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Use Food As Alternative Medicine

| Aug 31, 2009 | Views: 30 |

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I have been living with diabetes, arthritus and high blood pressure for about ten years. I've watched relatives around me suffer with awful side effects from the same health issues, but they just kept taking mass quantities of medication prescribed by the doctor. One of my relatives is on four different high blood pressure medications, pills for diabetes and high cholesterol plus other stuff, but she never tries what I did. I was sick as a dog from the medications, so I started to do a massive amount of research online and in the library. After researching, I found ways to stop most of my health problems without drugs. I learned how to eat my way to better health. Slowly my doctor took me off of all medication.

Diabetes
The easiest way to get rid of sugar problems is by changing your diet. I'm not talking about going on a diet because going on a diet shows that it's a temporary thing. Changing your diet to improve your health is totally different.
The foods that you need to eliminate from your diet are processed sugar, white flour, white rice, grits, corn, carrots, the white part of the potato, watermelon and pineapple. This change is drastic, and you will feel like your body is going through some withdrawal symptoms. Your body craves the sugar, but if you stick to the changes in diet for a week or two, you stop craving it.
What do I eat? Continue eating your normal foods. I eat hamburgers and sandwiches on whole wheat buns or bread, all of the vegetables except for the ones listed above because they shoot your glycemic index out the roof. Eat lean meat and low fat cheese because doctors have found a link between high fat diets and diabetes. If you are really craving potatoes, wash a small potato cut off the skin with 1/4 inch of the inside of the potato and fry it or bake it with onions and a pat of margarine in aluminum foil. Don't make a habit of this, but every now and then it's okay. Look for low carb recipes online or in cookbooks. There are plenty of them out there, and all of them have a few good ideas.
Other things that help lower sugar level are:

eat one teaspoon of cinnamin a day.
take one teaspoon of vinegar mixed in a glass of water a day .
drink one cup of whole milk a day. (My doctor has noticed that people of Native American descent seem to have less problems when they drink some milk each day.)
eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Arthritus
There are several foods that cause uric acid to build up in your joints. The uric acid is part of what causes the pain in the joints. The worst two foods are rich meats, like beef or deer, and milk products. I just cut back on the meats and ate at least three to five vegetarian meals a week, and saw a difference in the pain in my hands and knees.
Other things that help the joints are:

eating hot peppers. They contain capasin which helps the joints.
eating ginger in your foods is supposed to help too.
eat lots of foods that contain antioxidents (bell peppers, berries, carrots, cantaloupe, dark leafy greens, peaches, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes).

High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
You know the first thing that has to be cut for high blood pressure is salt, but it's hard to cut out. Eating lower fat foods, less salt and adding more vegetarian entrees especially ones that have beans in them is the best way to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Other things that help with blood pressure are:

cooking bay leaves into the food .
cut out the caffine - coffee and colas.
drink a cup of cammomile tea daily to reduce stress
eat plenty of foods rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium (bananas, beets, cantalope, oranges, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, whole grains, and leafy greens).

Keep in mind that weight loss and exercise are crucial for people with all of these health problems, and a 20% change in weight can drop the sugar level and blood pressure by it's self. Most of these suggestions were things that I found online or researched in the library, but the changes helped me. I do not have to take any medication for diabetes, arthritus, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and I feel great. I constantly monitor my sugar levels and high blood pressure because it is easy to have problems without realizing it has crept back up. Always monitor your sugar and blood pressure, and ask your physican before making any changes in diet or exercise.

Tags: diabetes high blood pressure; arthritus high cholesterol; drugs natural treatments herbal; super foods eat your way to health; doctor medication over medication;