healthy food

Blog, Food

Do’s and Dont’s of Blood Sugar Management

You’ve heard it from a young age “you are what you eat!” “eat your greens” and other sayings along those lines. While eating a healthy diet is the first essential step towards a healthier lifestyle, it’s even more important for people with diabetes. Food can affect your blood sugar in an instant, so you have to be incredibly careful about what you put in your body

If you’re still eating tons of refined carbohydrates and unhealthy saturated fats, stop now! If you dive for that donut you see gleaming in all its sugar laden glory from the display case, then you are going about it all wrong.

Even just a few small changes in your diet can have a monumental effect on your life and the way you manage your diabetes. We’re going to look at some foods that are on an immediate blacklist, these foods are horrible for your body and raise your glucose levels, not to mention that they’re just plain gross! But, there is a flip side, we’re also listing some foods that don’t affect your blood sugar and are great choices to improve your health and happiness.

Don’t eat- Pasta.

If you haven’t already cut pasta out of your diet, do it now! This ridiculously unhealthy food is filled with empty carbs, loads of hidden sugar and no nutrition whatsoever. There are lots of other options, besides refined flour pasta. Brown rice noodles, spaghetti squash, bean threads and kelp noodles to name a few.

Do eat- Leafy greens.

Greens are such a huge part of any healthy lifestyle, and great news for a person who lives with diabetes, they don’t affect your blood sugar at all. They’re the powerhouse vegetable of the food world; they are filled with tons of vitamins and minerals that promote a healthy lifestyle and provide high energy throughout the day.

Don’t eat- Sweets.

Okay, this one is a no-brainer, and it covers an exceedingly broad category of food that we all have a weakness for. Try to resist the temptation! Sweets of any kind wreak havoc on your blood sugar, this includes ice cream, cakes, puddings, cookies, pastries, and candy. Processed sugar is your worst enemy here, avoid it at all costs. Turn instead to natural sweeteners like dates, figs and raw honey. You will be surprised at how “real” they really taste.

Do eat- Avocados.

These little green gold mines are just fantastic for your health, filled with healthy fatty acids Omega 3 and 6 and a multitude of essential vitamins and minerals. Avocados are so delicious, soft, and easy to prepare. Eat them plain as a snack, chop some up to top off your salad or even blend them into a smoothie.

Don’t eat- Fast food

Once again, hopefully, you’ve already cut fast food out of your diet. This greasy fare is as bad as it gets. Fast food is chock full of unhealthy fats, deep fried in gross oils, and jam packed with additives, sugar, and horrible chemicals. Fast food is an addictive drug that is designed to keep you coming back for more. If you really love french fries, make your own at home using coconut oil. Once you try these, you will never eat a fast food fry again… promise!

Do eat- Coconut

By now you’re probably aware of the tropical superfood coconut. Whether you’re eating the meat or unrefined organic oil, you are getting tons of health benefits from this powerhouse nut. Ditch other unhealthy oils and if you’re cooking or baking, turn straight to the coconut oil. Coconut doesn’t mess with your blood sugar at all and you can eat it worry free. You can even eat the coconut meat plain for all the same benefits.

Once you get the hang of what is real food and the impostors, you will be better able to keep your blood sugar in check.

-Be Well

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Mixing it Up: Healthy Eating Means Balanced Eating

What if all you ate were carrots? How about if your breakfast, lunch, and dinner were comprised of only cucumbers? Would you be healthy? Even though these are healthy foods, eating the same things day in and day out does not provide your body with the required mix of nutrients necessary for overall health and wellbeing. Variety, or balance, is the key to success when it comes to protection from disease and healing from such things as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Fact: The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that the more diverse the diet, the greater the protection from premature death from any cause.

One of the biggest challenges facing people who desire to have a truly healthy diet is figuring out what exactly they should be eating. While replacing candy bars with apples and white pasta with whole grain is admirable, understanding how variety works is equally as important. To be the metabolic powerhouse you are designed to be, you must keep your plate varied.

Taking a closer look

Here are a couple of convincing reasons why eating a balanced diet is essential to good health, prevention and healing:

A balanced diet means balanced nutrients

If you want to get adequate nutrition, at a varied diet. This is what a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found. Nutritional science has found over 50 essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids that the body cannot make on its own, therefore, we must get these essential nutrients from the food we consume. There are also over 1200 phyto- chemicals that are found in fruits vegetables, beans, grains and animal products. All of these play a role in overall health and wellness. Balanced nutrients come from a balanced diet since not one single food or food group can provide everything we need.

