|
|
Blog Entries With Tag: type 2Blog: Anna's BlogFrom: FatCatAnnaPosted: Feb 20, 2015
I am home now from a working holiday, in the Bahamas and Miami. Despite the weather being abit cooler then normal (they only get 2 weeks of winter - we were there in that period <lol>) - we had a great time. I managed to meet up with some great diabetics along the way, that knew I was coming into their ports ... and here is one little story I'd like to pass along to you (more to flow from my finger tips over the weeks). This will hopefully warm your heart as much as it did for me - especially now that I'm the land of snow and cold winter temperatures in Canada (with wind chill it is currently a balmy -30C as I'm composing this - not the 20C we were having in Miami yesterday - brrrhhh). When I got off in Nassau, I headed off for abit of a jaunt to get my sea legs back into shape (and burn off some of the foods I'd been eating on the cruise ship - oink, oink). I sauntered through the Straw Market on that chilly day. I had on a wool sweater - and looked like a local compared to the tourists in little flimsy gear. I was warm and cozy that was the main thing. I happened to come across a stall that had some cute hand embroidered straw bags with of course ... Hello Kitty on them. Because I love to spoil my grand niece Mallory, I stopped by and picked up one, and had her name put on it. I started chatting to the owner of the booth as she was embroidering my neices names on to the basket, to discover that her Grandmother's name was Anna and things progressed from there to a few of us sitting around on chairs just chatting away like we'd known each other for years. This is the best part of when I travel, meeting up with people. She was tellling me that in the Bahamas diabetes is a very big problem due to what she feels is the introduction of foods brought from other countries. Before canned, processed food came to their islands from other countries, she said that diabetes was something that you rarely heard of. As she was talking to me, I noticed how beautiful her skin was, how vibrant she looked, despite the hard work that she has to do every day (the Bahamian government rents out the stalls to them - hers had belonged to Anna and passed on down to her). It's not an easy life, but she is happy and manages. When I told her I'd had Type 1 diabetes for 50 years, and how old I was, she told me how old she was. What shocked me is that she is 70 years old and to me, she looked much younger. I told her this, and that got her and her friends laughing away. They all told me that they feel that eating from the ground, foods that are not over processed (no foods that have been canned) are what they think is the secret to good health (and I told them maybe not having frigid cold temperatures like Canada probably helps). Food that is prepared fresh, not fast was the big point that I came out of our conversation about their healthy way of eating. She gave me verbally the recipe for making her favourite cassava dish (or yuca as it is also known). Full of vegetables and slow cooked to perfection. When I find time to do some research and make up the dish myself, I'll post the recipe. It's not a dish for the low carb eaters out there, but even if sampled abit, am sure it won't spike your blood sugars as drastically as what a potato based stew would do for you. I can add further to this proof, of the yuca wedge fries I had in a Peruvian restaurant in Miami about a week later, that were to die for. I guesstimated the amount of carbs, and no crazy spiking. It helped that I had a bowl of fish soup that was to die for to slow down the process of the carbs!!! Psst, if you're in the SOBE area ... check out Chalan on the Beach - good prices (dishes are large portion - so shareable) - fresh ingredients - drool worthy!!! Even Sock Monkey liked it there! In the meantime, I've come across a yuca oven fry recipe that I'll be giving a try once I've got restablished back here at home. Maybe you'll want to check it out for youself and give it a go. How many of you have incorporated this root vegetable into your meal plan and had great success with blood sugar control? I'd love to hear from you!!
Comments |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tags: canned (1) food (1) processed (1) carbs (1) fries (1) cassova (1) T2D (1) diabetes (1) Type 2 (1) Sock Monkey (1) yuca (1) Nassau (1) Miami (1) Peruvian (1) Bahamas (1) Related posts:Carb Counting | Surviving the Holocaust with Type 1 diabetes | My first month with Bowie my Dexcom G4 CGMS | Miss Idaho is Defeating Diabetes | Sugar and Your Health | When You're Hot, You're Hot | My First Night with Dexcom G4 CGMS | Diabetes among us... | Diabetes Expo | About meBlog: Anna's BlogFrom: FatCatAnnaPosted: Oct 6, 2013
I recently watched the season opener of the Fifth Estate (a show similar to 60 Minutes on USA television) – about the evils of sugar and what it is doing to the populations health around the world (it’s effects on diseases like diabetes to cancer and Alzheimer’s to name just a few). It was interesting for the most part – it opened my eyes up abit to what sugar does in the breakdown in our bodies (liver – wow does that take the brunch of access sugar). My only concern was how it was made that sugar is EVIL – that we should really avoid it all together. That’s not possible. Sugar is in in everything we eat – it’s either added – or its part of the natural structure of the item we are about to gobble down. I do believe in reducing my sugar intake but for myself that’s mainly for my being a diabetic (and no – the type I have is not brought on by eating sugar or being overweight - SCREAM – the amount of times I’ve had to explain this to people). My Type 1 diabetes is all to do with my autoimmune system destroying my pancreas which produces insulin, a hormone that enables the human body to get energy from food. Capiche? What I wasn’t aware of when watching this show – that the American government over the past 5 years has been trying to persuade food manufactures to show more information on their food labels as to the “percentage” of sugar – just like it shows for Fats, Salt. “ In the USA, there are no government recommended limits for sugar but the American Heart Association recommends 9 teaspoons (45 ml) for men, 6 (30) for women. Meanwhile, USA lawmakers are trying to make information on sugar consumption clearer. ” To me – this makes sense – if you want to have a more informed population of what they are putting into their guts. As we diabetics all know – especially those of us who match our insulin injections to our food intake – we scrutinize the food label like it’s a mystery novel! Or at least I know I do. So, would looking at the percentage of sugar on the product you’re about to purchase make a difference to you? Or would it just be another time consuming factor in your grocery isle experience?
Comments |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tags: eating (1) limit (1) sugar (1) percentage (1) Fifth Estate (1) CBC (1) cancer (1) Alzheimer’s (1) diabetes (1) Type 2 (1) American Heart Association (1) food label (1) toxic (1) Related posts:Surviving the Holocaust with Type 1 diabetes | Eating from the ground - Yuca Fries | My first month with Bowie my Dexcom G4 CGMS | Miss Idaho is Defeating Diabetes | Sugar and Your Health | Jenna and The Hypo Fairy | When You're Hot, You're Hot | My First Night with Dexcom G4 CGMS | Welcome Ziggy Stardust | Diabetes among us...Blog: Anna's BlogFrom: FatCatAnnaPosted: Jun 16, 2013
Have you ever read a book that made you so emotional about how good it was – that you wanted to shout it out to the world (okay – Facebook / Twitter / Google+ it?). Usually it’s reserved for a fiction book in my case, but today, I want to give a shout out to this book by Johanna Burkhard and Barbara Allan, RD, CDE along with Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). This book is aimed at folks wanting to prevent and manage their Type 2 diabetes (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) / Type 1 is explained VERY well too) in TEN steps. Though, in actual fact I’m thinking it’s a book that everyone should delve into – diabetic or not – if they want to live a healthy life. I feel like the Doctor Oz / Oprah of the big blue marble with getting this book out to you!!! I’m wanting to give this book to every friend I know, every aging parent I know … but sorry – at $24.95 (Cdn/US) – you’ll have to fork out the money for it yourself - but it’ll be a great investment – even for those of you like myself who’ve lived with diabetes most of their lives. I have actually learned some new things – or my mind was refreshed with stuff that I’ve forgotten over the years. When I’ve returned this book to my local library – I’m going to be using the Amazon gift certificate my brother gave me for my birthday. Now, I do realise that some diabetics may poo poo some of what is written in the book – especially those that are die hard low carb fans of Dr. Bernstein (See Note 1). Fair game – since I am a sort of a "semi" low carb eater myself (120 grams on average if I don’t “cheat”) – but I think for anyone wanting to know more about diabetes and try to at least learn how to eat wisely – then progress otherwise – this book is a valuable resource for those trying to understand diabetes. The nice thing, in less than 150 pages the explanation of diabetes will NOT send you to sleep – it will make you learn/question more – which is a good thing in my books. What is contained is easily understood by the layman like me and not using language that sometimes goes right over my head with some books I’ve read by doctors and well learned scholars (e.g. university geeks). The other point is that after you browse over the sections of the diet plan they have (for weight loss they aim for 1,600 calories) - you can also modify the meal plan (28-day menu) to suit your lifestyle with their simple suggestions. One great tip I got from the book (and there are many) – with every meal – ensure that you have a minimum of 15 grams of protein. So this morning, I had my toast with jam, along with ½ cup of 2% cottage cheese. I’m hoping with my next blood glucose reading (BG) – I won’t have spiked up too much – since protein/fat help keep your BG’s more stable. I think I’ve always known that having protein/carb helps with more level BG’s – but the little reminder on the side of the section I was reading was a great reminder. The section offers a list of choices for ALL meals – to help meet that protein requirement! Here’s a little factoid from the book – “Did You Know? People with prediabetes are likely to develop Type 2 within 10 years unless they take steps to prevent or delay it.” In the section on Low-Sodium Cooking, most of us know that high blood pressure can be contributed to the way we eat – with processed foods we do not have much control over it. If you are of African descent, age 51 or more, have diabetes or high blood pressure you should aim to limit your sodium to 1,500 milligrams per day rather than the upper limit of 2,300 for healthy individuals. In actual fact – as they state – we ALL should limit our salt intake. Luckily, all the recipes in Chapter 2 use very little added salt, using herbs/spices to make the food tastier, which is what most people use salt for. One thing that shocked me - did you know that children born to mothers with GDM have a higher risk of diabetes themselves, and a higher risk of being overweight? Following/using some of the recipes in this book is the course of action (and of course – they’ll eat larger portions due to growing – but they will be healthier choices). Really, when it comes down to it, the menus shown here are really a “menu for life” – and not to look at the way diabetics in general eat as being a “diet” which often makes people think of weight loss only – but a healthy diet for everyone. My Mum who is not a diabetic, to this day still follows the CDA way of eating that she brought me up on – and has no serious health issues! “The tried and true steps to good health – eating a variety of whole foods, including plenty of vegetables and fruit, exercising and getting enough sleep – will never go out of style.” Note 1: I can now maybe see why Americans dislike the ADA by this statement in the book - “ADA system “counts” more of the fiber and more of the vegetables. This results in more Carbohydrate Exchanges per day in the ADA system – roughly 13, compared with 11 CDA Food Choices “. Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Mint Raita (baked in oven rather than BBQ as per the recipe) –along with some Coconut Milk Quinoa with Sprouted Bean Trio & Peanuts
