Tea for Two
Let’s talk tea.
I’m basically a java girl but I keep plenty of tea around for those tea occasions. Ginger tea after meals to aide digestion, green tea in the evening, and of course chamomile (honey vanilla chamomile) before bed.
Archive for the Diet category
What the Cows Know…
The dairy cow knows the value of Vitamin D.
And now so do researchers.
Study participants were given Vitamin D supplements (typical infant multivitamins) from birth on and after a tracking period of 15 to 30 years it was found that they were 29% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than those infants who did not receive the supplemental Vitamin D. (Archives of Disease in Childhood) You can read the entire story here.
Low levels of Vitamin D apparently leads to insulin resistance.
Sources of Vitamin D:
- Vitamin D is synthesized in the human skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet light
- Fortified milk
- Swiss Cheese
- Beef Liver
- Fish (mackerel, tuna, sardines)
- Eggs
- Cod liver oil
And according to this associated article from USA Today News: June 14, 2008, Vitamin D Tests Soar As Deficiency, Diseases Linked—more doctors are testing for Vitamin D deficiency related diseases than ever before as more than 35% of adult Americans are found to have low levels.
How Much Vitamin D Do We Need?
Per the Mayo Clinic:
“You’re unlikely to get too much vitamin D from the food you eat, and prolonged sun exposure doesn’t seem to cause vitamin D toxicity. Over time, however, megadoses of vitamin D supplements can cause
nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness and weight loss. More seriously, excessive doses of vitamin D can raise the level of calcium in your blood — which can cause confusion and changes in heart rhythm. Generally, the upper limit for vitamin D is 2,000 IU a day.”
Legumes for Diabetes Health
The results of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and published in the January 2008 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were that consumption of legumes ( peanuts, soybeans, and other legumes) reduced the risk of diabetes by over 40 percent.
Those who consumed more soy beans had the greatest reduction in risk–up to 47 percent.
What is a legume?
High in protein, iron and B vitamins legumes or Leguminosae, have seed pods that, when ripe, split along both sides.
Types of legumes:
- lentils
- peas
- soybeans
- peanuts
- beans
And oh those wonderful beans, pinto, lima, kidney, butter, garbanzo, string beans, snap beans, green and yellow wax beans!
While high in starch beans can be incorporated into your diabetic meal plan.
Try tossing some into your salad or an omelet. Need inspiration? Here are a few legume recipes to get you started.
Forbidden Fruit?
Nothing is forbidden to a diabetic. The mantra continues to be all about wise choices.
A recent question and answer in the L.A. Times discusses whether diabetics can eat fruit.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim, medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Center for Weight Loss, disses the idea that diabetics should avoid fruit, instead encouraging it as being part of a healthy daily meal plan, but with the awareness that some fruits have a higher glycemic index.
Ann Albright, president of healthcare and education for the Alexandria, Va.,-based American Diabetes Association further discusses fruit. “A diabetic’s response to eating fruit and other carb-rich foods will vary depending on time of day, current glucose levels, what else is or was being eaten, how the food was prepared and any medications being taken.”
She further states, “Be a bit more careful about non-fresh fruits, such as ones that are dried and canned in syrup — both have higher sugar contents. Unsweetened fruit juice is fine, but again, keep portion size in mind. Juice is not verboten, but don’t think that drinking a 32-ounce glass is OK because it’s healthy. The carb content is not that far off from a soda.”
Pre-Packaged Diabetic Food
If you have any experience with diabetic foods in your grocery store or pharmacy please share with our readers at Battling Diabetes.
Here’s a run down on the most visible products on your retail shelf. The goal for all these products is to provide nutritious prepackaged convenient meals for diabetics.
Fifty/50: Half Our Profits Fund Diabetes Research
Fifty/50 not only provides diabetic supplies but also foods for diabetics in the familiar red package.
“FIFTY 50 was started in 1990 with only 3 products made especially for people with diabetes. We had the idea that if we gave 50% of our profits to diabetes research, people would buy our products. Now, we’ve grown to be the leading company offering a full line of foods for people with diabetes (over 30 products). More importantly, we’ve donated over $10.5 million to diabetes research.”
