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Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re a diabetic. My last A1C was a 9. Down 1/2 a point from the time before. That’s down from a high of 11, so I’m heading in the right direction. I’m hoping to have it even further down when I’m checked again in December. It’s hard, but I know I can do it. Mostly right now my daily sugars are in line to where they’re supposed to be. It doesn’t mean I don’t have bad numbers now and then, but they are a lot less frequently than what they were before I started paying attention.
Let’s face it, nobody wants to poke their finger 12 times a day. Right now I’ve been doing it twice a day. Fasting in the morning and just before dinner and once or twice a week 2 hours after dinner. This gives me a good awareness of where my sugars are at so I can adjust my medication.
The second step I’ve been doing is paying attention to what I eat. I’ve downloaded the app, “My Fitness Pal,” so I can keep track of the crap I’ve been shoveling down my neck. By daily recording what I eat, has opened my eyes to the crap I eat and how much of it. By being aware, I’m changed my diet considerable but over time. Not everything in one day. By doing the above I’m seeing a lot better numbers in my daily sugar readings. That makes my endocrinologist a happy doctor. Making me a happy man.
Next step, I have to start walking/exercising a bit more than what I do.
Blood Sugar Fasting: 141
Weight: 267
It is considered one of life’s guilty pleasures – but that could be about to change.
Scientists now say that regularly tucking into a few pieces of chocolate may actually be good for us. A study has found that people who regularly eat chocolate are less likely to fall victim to strokes and heart disease.
The findings – based on a 12-year study of 21,000 Britons – suggest that eating dark or milk chocolate could be beneficial for health.
Scientists now say that regularly tucking into a few pieces of chocolate may actually be good for us. A study has found that people who regularly eat chocolate are less likely to fall victim to strokes and heart disease
The cumulative evidence suggests that high chocolate consumption may be associated with cardiovascular benefit.
People at risk of heart disease are often told to exclude sweet and fattening foods from their diet.
But the researchers, whose work was published in the medical journal Heart, said: ‘There does not appear to be any evidence to say that chocolate should be avoided by those who are concerned about cardiovascular risk.’
They found that people who regularly ate chocolate – some of whom consumed up to 100g a day – were 11 per cent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problem than people who ate none at all.
Eating chocolate was also associated with a 25 per cent reduced chance of dying with a heart problem. The study authors – from the universities of Aberdeen, Manchester, Cambridge and East Anglia – stressed that their investigation merely looked at statistical trends, and could not draw definitive conclusions about cause and effect.
They said there is a chance the results were skewed slightly by the fact that people who have a high risk of heart disease may steer clear of chocolate – so those who regularly eat the treat might already be healthier.
But they added: ‘Nevertheless, the cumulative evidence suggests that high chocolate consumption may be associated with cardiovascular benefit.’
The researchers suspect that chocolate’s health benefits are linked to flavonoids – antioxidants present in dark chocolate that are thought to help blood flow.
But they said that milk chocolate, which is usually considered to be less ‘healthy’, may also have health benefits.
‘Milk chocolate was more frequently consumed than dark chocolate in this cohort,’ they wrote. ‘However, we still observed a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
‘This may indicate that not only flavonoids, but also other compounds – possibly related to milk constituents such as calcium and fatty acids – may provide an explanation.’
The study involved 9,200 men and 11,700 women in Norwich, who were monitored for an average 12 years.
The scientists, whose work was funded by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK, also carried out a review of nine previous studies into chocolate involving 158,000 participants, which backed up their results.
Experts last night welcomed the results – although they repeated concerns that nobody has yet proved exactly why chocolate might improve heart health.
Milk chocolate (left) is usually considered less ‘healthy’ that dark – but scientists still observed a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease among people who ate it regularly over the 12 year long study
Dr Tim Chico, cardiologist at the University of Sheffield, said: ‘This study adds to the evidence that people who consume chocolate tend to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, although such studies cannot say whether the chocolate is the cause of this protective effect.
‘However, it is also clear that chocolate has the potential to increase weight, which is unequivocally bad for cardiovascular health.’
Professor Aedin Cassidy, nutritionist at the University of East Anglia, issued a word of warning.
‘Chocolate also contains fat and sugar so only moderate intakes should be recommended as part of a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables,’ she said.
n It may be good for your health but chocolate could soon hurt your pocket after experts predicted soaring prices amid a long-term shortage of cocoa.
