Diabetes SideDish

Apple a Day for Blood Sugar Delay?

Well, maybe not an apple a day year round but this time of year when apples are fresh picked I can eat at least one apple a day without a problem. And just yesterday I discovered a new apple that I LOVE! In fact right now I am eating my second one for the day and will be going to the store to get more tomorrow.

It's called SweeTango. What a great name! My son's reaction after his first bite was "That's incredible!"  I describe it as juicy, crispy and a combination of sweet and tanginess.

How are apples good for diabetes?
Natural chemicals in apples work together with the fiber to help slow the digestion and absorption of the sugars so you get a slower rise in blood sugar. These nutrients also help to lower cholesterol. You can read more about how that works at World's Healthiest Foods   You can also read more about a study where women who ate dried apples had a 23% drop in cholesterol!

For an apple dessert try my favorite apple crisp recipe in one of my archived newsletters!

5 Questions on the Diet Soda Debate

A Harvard University recent study says diet soda does NOT raise the risk of diabetes.    What?

Didn't they just say a few weeks ago that drinking diet soda was bad for us?

Well, here's my take on it. Ask yourself these 5 questions and see if it helps you decide for yourself.


1. Maybe the question is not which one is better but HOW MUCH?

How much soda am I drinking?
Many of the bad effects from food and drinks come down to how much and how often we have it.
The FDA has set the Acceptable Daily Intake of aspartame at a level equal to drinking 17 cans of diet soda daily.  Really?   I don't think you need me to tell you that is not healthy and should not be acceptable.

2. How does it affect MY blood sugars?
Start checking before and 2 hours after drinking your favorite soda and see for yourself if it is a problem! Your blood sugar at 2 hours without diabetes would be under 140. If it is over 180 that means your insulin, whether you take it or make it, is not able to keep up with the quick rise in your blood sugar.

3. How do I feel physically if I drink diet soda?
I have had many clients that get headaches or body aches from artificial sweeteners. Personally I get a terrible stomach ache if I drink any regular soda, or other sweetened beverage. Diet soda does not do that but I do have to go the bathroom more urgently - which suggests to me that my body is trying to get rid of it faster. Probably not a good sign. Not scientific - but one of those Listen to your Body therapies.

4. Have you read the ingredients?     

Which sweetener is in there?
Usually it is a combination but some are sensitive to aspartame but not sucralose, or vice versa. 


5. What can I drink that would be a healthier alternative to either diet OR regular soda?
Try coffee, tea, water, milk, 100% juice diluted or in small 4-6 oz portions, or water flavored naturally with fresh or frozen fruit.

My own personal and professional experience tells me that I should probably avoid both diet and regular soda. Do I? . .. . Not completely.  I have a diet soda occasionally and I have prevented diabetes for 15 years now after having gestational diabetes. I do not suspect diet soda to be increasing the risk of diabetes by itself  . . but overall unhealthy eating habits? . . . and not enough activity . . .  Yes.

Kicking Off National Nutrition Month with My 100th Blog Post!

Since I have been away from my blog for a while I thought it fitting to start posting again in celebration of National Nutrition Month, and as I pulled up my blog I realized this would be my 100th post!

So to kick off this month I would like to share some interesting tidbits from an article in the issue of Diabetes Forecast I just received.  Christy L. Parkin, associate editor, talks about a lecture Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic, gave at the annual meeting for diabetes educators last summer.

The topic was the genetic influence on aging and how we can prevent diabetes or diabetes complications.

Here are my two favorite quotes from this article . . . .

• By the time you reach 50, lifestyle dictates 80% of how you age, and only 20% is genes

• Four factors cause 75 percent of chronic diseases and they are all within our control . . . tobacco, food choices/portions, inactivity, and stress

What I take away from this is that since I am now 40 something with a family history of diabetes, it is even more important for me to stay active, control portions, make healthy food choices and practice stress management. Yet our tendency as we age is to get less activity and gain weight. Guess this gives me another reason to get on my treadmill tomorrow!

