Beat Diabetes with Better Nutrition

Quick Video on Why Exercise is Important to Keep Weight Off

2009-11-02T14:27:06-06:00

Quick post here to share a video that may help inspire you to keep exercising as we head into the colder months of the holiday season. Like many of you, I struggle every so often to keep my motivation for exercise going, even though I know how important it is to prevent diabetes.

I talk to clients every day who are taking or have taken a pill for weight loss but I have not seen one yet that isn't a temporary fix. AND they all have potential side effects.

Exercise and healthy eating are still our best medicine for weight control and diabetes prevention. Not as easy as taking a pill but worth the effort!

November is American Diabetes Month: Get Answers to Your Diabetes Questions

2009-11-01T22:44:27-06:00

November is American Diabetes Month. Since the purpose of my blog is to inform you of how you can prevent diabetes or increased diabetes medication with better nutrition, I will be posting more frequently than usual about various diabetes topics.

To start check out these Common Diabetes Myths at the American Diabetes Association web site. These are common questions I hear daily and they have done a great job of answering them.

If you have questions that are not on the list of myths, please comment below or email me your question.

My Favorite Halloween Treats in 100 Calorie Portions!

2009-10-30T20:10:55-05:00

If you have leftover candy around the house and wondering how you can have a few treats without gaining weight, try portioning into 100 calorie snacks. Try to limit to 200 calories/day!

Here are my favorites with 100 calorie portions and carb info for you.

1. Smarties 4 rolls 100 calories 24 gms carb

2. Tootsie Pops 3 pops 90 calories 21 gms carb

3. Caramels 2 pieces 80 calories 16 gms carb

4. Skittles Fun Size 60 calories 14 gms carb

5. Resees Snack Size 110 calories 12 gms carb

6. Peanut M&Ms Fun Size 90 calories 11 gms carb

7. Dove Dark Chocolate 2 miniatures 90 calories 10 gms carb

8. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate 2 squares 110 calories 11 gms carb

9. Milk Duds 8 pieces 104 calories 17 gms carb

10. Snickers Fun Size 80 calories 10 gms carb

11. Twizzlers Fun Size 60 calories 14 gms carb

12. Chocolate Kisses 4 pieces 100 calories 10 gms carb

13. Butterfinger Fun Size 85 calories 14 gms carb

Simple Strategies for a Healthy Sugar Intake

2009-10-27T16:26:09-05:00

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?

Luckily, Coca-Cola will be coming out with 90 calorie cans and other soft drink companies will likely follow. But will they be a good value in cost in the eyes of consumers?

How about the proposed penny per ounce tax on soft drinks? Sounds like a good way to deter us from drinking too much sugar but I'm also not a fan of more government and taxes.

What sugars are safe?

Teaching about diabetes every day, I get lots of questions about sugar. I have a hard time keeping up with all the new products and research but more and more I find that if we just go back to the basic foods we have a better chance of making the healthier choice.

There are many many forms of sugar: Cane sugar, beet sugar, agave nectar, stevia, aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

Cane and beet sugar are the forms of brown and white sugar that we most commonly buy. If you want to know which source the sugar comes from you usually have to contact the manufacturer.

Agave nectar has recent concerns reported about its safety also. Todays Wall Street Journal has more on that story.

I have had several of my clients tell me they get headaches or body aches from aspartame. Other artificial sweeteners have been shown to cause cancer in mice or rats. We already have plenty of cancer risks without adding artificial sweeteners right?

Stevia has been approved by FDA just last year to be safe but the Center for Science in the Public Interest does not agree. Check out their Food Additives report. The only food additive sweeteners they list as safe are maltodextrin, neotame and sucralose (Splenda). The problem is that usually Splenda is used in combination with other sweeteners.

So what do you do when you really like sweets?

It's not necessary to cut out all sweets, even for those with diabetes. And eating too much sugar does not cause you to get diabetes. Too much sugar does mean too many calories and not enough nutrients, which can lead to weight gain and nutrient imbalances, which can contribute to developing diabetes.

In my fight to beat diabetes I am trying to minimize my own sugar intake with these simple strategies:

1. Use added sugar in moderation. Our family really likes sweets but I try to make more homemade sweets rather than buying packaged sweets. That way at least my family does not get as much of the other food additives.

