One of the biggest concerns people with high blood sugar have is their diet. They must be very careful about what they consume as depending on how healthy it is and how much essential nutrition it has, it can either harm you or not affect you.

A recent study brings good news for people with type 2 diabetes. It suggests that having 100% orange juice with breakfast might not negatively affect blood sugar levels, which goes against what many have thought for a long time about managing this condition through diet. This could mean more flexibility in what people with type 2 diabetes can enjoy.

Type 2 diabetes is a big health issue, affecting millions of people. In the US alone, it's estimated that in 2021, 38.4 million people had diabetes. Because so many people are affected, it's really important to find ways to manage the condition through daily choices, especially what we eat and drink.

Unpacking the Impact of Orange Juice

In a recent research study published in the Nutrition and Diabetes journal, scientists looked at how different breakfast drinks affected people with type 2 diabetes who were already managing their condition well. Participants ate a breakfast that included carbohydrates, and then had either whole oranges, a glass of pure orange juice, or a sugary orange-flavored drink. For four hours after the meal, the researchers carefully checked their blood sugar and insulin levels to see the effects.

No Significant Difference

The research team was quite surprised by what they found. They had expected that eating whole fruit would lead to the lowest blood sugar levels, and that orange juice and sugary drinks would cause them to be higher. However, the study showed there was actually no difference in blood sugar levels between the groups.

The scientists believe that the main reason for the rise in blood sugar and insulin was actually the bread consumed as part of the breakfast. The small amounts of sugar from the fruit or drinks didn't seem to make much of a difference.

It's important to understand that this study doesn't suggest that people with diabetes should drink just any sugary beverage. Those kinds of drinks usually don't offer any nutritional benefits. However, 100% orange juice is different. Its sugars come directly from the fruit itself, and it contains many of the same important vitamins, minerals, and natural compounds found in whole oranges.

Bridging the Nutritional Gap

While eating whole fruit is still the healthiest choice, partly because it contains fiber, a small glass of 100% fruit juice each day can be a convenient option when whole fruit isn't available. This is especially helpful because a lot of young adults aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables according to health guidelines. Including a daily glass of pure fruit juice could help them get more of the important nutrients they need.

Pure orange juice and other 100% fruit juices are considered minimally processed. This means they don't have any added sugars, artificial flavors, or preservatives. Just one glass of orange juice provides a large portion of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C, which is a crucial nutrient for a strong immune system and healthy skin. Experts suggest that adding a small daily glass of fruit juice can be an easy way to make sure you get important nutrients and vitamins, especially if you have well-controlled diabetes and are also choosing high-fiber breakfast foods.

While vacationing may be a great way to relax and center yourself, there is a lot of preparing one must do to ensure that their trip doesn’t end in someone getting sick. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) wants everyone to think about their health and well-being when packing their bags. Their Travel Health Pro website is a great resource, offering up-to-date information on illnesses in different countries, helpful for both travelers and medical staff.

Essential Checks for a Healthy Trip

The UKHSA has put together an "essential travel checklist" to help keep you and your family healthy while abroad. A key part of this is knowing what illnesses are common in the places you're visiting. The UKHSA has a detailed list of diseases that you should be aware of for specific destinations, including some very serious ones. Certain illnesses, like malaria, are spread by mosquitoes. These can be very serious but are often preventable. The UKHSA suggests:

• Wearing long-sleeved clothing.
• Using insect repellent.
• Sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets if there's no air conditioning.

This year, be especially careful about dengue fever, as cases have increased worldwide, particularly in popular spots like Barbados, Thailand, Brazil, and India. The Zika virus is also still a concern, and pregnant women especially should be extra cautious.

Rabies is another threat in many holiday spots, spread through bites or scratches from infected animals. While it's almost always deadly once symptoms appear, vaccinations and quick treatment can prevent it. The best way to protect yourself from rabies, dengue, and malaria is simply to avoid contact with animals and use measures like mosquito nets and repellent to keep pests away.

General Holiday Health Tips

Sunburn often goes hand-in-hand with summer holidays, as people try to soak up as much sun as possible. However, this can be dangerous. Dehydration can lead to serious health issues, and too much sun exposure increases your risk of skin cancer. It's not just about drinking more water, though. The UKHSA advises:

• Be careful about water and food safety. Drink bottled water when needed.
• Traveler's diarrhea is common. If you get it, rest, drink plenty of bottled fluids (add rehydration salts if you can).
• Seek medical help if symptoms are severe or don't improve in three days.
• Protect yourself from too much sun by staying in the shade between 11 am and 3 pm, wearing sunscreen, a hat, and light clothing.

Other Healthy Travelling Tips

Some other tips that may help you keep your health while travelling safe, according to the American Heart Association are,

Stay Active While Traveling

Keeping active on your trip is easy with a few smart choices. Skip airport moving walkways; walk instead. On road trips, take frequent stops for stretches and short walks. Find a hotel with a gym or pool to fit in workouts, even early mornings.