 

 

Stay tuned for more

Do You Have a Holistic Health Vision for Diabetes Wellness this New Year?

Do you make New Years Resolutions?

Well, most people don't and I guess I don't either but I do find it inspiring to sit down and put on paper my life goals, if you will , for the year ahead. I think most of us are afraid to make resolutions because we know they usually don't last and then we feel like a failure. However, after the hustle and bustle of the holidays I do find it energizing to get out the new calendar and look ahead to what I want to accomplish in the coming months.

You might not call them New Years Resolutions but if you have diabetes or prediabetes you might have ideas in your mind of wanting to lose weight to reverse diabetes, or reduce medications, or start eating better and exercising so you have more energy to do certain things. These thoughts can be very useful as part of a diabetes health vision for the new year.

Most diabetes health goals may be related to weight loss, food and exercise but don't forget the that other areas of our life affect our health and diabetes as well.

Consider these questions and thoughts as you think about your health and diabetes wellness goals for the New Year.

• How is my emotional health? Are my relationships with spouse, family, and friends strong? This is an important part of happiness and wellness and if these relationships are suffering it will also affect our physical health. Do you have someone you can talk to when the stress of life is overwhelming? Are you spending time in hobbies or activities you really enjoy? My emotional health activities include gardening, tennis and hiking in the nice weather months and cooking or reading in winter months.
• How is my financial health? Diabetes can be a very costly health problem. There are several cost saving strategies for diabetes supplies and medications that are available. Exercise and healthy food can also fit into a tight budget. These are topics that I often discuss with clients as their diabetes nutrition coach, but beyond diabetes and health costs, getting control of our overall financial health can also take a big stress off our mind and help us focus on physical wellness.
• How is my spiritual health?  When everything else is falling apart, having a strong spiritual foundation is often what gets us through tough times.  Faith and hope are very powerful healing elements. For me this past year has been very challenging emotionally with my family experiencing job losses, health challenges and just a few weeks ago the sudden death of one of my sisters. My faith in God and knowing she is in a happier peaceful place brings comfort and helps me accept the loss.
• How is my job/career/work health?  I have to admit that I am often guilty of working too much and the past few months so much that it has started to have a negative affect on my physical and emotional health. One of my goals for the new year is to get this back into balance and focus more on doing the work I enjoy - coaching, teaching and writing for people searching for a better life where diabetes is not taking away their health.
• How is my physical health? We all know we are supposed to eat healthy and exercise, right? It's not the knowing WHAT to do.  It's finding the answers to HOW to get it done. If you have been trying to find those answers but are just frustrated and are afraid to even set goals for fear of failure, maybe I can help. My focus this year will be on coaching individuals toward that diabetes wellness vision. I will be working on tools and articles to add to my website but if you would like to talk about how I might be able to help you reach your vision of diabetes health, send me an email and we will set up a phone call to discuss what type of program might fit your needs.

Now, go grab a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and sit down to plan your holistic health vision for the new year!

 

A Dozen Diabetes Prevention Steps for a Healthy December

Instead of waiting for January to start getting back into healthy habits, why not start now and feel good about your efforts going into the new year!     

Here are a dozen things you can choose from to get started on your diabetes prevention or reversal plan.  My challenge to you is to choose 3 of them and start practicing them this month, this week, and even today!

1.      Choose a power breakfast to start your day off on a positive note. Choose from whole grains, fresh fruit, boiled egg, or yogurt.

2.      Use smaller plates and bowls. You will eat less of everything without counting calories!

3.      Check the portion size on labels and compare that to what how much you are eating to become more aware of what you are putting in your body.

4.      Limit starch (bread, rice, potatoes, pasta) to 2 servings or 1 cup per meal.

5.      Satisfy your sweet tooth by including a small serving daily. Dark chocolate or fruit make healthy desserts.

6.      Get your potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and more powerful nutrients by eating your favorite fruits daily.  

