Archive for July 2011
Simplify is the Name of the Game – Diabetic Diet Plan
A diagnosis of Type-2 diabetes is a very sobering challenge to face. All of a sudden you find out how crucial it is to manage your blood sugar levels through a combination of diet, exercise, blood sugar monitoring, and possibly medication. With so much to think about, it makes sense to check into a diabetic diet plan that enables you to manage the changes you must make in your lifestyle. Such a plan should structure how much food and what types of foods you can consume on daily basis. If you work the plan, the plan works; your reward is to be able to control your high blood glucose levels, cholesterol and high blood pressure. In certain instances, medication can be scaled back or even eliminated. A good diet plan will give you access to a dietician who can help you manage your food plan as you succeed in your weight loss. Regular exercise is also a great strategic tool to help you to manage your blood glucose levels.
A good diet plan for is filled with healthy food choices that help you not only to manage your diabetes, but also to improve your overall health, reducing other diet and lifestyle maladies such as heart disease, cancers and hypertension. A healthy diet always contains ample vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, lean meats, healthy fats like olive oil and avocados, and fish and poultry. Processed foods are nutritionally inferior; unprocessed, whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber are the bedrock of a good diabetic diet plan. One of the benefits of this type of plan is that all members of the family are exposed to more nutritious foods, helping them to develop excellent eating habits.
Many of your favorite recipes can be altered so that they fit in with your new eating plan. Food items which rank high on the glycemic index should be mostly eliminated from your daily diet. Usually, these types of foods are highly processed and are not a good source of nutrition anyway. Even some healthy foods like potatoes, corn, and certain fruits must be somewhat curtailed in diabetic recipes because of their tendency to spike blood sugars. Foods made with trans fats need to be eliminated from the diet as they are strongly linked to diabetes and heart disease.
To manage your diabetes, it is important to observe the following guidelines:
1. Always eat breakfast to stabilize blood sugars and stave off hunger.
2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day; sometimes hunger symptoms mask dehydration.
3. Eat small meals at regular intervals to keep blood sugar levels stable.
4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Follow carbohydrate recommendations of your diet plan.
5. Avoid alcohol.
6. Exercise daily to manage blood sugar and to lose weight.
A diagnosis of Type-2 diabetes can be a blessing in disguise as you begin to take control of your health and well-being through a structured eating and exercise plan.
By: Ruth Suelemente
Type 2 Diabetes Food List – Recommended and Forbidden Foods For Diabetics
There is nothing in this world that has the impact that food does. At the heart of every celebration lays food. First dates typically revolve around food. Mothers are always trying to make their kids all their food. We need it to stay alive and enjoy it so much that millions of us are overweight, and millions of us now have to watch we eat pretty carefully because we have developed type 2 diabetes.
Doctors, dietitians, and other health care professionals will tell you that there are two main things that make for a healthy body – eating right and getting enough exercise. If you are like me, and like I was when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, you probably want easy answers. You wish you could just get a big magic list labeled “Type 2 Diabetes Food List – Forbidden and Recommended Foods for Diabetics.” Well, for the most part, there is no easy magic bullet that will keep your diabetes in check, and it is definitely important to eat a variety of healthy foods every day and get exercise every day as well.
That being said, we can have a bit of a guide that can serve as a kind of a list of forbidden and recommended foods for diabetics. That list, really, is the diabetic food pyramid put out by the American Diabetes Association. The pyramid divides foods into six categories. At the top – as close to forbidden as possible – are the fats, oils, and sweets. Just like the regular ADA food pyramid, the top area is to be limited. That means that cakes, cookies, doughnuts, and so on are on the forbidden list.
Down on the bottom two levels are grains, vegetables, and fruits. Just like the regular food pyramid, the diabetes food pyramid puts the “best” foods at the bottom. That means that grains, fruits, and vegetables are the recommended part of the list.
By: Blake O'Brien
South Beach Diet and Diabetes – Switching Lifestyles
Is there a connection between the South Beach diet and diabetes?
This medical condition is a chronic disorder where the level of sugar or glucose in the blood becomes increasingly high or elevated. Glucose in the blood is an important source of energy for the body in order to perform bodily functions.