Dietary diversity protects your from sickness and disease

According to research in the Journal of Nutrition, people who consume the same food over and over again tend to be less healthy than those who eat a varied diet. Participants in the study who ate the widest range of foods were 21% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome (a group of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar and increased body fat that increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes) when compared to those who ate a standard, unvaried diet. Those that ate a varied diet were also more likely to have a healthy waist circumference than those who did not eat a healthy diet.

Various studies have shown that a diverse diet helps to keep blood sugar levels regulated and protects against the onset of type-2 diabetes. A nutrient-rich, balanced diet has been shown to protect against a variety of cancers including gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer and oral and pharyngeal cancer.

Furthermore, eating a varied diet appears to have a protective impact on our heart as it reduces consumption of dangerous refined foods such as sugar salt and unhealthy fats

Variety in action

So, now that you know how important a balanced diet is, it is time for the rubber to meet the road. First things first, just how many food groups are there? You will get different answers depending on where you look and who you talk to. While the latest attempt at a Food Pyramid, My Plate,  from US government is leaps and bounds better than what it ever has been, it still has some fundamental flaws. It does encourage more plant foods but makes the mistake of suggesting low-fat dairy and doesn’t address the necessity of real saturated fat vs processed or hydrogenated fat.

Here is a look at the food groups that will keep you healthy, vibrant and protected. These food groups contain anti-inflammatory foods that are designed to promote balance and healing.

Vegetables: Consume 4-5 servings a day of colorful, raw and cooked vegetables. Choose organic when possible. Remember to keep it diverse.

If you are in a hurry, you can use frozen veggies. Try this delicious and nutritious vegetable dish that you can whip up in no time.

Fruit: It is always best to eat in season. What does your local farmer’s market have? Enjoy a 3-4 serving of fresh or fresh frozen fruit daily.

Whole and cracked grains: There has been a lot of confusion spread about the difference between whole grains and what is pulverized grains such as what you find in flour. Real, whole and cracked grains are quite different. For instance, a wheat berry or a rolled oat is a whole grain whole oat flour is not. So, when you read something about consuming whole grains, it is good advice as long as you understand what it means. If you consume whole wheat bread instead of white bread, you have not arrived as that whole wheat bread most likely spiked your blood sugar in the same way as the white bread. This is the sad but real, truth. Healthy choices include brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, steel cut oats and wild rice. Enjoy 3-5 ½ cup servings per day.

Pasta: If you enjoy pasta, do so with caution. Have 2-3 ½ cup servings a week but be sure that you are eating organic rice noodles, bean thread noodles or buckwheat noodles. It is also best to eat them al dente as the impact on your blood sugar will be less severe.

Here is a pasta dish that the whole family will love.

Beans/legumes: Rich in magnesium, folic acid, potassium and soluble fiber, beans and legumes are a great addition to any healthy diet. Enjoy 1-2 ½ cup servings daily including black beans, lentils, chickpeas and black-eyed peas.

Healthy fats: Healthy fats are critical to a healthy diet. Don’t be misled on this point; you must have healthy fat to burn fat. Healthy fats include such things as olive oil, coconut oil, organic/raw butter, raw nuts ( especially walnuts) and organic nut oils, hemp seeds, freshly ground flax seeds and avocados. Enjoy 5-7 servings per day. A serving is equal to one teaspoon of oil, one tablespoon of flax and other seeds and 1 ounce of avocado.

Fish and seafood: Fish is rich in omega-3 fats and is best enjoyed a couple of times each week. Healthy fish includes wild Alaskan salmon, herring, black cod and sardines. Keep your portion size to 4 ounces and if you don’t like fish take a molecularly distilled fish oil supplement with EPA and DHA ( 2-3 grams per day).

Protein: Add other high-quality protein sources 2-3 times a week including organic cheeses, organic eggs, free range chicken and grass fed meat.

Other: Use spices liberally, especially ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and turmeric. Consume 2-5 cups of green tea and at least eight glasses of water per day. Also, forgo all fast, processed and packaged foods – especially those including refined sugar and hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oil.

Keep it exciting, keep it balanced

An excellent way to keep your diet interesting is to pick different foods from the groups listed above at each meal. Remember, keep it colorful and keep it real!

-Be Well

What if there was a way to reverse your Type 2 diabetes in as little as 45 days? What if that way was easy,,,, really easy? Click here how you can be diabetes free using this 100% scientifically-backed method!

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 Blog, Mind and Mood

Do This When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Food

When you first fall in love, there is often no longer any space in your brain for anything but thoughts of that person. It is like an override switch is triggered and there is only room for one perpetual thought. Although this may seem like a good thing, the reality is, thinking about any one thing all the time can become frustrating, distracting and even compromise your health and wellbeing.