7.      Enjoy the non-starchy vegetables at meals and for the munchies between meals!

8.      Eat fish high in omega-3 (salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, mackerel) twice a week to lower inflammation.

9.      Make a soup or salad with lentils or beans each week.

10.    Enjoy nuts for snacks, on salads or in recipes.

11.   Save eating in front of TV for special movie nights.

12.   Move more!   . . . . Start with 10 minutes daily exercise.

 

Is Watermelon Good For Diabetes?

   

It's Watermelon Season!

Think watermelon is too sweet for diabetes?  Well, don't forget there are powerful nutrients in watermelon that help you fight disease also.

Antioxidants! Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A, both nutrients that help fight disease.

You also get B6, B1, potassium and magnesium.

Low Calorie!  One cup of watermelon has less than 50 calories.  And in the summer heat, watermelon is great for hydration because it's 92% water.

For a 2 carb snack you can eat 3 cups of watermelon - not a bad snack for under 150 calories.

Watermelon could even help you fight diabetes! Watermelon contains an amino acid that makes arginine, which helps insulin resistance, the main problem with type 2 diabetes.

Worried about watermelon spiking your blood sugar? 

• Try staying active when you eat watermelon.
• Check your blood sugar before and 2 hours after eating to see the effect.
• Monitor the carbohydrate portion. It's easy to overeat when snacking on watermelon. 

If you want to try a new way to eat watermelon check out this great summer recipe from Cooking Light!

Grilled Pork Chops with 2-Melon Salsa

Enjoy!

Diabetes DeProcessing: The High Fructose Corn Syrup Debate

What's your opinion on high fructose corn syrup?

Do you think it is getting unfairly attacked or do you think it is the root of all our health problems these days?

Maybe we need to go beyond the question of "is HFCS bad for our health?"  Maybe we need to ask ourselves . . . What else is in these processed foods I am eating? How much of these foods am I eating?  and Can I find another version of this food that has fewer ingredients? 

A recent study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology reported that consuming more fructose from added sugar is associated with high blood pressure. They referenced the amount of fructose as being 2-3 cans of soda daily.

So is it really the fructose causing higher blood pressure or the added sugar or the weight gain from the extra calories? Does it matter? In a world of processed foods everywhere and obesity, diabetes and heart disease causing health costs to skyrocket, the simple answer seems to be to eat less of them and substitute more fresh, unprocessed foods. You won't find HFCS in fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, or unprocessed grains.

Simple, but not easy. Changing our eating habits starts with an awareness of how what we put in our bodies affects our health and wellness. If we understand that eating processed foods on a regular basis is eventually going to cause disease in our body, then the next reason to change our habits comes down to how much we value our life, our body and our children that are following in our footsteps.

If we value our health and we are able and willing to change, we will start buying less of the processed foods. We will start growing our own gardens and buying more fresh locally grown foods. We can not blame the food companies for producing these highly processed foods if we continue to buy them. Companies produce and sell what consumers demand.

So where can you start?      Well,  I decided to do a quick check of my kitchen. Reading the food labels I found HFCS in barbecue sauce, canned pasta, ice cream, cereal, and one of my kid's favorite soft drinks. It is in a LOT of foods.

Do a quick inventory for high fructose corn syrup in your kitchen.  Most foods you find HFCS in are also likely to contain several other ingredients you aren't familiar with. On my list I could easily find ice cream, cereal and pasta with very few ingredients. They can be more expensive comparing apples to apples but when you look at your overall food bill for the week, you can actually save money by eating less processed foods. You may need to do more cooking but there are also many quick and easy ways to prepare healthier foods. After you get away from eating processed foods your tastes will also change and you will want the real thing instead of a processed, artificial version.

Here are more articles on high fructose corn syrup from Eating Well. 

How a Diabetes Food Plan Gives You Freedom

If you have diabetes did you restrict the sweets this weekend? Or did you give yourself the freedom to eat as much as you wanted because you planned to get back on your diet tomorrow?