I was unable to resist the low glycemic hearty oatmeal cookies and tossed them in my cart. Sweetened with fructose, the nutritional information of these and all their products are on the website.
The Traffic Light Diet
The Traffic Light Diet is a simple diet plan that may help adult diabetics as well as children get started on the road to healthy eating. While called a diet it is really a lifestyle plan. It is easy to follow which means long term compliance in any situation. This may be a perfect educational starter to teach newly diagnosed diabetics healthy choices.
The Traffic Light Diet or Stop Light Diet was developed by Leonard H. Epstein and colleagues for use in their family-based childhood overweight research. It has been since copied (as noted in Battling Books!).
Should Diabetics Imbibe?
Diabetics and alcohol consumption.
Most sources agree that if your diabetes is well regulated an alcoholic beverage can be scheduled into your meal plan on occasion. Always consult your physician first to be sure your medication is compatible with alcohol. If you have neuropathies such as a compromised liver it is important to discuss alcohol consumption with your doctor as alcohol is metabolized mainly by the liver.
Why Wait?
June 12, 2008, Reuters Health: Diabetic Weight Loss Plan Yields Long Term Success. One year later. The findings of the follow up of the Joslin Diabetes Center, Why Wait? program show that the participants of the 12-week program for Type 2 diabetics resulted in an average weight loss of 24.6 pounds and good control of blood glucose levels and blood pressure.
What is Why Wait?
The 12-week program involves exercise, dietary changes, education, counseling and adjustment of diabetes medications. Participants meet weekly and the program is insurance reimbursable. There is a monthly support session fee of $25 out of pocket.
Program components per the Joslin Why Wait? site:
- Intensive and interactive medication adjustments
- Structured modified dietary intervention
- Graded, balanced and individualized exercise intervention
- Cognitive behavioral intervention
- Group education
The dietary component portion of the Joslin Why Wait? program includes meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch. Snacks between meals. Dinners are from 14 menu selections from the Joslin Nutrition Guidelines. Nutritional breakdown of the meals are about 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat and 30% protein.
Additional Joslin weight notes per Why Wait? site:
- A modest weight loss of one pound every one to two weeks is advised.
- Reducing daily calories should be by 250 to 500 calories; total daily calories should not be less than 1,000 to 1,200 for women and 1,200 to 1,600 for men.
- Weight loss is different for each person and should be continued until a person reaches a target body mass index, or BMI.
Calculating target body mass index or BMI:
The exercise component portion of the Joslin Why Wait? program recommends ” A minimum of 150 to 175 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity is recommended. A target of 60 to 90 minutes most days of the week is encouraged.”
The medication component portion includes working with a diabetologist to reduce or eliminate medications that interfere with weight loss. It is includes more frequent glucose monitoring. Medications are adjusted weekly based on your personal results.
Diabetic Diets or Not?
My first encounters with diabetic diets came from my grandmother. Our large extended family spent many Sundays in her huge kitchen for the family meal.
Grandma spent the entire day preparing homemade tomato sauce which simmered on the stove from early morning until evening. The final product of red velvet sauce was served over fresh pasta with side dishes of pork hocks, sausage, and homemade meatballs. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese was passed around the tables (at least two tables to fit the family) along with homemade bread and a large bowl of salad. Our salads were a meal in themselves, tossed with an oil and vinegar dressing.
The entire family enjoyed the feast–well that is most of us. Not my grandmother. I distinctly remember that most of her meals consisted of a bowl filled with a horrid looking combination of greens and plain meats.
Diabetic Vegan Recipe
Veganism is popular and healthy
I need to start this off by saying that I am not a Vegan. My family eats more vegetables than meat based dishes, though we do consume meat. When I share vegan and vegetarian recipes, I am not condemning meat eaters at all!
Veganism has gained a lot of popularity among the health and eco-conscious. With the issues that elevated protein can cause in diabetic, I thought it may be a good idea to share recipes all diabetics can incorporate into their diet. So, if you are a vegan/vegetarian diabetic, this recipes is dedicated to you!
Tina Radcliffe spent many years caring for and teaching newly diagnosed diabetics in the home setting. Her other experiences include ... .. 