Eat Smart on the Go

Be mindful of your food choices, especially with new or fast foods. Pack healthy snacks like nuts and fruit to avoid unhealthy options. When dining out, choose grilled lean proteins with salads. Plan for occasional treats, enjoying local delights as a planned "cheat meal," not a whole week.

Prioritize Your Well-being

Manage stress in busy places like airports by finding quiet spots to stretch or meditate. Treat yourself to a hotel spa's steam room or massage to relax. Take advantage of a quiet hotel room for meditation, enjoying its calming benefits.

Plan for a Healthier Trip

Research your hotel for gym or pool access and nearby healthy restaurants. Pack workout clothes and swimwear with purpose. Schedule time for exercise, meditation, or stretch breaks into your daily plan. Planning ahead makes healthy travel much easier.

People are often surprised by how even innocent habits can be the cause of their declining health. Many times, we take on these habits, maybe due to stress or due to work. However, it is important to understand the implications of it and how to counter its effects. A common habit that we all have is scrolling on our phones or watching the television before we go to sleep. Many people find it comforting to relax their minds like this. However, it may be doing more harm to your health than good.

A new study suggests that a common habit, being exposed to light at night, might be increasing your chances of developing heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Researchers found that people who had more light exposure from things like TVs, phones, and laptops during nighttime hours faced a higher risk of these serious heart-related problems.

Tracking Light Exposure and Heart Health

The study looked at data from nearly 89,000 people in Britain. These participants wore special wrist sensors that measured how much light they were exposed to. Their health was then followed using their medical records for almost 10 years. The results showed that those who had the most light exposure at night had a significantly higher risk:

• 23-32% higher risk of developing coronary artery disease (a common type of heart disease).
• 42-47% higher risk of having a heart attack.
• 28-32% more likely to suffer from an irregular heartbeat.
• 28-30% more likely to experience a stroke.

Who Might Be Most Affected?

The researchers also noticed some specific trends. The links between more nighttime light exposure and heart failure or coronary artery disease were stronger for women. Meanwhile, the connections with heart failure and irregular heartbeat were more pronounced in younger people.

The researchers concluded that "Night light exposure was a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases." They believe that "avoiding light at night may be a useful strategy for reducing risks of cardiovascular diseases," in addition to existing preventative measures.

It's well-known that light at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which is your body's natural internal clock controlling your sleep-wake cycle. Previous studies have shown that people whose body clocks are often disrupted, like shift workers, are more prone to heart problems.

Interestingly, the research, which analyzed a massive 13 million hours of light exposure data, also found a positive side. People who were exposed to brighter light during the day had lower risks of coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

New Factor in Heart Health Prevention

Experts behind the study stated that this was the first time night light had been identified as an important risk factor by looking at individuals' actual light exposure patterns and their heart health. They highlighted that heart diseases are a leading cause of illness and death worldwide.

Current advice for preventing these diseases includes eating healthy, getting enough physical activity, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. This study adds a new recommendation: avoiding night light could be a promising way to further prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Inner Child’ is Health and Me's new mental health series where we deep dive into lesser-known aspects of child psychology and how it shapes you as you grow up. Often unheard, mistaken, and misunderstood, in this series we talk about the children’s perspective and their mental health, something different than you might have read in your parenting books. After all, parenting is not just about teaching but also unlearning.

Growing up, we would always compare the way our parents behaved in comparison to others’. “My mum lets me get home late if I let her know where I am” or “I can’t even stay outside past 8 pm, even if it is for schoolwork”. These things were common, and we often used to bring these up to get our parents to be more lenient. As kids, these rules and regulations seemed harsh and no amount to freedom could trump over the control our parents had over our lives. However, as we have grown into adulthood, we have understood how important that ‘control’ was and how it was actually more of guidance than control.

But when does this control become too much? Is there a cap on how much influence a parent should have on their child? While you may believe that you are helping and protecting your child, are you actually sabotaging your child from living an independent and self-sufficient life?

Speaking to specialists and experts, Heathandme does a deep dive into a child’s psychology and the future impact of the shackles parents place on their children from living a fulfilling life. We spoke to Dr. Pretty Duggar Gupta, a psychiatrist at Aster Whitefield Hospital, Dr. Rahul Chandhok, Head of Psychiatry at Artemis Lite NFC, and Rima Bhandekar, a senior psychologist from Mpower.

How Much Control Is Too Much Control?

Having that sense of control over their children’s lives is very important for some parents. “Some parents have a hard time letting their kids be free because they are worried about their safety, are afraid of bad influences, or don't know if their child can make the right choices” explains Dr. Chandhok.

