Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? This article provides some complementary self-care measures that work well with traditional medical approaches for diabetes.

A meeting of physicians in La Jolla, California in March, 2004 provided evidence supporting the use of dietary supplements in evidence-based practice cosponsored by the Scripps Clinic and the University of California, San Diego. The speakers, all physicians, reviewed the data behind the claims for many supplements, warned about products known to have harmful effects and reported on some emerging supplements that show promise.

Dr. Jay Udani, medical director of the Northridge Hospital Integrative Medicine Program in Northridge, California said that doctors should encourage their patients with diabetes to take a daily multivitamin supplement. People with diabetes tend to excrete large amounts of zinc, chromium and magnesium. That may help explain why a well-designed research study (double-blind, placebo-controlled trial) of 130 people with diabetes showed that those who took a multivitamin and a mineral supplement reported fewer infectious illnesses and fewer days lost from work than did those who didn't take the supplements (Annals of Internal Medicine, 2003, volume 138, number 5, pp. 365-71).

Dr. Udani stated that "diabetics have very important sub-clinical vitamin deficiencies that may or may not be evident in plasma or urine tests."

There are many food sources of vitamins and minerals that you can take to help you control your diabetes. Find some of them listed below and add more of them to your daily meal plan.

Vitamin A: carrots, broccoli, kale, turnip greens, watercress, beets, dandelion greens, raw spinach, eggs, papayas, parsley, red peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yellow squash, apricots, cantaloupes

B-vitamins: sunflower seeds, whole wheat cereals and breads, green peas, soy products (tofu, tempeh, soy burgers, soy cheese, soy lunch meat), lima beans, crab meat, brown rice, wheat germ, chicken, peanuts, hickory nuts, oranges, watermelon, peaches, lettuce

Vitamin C: green peppers, honeydew melon, cooked broccoli or brussels sprouts or kale, strawberries, cooked cauliflower, oranges, watercress, raspberries, parsley, raw cabbage, blackberries, onions, sprouts, tomatoes

Vitamin D: fish, cod liver oil, eggs, salmon, tuna

Vitamin E:  wheat germ, peanuts, outer leaf of cabbage, leafy portions of broccoli and cauliflower, raw spinach, asparagus, whole grain cereals and breads, eggs, sweet potatoes

Vitamin K: cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, leafy green vegetables, wheat germ, peas, carrots

Zinc:  herring, eggs, nuts, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sardines, sea food, soy lecithin, lima beans, mushrooms, pecans, poultry, pumpkin seeds, dandelion greens

NOTE: A lot of zinc is lost in perspiration, so the more you perspire, the more you need. If you decide to take a mineral and a vitamin supplement with iron in it, be sure to take it separately; they interfere with each other's activity. Also, never take a mineral with more than l00 mgs of zinc daily, it can depress your immune system.

 Chromium: brown rice, cheese, whole grain cereals, dried beans, blackstrap molasses, chicken, corn, eggs, mushrooms, and potatoes.

CAUTION: Avoid chromium in a mineral or vitamin supplement, especially chromium picolinate) without first consulting with your health care provider. It can affect insulin reqirements so you will have to monitor your blood sugar level. It may be safest to eat foods high in chromium.

Magnesium:  fish, seafood, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, cantaloupe, garlic, green leafy vegetables, lemons, lima beans, millet, nuts, peaches, black-eyed peas, salmon, sesame seeds, tofu, tempeh, soy cheese, soy burgers, water cress and whole grain bread and cereals.

This article is for information purposes. For treatment, consult your health care practitioner.

Copyright 2006 www.carolynchambersclark.com