At a healthy level of body sugar, our bodies are able to function well. When this level consistently elevates or depreciates, metabolic processes are affected resulting in complications that affect the kidneys, the heart, blood vessels and nerves, and even the eyes.
A Matter Of Lifestyle
Until today, there is no known cure to diabetes, and most medical treatment of this condition depends on lifestyle modifications such as dietary support, exercise and insulin injection. Because of this, diabetes is said to be a “lifestyle” disease. The latest news however is that the South Beach diet may just be the right approach to take in countering the deleterious effects of the “Western” lifestyle.
It was cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston of Miami, Florida who started the so-called South Beach diet. It is a diet plan that emphasizes the consumption of “good carbohydrates” and “good fats.” It was first developed for cardiac patients based on the scientific dieting research of Dr. Agatston.
The basic principle surrounding the South Beach diet involves the excess consumption of the so-called bad carbohydrates found in carbohydrates with high glycemic index, which creates an insulin resistance syndrome, resulting in the insulin’s inability to properly process fat or sugar.
Bad Fats Versus Good Fats
Dr. Agatston also believed that consumption of “bad fats” such as saturated and trans-fats increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In order to avoid these possible conditions, the South Beach diet reduces consumption of both bad fats and carbohydrates and encourages eating of good fats and carbohydrates.
Recent statistics show that incidence of diabetes is significantly higher in developed countries where people live a fast-paced life. This shows the connection between a lifestyle indicated by stress, consumption of processed food and the lack of healthy food, and the concentration of cases of diabetes.
While at the moment a direct cure to diabetes have yet to be discovered, treating diabetes would involve changing lifestyle patterns that aggravate the metabolic disorder. This most importantly involves altering food habits and eating patterns.
A healthy diet is an important ally in the fight against diabetes. Altering lifestyle patterns can significantly contribute towards the prevention of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. An example of such a healthy eating pattern is the South Beach diet. By reducing consumption of both bad fats and carbohydrates and encouraging intake of good fats and carbohydrates, one can lose weight and also maintain a healthy level of body glucose.
Bad Carbohydrates Too?
Like most diabetic diet plans, the South Beach diet differentiates food products into good and bad carbohydrates based on the glycemic index or the pattern, which identifies the rate when and where digested food can increase levels of glucose in the blood.
Consuming bad carbohydrates, according to the South Beach diet, causes an increase release of insulin and makes one feel hungrier, resulting in overeating and gain in body weight. Increased body weight makes a person susceptible to diabetes. From this perspective, a South Beach diet is a good way to maintain a healthy diabetic diet meal plan.
Some people, however, remain skeptical about the South Beach diet’s ability to help persons with diabetes. A number of diabetic specialists believe that the glycemic index does not indicate a significant role in controlling weight. It is rather the quantity of carbohydrate intake that affects weight.
A Shift In Perspective
Like a healthy diabetic diet plan, the South Beach diet emphasizes a permanent shift in one’s eating attitude, choosing from a wide range of health food and creating a meal plan with ease and flexibility. It encourages eating whole grains and vegetables together with ample amount of mono and polyunsaturated fats like omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in fish. Consumption of processed food products, meat with high fat content, and saturated fats is strongly discouraged.
John Kenneth Galbraith, a contemporary writer and author of the book The Affluent Society, wrote, “More die in the United States of too much food than of too little.” Clearly, whether or not the South Beach diet significantly or directly reduces the effects of diabetes and helps control glucose within moderate levels, it evidently shows that what kind, how much, and at what time do we eat can greatly affect the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. By embracing a healthy eating pattern, such as the South Beach diet, the occurrence of diabetes may just be controlled.
By: Flor Serquina
The Importance of Fish in Diabetic Recipes – Learn How to Have a Healthy and Balanced Diabetic Diet
When you have diabetes there are certain foods that can help or hinder your health. Each food may have its pros and cons, but the main idea is that everything is good in moderation. Fish is often recommended in the average diet, and here is a guide to how this relates to diabetics.
In a balanced diet, which is extremely important for diabetics, fish is great for adding protein. It also has other benefits of the oils contained within the fish known as ‘omega 3′. These oils are made of polyunsaturated fat and are found in fish such as salmon and sardines. They are good for lowering the fat in your blood and protecting against cardiovascular disease. Fish in general is a great low-fat way of adding protein to your diet.
