{"id":138028,"date":"2016-11-14T07:10:12","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T05:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=138028"},"modified":"2016-11-14T08:08:44","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T06:08:44","slug":"world-diabetes-day-how-to-spot-the-signs-and-stay-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2016\/11\/14\/world-diabetes-day-how-to-spot-the-signs-and-stay-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"World Diabetes Day \u2013 How to spot the signs and stay healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Has a friend or family member been diagnosed with diabetes?<\/p>\n<p>It is estimated that 2.28 million adults are living with diabetes in South Africa, with many more left undiagnosed, so the chances that you know someone with diabetes are pretty good.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>World Diabetes Day, today, November 14, is a good reminder to raise awareness of diabetes, make sure you know how to spot the symptoms and signs and how to make the best of a diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>What is diabetes? <\/em><\/strong><\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>Diabetes occurs when the body cannot convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy. There are two main types of diabetes known as Type 1 and Type 2.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Type 1 diabetes is a result of the pancreas stopping producing the blood sugar hormone, insulin. Insulin\u00a0is a hormone that lowers the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood, important for energy.\u00a0 Type 1 diabetes usually starts in younger people under 30 and can often be passed down from generation to generation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Type 2 diabetes is caused when the hormone keeping your blood sugar steady does not work properly.\u00a0 Type 2 diabetes is more common than Type 1 and many people who have the condition don\u2019t even know they have it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>What are the signs?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you suspect you or your loved one could be diabetic, look out for these important signs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unusual thirst.<\/li>\n<li>Frequent urination.<\/li>\n<li>Unusual weight loss.<\/li>\n<li>Extreme fatigue or lack of energy.<\/li>\n<li>Blurred vision.<\/li>\n<li>Frequent or recurring infections.<\/li>\n<li>Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal, boils and itching skin.<\/li>\n<li>Tingling and numbness in the hands or feet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>After Diagnosis<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although diabetes cannot be cured, with good blood sugar control it is possible to live a long and healthy life. This can be achieved by following a few simple healthy steps. Breakfasts for Better Days\u2122 dietitian, Cheryl Meyer shares her top food tips to help keep your levels steady.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Regular Meals &#8211; <\/strong>Diabetics are vulnerable to blood sugar drops when a long period without food occurs, so try and ensure you regulate meals, where possible.\u00a0 This starts with making time for breakfast as soon as you wake up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breakfast \u2013<\/strong> Opting for a healthy breakfast not only helps to control your weight, but also keeps your blood sugar levels steady. Examples of good breakfast choices include a high fibre breakfast cereal with milk and fruit, giving you extra fibre, which helps to control blood sugar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Snacks \u2013 <\/strong>Making time for you and your family to have breakfast can be the healthy start that most need in order to make good food choices throughout the rest of the day. Try and ensure your child is taught about healthy options \u2013 as a family reach for nuts and fruits over sugary drinks and sweets. Avoiding sugary snacks means levels stay stable and the chances of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) are reduced.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Exercise \u2013 <\/strong>Regular exercise can help to lower blood glucose levels, whilst reducing stress and assist in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Always check with your doctor or healthcare professional before starting a new exercise routine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you think you or your child may have diabetes, visit your local health practitioner or clinic that can test your blood sugar levels and advise on best steps to take in order to live the happiest and healthiest life possible,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other articles you may be interested in:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/120086\/make-better-use-of-inexpensive-superfoods\/\" target=\"_blank\">Make better use of inexpensive Superfoods<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/137897\/are-south-africans-the-8th-highest-sugar-consumers-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\">Are South Africans the 8th highest sugar consumers in the world?<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='b5b9b849fc7d60c361ba33013821b7f9'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is estimated that 2.28 million adults are living with diabetes in SA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":138029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[508,7,2],"tags":[8324,969,1342,2734,12910,12909],"class_list":["post-138028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-choice","category-local-news","category-news-headlines","tag-diabetes","tag-germiston-city-news","tag-health","tag-melissa-hart","tag-warning-signs","tag-world-diabetes-day"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Local news"},"tag_labels":["diabetes","germiston city news","health","melissa hart","warning signs","world diabetes day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}