2. Read food ingredient labels. Once I really started looking I am amazed at how many products contain high fructose corn syrup. It is used in pancake syrup, barbecue sauces, salad dressings, and MANY other foods. Check cereals and snack foods to see how far down the ingredient list jone of the sugars appears. I know for one of my kid's favorite cereals, sugar is first on the list. Ingredients are listed in the order of what is in greatest amount. So if sugar is first there is more sugar in that cereal than anything else.

Anyone tried Jones soda? Apparently it's made with cane sugar instead of HFCS. Leave me a comment if you like it!

3. According to the CSPI food additives report,sucralose (Splenda) is probably the safest artificial sweetener. If you have diabetes this is probably the best option if you find that other sweeteners make it difficult to control blood sugars.

4. Try using more natural sweeteners. Drink tea with honey, add fruit to cereal, have fruit for dessert, notice the natural sweetness of fresh vegetables, and try real maple syrup instead of HFCS filled pancake syrup.

If you have more natural food sweetener ideas I would love to hear them!

Mediterranean Diet Study Proves You Can Postpone Need for Diabetes Drugs

2009-10-19T15:07:24-05:00

The Mediterranean Diet is a hot topic these days - showing benefits for diabetes, high blood pressure, and Alzheimers. This study looked at how a Mediterranean diet might delay diabetes medication for those newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

Study Summary

215 patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to two different diets which they followed for 4 years. One group followed a Low Fat diet - no more than 30% fat and less than 10 % saturated fat. This is the traditional recommendation of the American Heart Association. The second group followed a Mediterranean Diet, with no less than 30% fat , with most of that coming from olive oil.

Results

Only 44% of the Mediterranean group needed medication at the end of the trial compared to 70% for the Low Fat diet group. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

Both groups lowered blood sugars but the Mediterranean diet group had lower A1c (average blood sugar)levels, and better HDL (Healthy Cholesterol) and triglyceride levels compared to Low Fat group.

Source: September 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine

How Can You Apply this Information to Your Life?

Are you newly diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes?

How can you start today eating more like a Mediterranean? . . . . Start by using olive oil more often to replace other butter, margarine or vegetable oils. At the same time you can eat more vegetables by sauteing them in a little olive oil.

And don't forget to subscribe to my blog for more upcoming information on the Mediterranean diet, weight loss and diabetes . . . and recipes!

Benefit of Dietitian Counseling

All participants in the study also had dietitian counseling monthly for first year and then every 2 months for last 3 years. Before the study 155 had high A1c's but after only 3 months only 22 participants had high A1c's and after 6 months, noneof the participants had high A1c's.

Could you benefit from similar help through a phone or online program? Contact me for a free introductory consult and information regarding my programs. My nutrition programs are personalized to your needs and address 10 different nutrition strategies that work together to beat diabetes.

3 Ways to Add Immune Boosting Romaine to Your Diabetes Defense

2009-10-05T20:00:00-05:00

Cold and flu season is definitely here. Along with hand washing, adequate sleep, and stress management, eating well is more important to keep your immune system strong. Romaine lettuce beats all other lettuce varieties when it comes to immune-boosting nutrients. It's a great source of vitamin B1, B2, C and folic acid. All of these are important for keeping your immune system strong enough to fight off cold and flu viruses.

How does Romaine help fight diabetes? Well the low calorie content make it a great food for weight loss. Just remember to go easy on the salad dressing.

The most common way we tend to eat Romaine lettuce is in Ceasar salad. But you can make any other salad variety, add Romaine to your sandwich, or make a wrap!

Here's a couple recipes to get you started. Both are low calorie and contain other immune-boosting foods as well. I encourage you to share any other ways you enjoy meals with Romaine!

Walnut Romaine Salad

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chili is a recipe loaded with diabetes fighting ingredients!

2009-09-28T20:57:36-05:00

Chili is one of my favorite cold weather foods. Besides tasting great and warming you up on a cold day, almost every ingredient in chili has health benefits. Here is my family's favorite recipe. It's easy and good for you too!

1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans kidney beans rinsed and drained
2 cans tomatoes
1 medium to large onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste

My favorite way to cook chili is in the crock pot and often I do soups overnight because I cook the ground beef, onions and garlic and then throw everything in the crock pot while I am cooking another dinner. That way I cook two meals at once. When I get up in the morning I turn it off, let it cool and before I go out the door put it in the fridge. All that's left is to heat it up for supper in the evening!

