugar.  Blood sugar levels increase due to the body's difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream.  There are various ways to lower blood sugar levels including exercise, diet, and medications.

Exercise is a very important part of diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.  For the Type 1 diabetic, regular exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity, helps prevent accumulation of excess weight, and increases the use of glucose by muscles, thereby lower blood sugar levels.  While there is currently no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, it may be possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Things to consider when attempting to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise, supplementation with vitamins and herbs that help prevent insulin resistance, and proper weight control.

Exercise not only helps directly in diabetic management by lowering blood sugar levels and maintaining insulin sensitivity, but also helps minimize many of the complications that can arise in a diabetic individual. Studies have shown that walking for 30 minutes per day can substantially diminish the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes.
 Diabetics tend to develop circulatory problems and exercise can certainly help lower blood pressure and improve circulation throughout the body.  Since individuals with diabetes tend to have poor blood flow to their lower extremities and feet, better circulation is of great benefit.

There are some risks associated with exercise, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh the risks.  Since exercise does lower blood sugar levels, people with diabetes should measure their blood sugar both before and after exercising.  Since your body uses more sugar while exercising and makes you more sensitive to insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming too low and causing hypoglycemia.

When exercising it is important to let others know that you are diabetic. They should be informed what to do in case of hypoglycemia.  You should always carry candy or fruit juice to treat low blood sugar levels should they occur.  During and after exercise sessions, you should pay close attention to how you feel since rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar levels are becoming too low.

Exercise is a critical part of diabetic management and treatment.  Exercise helps blood sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and the body become more sensitive to insulin.  Exercise also helps to prevent and minimize common diabetic complications including heart problems, high blood pressure and circulatory deficiencies.  All diabetics should include a regular exercise program as part of their overall management plan.

Diabetic Children's Camps

As any sufferer knows, there are two types of Diabetes, type I and type II. The latter is sometimes called adult onset diabetes, and over 90% of diabetics suffer this type.

It therefore takes no great leap of imagination to realize that the vast majority of diabetics are adults. But children can also suffer from diabetes, and for such kids, there are problems to face that are very different to those of their diabetic seniors.

For example, a child with diabetes will obviously need close monitoring, and a great deal of constant care and attention from parents. This in itself is not a problem, but it may mean that the child may never spend a night away from home, and it is not uncommon in these circumstances for a child to have never met another child of their own age with diabetes. Effectively, this is a very isolating period in a diabetic child’s life.

For theses reasons, many countries are now establishing special camps for diabetic children, to address these problems, by bringing a higher degree of normality to the life of diabetic children. Such camps provide 24 hour professional medical supervision and care to all the children, and are an extremely effective way to give young people living with diabetes a chance to be independent and learn about their condition with the support of their peers and trained health professionals.

They provide an enjoyable and safe camping experience in a supervised environment, and often focus, at least to some degree, on increasing the children’s ability to manage their own condition. Such camping conditions also create an environment which allows the interaction between young people with diabetes that may otherwise be denied through geographic isolation.

These diabetes education and recreational camps are, of course, designed to be fun as well as educational. Generally, they will offer a wide range of sporting facilities, which allow participants to try out new sports and other recreational activities, particularly team based activities, that they may often be otherwise denied.

On the medical side, nothing is left to chance. Prior to camp, each participant is normally required to supply a detailed medical history and an indication of the management skills of the child. Based on this knowledge, the camp can then offer the child the opportunity to learn further self management skills and how to interact with other young people with diabetes under professional supervision.

Other people benefit too. Often, many of the “helpers” in such camps are volunteers, with little first hand knowledge of diabetes, and these people will learn a great deal from their exposure on a day to day basis to the children.

Even the health care professionals themselves can gain a valuable insight into the management and lifestyle of young people with diabetes that no textbook can provide. These people usually report that they do learn a lot, and even the most experienced educators say they are moved by the realities of living day to day with these children.

And, last but by no means least, the parents enjoy a break from the daily routine of caring for a young person with diabetes, with the real likelihood that their child will gain confidence and increase their self management skills.