Processed foods are everywhere and they are popular for a reason: They are quick and easy to eat. But there is a catch: They may increase your type 2 diabetes risk. Processed foods are dried, frozen, or have certain chemicals or?preservatives added to them. This can make them: longer-lasting in stores and in your home. easier to prepare and eat. Higher amounts of sugar, salt, and other preservatives are sometimes added to processed foods and these additives may increase your diabetes risk. Some examples include: Frozen dinners Boxed pasta meals made with refined white ?our instead of whole grains Soda or other sugary drinks Canned foods Sugary breakfast cereals Processed meats such as hot dogs, sausage, bologna, ham, or packaged lunch meats Packaged cakes and cookies Packages snack foods such as chips or crackers. Recent studies have found that women with higher acid levels in their blood were two- thirds more at risk of type 2 diabetes than other women. ?High acid levels are linked to eating processed foods. Other study findings include: Women who ate more fruits and veggies were less likely to get type 2 diabetes, since they balanced the amount of acid?in their blood. Both overweight and [...]]]>
First, it is important to note that eating a variety of whole foods is a better choice for staying healthy than relying on vitamins or supplements.?Eating lean meats, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains- and limiting fats and sugar — are important for keeping your blood glucose under control. Individual foods can give you many different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, in one?serving. For example, raspberries contain vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. These nutrients, plus all?the food nutrients we have not yet discovered, work?together in your body to ensure that you benefit from all of them. Using vitamins or supplements – which do not have the full range of nutrients that whole foods do — may not?be needed unless you have a specific vitamin deficiency. (“Deficiency” means that your body does not have enough?of an important nutrient.) It’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider before taking any vitamin supplements to see if you really need them. Your healthcare provider may want you to take?vitamin supplements if you are: On a low-calorie diet and do?not eat a wide variety of foods On a vegan diet (no meat, fish, eggs or dairy products) Pregnant On a restricted diet because you?have food [...]]]>
Having diabetes can be expensive. Paying for test strips and medicine, shelling out co- payments for all?of your healthcare appointments, buying exercise equipment or joining a gym – all of these things can quickly add up.?On top of all this, high-quality food to help manage your diabetes and lower your risk of heart disease may seem una?ordable. Many people believe?that eating healthy food is simply?too expensive. But is it really? Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health recently looked at the cost difference between the healthiest and?unhealthiest diets. They concluded that healthy diets – those rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish – cost about?$1.50 more per day,?or $550 more per year, than unhealthy diets that included processed meats,?refined grains and processed foods. Don’t despair. It IS possible to eat healthy foods that don’t break the?bank. Here are some suggestions that?can help you stay within your budget. Review your eating habits. Do you hit the nearest drive- thru or coffee shop on the way to work every morning? Do you eat out often?for lunch or dinner? There’s usually a hefty price to pay for convenience.?Think about where your food dollars go and how you can keep more of them [...]]]>
If you have diabetes, it can seem like everyone is always telling you to exercise more to control your blood glucose levels. Staying active and keeping ?t can be tough, especially when you ?rst start?out. But there is some good news. Exciting new research has found that blood glucose control can be as simple as playing?a video game. WHAT RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND A German research team used two groups, each with about 100 people with diabetes. The people who took part in the research were between 50 and 75 years old. One group was told to use the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus video exercise game for 12 weeks. In the game, you stand on a balance board to control your movements and play?the game with a hand-held control. The second group was given regular care for 12 weeks, and did not play the game. After this time, they got the chance to play the video game for 12 weeks. At the start and end of each 12 weeks, the people in the study had their weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels checked. DOES IT REALLY HELP?CONTROL BLOOD GLUCOSE? The study found that the group using the Wii Fit Plus [...]]]>