A University of Sydney study said that with cocoa bean production falling and demand for chocolate rising in growing economies such as China, shoppers can expect prices to increase by 60 per cent in the next five years. There has already been a 20 per cent rise in the past year.
After missing my routine on both Friday and Saturday due to going out of town I jumped back into the gym today. Started day 22 of the Muscle & Fitness Beginner’s Workout http://goo.gl/oqhi68. After 15 mins on the treadmill I worked on strengthening my Chest, Triceps and Calves. Tomorrow is Legs and Abs.
I write this as I’m munching on a salad after my workout this morning. My legs feel like jelly, but over all I feel good today. Not so yesterday. On the go all day, I missed my workout. Not because I didn’t have time, I just skipped it because I was lazy. The afternoon into the evening I was on the go with teaching class, appointment and then the finance committee meeting at church. I ended up grabbing dinner on the go last night, a Jack-in-the-Box burger and small curly fries. Immediately after eating the meal I wish I hadn’t. It really made fell crappy the rest of the night.
I started off the day right today with an apple for snack and now my salad for brunch, (and yes, I use a little oil and vinegar, no creamy ranch dressing.)
I’m making changes everyday to my diet. No one just wakes up and says “From now on i will eat only healthy.” Yea, right. It doesn’t happen. But, if you try and be conscious of your diet, then you’ll only be bad now and then. It won’t ruin your whole day, only until your next meal.
A handful of pistachio nuts twice a day protects the heart and arteries from harm caused by stress in diabetics, scientists found.
Just 150 of the nuts or three ounces a day resulted in people with Type 2 diabetes having more ‘relaxed’ and less narrower blood vessels, lower blood pressure especially when asleep and less strain on the heart after just four weeks.
The study by Pennsylvania State University said the nuts could reduce risk of heart disease but warned the nuts were not a cure for daily stress.
Professor of biobehavioural health and nutritional sciences Sheila West said: ‘In adults with diabetes, two servings of pistachios per day lowered vascular constriction during stress and improved neural control of the heart.
‘Although nuts are high in fat, they contain good fats, fibre, potassium and antioxidants. Given the high risk of heart disease in people with diabetes, nuts are an important component of a heart healthy diet in this population.’
The study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association involved two diets with the same number of calories.
After two weeks on the typical American diet – containing 36 per cent fat and 12 per cent saturated fats – participants were randomised to one of two test diets for the next four weeks.
One included a standard heart-healthy diet – 27 per cent fat and 7 per cent saturated fat – and a diet containing two servings per day of pistachios – about 3 ounces or 20 per cent of calories from pistachio nuts.
The pistachio diet contained 33 per cent fat and 7 per cent saturated fat with equal portions of salted and unsalted nuts.
Blood pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance at rest and during two stress tests – a cold water challenge by immersing one hand into icy water for two minutes and a confusing mental arithmetic test were then measured.
Prof West said: ‘After the pistachio diet, blood vessels remained more relaxed and open during the stress tests.’
Researcher Katherine Sauder added: ‘We found that systolic blood pressure during sleep was particularly affected by pistachios. Average sleep blood pressure was reduced by about 4 points and this would be expected to lower workload on the heart.’
But Prof West said: ‘Our participants still felt frustrated and angry during the math test. The pistachio diet reduced their bodies’ responses to stress, but nuts are not a cure for the emotional distress that we feel in our daily lives.’
The researchers also recorded improvements in heart rate variability, a measure of how well the nervous system controls heart function.
These data indicated that pistachios increased the activity of the vagus nerve, an important part of the parasympathetic nervous system that can be damaged with diabetes.
Prof West said: ‘If sustained with longer term treatment, these improvements in sleep blood pressure, vascular response to stress and vagal control of the heart could reduce risk of heart disease in this high risk group.’
Blood pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance at rest and during two stress tests – a cold water challenge by immersing one hand into icy water for two minutes and a confusing mental arithmetic test were then measured.
Prof West said: ‘After the pistachio diet, blood vessels remained more relaxed and open during the stress tests.’
Researcher Katherine Sauder added: ‘We found that systolic blood pressure during sleep was particularly affected by pistachios. Average sleep blood pressure was reduced by about 4 points and this would be expected to lower workload on the heart.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718507/Pistachios-protect-hearts-diabetics-Handful-twice-day-reduce-strain-organ-lower-blood-pressure.html#ixzz39gNY1Hk1
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A daily cup of coffee can save your eyesight, scientists claim.
