KAREN'S DIABETIC DIET TIPS (http://www.diabeticdietsecrets.com)

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Is it Essential to Cut Carbohydrates in a Diabetic Person?

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrate or carbs comes from wide varieties of foods. Pie, bread, spaghetti, noodles, beans, milk, cookies etc are examples. They come in different forms. Starch, sugar and fibers are the three famous and abundant kinds of carbohydrate.

The simple union of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon composes the sugar molecule, which is the building block of carbohydrates. The essential chains of sugar molecules are starches and fibers.

There are two groups of carbohydrates.

1.Simple carbohydrate, which includes sugars, fructose or fruit sugar, glucose and dextrose, grape or corn sugar, sucrose or table sugar. This type is considered bad.

2.Complex carbohydrate, which includes all, made of three or more linked sugars.

Compared to protein and fats, carbs have a lot of impact on blood sugar. It directly affects the blood glucose as evidence now suggests. The amount and type of sugar intake affects the glucose level in the blood. One gram of carbohydrates is equal to four calories. 50 to 60% of carbohydrates are the recommended daily dietary allowance.

If carbohydrates do affect our blood sugar level, there might be a link connecting carbohydrates to illnesses borne of taking too much sugar. One of these is diabetes. Are diabetic patients allowed to eat carbohydrate-rich food?

Yes, there is a link. If you are a diabetic patient, to be able to manage your health you have to have a carefully planned diet. The level of carbohydrates in your diet might affect your health. You should be aware that carbohydrates always break down to sugars.

So if you are eating simple bread, pudding, or even jelly beans, the amount of carbohydrate you eat will end up as sugar absorption. Counting the total amount of carbohydrate in your diet can be your most important step.

Although all carbohydrates turn into simple sugars, the conversion may vary. It is between 3-5 hours before the carbohydrate is converted to sugar. Therefore, the effect is diverse depending on the foods in a diabetic patient’s diet—that is, the effect on their blood sugar levels.

Fatty acids in the blood are stored in your body’s fat cells through a hormone secretion in the pancreas, known as the insulin. It is where the low carbohydrate diet originates. Sugars are well monitored in your blood, because sugars are well circulated in the blood.

The insulin is injected in our body if the blood sugar level arises. Insulin instructs our body to absorb the sugar and triglycerides from our blood, because insulin is the chemical messenger in our body. Therefore, the sugar level decreases and becomes normal.

It is helpful to diabetic people to reduce carbohydrates in their diet. Diabetic patients can be significantly overweight. The more overweight you are, the bigger your insulin resistance is. This is a sign that you need to cut extra carbs from your diet.

If there is a member in your family who has a history of diabetes, you should take note. Control your carbohydrates for you may be predisposed to diabetes. Controlling your diet by cutting the carbs in your diet might be a great help.

Life Insurance Companies differ in their "underwriting philosophy" when it comes to diabetes. Offering life insurance for diabetics can be risky if the underwriters are not fully trained. Underwriters at the insurance companies that are fluent in underwriting diabetes have the ability to look at all of these factors and determine if the company will accept them as a risk. Moderately controlled diabetes cases would usually merit a "rating" or an increase in the premium, but not necesarily a declination for coverage. If the client with diabetes that is looking for life insurance is not controlled, then there are options - it will just cost them more for coverage!

Diabetic Life Insurance can be obtained no matter how severe the diabetes condition is. If the proposed insured has well controlled diabetes and a history of compliance with what the Doctor reccomends, then the rate for insurance will naturally reflect that. The better the control, the better the rate. Clients with well controlled diabetes have a great chance at getting a lower rate from a regular insurance carrier and would qualify for a policy that is fully underwritten. If, at the other extreme, the client has very poor control over the diabetes, the rate will be higher and the client will have to go with a life insurance plan that guarantees acceptance. This type of life insurance is called "guaranteed issue life insurance".

Guaranteed issue life insurance for diabetics is more expensive than regular (fully underwritten) life insurance and is only sold as "whole life insurance". This type of insurance can be advantageous, though, because it builds cash value and is intended to cover the client for their "whole life" as opposed to a "term" period of time. Another provision of guaranteed issue is that the premiums paid into the policy would be paid to the beneficiary PLUS 10% interest if the insured dies within the first 3 years of the policy's inception. After that 3 year period of time, the guaranteed issue policy would pay the full death benefit to the beneficiary.

