Tonight's post is brought to you by Carolyn from fullonfit.blogspot.com. Carolyn contacted me some time back about posting an article regarding Type 2 Diabetes. As parents and the sole providers of nutrition for our son, Damien and I have a constant dialog about food and healthy life choices that we know have and will continue to come up in Max's life. After reading this article, I now know more about this disease and am happy to pass it on to my readers. Thanks so much Carolyn! Be sure to check out her blog too...
Is Your Family at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes plagues many children today, even though it was once referred to as adult-onset diabetes. This impacted my own family, as one of my younger cousins was recently diagnosed with the disease this past November. I couldn’t believe it when we found out – I knew that she had been struggling with her weight for a while, but I had no idea it was as serious as diabetes!
What’s even scarier to me is what could happen if we don’t get it under control; according to Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, if diabetes is left untreated it can later lead to blindness, heart disease, amputation, and even serious neurological problems. Knowing all of this information, it was easy for my family to decide, together, that we are going to work to get my cousin better, and to also make some serious lifestyle changes to ensure that my other cousins don’t develop Type 2 as well.
Early Detection
It's important to schedule regular appointments for your children with their physician. Because it is difficult to diagnose Type 2 Diabetes in children, you need to verbally express your concern to the physician and ask for appropriate blood work testing to be done.
Of course, there are things that you can do to help prevent diabetes in your family. Here are just a few tips that my family and I are doing to offset the effects:Nutrition
There are two things that are critical to preventing diabetes: diet and exercise. Luckily, it is easy to change your diet. As the parent or guardian, you control what foods come into the home and what your children eat. If you can get your young family to eat healthy today, it will carry over into their adult life.
If you want to have a healthier, diabetes-friendly diet, avoid fried and fatty foods. You should increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Add nuts, whole grains and fish to your diet to get the omega 3 fats that your body needs. A lot of people neglect the non-traditional vegetables and fruits like kiwi, cauliflower, squash and others, but they are delicious and can be used in so many recipes!
One of my favorite recipes for my family is a low-carb chicken pizza. Almost every kid loves pizza, so giving them this alternative recipe satisfies their cravings while still keeping them on a healthy diet. Here are a few other healthy meals that my family love:
Exercise
Exercise is the second factor for preventing diabetes. It can be hard to get kids to stick to a workout routine, so try to do fun activities that can get their heart rate and respiratory rate going, which is the point of cardio exercises anyway. Plus, if you’re doing activities they already like to do, they are more likely to enjoy themselves and not think of it as “exercise.”
I love to take the kiddos on bike rides through different parks. It's a great way to see nature and exercise at the same time. You can also participate activities that incorporate lots of running such as tennis, soccer, kickball, capture-the-flag, etc. We also like to have silly dance sessions, practice Yoga or Zumba in my basement, or go swimming at the local pool.
Hopefully, these tips will help you keep your family diabetes-free. Today's popular lifestyles don't promote healthy diets and activities, so it’s up to parents to instill healthy habits in their kids that can last a lifetime!
Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/!
Type 2 Diabetes plagues many children today, even though it was once referred to as adult-onset diabetes. This impacted my own family, as one of my younger cousins was recently diagnosed with the disease this past November. I couldn’t believe it when we found out – I knew that she had been struggling with her weight for a while, but I had no idea it was as serious as diabetes!
What’s even scarier to me is what could happen if we don’t get it under control; according to Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, if diabetes is left untreated it can later lead to blindness, heart disease, amputation, and even serious neurological problems. Knowing all of this information, it was easy for my family to decide, together, that we are going to work to get my cousin better, and to also make some serious lifestyle changes to ensure that my other cousins don’t develop Type 2 as well.
Early Detection
It's important to schedule regular appointments for your children with their physician. Because it is difficult to diagnose Type 2 Diabetes in children, you need to verbally express your concern to the physician and ask for appropriate blood work testing to be done.
Of course, there are things that you can do to help prevent diabetes in your family. Here are just a few tips that my family and I are doing to offset the effects:Nutrition
There are two things that are critical to preventing diabetes: diet and exercise. Luckily, it is easy to change your diet. As the parent or guardian, you control what foods come into the home and what your children eat. If you can get your young family to eat healthy today, it will carry over into their adult life.
If you want to have a healthier, diabetes-friendly diet, avoid fried and fatty foods. You should increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Add nuts, whole grains and fish to your diet to get the omega 3 fats that your body needs. A lot of people neglect the non-traditional vegetables and fruits like kiwi, cauliflower, squash and others, but they are delicious and can be used in so many recipes!
One of my favorite recipes for my family is a low-carb chicken pizza. Almost every kid loves pizza, so giving them this alternative recipe satisfies their cravings while still keeping them on a healthy diet. Here are a few other healthy meals that my family love:
- breakfast: Applesauce Pancakes
- dessert: Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Exercise
Exercise is the second factor for preventing diabetes. It can be hard to get kids to stick to a workout routine, so try to do fun activities that can get their heart rate and respiratory rate going, which is the point of cardio exercises anyway. Plus, if you’re doing activities they already like to do, they are more likely to enjoy themselves and not think of it as “exercise.”
I love to take the kiddos on bike rides through different parks. It's a great way to see nature and exercise at the same time. You can also participate activities that incorporate lots of running such as tennis, soccer, kickball, capture-the-flag, etc. We also like to have silly dance sessions, practice Yoga or Zumba in my basement, or go swimming at the local pool.
Hopefully, these tips will help you keep your family diabetes-free. Today's popular lifestyles don't promote healthy diets and activities, so it’s up to parents to instill healthy habits in their kids that can last a lifetime!
Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/!
Nice Post!! People who are suffering from diabetes can get benefit from above tips.Thanks for Sharing this info
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