Metabolic Syndrome Survival Guide
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available thru Amazon.com or at the office - 2500 Hospital Drive, Building 4, Mountain View, CA 94040 |
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Metabolic syndrome is primarily treated by diet and exercise. The idea here is to improved the body's insulin sensitivity. By exercising, we make the muscles more sensitive to the effects of insulin and therefore better able to use the blood sugar. The more exercise the better. The amount that has been studied is roughly 150 minutes per week of aggressive exercise such as a brisk walk. That translates to about half an hour five days per week. Do more if you can. |
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| A good trick for judging the level of exercise is to go for a walk with a friend. Walk at a speed where you are still able to carry a conversation, but might have difficulty speaking if you walked a little bit faster. That is a level of exercise that can be maintained for a half hour or more. This is what is also called aerobic exercise. | ||
CARBOHYDRATES Dietary control of metabolic syndrome involves controlling carbohydrates. Carbohydrates include starch and sugar. Starchy foods include bread, potato, rice, noodles, breakfast cereals. Sugary foods include fruits, free juices, pastries, breakfast cereals. Many foods contain high fructose corn syrup and that is a particularly bad item to consume. You should take reading glasses to the store, check the ingredients and look at the amount of sugar in everything you buy. |
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| FATS You should also pay attention to the types of fat that you consume. A common trick played by the food industry is to focus the consumer on quantity of fat. However, there are certain fats that are beneficial and certain that are harmful. In general, try to avoid saturated fats. You will recognize these as solid at room temperature, such as what is found around meats. You should absolutely avoid partially hydrogenated oils. These are the so called trans fats. There is no amount of partially hydrogenated oil that is safe for you. |
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| You should also know that there are some fats that are beneficial. You may have heard of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, also known as the essential fatty acids. These are called essential for two reasons: your body is unable to make them, and you need them to remain healthy. Essential fatty acids are made by plants. You may be aware that fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, but that is because the fish is eating plants that in turn make the oils. You can greatly increase your essential fatty acid content of the diet by snacking on nuts such as almonds, or adding flax oil to the diet. | ||
PROTEIN It is important that you eat enough protein during the day. You should discuss the exact amounts with your physician, but a rule of thumb is about 1 gram of protein per day for every 3 pounds of body weight. If you are technically inclined, the more precise recommendation is 0.6 to 0.8 g of protein per kilogram body weight per day. |
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| This means that the average person needs to protein equivalent of about one half pound of meat per day. That's a lot of meat to eat on a daily basis, and would likely increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease and colon cancer. Fortunately we can get part or all of that requirement from plants. | ||
| Meat contains about 20 - 25% protein. This is equivalent to what you will find in nuts, seeds, dried beans and a few other plant-based foods. Nuts and seeds have the added advantage of containing fat that is largely made up of essential fatty acids. So consider adding almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and other yummy high-protein foods to your diet on a daily basis. | ||
| You may also
consider supplements such as vitamin D, chromium picolinate or
vanadium. Discuss this with your physician. |
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