Author Topic: This is for those with diabetes, insulin resistance, and none of the above  (Read 10724 times)

Offline Sassafras

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My husband has been diagnosed with insulin resistance in the past few weeks which really isn't a shock because many of his family members have diabetes.  Since we found out, both of us have been eating a more balanced diet.  I found some interesting information on the Internet from www.allrecipes.com which can be useful to everyone whether or not you have or are likely to get diabetes.

Manage Your Diabetes: Stabilizing Your Blood Sugar
By:   Reader's Digest
Ten tips for stable, steady glucose levels.

Blood sugar, or glucose, has emerged as one of the most studied and discussed health topics around. There are many reasons why. The most obvious is that diabetes, a disease reaching epidemic proportions today, is linked directly to blood sugar levels. In recent years, researchers have also linked blood sugar to heart disease, memory problems, even fertility problems. Plus, with the emergence of low-carb diets, Americans have learned that there is a connection between high blood sugar and gaining weight.


All this scary talk of blood sugar and body chemistry is intimidating to many people. But it needn?t be so; blood sugar isn?t really that complicated. In a nutshell: Much of the food you eat is converted to blood sugar, which is used by the cells of your body for energy. Too much (or little glucose in your bloodstream leads to complications. Your blood sugar levels are linked primarily to two things: the types and amounts of food you eat, and your body?s ability to create and use insulin, a hormone that transports blood sugar into your body?s cells.


Whether you already have diabetes, or are overweight, or just want to prevent future health problems, here are ten ways to make sure your blood sugar and insulin levels are as healthy as can be.

1. Drink a cup of skim milk and eat eight ounces of nonfat yogurt a day. A study of 3,000 people found that those who were overweight, but ate a lot of dairy foods, were 70 percent less likely to develop insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes) than those who didn?t. Turns out lactose, protein, and the fat in dairy products improves blood sugar by filling you up and slowing the conversion of food sugars to blood sugar.

Yogurt?...Mick??...I don't think so!!!

2. Buy bread products that have at least three grams of fiber and three grams of protein per serving. They?ll slow absorption of glucose and decrease possible insulin spikes, says J. J. Flizanes, a nutritionist and owner of Invisible Fitness in Los Angeles. Plus, the hearty dose of fiber and protein will keep your stomach feeling satisfied longer.

This is good information.  Mick has been limiting his bread intake considerably.  He has been eating pumpernickel for his diet and because he prefers it over other bread choices.  But, the brand we get, Beefsteak, has less than 1% Fiber and 2% Protein.

3. Serve up a spinach salad for dinner. Spinach is high in magnesium, which a large study suggests can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. One study in women found higher intakes of magnesium (also found in nuts, other leafy greens, and fish) reduced diabetes risk about 10 percent overall, and about 20 percent in women who were overweight. Another great source of magnesium? Avocados.

Mick reminded me that this is good only if the soil which the spinach was growing was not magnesium depleted.  If the soil is depleted, there are no advantages to eating this leafy green.  Additionally, spinach in the California area has been tainted with e.coli as of mid-2006, so be careful of the origin of your spinach.  At least until this matter has been cleared up.

4. Sprinkle cinnamon over your coffee, yogurt, cereal, and tea. Researchers from Pakistan (where cinnamon reigns) had volunteers with type 2 diabetes take either one, three, or six grams of cinnamon or a placebo for 40 days. Those taking the fragrant spice saw their blood glucose levels drop 18-29 percent depending on how much cinnamon they took.

I read this advantage to cinnamon a couple weeks ago.  Now, if I can only convince Mick to put cinnamon in his coffee...  :o... I think I will have better luck with his cereal.  ;D

5. Eat soba noodles for dinner one night a week. The ?Japanese pasta? is made from buckwheat, a grain that lowered blood glucose levels 12-19 percent in one well-controlled study on rats. Sure, you?re not a rat, but buckwheat is an excellent source of fiber, and the evidence on fiber and blood glucose improvement is unimpeachable. Add a helping of buckwheat pancakes every Sunday and get double the benefits.