If you have diabetes then you will be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease meaning that it will be a good idea to eat oily fish twice a week, as opposed to the general recommendation of oily fish once per week for those who do not have diabetes. Oily fish may be higher in calories but they are recommended even for those trying to lose weight. They are also a great source for vitamin D.
If you think you do not like fish then there are ways to include different types of fish that may appeal to you. Some fish are strong tasting, but others are less fishy and therefore more appealing to those who do not normally eat fish.
By: Will Blears
Sweet Treats For Diabetics
Choosing recipes can be difficult when you are a diabetic. We have compiled a few of our favorite sweet treat recipes for people with Diabetes. Hopefully you will see one that you can enjoy.
Mini Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce:
To create this recipe, you will need a cup of non-fat milk, a single egg-white, one teaspoon of vanilla, one cup of all purpose flour, one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of olive oil, and half a cup of low fat yogurt. To make the strawberry sauce, you will need a pint of frozen, unsweetened strawberries, half a cup of water, a tablespoon of granulated sugar, and two teaspoons of cornstarch.
The first step to making this recipe is to bring the strawberries, sugar, water and cornstarch to a boil in a sauce pan over medium to high heat. You only need to cook the sauce until it has thickened, which takes about a minute. Next, you will want to beat the milk, vanilla and egg white in a bowl. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder and beat the entire mixture until it is well blended. You only need a small nonstick skillet, which you should heat until water sizzles freely within it. Brush the skillet with oil to keep the pancakes from sticking. Pour two tablespoons of battle into the skillet for each individual pancake, and cook for a minute before flipping over for thirty seconds. Once the pancakes are cooked, spoon the strawberry sauce over the pancakes and garnish them with the yogurt.
The Diabetic Exchange per Pancake: 1 Starch, ? Milk, 1 Fruit/Vegetable.
Creamy Peach Omelets:
To create this recipe, you will need an 8-ounce package of low calorie cream cheese which has already been softened, eight eggs, a pinch of salt, two packets of artificial sweetener, a quarter cup of heavy cream, two tablespoons of diet margarine, and half a cup of peaches mixed with two packets of sweetener into a blender.
The first step to making this recipe is to combine everything except for the peaches and margarine into a bowl. Beat the ingredients until they are smooth, and then pour the egg mixture into melted margarine. Cook the mixture over low heat in an omelet pan, until the eggs have begun to set. Loosen the eggs with a spatula, then tilt the pan allowing the egg to spread to the sides of the pan. When the omelet’s center is firm, spoon the peaches into the center and carefully fold the edges of the omelet into the center.
By: Arturo Ronzon
A Healthy Eating Diet Plan for Diabetics
Diabetes is a disease that affects the blood’s sugar levels creating a higher amount than the body can manage with its own, natural insulin. Therefore, most often times, it must be maintained with medication. But in addition to prescription medication, exercise and eating habits play a huge role in maintaining a healthy blood sugar level. A specific, healthy eating diet plan must be incorporated to a diabetic lifestyle – no ifs, ands or buts about it.
For the majority of people with diabetes, a healthy eating diet plan includes several, smaller meals throughout the day on a more condensed, periodic basis in order to help in successfully maintaining sugar and glucose levels. And because a diabetic is eating more often, it’s imperative that those meals consist of good food choices. Let’s take a look at some tips for healthy eating habits in this realm.
o Choose foods with lower fat contents including the use of non-stick sprays when cooking instead of oil as often as possible.
o Stay away from fruit juices and other beverages that contain high fructose levels including naturally sweetened drinks.
o Decrease salt intake and salty foods like pickles, packaged soups and processed meats.
o Read the food labels on prepared products before ingesting because even something seemingly harmless can pose a risk.
There is actually a food pyramid designed specifically for people with diabetes. And guess what it’s called? The Diabetes Food Pyramid! It’s an exceptional guideline for what and how much to eat that anyone with this disease should be aware of and utilizing every day. It’s broken down into the same basic categories as the regular food pyramid, but the recommend serving sizes are different as are the specific, coordinating foods. Following is an overview of the Diabetes Food Pyramid with required serving amounts:
Grain, Beans and Starchy Vegetables – 6 or more servings per day
Choose whole-grain and whole-wheat breads and flours over the white variety for baking and eating. Beans are a great source of fiber as well as low in sugar. Pretzels and low-fat crackers are perfect choices for snacking and if they’re the lower-salt varieties, even better.
