Providing our bodies with nutrient-rich food, mainly fruits and vegetables, is essential for our health and well-being. Nevertheless, many struggle to integrate these nutritious foods into their daily meals. However, do not despair; nourishing yourself and your loved ones with healthy and appetizing dishes can be more effortless than you presume.

Venturing into the produce section of your nearby supermarket can lead to delightful culinary creations. The leading grocery chains offer a vast range of fruits and vegetables from around the globe. By experimenting with new and exceptional produce, you incorporate delightful flavors into your meals and enrich your nutritional consumption. The monotony in a healthy diet can be tiring, resulting in a lack of incentive to fuel our bodies. Hence, it is crucial to break this dietary ennui to attain longevity and triumph in a healthy eating plan.

Why not step out of your comfort zone by trying collard greens, asparagus, or kale? Discovering new and exquisite produce can simultaneously benefit your physical well-being. Leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and kale comprise vital vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. A diverse selection of fresh, frozen, and canned varieties can assist in broadening your vegetable options, especially during the off-season. Fresh fruits and vegetables offer diverse flavors, shades, and textures that enable you to consume a spectrum of essential nutrients. For instance, yellow and orange produce typically have high beta-carotene content, while green leafy vegetables offer significant calcium and other critical nutrients. Incorporating bright yellow peppers or vivacious orange carrot slivers can enhance your plain green salad and elevate it to a more vibrant and nutritious level.

Several groups within modern society believe that vitamin and mineral supplements can rectify a poor diet. Despite the continued popularity of these products, it is imperative to recognize that whole foods contain numerous minerals, trace elements, and other micronutrients. Consequently, even the most comprehensive supplement cannot adequately substitute a well-balanced diet.

Vitamin and mineral supplements cost more and are less tasty than fruits and vegetables. When transitioning to a more health-conscious lifestyle, you must become well-informed about proper eating habits and determine the optimal fruits and vegetables for your palate. A balanced diet that you can sustain indefinitely is the most effective diet. Prioritizing the freshest fruits and vegetables enhances the taste, reduces expenses, and amplifies nutritional value. Opting for various in-season produce each week establishes the foundation for wholesome, diverse meals. Nevertheless, your preferred produce may not always be available, requiring the occasional substitution with canned and frozen alternatives. When selecting canned fruits, avoid those preserved in syrup and opt for those conserved in fruit juice or water, as they contain less sugar.

Incorporating fresh fruit, such as apple segments, mandarin oranges, nectarines, and the like, can elevate plain salads to newfound heights of flavor and interest. Combining fruits and vegetables optimizes nutritional benefits and provides an exciting culinary experience. So, start now and explore new vegetable and fruit produce and relish the advantages of a healthy and diverse diet.

One way to create wonderful meals that are healthier than ever is to take a stroll through the produce section of your local grocery store.  Most major grocery store chains have huge produce sections, containing a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables from all corners of the world.

Trying a variety of different fruits and vegetables is a great way to keep your meals interesting and exciting in addition to nutritious.  It is all too easy to become bored when trying to follow a healthy diet, and boredom can lead people to abandon their healthy habits.  Avoiding diet burnout is important to the long term survival of even the most sensible eating plan.

So if you’ve never had vegetables like collard greens, asparagus or kale before, why not give them a try.  Not only can trying new things allow you to make great new discoveries, but it can increase your level of fitness as well.  Leafy green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and kale are rich sources of many important vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients.

Another great way to increase the variety of vegetables you enjoy is to combine fresh, frozen and canned vegetables.  While fresh vegetables are generally better and healthier, frozen and canned vegetables can be great alternatives for when the fresh varieties are out of season.

One of the best things about fresh fruits and vegetables is the great variety of flavors, colors and textures available.  Eating a variety of different colored vegetables and fruits does much more than provide much needed variety.  It also provides a great variety of nutrients.  For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables tend to be very high in beta carotene, while green leafy vegetables are often great sources of calcium and other important nutrients.  So why not spice up your plain old green salad with a splash of color in the form of yellow peppers or orange carrot slices?

Many people wrongly think that they can make up for a crappy diet by using vitamin and mineral supplements.  This mistaken belief is apparently very widespread, since sales of these supplements continue to break records. When considering vitamin and mineral supplements, however, it is important to remember that foods contain many different minerals, trace elements and other micronutrients.  That means that for every nutrient that has been discovered and synthesized, there may be ten, twenty or more of these micronutrients that have yet to be fully understood.  That is why no vitamin supplement, no matter how complete, can truly replace a healthy, balanced diet.

In addition, vitamin and mineral supplements are quite a bit more expensive than a good selection of vegetables and fruits, and not nearly as tasty. 

One of the best ways to start eating a healthy diet is to choose the freshest fruits and vegetables.  Not only do fresh fruits and vegetables taste better, but they are less expensive and more nutritious as well.  Choosing a variety of in season fruits and vegetables every week is a great way to enjoy healthy and varied meals.

Of course your favorite fruits and vegetables will not always be in season, so it will sometimes be necessary to supplement those fresh fruits and vegetables with canned and frozen varieties.  When choosing canned fruits, try to avoid those packed in syrup; choose canned fruits packed in fruit juice or water instead.  They will be healthier and contain less sugar.

Adding fresh fruit, such as apple slices, mandarin oranges, nectarines and the like is a great way to make plain salads more interesting and more delicious.  Combining fruits and vegetables is a great way to enhance your nutrition as well.