A chemical found in the drink prevents deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, aging and diabetes.
Researchers at Cornell University in New York were looking at coffee’s antioxidant effects when they made the discovery.
The newest health drink: A daily cup of coffee can save your eyesight, scientists claim
Coffee contains 1 per cent caffeine but between 7 and 9 per cent chlorogenic acid which is a strong antioxidant.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that in mice this acid prevented retinal degeneration.
Chang Y. Lee, a professor of food science and the study’s senior author said: ‘The retina is a thin tissue layer on the inside, back wall of the eye with millions of light-sensitive cells and other nerve cells that receive and organize visual information.
‘It is also one of the most metabolically active tissues, demanding high levels of oxygen and making it prone to oxidative stress.
A chemical found in the drink prevents deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, ageing and diabetes
‘The lack of oxygen and production of free radicals leads to tissue damage and loss of sight.’
He added: ‘The study is important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects.
‘Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that.’
Previous studies have shown that coffee also cuts the risk of such chronic diseases as Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive declines.
Did the my first DDP Yoga Energy work out in almost two months. When I went back to work after the summer, it seamed that work and life got in my way and my workouts were sporadic. I remade my commitment today and got off my ass and stretched. No matter what shape you’re in, I recommend DDPYoga, you can start anywhere…its how you finish is what counts.
Came across this on the web and thought I’d share: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-are-your-4-lbs
What Are Your 4 Pounds Made Of?
by Ryan Andrews, September 9th, 2009.
I don’t know what you had for lunch today, but I had 18 apples.
What do you think of that? You probably think I’m a glutton and have the GI tract of a gorilla.
But check this – a typical fast food value meal has the same amount of calories as 18 apples. 18! So I wanted to see what would happen if I downed the same amount of calories from apples.
Not pretty.
Yet I’ve had buddies knock back 2 value meals while watching Monday Night Football. And no, I haven’t seen any of them go through a bag of red delicious by the 4th quarter.
What does this tell me? Well, it tells me that Mother Nature has got your back.
Remember:
- Real food regulates appetite – so you don’t overeat
- Real food controls blood sugar/insulin – so you can avoid energy swings and diabetes
- Real food provides the best nutrition – so you can remain healthy for life
- Real food has a sane amount of energy – so that you can’t accidentally overeat
- Real food has a longstanding relationship with our body – so that our bodies know what to do with it
Energy density
This leads me to the world of energy density. Are you familiar with it? It’s the amount of energy (calories) per unit of food. Let me explain.
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| This is 200 calories of melon. This is a lot of melon. | This is 200 calories of cheese. This isn’t very much cheese. |
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| This is 200 calories of celery. Good luck eating this. | This is 200 calories of a candy bar. Good luck NOT eating this. |
Seeing a trend? It’s hard to rack up excess energy (calories) from whole, real, calorie-dilute foods.
Food poundage
Interestingly, research shows that most humans eat around 3-5 pounds of food per day. Indeed, as we approach 4 pounds of food intake for the day, most of us are feeling pretty satisfied.
Now, this can be 4 pounds of celery. Or it can be 4 pounds of candy bars. It’s not the food or calorie content that matters. It’s the volume/poundage that counts. And obviously, there are some big nutrient differences between celery and candy bars, right?
Now, let’s take some extreme examples of this…
- 4 pounds of raw veggies will provide 400 calories
- 4 pounds of raw fruits will provide 1000 calories
- 4 pounds of cooked whole grains/legumes provides 1600 calories
- 4 pounds of nuts/seeds provides about 10,000 calories
- 4 pounds of Lucky Charms, Pop Tarts, Cheese provides about 10,000 calories
Note: I’m showing calories only as a measurement unit to help illustrate a point. Don’t get wrapped up in the numbers.
People that struggle with body fat management tend to fill up on energy dense, processed foods. This means stored energy for later.
Translation: Fatness.
If we eat 4 pounds of energy-controlled, whole, real food – we get lots of nutrition with a calorie count that our body can handle.
What’s our poundage portion?
Most people in the U.S. are consuming (on average) the following amounts of food each day:
2.0 pounds of meat, dairy and eggs
1.5 pounds fruits and veggies
0.5 pound grains
0.5 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.5 pounds
= about 3,700 calories per day
What if we switched this around?
