Beat stress

    Count backwards from 20, 000

Breathe deeply in and out through the nose to promote relaxation and calm.
Start to count backwards. The breaths and count don’t have to match.
Count for a minute and focus on your breathing
If you lose your place, start at 20,000 again.

How does it work? It changes your focus from the stress agent.

    Rub your belly

Gently massage  you belly with 2 fingers and the more you massage the greater the relief.
How does it work?

There is a sensitive pressure point two or three finger widths from the bottom rib in line with the belly button that alleviates stress when massaged.

    Eat a handful of nuts

A handful of almonds or walnuts mid- afternoon keeps stress related cravings at bay.
How’s that? Stress make your body use up certain nutrients such as Vitamin B, zinc, magnesium and omega oils faster.Nuts top up levels of these nutrients. In addition, they naturally balance sugar levels, reduce sugar craving, regulate appetite and support metabolism.

    Bring out your colouring books 

Get back to your favourite childhood activity of colouring particularly of geometric patterns.Origami or folding squares of paper into various shapes is also absorbing, relaxing and calming.
 Why? It is said to calm the part of the brain related to the fear/ stress response while stimulating the parts of the brain responsible for creativity.

    Hum a tune

Singing and chanting are great stress busters. The next time you are stressed, try humming catchy tune. It provides relief in emergency .
How does it work? A combination of vocalization and vibration has a positive effect on blood pressure ,helps relax muscles, blocks out racing thoughts and makes sure we breathe more calmly and deeply.

    List your good points.

Write down 5 things you are grateful for each day to help reduce stress. They can be as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee, or having good friends.

 Why?.The feeling of gratitude boosts serotonin and dopamine both associated with happiness and calm.

    Gaze at swimming fish

Spend time watching fish in the water.

Why? Staring at swimming fish lowers blood pressure  and reduces  the heart rate.  It has a calming effect.

    Have a warm salt bath

 How does that work? Epsom saltincreases the water’s specific gravity and makes you feel light weight  while helping muscles to relax.The body also absorbs the salts which helps replenish magnesium stores, a mineral that is reduced with stress.

    Spring clean your house 

Sell, donate or throw out unnecessary possessions.
Why? Untidy surroundings cause people to feel  stressed and depressed and can cause health problems .

    Listen to classical music

Take 5 minutes to tune in when you feel stressed. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the sound.
    Get physical
 A brisk walk around the block is the quickest and easiest way to release stress.
    Talk to others
 To get more ideas to cope with stress ,discuss how you are feeling with family and friends.
Why? Speaking out helps psychologically

    Press to destress

Massage the inside of your right palm with your left thumb in circles Repeat on the other hand. Find the sensitive spot in the web between thumb and index finger and press down firmly, hold for10 seconds and release.

How does that help?  In hand reflexology, the middle of your palm corresponds to the solar plexus reflex point which is the main area for unwinding  and relieving tension. 
 
SO, the next time you are stressed, don’t reach out for the box of sweets or the coffee. Instead, try out these strategies and see what works best for you.

Insulin at its best!

Insulin is very sensitive to sunlight, indoor lights and to extreme hot or cold temperatures and loses its ability to function effectively.

•     Every vial of insulin or box of insulin pens comes with instructions on proper method of storage, hence, read and follow them carefully.
•     Store unopened vials and pens in the refrigerator until the expiration date.
•     Store opened vials in the refrigerator at   2⁰ to  8⁰ C or at room temperature,25⁰  to 30 ⁰C.
•     Remove Insulin vials kept in the fridge and allowed to reach room temperature before use.
•     Opened vials of insulins and mixtures of insulin such as Insulin  Glargine, Insulin Glulisine,      Insulin Aspart, Insulin Lispro, Insulin Isophane, Human insulin,and mixtures of insulin  are stable for 28 days either at room temperature, 25⁰ to 30 ⁰C or in a refrigerator at 2⁰ to 8 ⁰ C.
•    Opened vials of Insulin Detemir are stable upto 42 days at the recommended conditions.
•    Transferring opened insulin vials between fridge and room temp does not appear to affect the   insulin’s potency under these conditions and time periods.
•     Insulin pens once used for the first time should not be stored in the fridge. Instead they should be stored at room temp 25⁰ to 30⁰ C. Pens last for 7 to 28 days if stored at room temperature. How long depends on the type of pen used.

How Much Protein Does One Need?

 The body uses protein to build and repair bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood as well as to make important chemicals in the body, including enzymes and hormones. It requires eight essential amino acids in proper proportions and in adequate quantities to synthesize tissue proteins . The other twelve amino acids present in the dietary proteins, though required for the protein synthesis, are not considered essential since the body can synthesize them from other carbon and nitrogen sources.

 Egg protein is used as a reference protein to judge the quality of other proteins.Vegetable proteins, mainly in cereals, legumes and vegetables are of poorer quality than animal proteins, not only because they are more difficult to digest but also because they   lack  one or more of the essential amino acids.

Cereal proteins are deficient in lysine, and pulses or legume proteins contain low amounts of methionine. However, when both cereal and pulses (legumes) are present in the diet in proper proportions, the  proteins from these two sources supplement each other .However, Indian diets deriving their proteins from a 5:1 combination of  cereals and pulse have a biological value of only 65% relative to egg protein. Apart from this, how efficiently food protein is used in the body  depends on its digestibility and absorption of the amino acids.

So, how much good quality protein is required a day?

How much you need is simple and straightforward.  According to ICMR, adult men of ideal weight need 60 grams of complete protein per day, adult women of ideal weight  need 50 grams of complete protein  which is about 1 gram per kg body weight per day , but pregnant women  need about 15 grams more per day and nursing mothers need 25 grams per day  more  in the first 6 months and 18 grams more per day  in the second six months.

How much protein is enough for you depends in part on whether you are vegetarian, trying to lose weight or have kidney disease. In the first two instances they need to make a special effort to get enough protein while in the third instance, ‘how much?’   is  a very important issue.

 

For vegetarians and vegans

Adjusting to a vegetarian diet is pretty easy. There are many options such as milk and milk products, lentils and pulses and eggs..But vegans, who do not eat meat, fish, and sea food , eggs or dairy products have a harder time satisfying their protein requirements.

Tofu, in its many forms, has a good amount of protein as do legumes, nuts, and seeds but they also  may have  many  carbs, which can spike blood glucose levels.

Protein increases the feeling of fullness after a meal and those who want to lose weight to manage diabetes better should increase protein intake.

Kidney disease needs:

People with diabetic kidney disease need less protein to avoid stress on kidneys. The Joslin Diabetes Center states that “Up to 40 percent of people with type 1diabetes and 20 to 30 percent of those with type 2 diabetes have some form of kidney disease.”

You may be a vegetarian or a vegan, need to lose weight, or have chronic kidney disease, or you may have none of these . In any case, you need to eat the right amount of protein if you want to be  healthy.

Foods to avoid while travelling

One of the things we look forward to while visiting places is the local cuisine which at times is a pleasant experience and at other times takes a little getting used to. People with diabetes are more susceptible to changes in their routine than those without the condition.  However, with a little research before the journey about the local cuisine and the type of carbohydrates available, they can get help from their dietitian regarding meal options, making healthy choices when eating out, charting out portion size and carbohydrate quantity as accurately as possible and about changes to be made to medication for good  diabetes control while travelling.

                                                              Here are some tips on healthy eating: