• Food for Health
  • Eating Lifestyle
  • Superfoods
  • Natural Remedies
Home Food for Health How Diet Affects Common Metabolic Diseases

How Diet Affects Common Metabolic Diseases

How Diet Affects Common Metabolic Diseases

Metabolic diseases are the result of abnormalities in the way the body digests, uses, and stores energy and nutrients. They include diabetes, phenylketonuria, and hereditary hemochromatosis. People who have these conditions may be fully unable to eat certain food groups, or they may only be able to eat them in moderation. Fortunately, there are many other foods that they can enjoy that can even help manage their condition:

1. Diabetes
There are three variants of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes are born without the ability to produce their own insulin, which the body requires to metabolize sugar. People with type 2 diabetes have simply lost the ability to respond to insulin over time. Gestational diabetes can occur during pregnancy and terminates after the baby is born. People looking for a healthy diabetes diet should strive to eat a balanced variety of fresh, whole foods. Healthy carbohydrate choices are key. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are composed of complex carbohydrates and fiber. This means they take longer to be digested into glucose, which then puts less stress on the body. Diabetes can also lead to heart disease, so heart-healthy fish like salmon and sardines are a great choice because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Healthy fats like avocado are another great and delicious addition.

2. Phenylketonuria
Phenylketonuria or PKU as it is also called, occurs when the body cannot correctly metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. People with phenylketonuria have a long list of foods they must avoid. Foods high in phenylalanine include cheese, soybeans, nuts, legumes such as lentils, chicken, turkey, tuna, and most seafood. Additionally, the artificial sweetener aspartame is metabolized into phenylalanine, so items such as soda and candy should be off-limits as well. People with phenylketonuria should aim for a diet high in fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, low-protein breads and pastas, rice, and peas. These restrictions may sound a little tough to work around, but all they require is a little creativity. In fact, these food groups are featured very heavily in the Mediterranean diet, which is recommended by nutritionists and scientists as being one of the healthiest diets possible. Furthermore, rice and peas are a common combination in many delicious dishes from the Caribbean, and are a great source of protein as well.

3. Hereditary hemochromatosis
This condition, which is also called iron overload disorder, causes the body to absorb too much iron from food. The excess iron builds up in parts of the body like the heart, pancreas, liver, skin, and joints. These body parts can eventually become damaged from the buildup of iron. Therefore, people with the condition must monitor their iron intake. Iron-rich foods include red meat, organ meat (especially liver), fortified grains such as cereals, and oysters. Surprisingly, those affected must also limit their intake of vitamins A and C, as these vitamins increase the body’s ability to absorb iron. Interestingly, people with this disease are encouraged to consume grains and legumes, as they contain phytic acid. Phytic acid has been shown to inhibit the body’s ability to absorb iron. Tea and coffee are also excellent choices for this diet, as the tannins that they contain are very effective at reducing iron absorbed by the body.

Related
Articles
Heart Healthy Mediterranean Diet Tips
Heart Healthy Mediterranean Diet Tips

The Mediterranean diet is one that includes heart healthy foods that are eaten by people who live near the Mediterranean sea. Using the Mediterranean diet has many health benefits, incl...

Healthy Snacks for Busy Kids
Healthy Snacks for Busy Kids

It can be a challenge to come up with easy snacks for kids. If it's a conspicuously healthy snack, it can be a major battle just to get them to try a bite, much less like it. If they ca...

Natural Anti-Acne Foods
Natural Anti-Acne Foods

Acne is one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to teens or adults. To make matters worse, pimples always seem to spring up at the most inopportune times. The best way to de...

Home Remedies for Migraine
Home Remedies for Migraine

Migraine is a neurological condition that is characterized by intense and unbearable headaches caused by a variety of reasons (i.e., weather, fragrance or chemical smells, food, and pol...

You May
Also Like
Dietary Tips for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Dietary Tips for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disorder that comes with deteriorating muscle weakness. In addition to that, there is a limitation of nerve cells that are responsible for seamless mo...

Diet and Lifestyle Tips for Post-Cancer Recovery
Diet and Lifestyle Tips for Post-Cancer Recovery

With a cancer diagnosis the available options for treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. These treatments, in combination or separately, can be ha...

Classic Cocktail Recipes for Entertaining Guests
Classic Cocktail Recipes for Entertaining Guests

Making classic cocktails for entertaining guests is not as easy as you think. Unless you happen to be a bartender by profession, there is very little chance that you will remember the c...

Dietary Changes To Manage Ulcerative Colitis
Dietary Changes To Manage Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease. It can cause inflammation in the digestive tract. Mainly affecting the large intestine and the rectum, it can also increase a suffer...

Justfood4thought.com aims to help our readers feel better by putting thought into what they eat. We encourage food as a self care practice to help each reader be more energetic, happy, and healthy. Come back to Justfood4thought.com for a hearty helping of articles meant to nourish your body and your mind at every stage of life.

Other
Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
Top
Blogs
Foods to Avoid for Multiple Sclerosis
Foods to Avoid for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a brain disease that deteriorates the brain's myelin sheath, a protective fatty layer that insulates your brain's nerve fibers. MS is a result of the immune s...

Auto Draft

...

Dummy Article
Dummy Article

Hereditary angioedema is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by sudden episodes of swelling that can occur in various parts of the body, including the face, hands, feet, and g...

Copyrights © 2023 justfood4thought.com