Fruit – 2 to 4 servings daily
Citrus fruits are the best for diabetics. Eat whole fruits in their natural state over the canned assortments because aside from having less sugar, they also contain more fiber. If choosing the canned, frozen or juice variety, always pick those that do not contain added sweeteners or syrups.
Vegetables – 3 to 5 servings a day
Dark green and deep yellow vegetables are the best way to go. Eat freshly prepared vegetables whenever possible. If choosing the prepared variety, pick those are made without the addition of sauces and/or salt.
Milk and Dairy – 2 to 3 serving every day
Drink low or non-fat milk. Choose only low-fat yogurt made with artificial sweeteners.
Meat, Poultry, Fish – 2 to 3 servings daily
Always choose leaner cuts of red meat and trim all fat before preparing. Consume more pork, fish and chicken – remove the skin before cooking. Bake, broil, grill or roast instead of frying.
Fat – limit fat intake, specifically trans and saturated.
By always taking prescribed medications, sticking to a fitness routine and healthy eating diet plan, successful management of diabetes will be almost guaranteed. Always consult a physician before starting any new lifestyle routine.
By: Roger Michaelson
Foods To Avoid for A Diabetic Diet – Control Blood Sugar Naturally by Avoiding Some Foods
Do you want the secret to a healthy diet? Well, I have it and I will gladly tell you about it! There are many different diets that tell diabetics to “Eat this!” “You can only eat that!” So, I’m going to tell you about the foods that can harm you and be devastating to your health so that you don’t want those bad foods to come near your stomach!
I’m diabetic. What foods should I avoid?
Many foods out there are very harmful and are to be avoided by diabetics. If you don’t know what they are, I’m going to tell you what they are! Stay away from or limit:
-Sugary sweets
-Fatty foods
-White flour
-White bread
-White rice
-Red meat
-Eggs
-Honey
-Dairy products
-Caffeine
What will happen to me if I choose not to avoid these foods?
Overeating these foods can have some startling causes and side effects:
-Rise in blood sugar levels
-Insulin resistance
-Obesity
-Metabolic disease
-Heart attacks
-Strokes
-Blindness
-Deafness
-Kidney failure
-Burning foot syndrome
-Death
What benefits will I reap if I avoid these certain foods? These benefits far out-weigh any inconvenience.
-Reduces the risk of cancer
-Lowers blood pressure
-Energy
-Life
Okay, I’ll give it a try! Please give me some menu ideas for my diabetic diet. I’m glad you asked! Here’s the fun part. You get to see what kinds of foods you can eat (more at diabetes.org)!
Breakfast:
-Breakfast Quesadillas
-Pancakes with Cottage Cheese and Fruit
Dinner:
-Chicken Parmesan
-Grilled Caribbean Chicken Breasts
Dessert:
-Chocolate Marshmallow Dreams
-Lemon Mousse With Raspberry Sauce
Snacks:
-Caramel Popcorn
-Turkey and Avocado Wraps
By: Elle VanHamagansky
Peanut Butter Recipes Suitable For Diabetics – Peanut Butter Fudge and Frosty Peanut Butter Pie
Peanut butter can be an important part of a diabetic’s diet. The protein it contains is useful in counteracting the sugar or carb components in desserts. Here is a PB Fudge recipe and a Frosty PB Pie are both suitable for diabetics. They are also tasty for non-diabetics. The Fudge is a great way for diabetics to satisfy that aggravating sweet tooth. The Pie combines two favorites, peanut butter and chocolate.
SUGAR-FREE PB FUDGE
2 cups Splenda
dash of salt
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp butter
In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, combine Splenda, salt and milk. Bring to a boil and ball until mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Remove from the heat and add peanut butter, vanilla and butter. Beat hard as you can until the mixture is no longer glossy and is thickening. Pour into a pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. The size pan you use will determine the thickness of the fudge. Score into squares and add a pecan half to the top of each square if desired.