Take food for example: If you were to keep track, how many hours a day do you spend thinking about food? Either what you are going to eat, what you have eaten, what you would like to eat or any other related thought to food? Do you think about food when you are hungry and also when you are not hungry? Is the only time that you don’t think about food when you are asleep?

If you answered yes to any of the above, it could be a sign that you are preoccupied with food. Sure, you may not think that you are preoccupied because you can still (sort of) engage in life’s daily tasks, even seem involved in activities. However, if there is a constant hum in your head or a constant return to thoughts of food, it may be time to address the issue.

Perhaps you are struggling with a health issue such as obesity or diabetes. Unfortunately, being preoccupied with food can be a terrible thing. As our thoughts often drive our actions, the constant energy being used to conjure up mental images of food can interfere with your healthy life pursuit.

Dangers of constant thoughts of food

It has been said that our thoughts often drive our actions. If you have a tendency always to think about food, you may also have a tendency to act on that thought whether it is rational to do so or not. For instance, you may have just finished lunch an hour ago, but you are not thinking about food again. This thought may cause you to overeat at a time when your body doesn’t really need food for fuel.

So, what are you to do if the majority of your thoughts center around food?  It is not so simple as telling yourself to turn it off. Don’t feel guilty if you have tried to override your compulsive thoughts but not been successful, you are not alone.  The good news is that there are some positive steps you can take to banish your constant thoughts about food. Keep in mind that managing your thoughts is just like managing other things in your life, it takes time and effort and most of all, consistency.

Thinking about foodHere are some things that you can try:

Mental distractions: There is nothing like a good ol’ distraction to re-channel your thoughts. Being busy and being distracted means that your thought energy will have to fight for space. Although being distracted is not a longterm solution, it will help to diminish your controlling thoughts. Try things like playing solitaire, scrabble, word puzzles, etc… Anything that will pull valuable cognitive resources is a good choice.

Share your thoughts with a loved one or friend: Sometimes something so simple as sharing your thoughts with others can help release the burden that you have. Often, others can provide insight and support that will allow you to break free from your constant battle with food thoughts.

Keep food out of sight: Often the visual stimulus of looking at food is enough to trigger controlling thoughts about food. Keep your counters clear of food and your cupboards and fridge full of nourishing options such as fruits and veggies. If you share your space with someone who eats less than healthy, ask them to keep the food out of sight as well.

Use your hands: Just as mental distractions can help chase away your focus on food so can being busy with your hands. Take up a hobby such as crochet, knitting, painting or even playing a musical instrument. Again, the idea here is that your neurons can only handle so much, and if you channel the energy in another direction there won’t be much left for thoughts about food.

Ask yourself if you are famished or just bored? Sometimes you may think about food when we are hungry, but other times you may think about food because you are bored. Take a few minutes to connect with yourself when thoughts of munching on your favorite snack enter your head. If you conclude that you are not hungry, just bored – find something purposeful to do. If you are truly hungry – have a healthy snack like some veggies and hummus.

Breathe deeply: Often just taking the time to center yourself and focus on your breathing can chase repetitive thoughts away.  Take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. Do this four or five times to switch your focus from food to breathing. Your body will feel revived and energized after this exercise.

Don’t use food as a reward:  To help shift your focus away from food be sure not to reward yourself with food. For instance, if you feel that you deserve a “treat” for some reason or another make it a habit to choose something other than food such as a pedicure or a new pair of shoes.

Help someone: If you really want to shift the focus away from yourself, go out and help someone. Being engaged with people who are in need will rearrange your thoughts so that they are in line with what others need not with what you think that you need.

Listen to calming music: Many times you may feel like the racing thought of food will never cease. Chase your thoughts away by listening to soft instrumental music. After a few songs you may find that the music has gently pushed your disturbing thoughts aside.

Talk to yourself: One of the best and most effective ways to banish unwanted thoughts is to face yourself in the mirror and have a little talk. Remind yourself that you are more than your thoughts and that your thoughts will not control you. Be grateful always and remind yourself that you will not think of food. Repeat this as many times as it takes to get the idea of food out of your head.

Healthy thinking is a habit

Contrary to what you might have heard, it takes about 66 days for something to become a habit. Don’t give up on yourself too soon, but rather remind yourself that you can stop the thoughts. Keep defeatist thoughts away and remain confident that you can win the battle over your preoccupation with food. Don’t worry about how long it may take but instead, put your energy into making it happen no matter how long it does take!

-Be Well

 

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 Solutions

I’m Type 2 Diabetic: What Can I Eat?