Mick is big on Buckwheat pancakes, so that is a bonus.  I have used wholewheat pasta in the past, but I am going to keep a heads up on the buckwheat pasta in the future.

6. Include a glass of wine with your dinner. One study found women who had a drink of wine a day cut their risk of diabetes in half compared to teetotalers. Not a wine lover? The study found the same effects for beer. But cork the wine bottle once dinner is over. An Australian study found that drinking a glass of wine immediately after eating can result in a sudden drop in the insulin in your blood, meaning the glucose from your meal hangs around longer, eventually damaging arteries.

Neither Mick or I drink alcohol, but I included this helpful tip for those which do drink.

7. Munch on baked chips. Made without the saturated fat found in fried foods, baked chips--tortilla, potato, vegetable, or soy--are an excellent substitute when you?re craving something crunchy and salty. The reason you want to avoid the saturated fat is simple: University of Minnesota scientists evaluated 3,000 people and found those with the highest blood levels of saturated fats were twice as likely to develop diabetes.

Mick is a potato chip connoisseur.  He loves his chips!    ;D

8. Walk eight blocks a day. That?s all it took in one large study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to slash the risk of dying from diabetes by more than one-third. Believe it or not, if you walk eight blocks a day, you?ll have covered six miles by the end of the week, making you nearly 40 percent less likely to die from all causes and 34 percent less likely to die from heart disease, the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. The reason? Walking makes your cells more receptive to insulin, which leads to better control of blood sugar. It also raises levels of  ?good? HDL cholesterol.

This is easy for both of us because we live near a school, a park, and a beach, and there are a lot of different places we can go to get in our eight miles.  The downfall is winter is starting and neither one of us like the snow, but that is what happens when you live in Michigan.  :P

9. Rent a comedy and watch it after dinner. A Japanese study found that people with diabetes who laughed soon after eating (while watching a comedy) had significantly lower blood sugar levels than those who listened to a boring lecture. The connection held even for those without diabetes.

Goody, gumdrops!!!  Have we got comedy movies or what?  Try nearly 400 movies total!!!  I'm sure we got the comedy covered.  Besides, Mick loves the reruns of Green Acres on TV Land so we get a dose of comedy everyday of the week.

10. Have half a grapefruit with breakfast tomorrow morning. Researchers from the Scripps Clinic in San Diego had 50 obese patients eat half a grapefruit with each meal for 12 weeks and compared them to a group that didn?t eat any. Those patients who ate the grapefruit lost an average of 3.6 pounds. They also had lower levels of insulin and glucose after each meal, suggesting a more efficient sugar metabolism.

This is a very good idea because a half of a grapefruit each morning will also help with weigh loss.  Try your grapefruit with a bowl of cereal, a bowl of oatmeal, or some pumpernickel toast.  Hm-mm-mm, good... and healthy!!!
« Last Edit: December 06, 2008, 06:30:04 PM by Sassafras »


It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. ~~Baha'u'llah

The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than the triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at whose altars governments and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now worshiping. ~~Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come

Offline GenLady1928

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Re: This is for those with diabetes, insulin resistance, and non of the above
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2008, 10:44:24 AM »
Sassafras:

I have diabetis 2.  My dad had diabetis and so  did his mother and she thought her father did.  He died when she was not quite 10 years old in 1897.  That's way over 100 years.

Many of the things discussed were very good but some things I can't eat like raw vestables, nuts, raisins, etc. because I have an illeostomy due to a disease called ulcerative colitis. That means I have no colon.  Many of the mentioned foods could cause a blockage that could be life threatening.  Also I don't need to watch my weight as I weigh less than 100 lbs.