Fully Underwritten policies take the client's full medical records into account. The doctor's records are ordered, blood is drawn, a urine sample is taken, and a full screening is done to evaluate the client. If the insurance company decides to insure this applicant, it is after the company's underwriters look at the case. If the client is fully underwritten and passes through underwriting, then they would have more options than just whole life insurance (in the case of those who are in need of guaranteed issue whole life insurance). Term insurance, Universal Life Insurance, Survivorship Universal Life Insurance, and regular Whole Life Insurance would be available to these applicants that are fully underwritten.

When evaluating a client with diabetes, the underwriters at the insurance company take into account whether the client is a type one diabetic (type I diabetic, type 1 diabetic, type 1 diabetes, type I diabetes) or a type two diabetic (type II diabetic, type 2 diabetic, type 2 diabetes, type II diabetes). Another thing that the underwriters look at is whether the client is a juvenile onset diabetic or an adult onset diabetic. And yet Another determining factor is the Hemoglobin A1C level (this is a more comprehensive test, showing the blood sugar levels over about a 3 month period of time as opposed to a quick "snapshot" blood level test).

If the client's A1C level is below 8, then fully underwritten life insurance may be available subject to the client's full medical file. If the client's A1C level is above 8, then guaranteed issue life insurance is a more realistic goal.

One of the things that applicants fear in the case of insulin dependent type 1 diabetics is whether or not their insulin pump will prevent them from getting a life insurance policy. An insulin pump is actually a positive factor where life insurance underwriting is concerned because the client's insulin level is kept at a constant level.

How often the client monitors their sugar or glucose levels in their blood is another factor. If the client habitually monitors their glucose level, then this is seen as evidence of compliance on the part of the client. If, on the other hand, the client does not monitor these sugar levels, then this could be seen as a negative in the eyes of the insurers and underwriters.

Have there been any low sugar episodes? Have there been any high sugar episodes? Is the client taking glucovance, glucophage, insulin injection, or other type of medicinal treatment? Is the client controlling the diabetes with "diet and excercise"? These are all questions that will be asked during the underwriting process (unless you opt for guaranteed issue).

By the way...ANYONE can get guaranteed issue; you don't have to be "uninsurable". Guaranteed issue is available for clients between the ages of 46 and 80 and up to $35,000 in coverage. Again, this is the more expensive type of life insurance and it is advisable that if you CAN make it through an underwriting evaluation, you should try unless you just want to pay more and be done with it!

By: Ashley Brooks, CLTC

Ashley is the marketing vice president for the Family Life Insurance Brokerage Business and has a background in Health & Financial Underwriting, Insurance Plan Design, and "best deal" shopping. Brokerage Services carries only A rated (or better) companies in their product portfolio and has been serving the needs of Independent Insurance Agents since 1977.

...More Tips to Come!

Fitness at Any Age

You can become physically active at any age! It’s never too late to start an exercise program and reap the benefits of better fitness.

Studies show that almost half of folks older than 75 get little physical activity. But moderate activity can make a big difference in overall energy levels and motivation.

It doesn’t take hours a day of activity to result in better health, either. Becoming more physically active can prevent some health problems (such as osteoporosis) and help better manage others, like diabetes and high blood pressure.

The increased flexibility and balance helps the older individual remain independent longer, too. A few minutes spent stretching in the mornings upon awakening can limber up muscles and joints so that it’s easier to move throughout the day.

Muscle strengthening activity increases bone mass and protects against falls. Walking is the easiest and best aerobic activity, if a person is mobile. You don’t have to spend hours or even 30 minutes at a time walking—you can break it up in to small chunks of time, such as 5 or 10 minute segments.

Even gardening and working around the house counts as exercise when we’re talking about muscle and bone-strengthening; it’s weight-bearing exercise that makes a difference in the strength of your bones and the elasticity of your muscles.

Just getting up and moving throughout the day – doing light household chores helps one stay healthier. Exercise boosts the immune system and keeps one healthier during the winter months.

What are some benefits from light to moderate exercise for seniors?

• Improved mood and quality of life
• Improvement in arthritis
• Improved sleep
• Protects against heart disease
• Facilitates the ability to get around or dress oneself

The mobility and functioning of frail and very old adults can be improved by regular physical activity. Physical activity need not be strenuous to bring health benefits. What is important is to include activity as part of a regular routine.

Exercise can help you feel better and enjoy life more. No one is too old or too out of shape to be more active.

Get the grandkids involved in batting a balloon back and forth to great-grandma, or take them to the zoo and walk around. If mobility is less-than-ideal, keep them around the house and play outside for short periods of time. Grandkids will keep you young—both in spirit and body. So take advantage of their energy levels and get yourself moving!

You have a lot to gain and nothing to lose by continuing your activity through the senior years!

...More Tips to Come!