The health benefits of chili for diabetes are numerous. Kidney beans are one of the best food sources of fiber providing almost half our daily requirement. Even though the beans are carbohydrate the fiber slows down the blood sugar rise after the meal. Kidney beans also have 57% of our daily need for folate, which lowers homocysteine levels and 20% of our need for magnesium, a natural blood pressure medicine.

Chili powder, ground from red chili peppers, contains capsaicin, which fights inflammation, reduces insulin needs and helps lower blood sugars.

If you go easy on the salt and choose lean ground beef, every other ingredient in chili will help you fight diabetes in one way or another. If you are watching your weight, 1 small to medium bowl of chili will provide about 500 calories. My problem is that I love bread with my chili, which puts me well over my weight control portion.

The great thing about making chili and other soups is that you can add and subtract ingredients to your liking and create your own favorite recipe. If you have a favorite chili recipe please share!

Corn on the Cob Too Much Carb?

2009-08-17T18:51:02-05:00

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!

Blueberries Make an Excellent Snack Choice for Fighting Diabetes

2009-07-20T17:24:11-05:00

Here's my afternoon snack today: organic vanilla yogurt with blueberries and banana. All for just over 200 calories! Blueberries are in season so enjoy some soon with the tasty recipe ideas below and let the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories go to work helping you fight diabetes!

Take a look at the powerful health benefits you get . . .

38% more antioxidants than wine to protect your heart
low calorie and high fiber to help with weight loss
help protect the brain from dementia and Alzheimers
good source of soluble fiber pectin to help lower cholesterol
reducing inflammation in digestive system
same compound found in cranberries that helps prevent urinary tract infections

BE SURE TO ENJOY YOUR BLUEBERRIES UNCOOKED. HEAT WILL DAMAGE THE ANTIOXIDANTS!

1 cup of blueberries is about 80 calories, 1 carb choice and 4 grams fiber. Also an excellent source of vitamin C and E.

So grab some blueberries at your local farmers market or grocer, whip up a smoothie or parfait, or try the recipes below! . . . . and share your favorites with me too!!!

Fruit S'mores recipe

Blueberry Cheesecake for Calorie Counters

Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

The Weight Gain and Menopause Mystery

2009-07-08T00:28:08-05:00

If you have experienced menopause and weight frustrations, you're probably thinking . . .what mystery . . . I know weight is harder to manage once menopause hits!

Before I turned 40 this topic was not nearly as important for me as it was for my clients. Well now I am 42 and even though I have tried to deny it . . . I am experiencing peri-menopause symptoms. I'll spare you those details but I definitely have experienced more difficulty keeping my weight down. I have gained 5-10 lbs over past year, which seems to all have settled in my belly.

It's not just about trying to keep up healthy eating and exercise anymore. I have to work even harder at it now.

So . . . I have decided to look at this as a positive and get even more serious about eating healthier to prevent diabetes. And I will make a point of learning all I can about menopause as it relates to nutrition, weight, and diabetes. Then I will pass it on to all of you women looking for the same answers I am!

An article published last week by the North American Menopause Society discussed exercise, weight gain and menopause. After reviewing this article I came away with 3 conclusions:

1. Estrogen does regulate body weight in women and low estrogen appears to increase food intake, decrease spontaneous physical activity, and lower metabolic rate.

2. We go through menopause during a time when we are experiencing body changes due to age as well. One of these changes is that we lose muscle mass. That means our resting metabolic rate, the rate of burning calories just sitting goes down!

3. As we age we also have a decline in VO₂max, which means for the same exercise we used to do, we are going to burn less calories.

What can we do to prevent weight gain during this time of life? My logic tells me I have to . . .

1. Make sure I am not eating more without realizing it and maybe even eat a little less now.

2. Add strength training to my exercise routine to help minimize the loss of muscle mass

3. Exercise for a longer time . . . maybe instead of 30 minutes I better increase to 40 minutes on the treadmill.

There are also nutrients we need to make sure we are getting at this stage of life. Stay tuned to future posts for more info!

If you have thoughts or would like to share your experience with weight management and menopause please comment or email me!!