Did you know that November is American Diabetes Month? I didn’t, but it’s a good a time as any to talk about our kids and our own health. Diabetes refers to a condition where your blood sugar or glucose levels are too high. You get glucose from the foods we eat and our bodies use glucose for energy. If we have too much of it, however, it’s not good for us.
When a person develops diabetes, it’s usually because their pancreas makes too little or no insulin. Since insulin is the body’s way of processing glucose and transporting it into your red blood cells, then your body isn’t getting any energy and the excess glucose in your system can hurt you.
Type II diabetes is referred to as adult onset diabetes. It means your pancreas makes only some insulin, but your cells can’t use it very well and your body can’t process the glucose for energy properly. More and more, it seems that our kids are developing type II diabetes and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is linking it directly to the fact that so many kids are overweight.
Too much weight on our bodies increases our likelihood of getting Type II diabetes. Kids who are sedentary and /or who have a family member with diabetes are twice as likely to develop type II diabetes than an active child with no family history.
Understanding It
My daughter has a classmate with Type I diabetes, so she’s been learning a lot about it and asking me a lot of questions. The key to surviving and coping with diabetes is to keep your blood glucose as close to normal as possible. You need to exercise every day. You need to take your medicine. You need to eat healthy foods. You need to check your blood glucose levels in order to monitor how you are doing. Your physician will tell you the ranges and help you learn all the keys to taking care of yourself.
Over many years, diabetics can face serious health concerns including heart attacks, damaged organs, kidney failure, blindness and loss of feet or legs due to low circulation. These problems can be avoided by taking careful managed care of your condition. You follow the doctor’s instructions, you exercise regularly, you stay active, you stay at a healthy weight and you eat healthy foods.
Whether you are a diabetic or not, this is a great prescription for our kids. Junk food should be minimized. Healthy eating habits should be taught. Keeping them physically active is the key along with managing their weight at a healthy level can help them avoid Type II diabetes. But life doesn’t end with diabetes, it just means you need to take better care of yourself.
Do you or someone you know have Type II diabetes?
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