As I reflect on the 4th of July holiday I am thinking about the great freedom we have in this country to make our food choices. 

But with diabetes do you feel like the freedom to eat your favorite foods has been taken away from you?  If you are following the advice of your doctor, family or friends that have given you rules about what and what not to eat, those rules or diets may not be your best long term solution. They are trying to help but in order for lifestyle change to work it needs to be your choice and something you believe in and feel confident you can live with.

To set up a successful diabetes or weight loss food plan, take time to learn about diabetes, more importantly learn about your diabetes, and then set up a diabetes food plan that gives you freedom in your food choices and helps you reach your goals.  If you set up your own plan and make your own choices you will have more success and will want to stick with it.

One visit with your doctor or dietitian may give you instructions on foods but in reality developing a food plan that will help you reach your goals often takes weeks or months. Why so long? Because it is less about knowing what to eat and more about exploring how different choices are affecting your diabetes related goals.

Your diabetes food plan is not a  meal plan handout that everyone can take home and get magical results from. Think about all the factors influencing our food choices: our culture, environment, finances, health, emotions, social events, religious beliefs, past experiences, news stories, etc. You may start with a guide but you will need strategies for different situations in your life such as holidays, work days, weekends, and social events.

Finding a plan that will work means knowing where you are starting, setting goals, using strategies for problem solving and reviewing your progress.  That all takes time but once you have set up your own diabetes food plan you will feel you have more freedom in your food choices. 

Living healthier almost always gives you more freedom and independence in the long run. So what is your first step? Email me to get more information on how I can assist you in reaching your diabetes health goals.  My diabetes nutrition coaching program will help guide and support you as you find your plan for success!

5 Ways to Lower Your Chance of Heart Problems

Here are a few very specific things you can do to prevent heart disease, especially if you have diabetes. Check out the recent news links to learn more details. 

1. Limit the bologna, hot dogs, sausage and other processed meat you eat.  Read this news story. 
   
2. Brush your teeth twice daily and keep your gums healthy. Quick Video Explanation 
3. Try a bran cereal for breakfast. Read the story about how women with diabetes may live longer if they eat more bran.
4. Ask your doctor if you should be taking aspirin daily.  Quick Video Explanation
   
5. Lower your lipids by eating or drinking less sugar. Check out the article here.

Do you know the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke? 

  Take a quick review at the American Heart Association site.

Is Stress Eating Sabatoging Your Plan to Reverse Diabetes?

If you are trying to prevent diabetes, reduce diabetes medication or just stay off diabetes meds, you are probably working at weight loss. For me, the most difficult part of keeping weight under control is staying on track with my carb portion plan.

What usually gets me off track? Two things: stress eating and lack-of-sleep eating. Why? Because when I am eating in response to either of these feelings, I am not paying attention to how much I put in my mouth.

Mindful eating is something we have gotten away from and often is contributing to our weight problems. There's a great blog about Diabetes and Mindful Eating. Check it out and  read this article on hunger and diabetes.

Today is a perfect example of a day where I did not practice mindful eating.  I am stressed out and having post vacation fatigue. So 6 hours after breakfast I realize I am really hungry and eat a large bowl of ice cream, about 2 cups of mac & cheese, and half a Hershey candy bar. Uggh! I put at least 10 carb servings in my body and got very little nutrition out of it. Now I sit down to work and can barely keep my eyes open to see my computer. I'm not proud to admit this unhealthy eating but it is a reality that happens to most people who struggle with weight control. 

I do like to put a positive light on managing diabetes so if I look at the positive side,  I know that this will happen from time to time but the majority of time I am able to keep portions under control and choose healthy foods. I have learned to let go of the guilt and move on to what I can do for exercise and healthy food choices at the next meal time. 

If you are having trouble with stress eating and need to get control of diabetes, my best suggestion is to get help from a professional that can give you some strategies and support. Of course, adequate sleep, a food plan, activities that distract your mind, and support of others around you will also help.

If you would like to share your strategies for stress eating please feel free to leave a comment.