Beat Diabetes with Better Nutrition

Simple Strategies for a Healthy Sugar Intake

Sugar has been a hot topic in the news recently. If you are concerned about diabetes you probably open your ears when you hear these news stories, but do you end up feeling more confused after hearing all the conflicting reports?

Sugar in the News

American Heart Association recently released new guidelines on maximum intake of added sugars. Basically for women they are recommending no more than 100 calories of added sugar intake daily, and for men no more than 140 calories.  Translated into every day life that means men should limit added sugar to no more than 12 oz soft drink and women  -  just 8 oz is your quota.

I wonder how much impact that guideline will really have. If we have a sweet craving are we really going to care about that new AHA recommendation?

Corn on the Cob Too Much Carb?

This is the time of year for one of my favorite foods . . . fresh sweet corn!  But is corn on the cob too high carb for those of us trying to control weight and prevent diabetes?

Well, I am not about to give up one of the great fresh garden foods that only come around a few weeks every year. So here are a few tips to enjoy the season's harvest while watching your waistline . . .

How much should you eat? One medium ear of sweet corn gives you about 140 calories and one-and-a half carbohydrate servings. So for women 2 ears of sweet corn would be a smart portion for carb control and weight control.

What about the butter?  I grew up only knowing how to cook sweet corn on the stovetop in water but my new favorite way to cook it now is on the grill. You can grill it with the husk on but my favorite is to husk it and wrap each ear in foil. I also like to pre-portion a teaspoon of butter off the stick and put in each foil wrapped ear. If you can resist adding more before you eat it you can control the extra calories you add. One teaspoon butter will add 35 calories.

Counting calories or carbs? Here you go . . . 2 medium ears sweet corn = about 270 calories, 2 teaspoons butter = about 70 calorie. Add 3-4 oz grilled lean meat or a salad and you are still under 500 calories for the meal!

Enjoy Patriotic Strawberry Recipes While Getting Powerful Nutrients!

Strawberries are one of the top 20 antioxidant fruits and veggies -  great for keeping our brain healthy and preventing cancer.  Better yet, they taste great and are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. If you're counting calories, one cup is only 50 calories! 

One of my favorite meals during strawberry season is grilled chicken breast cut up into a green salad with sliced almonds and a little drizzle of salad dressing.  

For a fun patriotic dessert make July 4th Flag Fruit Pizza!  (I use pre-made sugar cookie dough when I'm in a hurry.)

Or try this low calorie Strawberry Smoothie Recipe: 1 cup ripe strawberries, 1 banana, 1-2 tbsp honey, 1/2 cup yogurt vanilla or plain, 1/2 cup ice and 1/2 cup water. You can also add a tablespoon of ground flax seed for omega-3 if you like. I like to save my too-ripe bananas in freezer and use in place of ice for smoothies. Just remember the key to weight control with smoothies is keeping the portion to an 8 oz glass, unless this is your meal.

If you're looking for more information on buying, storing, or freezing strawberries check out this  Strawberry Hints & Tips Guide . You'll also find some great recipes such as Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate!

Are Summer Beverages Sabotaging Your Weight Control?

Do you know how many calories your favorite summer drink has?

If you grab a 20 oz soda, juice, or bottled tea you get about 250 calories. Smoothies and shakes will range 300-700 calories or more! Alcoholic beverages vary depending on the type but all will have calories.

We often forget about our drinks having calories or possibly being the source of weight gain but don't forget to count them in if you're monitoring calories. And if you can choose a low cal or zero calorie beverage, you have more room to enjoy your favorite summer foods.

Looking for some low cal summer drinks that are actually healthy for you?

Try brewed iced tea or green tea. There are berry, honey or citrus flavored tea bags if you don't like just plain black or green tea. . .  Or try adding your own lemon slices, fresh or frozen berries, or natural sweetener. We hear so many bad things about sugar but if you think about it . . . You can add a teaspoon of white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to a zero calorie, antioxidant-containing tea for only 15 calories! That's much healthier than any artificially sweetened beverage or pre-bottled drink containing 150 or more calories!

Club Soda also has 0 calories. You could also put berries, lemon or lime and a little sugar in Club Soda if you don't like tea!

Here's a few iced tea recipes to get you started . . .

Mixed Berry Iced Tea

Green Tea Iced Tea

Green Tea Berry Delight  

6 Reasons Eggs Still Part of Healthy Diet

Since the 1970's we were told not to eat eggs because they were too high in cholesterol. Recent review of over 200 studies has shown that eggs do not have much effect on our cholesterol but many are not aware of that or are still being told by health professionals to avoid eggs.

Consider these 6 reasons why eggs are part of a healthy diet.

1. Cholesterol in food does not have much effect on our blood cholesterol. Eating too much saturated fat is actually what contributes to high cholesterol levels. Focus on controlling the amount of saturated fat you eat instead. 

2. Eggs are actually low in saturated fat. One egg has less than 2 grams saturated fat and for heart health we should try to eat no more than 15-20 grams saturated fat daily. So 2 eggs for a meal would be no more than 25% of that daily limit. In comparison, a small 95% lean burger has 3 grams saturated fat.  Eggs also contain 44% monounsaturated fat, which is the type of fat that can help lower cholesterol.  Don't forget to keep the butter, bacon and sausage to a minimum though or you will get a lot of saturated fat.