2.5 pounds of fruits and veggies
1.0 pounds of grains and legumes
0.3 pounds nuts/seeds
0.3 pounds meat, dairy and eggs
0.1 pounds added sugars, fats and oils
= 4.2 pounds
= about 2,075 calories per day (this isn’t really that much, especially if you’re physically active.)
Putting it to the test
I’m curious: what does a day of my food weigh?
How much my day of food weighs = 3.7 pounds
Foods – Clockwise, starting in upper right
2 lentil burgers, steamed broccoli
Peaches & blueberries
Raw buckwheat granola with hempseeds and flax
Roasted garbanzos & goji berries
Sprouted grain bread with peanut butter
Lettuce & kale
Celery, carrots, zucchini
Note: I was surprised it didn’t weigh more. The actual food weighs less than 3.7 pounds, as the food containers contribute to the total weight. I left out condiments like salad dressing and mustard.
Oh, and this was just a random day of eating. Some days I eat more, some days less.
What have we learned today?
If we prioritize and eat nutritious, real, controlled energy foods – there isn’t much room left for the energy dense, fake foods. You only have about 3-5 pounds to work with each day.
So… think about it…what are your 4 pounds made up of?
Dark greens, homemade dressing, and just a little bit of fat… How to ensure your salad really IS a healthy option
PUBLISHED: 15:33 EST, 19 July 2012 | UPDATED: 15:33 EST, 19 July 2012
The salad is a menu go-to for anyone watching their weight. But the seemingly-healthy dish can also function as a platform for high-fat, high-calorie foods that can spell disaster for dieters.
Indeed, ever-tempting variations can come loaded with cheese, croutons and creamy dressings, and could be just as damaging to your waistline as a burger and fries.
But, one expert reveals, that doesn’t have to be the case. Dietician Heather Bauer says just a few simple ingredient trades could make all the difference.
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Cutting calories: Just a few simple ingredient trades will ensure your salad really is healthy
Cutting calories: Just a few simple ingredient trades will ensure your salad really is healthy
She writes in U.S. News and World Report: ‘Often associated with being low in calories and high in nutrients, salads seem to make sense. The truth is, sometimes opting for a salad can be one of your worst dieting downfalls.’
More…
Ms Bauer, author of The Wall Street Diet and Bread is the Devil, says it is important to know what to keep in and what to take out. And the trades are not always what one might expect them to be.
Instead of cutting out fat altogether, for example, she says a small amount is essential for helping your body make the most of nutrients consumed in the salad leaves.
People who order a salad will consume, on average, 12per cent fewer calories during the meal
‘Consider using two to three thin slices of avocado to not only add in heart-healthy fats, but also potassium, fiber, and vitamin E,’ she advises.
As for the leaves themselves, Ms Bauer’s says the darker the better. So go for spinach, kale and arugula over romaine and iceberg lettuce.
‘Dark green leafy vegetables rank high on the nutritional scale, and are packed with fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and vitamins,’ she explains, adding that dark leaves are also extremely high in calcium and essential vitamins A, C, and K.
TOP SIX WAYS TO MAKE YOUR SALAD HEALTHIER
- Opt for dark green leaves over paler lettuces
- Trade croutons for broken-up crispbreads
- Skip the cheese and limit protein to one lean source like grilled chicken, beans or egg whites
- Add a little ‘healthy’ fat in the form of nuts or a few slices of avocado
- Stick to homemade dressings to cut back on sodium and sugar
- Avoid side-servings of bread and breadsticks altogether
The real calories can rack up when ingredients like cheese and croutons are added, though. So, the dietician advises, limit yourself to just one source of protein, and go for lean meat over fatty cheese.
Better still, she suggests choosing egg whites or legumes like kidney beans as a protein option instead, as both are very low in calories.
As for oil-drenched croutons, cut them out altogether and use seed-based snack mixes and broken-up crispbreads to add crunch instead. Ms Bauer says they are lower-glycaemic too, so wil keep you feeling full for longer.
Dressing is another dietary danger. Store-bought versions can be loaded with sodium and sugar, while homemade versions are not only healthier, but taste way better too.
Ms Bauer recommends experimenting with fresh herbs and getting creative with different combinations of oils and vinegars.
She adds: ‘You can also experiment by adding different types of mustard… Varieties like Dijon, whole-grain, or sweet mustards all pack in flavor without tons of calories.’
Chronicles of a Diabetic 