“Timing is everything,” as the saying goes. And the timing of your daily meals and snacks can have a big impact on your blood sugars, your weight, and even your risk of heart disease. In 2017, the American Heart Association noted that meal and snack patterns among American adults have changed significantly in the past 40 years. Rather than the traditional three meals a day, adults today tend to eat around the clock. This “non-stop” eating can have major health implications, especially if you have diabetes. Meet your blood sugar and A1C targets If you struggle with keeping your blood sugars within your target range, take a look at your meals. Sure, the amount of carbohydrate that you eat plays a key role in your blood sugar management, but the timing of your meals and snacks is also a big part of it. Here’s what you can do to help: Space your meals out: aim to eat every 4 to 5 hours. Eat your meals at about the same times each day. Avoid skipping meals; if you must miss a meal, try to eat a snack at your usual meal time. Understand how your diabetes medicines work, and know when [...]]]>
It’s that time of year when the tomatoes are ripening on the vine! There’s nothing quite like a fresh tomato, and in addition to being delicious on their own and in so many foods, tomatoes are also good for you. ?Read on to learn about the health benefits of tomatoes and the many ways you can enjoy them. Why eat tomatoes? Sure, tomatoes taste good, especially if you can raise or get home-grown ones. They’re also incredibly nutritious. Tomatoes are technically a fruit, but most of us treat them like a vegetable, and they rank as the fourth most commonly eaten vegetable in the United States. Here’s why it’s a great idea to include tomatoes in your eating plan: They can help with diabetes management. The fiber in tomatoes combined with the low carb content can make it easier to keep your blood sugars within your target range. They can help maintain a healthy blood pressure. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps keep your blood pressure in a safe range. They promote heart health. In addition to potassium, tomatoes are ripe with vitamin C, fiber, folate and choline – nutrients that can help you lower [...]]]>
If you’ve been reading or hearing about detox diets and cleanses, you might be wondering if a detox is right for you. But is detoxing safe? Does it really work? And how might it affect your diabetes? Detox demystified The word “detox” is short for detoxification. The purpose of detoxing is to remove toxins from your body, including harmful substances from the environment or your body’s own waste products, like ammonia and lactic acid. While the idea of detoxing is very appealing (after all, who wants toxins in their body?), the reality is that there isn’t much evidence that it works. Besides, the body has its own built-in detoxing ability. The liver, kidneys and the intestines remove harmful substances naturally. Kidneys filter out waste and chemicals, the liver neutralizes bad stuff and renders it into smaller particles that are then excreted in the urine or stool. Intestines have healthy bacteria, called probiotics, that help keep the immune system working, fend off toxins, and even breakdown substances that might cause cancer. Detox downside But what if your intestines, liver or kidneys aren’t in great shape? Should you do something to help them detox your body? Maybe it is a good idea [...]]]>
Avoiding gluten might seem to be just a dietary rage, but a gluten-free diet is not a fad if you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease. And if you have diabetes in addition to celiac disease, figuring out what to eat can seem like a monumental task. Learn some helpful tips and tricks to make managing celiac (or gluten intolerance, which is treated like celiac) and diabetes a little easier. What is celiac disease? Celiac disease is a disorder that damages the small intestine. Eating foods that contain gluten, a type of protein, will trigger a digestive reaction. If you have celiac disease, you need to avoid foods that naturally contain gluten, such as wheat, barley and rye, including bread, pasta, cookies and cakes. In addition, gluten is found in many pre-packaged foods. You might be surprised to know that gluten is an ingredient in many non-food items, such as lip balms and lipsticks, hair and skin products, toothpastes, dietary supplements, and even some medicines. Why do you need to avoid gluten if you have celiac disease? If you have celiac disease and eat a food that contains gluten, the body launches an immune response that can damage villi [...]]]>
Some of you may remember the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” campaign that debuted in 1992. Twenty-six years later, beef is still a mainstay of the American diet, and that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2017 Americans ate, on average, about 55 pounds of beef. That’s up from about 54 pounds in 2016. Clearly, we love our beef. Beef’s Benefits The smell of a steak or burger sizzling away on the grill can make just about anyone’s mouth water. And, yes, beef (and red meat in general) has gotten somewhat of a bad rap over the years. But you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that beef has a lot going for it when it comes to nutrition. First, the beef that most of us eat today is leaner than in years past, thanks to breeding practices, feeding cattle more grass than grain, and trimming more fat from beef. Second, beef contains a number of important nutrients, including: Protein Iron Zinc Selenium B vitamins If your goal is to lose weight, don’t count out beef: a 3-ounce serving (about the size of a deck of cards) of sirloin [...]]]>
We've got a section full of videos related to Diabetes. Visit the section and listen to various resource persons talk on various topics related to this health condition.]]>