3. Eggs are a very high quality source of protein, contain 13 essential vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of choline and lutein, important for healthy brain and eyes. 

4. Eggs can help control hunger and make weight loss easier. In one study comparing an egg breakfast to a bagel breakfast, those who had eggs for breakfast reported feeling less hungry throughout the day and lost 65% more weight. 

5. Eggs are a low calorie food. One egg has about 75 calories. So if you eat an breakfast of 2 eggs, 2 whole grain toast with a little preserves, and fruit  - you will have a tasty well balanced meal for under 500 calories! 

6. Eggs make a nutritious, low cost meal.  Just this weekend I bought eggs at the grocery store for $1.29 a dozen. That's only about 10 cents per egg. We could all use a little savings right now on the grocery bill right?

So there you have it - 6 reasons to stop worrying about eggs clogging up your arteries. Try some new egg recipes and don't forget about egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, or a hard-boiled egg in your salad.

Here's a recipe for Mushroom, Tomato, Basil Frittata . A frittata is basically an Italian version of the omelet. This recipe is easy, healthy and low calorie! Enjoy! 

5 Questions to Consider Regarding Diet Soda and Diabetes Risk

You may have heard in the news over the past year about studies linking diet soda intake to the risk for diabetes. The studies looked at the link between drinking one or more diet sodas per day and an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of health problems that lead to diabetes. 

So are you at risk of developing diabetes if you drink diet soda? We can't say for sure but thinking about these 5 questions will give you some guidelines to help you make choices for your own personal diabetes prevention. 

Salmon for Diabetes Prevention and Heart Health

I'm back!

After a much needed summer vacation up the North Shore of Lake Superior I am back to work and back to blogging. Some Lake Superior trivia for you - did you know that Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area? and the average temperature is 40 degrees? This is a picture of my family testing the waters! Needless to say it was REALLY cold water!!! 

 

Now back to my topic - My favorite vacation food was cedar planked salmon slow cooked over an open fire. It was delicious! This was prepared at the lake lodge where we were staying for the week. I have been wanting to try preparing some cedar grilled salmon ever since!

You may know that salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower triglycerides, cholesterol, reduces plaque buildup in the arteries and prevents excess blood clotting.

Did you know omega-3 can also lower your risk of obesity? Omega-3 fats stimulate secretion of leptin, which is a hormone that helps regulate food intake. This makes salmon a great food for weight control, diabetes and heart health.

Other weight loss benefits of eating salmon are its zero carb content for those on low carb eating plans and low calorie content. A 4-oz portion will be only about 135-200 calories. Compare that to the barbecued ribs option at about twice the calories!

Here are some tips for buying and storing salmon:

• choose wild salmon rather than farmed salmon when possible. Farmed salmon can be high in PCBs.
• buy salmon from a reputable seafood store or fishmonger
• to know the salmon is fresh look for it displayed buried in ice if it is fresh whole salmon
• if salmon is fillets or steaks look for it placed on top of ice
• the smell should be fresh, not fishy
• at home store in a baking dish on ice in cold part of refrigerator
• if freezing for later use, wrap in plastic and freeze for up to 2-3 weeks

I found some recipes for cedar plank grilled salmon at www.allrecipes.com that look great. As soon as I get a chance to try them I will share my results with you. If you have some tasty salmon recipes please share your comments as well!

Food Fats That Fight Belly Fat and Diabetes

You can help your body fight diabetes by choosing the right food fats.

How does this work? Studies have shown that certain fats help reduce inflammation, lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides and are less likely to turn to belly fat. Belly fat, also called visceral fat, is the fat we have around our heart, liver, pancreas, stomach and other internal organs. Too much belly fat increases our chance of heart problems and diabetes.

Don't be fooled by thinking you need to eat a very low fat diet by buying fat-free salad dressing, low-fat cheese and other fat-reduced products. Instead try these foods that taste much better, are naturally heart healthy, and reduce inflammation.

• Olives or olive oil: use for cooking or salad-dressing
• Canola oil: use for baking or pan-frying
• Avocados: use as veggie dip or on sandwiches or in salads
• Nuts; great as snack or in salads
• Flax Seed: add 1-2 tablespoons ground to breads, salads, cereal, yogurt or any cooked dish
• Tuna or salmon: Eat twice a week for the omega-3 benefit

For a great Mediterranean Pizza recipe visit my website link http://www.dietmn.com/newsletter_archives/newsletter_022008.html#recipe

Kumquats

While my daughter and I were grocery shopping a few days ago she became intrigued by the fruit that resembled tiny little oranges. So we bought just a small handful to try as they were quite spendy! I was surprised at how interesting their taste was. My daughter describes the taste as similar to sour Skittles. Apparently you can eat them like grapes -  peel and all, which we did not know at the time - but what a fun taste sensation! That little fruit gives you a puckering sour taste at first and then a sweet taste follows!

Kumquats are native to China and are produced form small evergreen trees. The outer skin actually has the sweetness and the inner flesh the tartness. So if we would have eaten the skin our taste experience might have been sweet first and then sour? Something to try next time! Kumquats are only about an inch long and are round or oval, otherwise resembling an orange.

Are they healthy? Yep! You get fiber, vitamins A, C, potassium and traces of calcium and iron. Eight of them = 100 calories.