Dr. Duggar continues “In many cases, unresolved childhood trauma or societal pressure to raise ‘perfect’ children pushes them to overcorrect every step. They fear that granting autonomy means exposing their child to harm, not realizing that a lack of independence can impair emotional development.” Children are not equipped to make the right decisions, they may have tried thinking things through, but their lack of real-life experience can make it difficult to make the right choices, however, does that justify the complete lack of trust you have in your child?

While understanding this from a parent’s perspective is understandable, one wonders how the children feel about this.

A Child’s Point Of View

Your lack of trust can be the turning point in the view a child holds themselves in. As parents, you are the first teachers, the first friends and sometimes their first bully. The internalized thoughts of ‘I must not be smart enough to do this’ or things similar to these are bound to plague the child. What does it lead to? Over-dependency, lack of critical thinking as well as a sense of detachment, you have effectively ensured your child does not open up to you. Dr. Chandhok explains that when parents have a hard time letting go and keep an iron grip on their children, “Over time, this can make you feel bad about yourself, anxious, and emotionally detached. The person feels like they're being watched, not supported, which makes their brain stress out. They might not learn how to be independent and instead become afraid of making choices or too reliant on other people.”

Even if they do things their own way and the results are better than what they expected, you may not hear about this at all, why? Because the lack of trust you have shown in them, told the child their work will simply not be good enough.

Dr. Bhandekar explains, “Constant supervision can lead to emotional tension in the child. It can lead to low self-confidence, inability to make big decisions, fear of failure, and children hiding their relationships, habits or their stress for fear of punishment by their parents.”

While your protectiveness may save them from a few bad experiences or damaging events, the lack of friction against the grittiness of life, can be detrimental to a child.

Freedom For All, But What Does It Mean?

While we all understand the basics of raising children, the details are left vague ‘to each their own’. Every child is different, hence needing different types of care, but does this apply to how much freedom, or lack thereof, a child should get?

While there may not be a right answer, we can all follow the same logic, Dr Duggar explains, “Freedom is not a blank check; freedom is adaptive boundaries. Freedom for a young adult must include decision-making—selecting a course of study, learning to handle money, navigating interpersonal conflicts—yet also having the safety net of guidance.”

But why do we need to give this guidance? One of the reasons why a young adult’s decision making may not be as good as you want them to be is because their brains are just not developed enough. “The frontal lobe of the brain, which is in charge of making decisions, is still growing at this age. This can make it harder to control impulses and make good decisions. So, freedom should mean being able to make choices every day, manage your time, and learn from your mistakes. Parents should give emotional support and set healthy limits.” said Dr. Chandok.

However, it doesn’t always have just one outcome. Stories of people separating from their parents on account of their over-involvement in their lives are countless. While they may not realize how the lack of boundaries with their parents hurts them, over the years it can cause many things, Dr Duggar explains “it can result in rebellion or emotional withdrawal from the family entirely, leading to a disconnection that could have been prevented with trust and communication.”

One Mistake And You Are Out!

It is not rare for a parent to enforce more rules and become more strict when their children do things wrong. But a question arises, were they wrong, or is it a part of growing up? “A child's feelings and actions can often show that their parents made mistakes about how to act. If a child is anxious, violent, too quiet, or avoids social situations, it could be because they have strict rules, don't get enough support, or feel too much pressure at home.” said Dr. Chandhok. He continues, “A child's brain and feelings are shaped by how they are treated, from a simple psychological point of view. If you keep criticizing or ignoring them, it can hurt their sense of worth and make them more stressed.” Adding to this, Dr Bhandekar said, “Constant worry, control, and questioning from parents can slowly break down a child’s ability to manage themselves. Often parents forget that their response often shapes a child's choices more than the concern itself.”

Space for Mistakes And Allowing To Grow

Hearing what you did, or how you treated your child from their perspective is hard for parents to accept. ‘That is not what I did! You are twisting my words!’ is a common feeling. Whether you are the parent or an observer, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Why did you never speak up?’

However, what’s even more surprising for them is that the signs may have been hidden in plain sight, you were just too caught up to notice them. Dr Bhandekar details that some signs you may have missed could be -

• Not openly sharing their stress with you
• Always trying to be perfect which is hindering their success
• Blaming themselves frequently even for small mistakes
• Seems anxious or upset around you for your expecting more than their limits
• Behaving in a harmful way to avoid conflicts with others.

“They might follow the rules, but only because they're scared, not because they respect or understand them. This can hurt their mental health over time. Real discipline teaches, but extreme control makes your child quiet and keeps them away from you.” Dr Chandhok concludes.

Listen to Them, Not Just For Show

Children have a lot to tell; one just has to understand their communication preferences. Some kids may like talking, others may enjoy showing their feelings through actions. Communication is key to building that confidence and trust some parents lack about their children being able to handle themselves.

Making mistakes, failing and sometimes ending up in immensely difficult situations are all things we have to be prepared for. You do not need to train your children for these, they fail and learn themselves, what you should stress about is your presence, but not in a way that takes away from them, but in a way that adds. ‘When you look back, we’ll be right there’