Research into diabetes is increasing all the time. Despite this no one actually knows what specifically causes diabetes. This has led to a number of rumours circulating some which are partially true and others which hold no truth at all. In this article I will be discussing what is known about the causes of diabetes.

1) GENERAL CAUSES:- We know that diabetes develops as a result of your body’s cells not getting enough insulin (a hormone which helps convert blood sugar/glucose into energy). This is usually because your pancreas fails to generate enough insulin or because your body’s cells start to resist insulin. Although we know what leads to the development of diabetes we do not currently know why this happens in certain individuals and not others.

2) GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM):- Again we do not know the exact causes of GDM although it is strongly linked with hormonal changes that occur during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. During this time the placenta releases hormones which block the normal action of insulin to ensure that the growing baby gets enough glucose. This causes pregnant women’s insulin needs to increase by two or three times the normal rate. Failure to meet this need leads to the onset of GDM. Approximately 5% of pregnant women develop GDM and although we have a good idea of what causes it, we do not know why it affects certain women and not others. There are a number of associated risk factors but currently no definitive reason.

3) TYPE 1 DIABETES:- Type 1 diabetes is caused by damage to the pancreas as the result of an auto-immune attack where the body’s immune system starts to attack the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. Once more, whilst we know what causes type 1 diabetes we are still unsure what triggers this response. A number of suggestions have been put forward (including viral infections and faulty nerves) but currently none of these suggestions can be applied universally.

4) TYPE 2 DIABETES AND PRE-DIABETES:- Pre-diabetes is an early form of type 2 diabetes and the causes of each are very similar. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body stops responding to insulin. The pancreas reacts by producing additional insulin and the liver responds by releasing extra glucose. Over time this limits the effectiveness of the pancreas and further increases insulin resistance in the body. As with the other types of diabetes we do not know what causes the above reaction. However, there is very strong evidence that type 2 diabetes is linked to age, ethnicity, family history, inactivity and obesity.

5) RUMOURS:- Since the exact cause of diabetes is unknown, there are a number of false suggestions floating around. These include diabetes being contagious (there is a hereditary element but it cannot be passed directly from person to person), diabetes being caused by sugar (excessive sugar consumption does not cause diabetes but is linked with obesity, a diabetes risk factor) and stress causing diabetes (stress can aggravate the condition in diabetics but there is currently no evidence that it causes diabetes).

Currently, we have a general understanding of what happens inside our bodies to cause diabetes. However, the trigger behind these causes is still a mystery. Perhaps the strongest link is that between inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes but even this does not fully explain why some obese individuals never develop the disease. As research into the causes of diabetes continues, the best advice is to try and keep your blood sugar levels within a normal range. Keeping your weight under control, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet can all play their part in this process.

Every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative but it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding any form of diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1379603

Heredity is a major factor of diabetes. That diabetes can be inherited has been known for centuries. However, the pattern of inheritance is not fully understood. Statistic indicates that those with a family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those without such a background. The risk factor is 25 to 33 percent more.

Heredity

Heredity is a major factor. That diabetes can be inherited has been known for centuries. However, the pattern of inheritance is not fully understood. Statistic indicates that those with a family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those without such a background. The risk factor is 25 to 33 percent more.

One reason why diabetes, especially type-2 diabetes runs in the family is because of the diabetes gene. But even it is caused by genetic factors beyond your control; there is no reason to suffer from it. Diabetes mellitus cannot be cured in full sense of the term, but it can be effectively controlled so that you would not know the difference.

Diet

Diabetes has been described by most medical scientists as a prosperity’ disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating. Not only is eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates harmful, but proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar, may also result in diabetes if taken in excess.

It is interesting to note that diabetes is almost unknown in countries where people are poor and cannot afford to overeat.

The incidence of diabetes is directly linked with the consumption of processed foods rich in refined carbohydrates, like biscuits, bread, cakes chocolates, pudding and ice creams.

Obesity

Obesity is one of the main causes of diabetes. Studies show that 60 to 85 % of diabetics tend to be overweight. In the United States of America, about 80 percent of type –2 non-insulin dependent diabetics are reported to be overweight.

Excess fat prevents insulin from working properly. The more fatty tissue in the body, the more resistant the muscle and tissue cells become to body insulin. Insulin allows the sugar in the blood to enter the cells by acting on the receptor sites on the surface of the cells.

Older people often tend to gain weight, and the same time, many of them develop and mild form of diabetes because who are over weight can often improve their blood sugar simply by losing weight.

Stress and Tension

There is a known connection between stress and diabetes mellitus, those who are under stress and/or lead an irregular lifestyle, need to take adequate precautions and make necessary lifestyle adjustments.

Grief, worry and anxiety resulting from examinations, death of a close relative, loss of a joy, business failure and strained marital relationship, all a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to appear in the urine.

Smoking

Smoking is another important risk factor. Among men who smoke, the risk of developing diabetes is doubled. In women who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day, the risk of developing diabetes is increased by 40 percent.

Lifestyle Risk

People who are less active have greater risk of developing diabetes. Modern conveniences have made work easier. Physical activity and exercise helps control weight, uses up a lot of glucose (sugar) present in the blood as energy and makes cells more sensitive to insulin. Consequently, the workload on the pancreas is reduced.