How to Effectively Change Your Diet

Day in and day out we come across many people suffering from ill-health. Even people with keen intellect are not spared. This is because most of us eat the wrong kind of food, including bad fats, bad carbohydrates, excessive sodium, etc. Air pollution and foods that are loaded with chemicals contribute to our ill-health, also. The result is that many of us are affected by lifestyle-related diseases such as heart ailments, high and low blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and so on. So, it is imperative that we realize our mistakes of eating such wrong foods and change our diets accordingly.

The foremost step we should take is to start reading the labels on food items. If we have all along been buying high-fat items, we should immediately switch to those that contain low-fat ingredients. Similarly, we should stop eating fried and deep-fried items because they contain bad fats. You are not advised to shun fats completely because without fats your body and brain may not be able to function effectively. You are only advised to choose good fats that are available in olive oil, fish oil, etc. A few dietitians opine that coconut oil is also good for your health. To put it simply, we should ensure that the calories we get from fats do not exceed 30 percent of our total intake.

Type 2 Diabetes - Smoking Affects More Than Your Blood Sugar and Others

Everyone, especially smokers, have heard how dangerous smoking can be for their health. According to the American Heart Association, more than 440,000 people die each year due to smoking-related diseases. More than 135,000 additional deaths are said to be connected to the effect of cigarettes on the cardiovascular system.

But what about when people with Type 2 diabetes smoke as well? The cardiovascular burden of Type 2 diabetes, especially in combination with smoking, is not really effectively communicated to people with diabetes, or even to their doctors. As well, there seems to be little evidence this risk factor is talked about consistently.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center stated: "There is no safe amount of smoking. Smokers continue to increase their risk of heart attack the longer they smoke. People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of heart attack than non-smokers.

Within 24 hours of quitting smoking, the National Institute of Drug Abuse have stated blood pressure and the chances of heart attack actually decrease. In a man of 35 years gives up smoking, this could mean an increased life expectancy of around 5 years.