I eat lots of yogurt.  Yes, Mick it's very good for you.  At one time I had to eat it 3 times a day.  Most of the time I just have it at breakfast.  I had a virus several years ago when I was in the hospital and they tried sending me home with just medication but within a week I was back in the hospital and so my doctor came up with the idea of me eating yogurt 3 times a day.  I at a variety of fruited yogurt and that did the trick.

Phyllis

Offline Sassafras

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Re: This is for those with diabetes, insulin resistance, and non of the above
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2008, 06:22:27 PM »
It is unfortunate that diabetes runs in the family.  From what my mom tells me, my dad's side has some diabetes issues too.

Mick and I are still a little over-weight so recently we've gone back on our diets.  We've been looking out for our calorie intake mostly, and it's been working out for both of us.

We have a friend in the Chicago area that has to watch her weight too.  She weighs less than 100 lbs. and her doctor is always on her about not eating enough.

Years ago, I use to eat yogurt every once in a while but I don't anymore.  If I'm not mistaking, the ingredients of yogurt these days would be suspicious for my diet (MSG-sensitive).  On the other hand, Mick could eat yogurt: He just doesn't want to.

What can you eat besides yogurt?  Yogurt along doesn't seem like it has enough nutrients.

 W==(:D)==  By the way, welcome to MCF!!   W==(:D)==

Warmly,
Sassafras


It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. ~~Baha'u'llah

The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than the triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at whose altars governments and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now worshiping. ~~Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come

Offline misfitguy

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Re: This is for those with diabetes, insulin resistance, and none of the above
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2008, 06:39:43 PM »
Well, thank you Phyllis on the heads up concerning Yogurt.  I'll surely think about it......for the next 30 or 40 years or so and get back with you.  Ugh!!!.  I like my diet, though I miss things like chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.  I also miss cinnamon rolls with vanilla frosting and cream filled long-johns.  But I don't miss them so much it is a problem.  If I get really craving something, like a piece of apple pie, I simply order it at the next restaurant Sassafras and I eat at for her.  I don't eat it.  It is up to her whether she wants to eat it. I just like ordering it once in a while.
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Offline timberwolf

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i am also a type 2 diabetic been diagnosed with it since june of 05.. at first i denied even having it becuz i was only 32 at the time and chalked it up to stress and a divorce i was going thru and didnt take my meds and didnt do the right thing next thing i knew i was in the hospital and my blood sugar had spiked to 508... since then i learned my lesson and eat (or try too) the right things
timberwolf

Offline misfitguy

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Well, nobody needs to tell you, timberwolf, the importance of following a diet.  Some things I learned.  My sugar goes down when I exercise.  Just walking everyday does it.  I don't cheat.  I don't eat ice cream, a piece of cake, a piece of pie, or the occasional malt or sundae.  I have heard many diabetics say, once in a while doesn't hurt.  It does hurt.  My grandmother died at 84 of old age and had been diabetic for most her life.  In the 50's I remember her giving herself shots.  She always followed a careful diet and never cheated.  My sister died at 60, debilitated, ambulatory and dependent.  She was this way because she cheated all the time.She had been on shots since her mid twenties and she played the insulin game for the next 35 years.  She had been comotose more times than I know about and hospitalized for many ailments related to diabetes that is out of control.  I loved her very much, but she simply killed herself with abuse.

My sugar lately hovers around 110 to 140.  I think because I don't get the exercise I should.  I also put a few pounds back on after losing them late last year.  Loss of weight and exercise really seems to keep my sugar under control.  One last thing.  Learn how to get along without pop, even diet pop.  Iced water, not flavored water, is really good.  Oh, yeah, do not drink alcohol.  Again, my father did after he was found diabetic and suffered from it.  Drinking alcohol as a diabetic is simply a time bomb that you will not avoid.

Maybe you can share some of the things you do with me. 
Go to www.misfitscentral.net  Why not?

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.

~Groucho Marx

"The world is one country and mankind is its citizens..."  Baha'u'llah

 

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