FROSTY PB PIE
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tub (8 oz) frozen sugar-free whipped topping, thawed
2 tsp sugar-free chocolate syrup
1 chocolate crumb crust–recipe follows
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, pb, Splenda, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Spoon into prepared crust. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until set. Remove from freezer for 30 minutes before serving.
Crust:
1 cup sugar-free chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Splenda
Blend all ingredients together. Press onto the bottom and sides of an 8-inch pie plate.
Enjoy!
By: Linda Carol Wilson
Diabetes Menu
Diabetes is a disorder where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to cover the consumption of food that a person intakes, causing the blood sugar levels to rise. A lot of food, when the body breaks it down for storage, turns into a form of sugar. This is why the diet of a diabetic person is very important. A person who is diabetic needs to watch what they are eating in order to help regulate their blood sugar levels as much as possible, no matter if they are Type 1 or Type 2.
This does not mean that a person cannot eat what they want or that they have to stick to a diet that is basically all vegetables or fruits. As a diabetic, one needs to eat a variety of different foods and in the right proportions to help maintain as healthy of a diet as possible, just like someone who is not diabetic. Proteins are just as important to a diabetic diet as vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates and so on.
Proteins help to maintain steady blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates, when the body breaks it down, turns into a sugar. This is why it is recommended for a person who has hypoglycemia to eat a carbohydrate and a protein to help cause the blood sugar level to rise. The sugar causes it to rise while the protein helps keep the blood sugar level there, instead of dropping again. Now, you can see how the proper diet is very important for a diabetic.
Diabetic Menu
The menu for a diabetic can be flexible. It does not have to be “set”. The diabetic menu should be low in sugar, of course, and contain plenty of proteins and vitamins. Do take into consideration that sugar can hide in different forms. You will want to learn how to read the nutritional label of all foods and if they do not have one, there are books that will aid you in learning the nutritional guidelines for that particular food. Just because something says that it is sugar free, does not mean that it is. If it is sugar free and still has carbohydrates listed on the label, then technically, it has sugar.
The best way to learn how to prepare a diabetic menu is to purchase a diabetic cookbook or to consult with a dietician. They can help to teach you what to look for, what to avoid and what you can have plenty of. For example: meat (non-breaded), cheese and eggs are virtually carbohydrate free, so if you are looking for a snack, then these are perfect as they will not affect your blood sugar levels. (Eggs do have 1 gram of carbohydrates, so only eat less than four, otherwise, it will affect your blood sugar levels.)
Don’t forget the Condiments
Yes, condiments do affect blood sugar levels. When deciding on your menu, take into consideration the condiments that you will be using. Spices don’t count; however, ketchup, steak sauce and so on should be used sparingly. Also, flour causes blood sugar levels to rise, so anything that is breaded should be consumed sparingly.
There is a lot to learn about diabetic diets and how to prepare a diabetic menu; however, once you start doing it, it will just become natural. You will automatically know that one piece of white bread is around 11-16 grams of carbohydrates and then you will learn which brand to purchase (the lower carbohydrate total) so that you are allowed to consume more.
By: Angie McAdams
Diabetes – What Are The Symptoms?
Your body has ways of telling you when something is wrong. It is important that you know the symptoms of type 2 diabetes because, the sooner treatment starts, the less damage will be done to your body.
The symptoms for this disease are many and seemingly innocent so you must pay close attention. By themselves they may appear harmless-I guarantee they are not.
Here are the most common symptoms.
o Frequent urination (causing the kidneys to work harder) due to excessive urine
o Excessive thirst
o Tired and weak-flu like symptoms-causing maybe a slow down in activity levels
o Hunger and increased appetite-causing weight gain
o Weight loss in spite of eating more or weight gain fluctuations
Less common are:
o Tiredness-just a general lack of energy from the food not being metabolized
o Dry skin
o Dry mouth-causing thirst
o Head aches and pains
o Blurred vision
o Impotence
o Yeast infections
o Difficulty in healing sores frequent infections
o Nerve damage-numbness in extremities
There is absolutely no harm in erring on the side of caution for these symptoms. It is always best to check especially if you are in a high risk category or have some inherited high risk factors. IT IS MUCH BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY!
If you have high risk factors anyhow check it out with a simple blood test. It is better to control at the outset than develop complications from inaction. Listen to you’re your body has to say. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, see your doctor.
By: Jack Krohn