Chromium and Diabetes

In the metabolism of glucose (or GTF – glucose tolerance factor), chromium is required for energy. Chromium is also vital in the synthesis of cholesterol, fats and proteins – further important factors concerning diabetes

Chromium is an essential mineral that maintains stable blood sugar levels through proper insulin utilization and is helpful for diabetics as well as hypoglycemics. In fact, both diabetics and hypoglycemics are deficient in chromium and only 10% of Americans have an adequate amount of chromium in their diets, for the following reasons:

• Not enough foods containing chromium are consumed
• Chromium is lost during food processing
• People don’t like foods containing chromium
• High quantities of sugar in the diet cause chromium loss
• Chromium in many foods is not easily absorbed
• Chromium levels start to decrease in the early 40’s

Supplemental chromium as chromium picolinate enables chromium to enter the cells of the body and so help insulin do its job more effectively. If you are a diabetic, be sure to advise your health care professional should you begin to supplement with chromium, as it will have a positive effect on your blood sugar levels and you may then need to decrease your medication

Find chromium in these foods:

Beer (hooray!), brewer’s yeast, brown rice, cheese, meat, whole grains, dried beans, calf liver, chicken, corn, dairy products, dried liver, eggs, mushrooms and potatoes

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Problems with digestion?

Many digestive conditions are labeled IBS, but confusion lurks here, as more serious conditions such as Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis can be the true culprit, both of which can lead to bowel cancer.

These conditions can be caused from food intolerances or it can be an auto-immune disease – the researchers are not quite sure which. Regular medicine holds no hope and treats with symptom-suppressors like cortisone, which do not cure it, instead causing horrendous side-effects and discomfort for the sufferer

• Many drugs list constipation as a side effect including iron supplements
• A high fat and sugar diet will feed unfriendly bacteria very nicely, as do alcohol, dairy products, margarine, processed vegetable oils, wheat and many grains
• If you habitually consume coffee, tea, dairy products, wheat, chocolate and red meat, you are in line for digestive problems.

Read our 10 Tips for a Healthy Bowel

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10 Tips for a Healthy Bowel

1.) Supplementation is essential when reversing tricky digestive problems as internal flora will be seriously compromised. Large doses of a good probiotic (at least 20 billion per dose, x 3 per day to start) are a must; Pharmaceutical Grade omega 3 (with DHA, so must be from fish oil, not flax oil) in good doses; a good colon cleanser, vitamin B complex and B12 (neurobian) injections, L-Glutamine, magnesium and a good Multi-vitamins. Speak to a Nutritionally trained health professional for more details

2.) Check for food sensitivities

3.) Fibre is very important as it soaks up liquid and bulks the stool

4.) Eliminate white foods from your diet, such as white rice, sugar, flour, salt, processed wheat and grain products and animal fat (all red meat contains animal fat)

5.) Include good quantities of fresh vegetables and fruit (cooked for the first month unless juiced) and legumes

6.) Keep a note of trigger foods, as this will help you trace your food sensitivity

7.) Everyone with a bowel disorder does not drink enough water. Without water the bowel contents dry up and the lining of the colon changes, becoming thicker and stickier rather than providing a smooth lubricant for faeces to pass through

8.) Chew your food until it is almost liquid, eat slowly and never bolt your meals. Digestion begins in the mouth and the enzymes produced there are vital for good digestion

9.) Exercise regularly – stretching exercises are also good

10.) Give your bowel individual attention by massaging it gently but firmly in a clockwise direction around your belly, going up the right hand side across under your rib cage and down the left side. Using a lavender oil in a cream or oil base is helpful and relaxing too


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