Battling Diabetes

Football season is upon us…

Broncos vs. The Raiders September 8.

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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!

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I think I have made it pretty clear that I am not a fan of putting things into the body that is not natural. A few days ago, I got into a pretty heated debate with someone over the recent ‘advances’ in medicine and diet. Their stance was that because of the refining of foods, the addition of preservatives, and other non-natural methods of food enhancement, we had come to a point where we no longer needed herbs and other natural remedies/foods.

I had a hard time following the point of the conversation on their side. It was beyond me how anyone could credit harmful items with the discovery of healthful ones. Or how the idea could be planted on someone’s head that natural things were bad for them. One thing that struck me as hilarious was this statement:

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What’s Agave?

Agave is a succulent plant native to Mexico. Native people used the agave for many different applications, from clothing to rope and some native people still use the agave in interesting ways. One use that you may not have imagined is nails! But for diabetics, agave is another natural sweetener that is a healthy alternative.

There are many different varieties of the agave genus, so when I speak of agave in this post, I am referring to the Blue Agave.

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Since it is the last day of the month, I thought we would take a look back at February.

We’ve talked about neuropathy, what it is and how it affects the body. diabetes.battlingforhealth.com/2008/02/what-is-diabetic-neuropathy/

Reviewed The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts, which will be given away in just a few more days! Don’t miss out on the contest to win your own copy. diabetes.battlingforhealth.com/2008/02/the-big-book-of-diabetic-desserts/

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Planning healthy meals as a diabetic is important. You do not need to settle for plain fare, much like I tell others who are interested in eating healthier; all food can be delicious. All it takes is a bit of imagination to change boring food to spectacular meals.

Here are a few links to help you plan and cook better meals. You can find recipes, the diabetic food pyramid, a food planner, and even a virtual grocery store tour.

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Get To Know Sodium

Sodium is a mineral that is needed for proper functioning of the human body. This mineral is a part of salt, and if not present in the body can cause health problems. Sodium helps balance the fluids present in the body.

Sodium occurs naturally in foods, so when you add extra salt to a meal you are increasing your sodium intake. An excess of sodium can contribute to health problems such as kidney disease, heart attack, and stroke. Blood pressure is sensitive to sodium intake which is why people with high blood pressure should carefully monitor their sodium intake.

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I created the following recipe as a low fat, energy packed breakfast for my family.You can modify it by adding in other chunks of fruit or nuts. It really is very versatile. If you would like, try using a 50-50 ratio of white and wheat flour. If you use wheat, be sure to use molasses. I have also used soy flour to add a protein punch. Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Fruit Breakfast Fuel

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I just wanted to wish all of you a very Happy Valentine’s Day and wish you the very best. Today is a perfectly lovely day to spend time with the ones you love. You do not have to have a lot of sweets, either for it to be a sweet day.

If you do choose to indulge in chocolate, try dark chocolate. It is higher in antioxidants than milk chocolate and in many recipes, lower in sugar. Dark chocolate is an aquired taste for most Americans because our taste buds are trained to enjoy sweeter confections. In other parts of the world, bitter and dark chocolate is the normal treat.

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Diet and You

Each day when you eat a meal, you are choosing how healthy you are going to be. Every single bite of food you have affects your body. So why not choose the very best foods to put into your system?

I wrote yesterday about diabetic desserts, but what about meals? So many of us are used to comfort foods. These foods remind us of a simpler time, a time when all was well and we did not need to worry about what we were eating. This type of attitude as children can also attribute to obesity and as many already know, diabetes.

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