Do you ever wonder why people say that you should never go to the grocery store on an empty stomach? Well, if you shop hungry, you could end?up buying more of the treats you want at that moment rather than the foods?you need to make your healthy meals and snacks. When your stomach starts to growl with hunger, your patience can wear thin. This could lead you to buy or eat the ?rst food you see, healthy?or not. Research has shown that people, when hungry, will eat more of whatever they see or whatever is served to them ?rst. THE RESEARCH BUFFET A study from Cornell University presented a set of breakfast buffets to a group?of 124 people. The first buffet started with healthy fruit, low-fat yogurt, and granola, while the second buffet started with unhealthy cheesy eggs, fried potatoes, and bacon.?Both healthy and unhealthy foods were on each buffet.?At the “healthy” buffet line, more than three quarters of diners chose fruit, while only about half chose fruit at?the “unhealthy” buffet. Three fourths of the diners in the “unhealthy” buffet line chose cheesy eggs, compared?to only one third of people in the “healthy” buffet line. Overall, the?first three foods the?diners [...]]]>
Daybreak Scramble Pizza Recipe type: Main Serves: 10 Ingredients 1 tablespoon margarine 2 cups liquid egg whites ? teaspoon salt ? teaspoon black pepper 1 (10-ounce) package prebaked whole- wheat pizza crust 1-1? cups frozen vegetables (broccoli, spinach, and red bell peppers, or a combination of your favorites), thawed ¾ cup 75% reduced- fat shredded Cheddar cheese 2 frozen turkey sausage patties, thawed and cut into bite-sized pieces 3.2.2265 Read More]]>
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that sugary drinks are one of the main sources of added sugars for Americans.?These include soda, energy drinks, fruit punch, and sports drinks. Drinking too many sugary drinks puts many Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.?A recent research study found that even healthy people who drink more than two sodas a day show clear signs of kidney damage. CURB YOUR SWEET TOOTH If you have diabetes you need to carefully plan how many carbohydrates you eat each day. A single can of soda has 40 grams of carbohydrates, so you could easily lose control of your blood glucose levels from drinking soda. What can a person with diabetes who has a “sweet tooth” do? In an effort to protect people from the damaging effects of sugary drinks, many drink companies started to sell diet drinks. Diet drinks replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes.?Artificial sweeteners may also be called non-nutritive or low- calorie sweeteners. How do they work? Imagine the sweetness of sugar. Now, multiply that by 100. That is the sweetening power of an artificial sweetener. Most artificial sweeteners have no calories or carbohydrates. [...]]]>
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently released a new set of guidelines about healthy cholesterol levels. The new?guidelines also suggest ways to lower your cholesterol. One of the biggest changes in the guidelines is the way in which healthcare providers are supposed to prescribe statins, a type of medicine that helps lower cholesterol levels. Statins are a type of medicine that you might take to lower your cholesterol level. Cholesterol, a type of fat that is found in a natural form in the human body, serves many purposes.?Everyone needs cholesterol to live. Like so many other things in your body, healthy cholesterol levels is all about having balance.?There are a few types of cholesterol in the body. The main forms of?cholesterol are HDL, or “good cholesterol” and LDL, or “bad cholesterol.” LDL cholesterol is bad because too much of it can stick to the inside walls of blood vessels, forming hard substances called plaques. These?plaques cause the blood vessels to?become narrow, which can limit blood ?ow to vital organs like the heart and brain. HDL cholesterol is good because it helps prevent these plaques from forming.?Most of the choles- terol in the body [...]]]>
Whole grains are natural carbohydrates that keep all the parts of the entire grain, even after processing. Some examples of whole grains are corn, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, whole oats and 100% whole-wheat breads and crackers. When you eat them, your body gets all the good nutrients they contain. That’s why whole grains are so good for everyone — with or without diabetes. WHAT ARE THE THREE PARTS OF WHOLE GRAINS? Bran. This is the outer shell that protects the grain from insects, chemicals int he air and strong winds and rain. ?The bran layer has B vitamins, fiber, minerals and some disease-fighting products called phytochemicals. Endosperm. ?This is the inside part of the grain, mostly made up of starch and sugar. ?It also have some B vitamins and protein. Germ. ?This is the innermost part of the grain, which has the seed. It is made up of B vitamins, vitamin E, heart-heathly unsaturated fat, and phytochemicals. The best way to know if a grain is a whole grain is to look at its food label. ??The first term on the list of ingredients should include the word ?“whole”. ?Some?examples are whole?oats, whole rye or whole wheat. Also, 100% whole [...]]]>