Comments |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tags: USDA (1) My Plate (1) T1D (1) T2D (1) Type 2 (1) Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (1) recipes (1) cookbook (1) prediabetes (1) ADA (1) CDA (1) GDM (1) low sodium (1) carbs (1) Related posts:Carb Counting | Midnight Three and Six and artificial pancreas technology | Eating from the ground - Yuca Fries | My first month with Bowie my Dexcom G4 CGMS | Questioned by my pharmacist on my insulin regime | My First Night with Dexcom G4 CGMS | Diabetes Expo | Inaugural Luncheon Menu | When your diabetic child is convulsing | Ontario doctors urge fast-food chains, schools to list caloriesBlog: Anna's BlogFrom: FatCatAnnaPosted: Nov 2, 2011
Recently I came across an article from researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City. They have created a simple equation, involving the space between teeth and gums and the number of missing teeth, that helps dentists identify people who have early stages of Type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that in this at-risk dental population, a simple algorithm composed of only two dental parameters (number of missing teeth and percentage of deep periodontal pockets) was effective in identifying patients with unrecognized pre-diabetes or diabetes. The addition of the point-of-care A1c test was of significant value, further improving the performance of this algorithm. I go to the dentist every 9 months for a check-up and cleaning. It used to be every 6 months - but my medical plan at work has cut back on some of the services we had - but still - to have 80-100% coverage for keeping my pearly whites (well - they are now looking abit yellow with age) is great! I've been lucky so far since starting to work full time at 19 - that medical coverage from my employer at work has enabled me to keep my gums/teeth in good state. Many people don't know that problems with your gums can lead to other health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, even Alzheimer's disease.
Comments |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tags: heart (1) gums (1) periodontal disease (1) teeth (1) clinic (1) McGill University (1) BG (1) blood glucose (1) Alzheimer disease (1) diabetes (1) pre-diabetes (1) Type 2 (1) denistry (1) Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (1) Related posts:Surviving the Holocaust with Type 1 diabetes | Eating from the ground - Yuca Fries | My first month with Bowie my Dexcom G4 CGMS | Miss Idaho is Defeating Diabetes | Sugar and Your Health | When You're Hot, You're Hot | My First Night with Dexcom G4 CGMS | Birthday Party | Diabetes among us... | Diabetes ExpoFrom: ppatel24Posted: Jun 15, 2011
Generally, doctors advise patients of Type II diabetes to stay away from sugars. However, there is a sweet product that can be used to treat diabetics instead of harming them. This is special sweetener is Honey! Honey has the least impact on blood sugar from all the sweeteners. An hour to an hour and half after honey consumption, blood sugar level result lower as much as by 60 to 100mg/dl. Natural honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 30. The low GI portrays that the carbohydrates in honey break down gradually and therefore releases glucose slower. On the other hand, processed honey has a glycemic index of 75, which means that the carbohydrates break down quicker during digestion and release glucose rapidly.
Honey also lowers glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which is a type of hemoglobin measured to identify the average plasma glucose concentration. The normal range of the HbA1c test in people without diabetes is between 4% and 6%. People with diabetes have a goal of keeping their HbA1c test score lower than 7%. HbA1c levels can decrease to about 2-4% after honey is consumed. In January 2008, the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center stated that honey improves blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity compared to other sweeteners. How much honey can be consumed on a daily basis by diabetics? About three to five tablespoons a day is recommended. The percentage of total calories provided by sugars should not exceed 10%. Since one tablespoon of honey contains 60 calories, one would be gaining 180 to 360 calories a day from honey, which is sufficient. Therefore, replacing sugars with honey in the diet should be the first treatment advised to Type II diabetics.
Comments |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Tags: HbA1c (1) glycosylated hemoglobin (1) blood sugar (1) glycemic index (1) GI (1) Type 2 (1) sugar (1) unprocessed (1) maple syrup (1) honey (1) Related posts:Keeping track | Eating from the ground - Yuca Fries | My 13 year old self describing her DKA in the 70's | Twist and Shout – Sleep Apnoea | When You're Hot, You're Hot | My First Night with Dexcom G4 CGMS | Welcome Ziggy Stardust | Carb Counting | Home Stretch | Diabetes Expo |
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|