You have just received news that you are a type 2 diabetic and there is no shortage of thoughts running through your mind, most of them discouraging at best. Rest assured, you are not alone in your condition or your thoughts. Diabetes rates have been increasing at an alarming pace with no sign of slowing down.

According to 7th edition of the Diabetes Atlas, 415 billion adults (1 in 11 persons) worldwide have diabetes and this is expected to rise to 642 million by 2040.

Unfortunately, there is more bad news. The American Diabetes  Association reported that in 2012 there were 29.1 million Americans with diabetes and of these 8.1 million were undiagnosed. type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95% of all diabetes cases in America.

What exactly is Type 2 diabetes?

When you eat, your body breaks down food into glucose (sugar) and other nutrients that are necessary for a myriad of bodily functions. The glucose and nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream via the gastrointestinal tract and your blood sugar levels rise. In response, your pancreas makes a hormone known as insulin.

Insulin is very much like a key that works to unlock cell doors to allow glucose to enter. Cells need glucose for energy. When insulin does not work properly the glucose can not get into the cells and remains in the blood. Over time, levels of sugar become dangerously high, leading to what is known as insulin resistance. High blood sugar may promote serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease, nerve, and kidney damage.

The good news

If you are one of the millions diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, there are some things that you really need to know. First of all, there is good news, this is not a life sentence by any means. Type 2 diabetes is 100% reversible through proper lifestyle choices. Namely, diet, exercise and stress reduction.

What can I eat?

You might be wondering, if I am a diabetic, what changes do I have to make to my diet? Will it be bland? Will I have to give up everything I have eaten for years? Will I actually be able to enjoy food again? What does a type 2 diabetes diet look like?

The great news is that the changes you need to make to your diet will not only taste great but allow you to fully enjoy real, and wholesome food. Perhaps, for the first time ever, you will have a new concept of what the word food really means. Contrary to what you might think, you won’t have to eat cardboard the rest of your life.

What if we told you that you could enjoy delicious meals like Linguine with Creamy White Clam Sauce or French Onion Beef Tenderloin and still be healthy? It is so easy to enjoy even those familiar comfort foods when you are a diabetic.

What is real food?

Real food contains the nutrients necessary for your body to rebalance and transport glucose (AKA energy) into cells where it can be used properly as fuel for important functional processes. Real food is not refined or Healthy food choicecomplicated; it is simple and highly nourishing. And yes, real food does not taste like cardboard, but rather entices the senses and appeases the palate. Real food is often referred to as food that nourishes, sustains, or supplies. It is not artificial, not created in a laboratory and not a sum of parts but rather a whole within itself. Real food is the high octane fuel that your body needs to look and feel its best.

Gas vs soda

Although the manufacturers of cars are coming up with some incredible prototypes that use a wide array of fuel types, there has yet to be one that runs on soda. When you pull into a gas station you fill your car with fuel in order that it can run as efficiently as possible between point A and B. If you were, let’s say, to put soda into your gas tank, how far do you think that the car would actually run? The obvious answer is that it probably would not run at all.

When it comes to the human body, real food is the gas that is necessary for optimal performance.  Anything less will result in drastically reduced efficiency and put a terrible strain on all of your bodily systems. 

Real food is for the whole family

Real food can be fun and is not just limited to those with diabetes. Everyone in your home will benefit and even come back fro seconds on many delicious breakfasts, lunches, and snacks you can easily prepare. Often, all it take is a few simple modifications to make your favorite family meals healthy for everyone.

Conventional methods of healing

Conventional methods of treatment for type 2 diabetes often include the use of a pharmaceutical drug. Drugs, however, are much more of a Bandaid approach rather than a solution. It is now being discovered that diabetes drugs don’t work well because they consider diabetes a malfunction with blood sugar rather than an insulin problem.  A typical drug used for type 2 diabetes is focused on fixing the symptom of elevated blood sugar rather than addressing the underlying condition. This can lead to a host of other conditions and side effects.

This is where it all begins

Your journey to wellness and recovery from type 2 diabetes begins with the most powerful medicine on earth, food. By removing the foods that disrupt the glucose-insulin response system, namely those that are processed and refined, and replacing them with whole foods such as vegetables, nuts, seeds, organic meat, wild caught fish, coconut oil and avocado oil, you are out of the starting gate and well on your way to achieving optimal health.

Eating to reverse diabetes is not boring, bland or difficult. Once you embrace whole foods you will never return to your old ways and your body will thank you.

-Be Well

What if there was a way to reverse your Type 2 diabetes in as little as 45 days? What if that way was easy,,,, really easy? Click here how you can be diabetes free using this 100% scientifically-backed method!

 

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