Take Control of Your Type II Diabetes

Do you know someone with diabetes? Even if you answer no, 7 million Americans have diabetes AND DON'T EVEN KNOW IT! Besides those people, 30 million other Americans are diagnosed with Diabetes each year.
84 million Americans are pre-diabetic (before even this stage damage can begin to occur).

Above data is according to the American Diabetes Association.
USA Today recently published 5 important facts about diabetes.

On the bright side, a healthy diet CURES this disease! What I mean is, in most cases, eating a healthy enough diet will allow someone previously diagnosed with type II diabetes, to maintain normal blood sugar, and therefore not experience any short or long term diabetic complications. Now, the healthy eating of PLANT BASED WHOLE FOODS must continue in order to maintain this healthy state. 

Start with some chili!

Returning to previous eating habits and choices will result in the return of increased blood sugars, so the term CURE is relative. However, if getting off of insulin and other diabetic medications and avoiding their side effects and expense is a satisfying goal, you have an option!

Additionally, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine nicely summarized a recently published a study showing more good news for diabetics: "A plant-based diet improves psychological well-being in type 2 diabetes patients, according to a review published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research Care. Researchers reviewed 11 controlled trials on dietary interventions for type 2 diabetes and found that plant-based diets improved well-being overall when compared to dietary interventions from various diabetes associations. Participants reported less pain and saw improvements in depression, weight, quality of life, cholesterol and HbA1c levels, and other health outcomes. Adherence was higher among the plant-based intervention groups, which also suggested higher acceptability, compared with control groups, demonstrating the potential effectiveness of plant-based diets as a clinical intervention for type 2 diabetes."

Here is some more amazing findings about diabetes that I learned about from How Not to Die by Dr Greger:

SATURATED FAT is a key culprit here of the dysfunction of diabetes. Saturated fat harms muscle cells! WARNING TO ATHLETES
Saturated fat:

1. CAUSES inflammation
2. CAUSES mitochondrial dysfunction

(mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells!)
3. CAUSES insulin resistance

"Vegans have significantly LESS FAT trapped in the deep calf muscles than those of comparably slim omnivores" p.108

As for weight loss, most weight gain is due to portion control, so it is EVENTUALLY REGAINED :( So, INSTEAD we have to change WHAT we eat to maintain :) Adding 5 CUPS / week of beans to ones diet is just as effective at weight loss and blood sugar control as a portion control plan! Too much insulin causes other problems such as CANCER and premature AGING. 

I especially loved the study that cured 17 of 21 subjects of DIABETIC NEUROPATHY WITHIN DAYS! Since neural changed occurred before blood sugars stabilized, they speculate that rapid results were likely due to improved blood flow. 

This goes back the original basis for this healthy way of eating - it cures heart disease. Since our hearts fuel all of our organ systems, our nervous system benefits too!

Sorry for the delay, the Boston Marathon threw me off schedule :)

Pomegranate Power!

Looking for a healthy "movie snack"?

POMEGRANATE!

This fruit is perfect for slowly nibbling away on something sweet while you watch your favorite show, movie, or one of the recommendations that I will be suggesting soon!  It takes me a good hour to sit and take my time eating a whole pomegranate!  If you want to get this fruit fast read below.

Have you ever heard that you actually burn calories eating celery (as in more than you're eating)?  I AM CERTAIN that must be the case for pomegranate!

Top 5 Reasons this fruit is Powerful!

#1 Dr Roizen says: Heart health -- improving good cholesterol (HDL), and reducing BLOOD PRESSURE and triglycerides!

#2 Dr Dean Ornish says: Cancer PREVENTION -- particularly prostate cancer, by reducing damage to DNA.  Others also note inhibition of leukemia, breast, and colon cancer.

#3 UCLA says: SKIN health -- increases effectiveness of sunscreen in humans AND inhibits skin cancer in mice!

#4 Dr Mark Liponis says: Help you lose BELLY fat!

#5 Dr Joel Fuhrman says: it can help treat and prevent DIABETES, erectile dysfunction, INFECTIONS, and ANTIBIOTIC resistance through antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  He also notes potential to decrease depression AND build BONE mass.

HOW TO? and POMEGRANATE TIPS

• It's messy!  
• Each red, corn-kernel-like piece is called an anril.  
• Cut the fruit open and pick anrils out one at a time; there are sections within the fruit.  Separate the red and white pieces and white paper-like sectional dividers.  
• Eat each anril entirely, including the small, crunchy seed in the center.  
• The whole fruit lasts up to two weeks at room temperature.  
• You can extend shelf life by refrigerating (as with avocados!); plus, it TASTES great cold!

Get it FAST: Costco sells a great frozen bag of mixed berries which includes pomegranate anrils!  Trader Joe's also sells them all prepared in a bag in the fresh fruit section!  Trader Joe's has so many awesome things!

COMING SOON: movie recommendations

COMMENTS: What have YOU been up to for the last few weeks?  My brother was in intensive care, after a bicycle accident (without a helmet), and is finally on the mend, thank heavens!  Please wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle!

3 Awesome Reasons to Eat Eggplant!

There are a million reasons to eat eggplant, starting with taste! I just love the texture; I love chomping into a nice piece of eggplant! It’s a veggie, AND it’s hearty! It is also abundant in many vitamins and minerals (such as most of the B-vitamins -- did you know there are 8 different B vitamins?, and iron and zinc), and soluble fiber, and like most veggies it’s practically calorie-free! Soluble fiber is the type that helps lower cholesterol. Fiber is great for a million reasons too, but we’ll save that for another post!  Try Easy Eggplant Parmesan!

Ok, so here are today’s awesome reasons to eat eggplant!

1) If you know of anyone who has a cancer tumor (though I really hope you don’t!), you might find it cool that a component of eggplant has a way to prevent tumor growth! Anthocyanins, a type of phytochemical found in blue and purple fruits and vegetables, does this by preventing new blood vessels from forming which would feed the tumor.

2) Have a cold? Eggplant has antiviral properties, so they may help you get rid of that nasty cold or flu that you have been trying to ditch! It’s because of chlorogenic acid found in eggplant, and this substance may also help prevent diabetes.

3) Hopefully, you are healthy as can be! Even the healthiest people in the world have free-radical damage; after all, it happens primarily as we burn calories each day (other causes)! So, the fact that eggplant is a great source of antioxidants is major health benefit which helps protect us from free radicals -- which are a cause of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and aging!

I love the way Hari Sharma explains the following: “Diabetes, kidney problems, liver problems, almost every disease is related to the damage caused by these free radicals. If we remove the damage we are causing ourselves, all these diseases can be prevented.” He also wrote an inclusive list of many causes of free-radicals, such as stress, cholesterol, meat, fat, alcohol, and smoking, in the same article.

Now, do you wonder how you can eat some eggplant?  Try this EASY EGGPLANT PARM recipe!

TELL ME IN A COMMENT: How do you like your eggplant? Grilled? Fried? Boiled? Baked?

A Miracle Vitamin!

Vitamin D does more than just strengthen bones! It’s been shown to help manage type II diabetes, prevent cancer, and even minimize difficulties of menopause!

In summer it is easy for our bodies to make plenty of vitamin D with the help of the sun, but winter is here, so taking a supplement may be just the thing you need! Make sure it has a USP seal on the label to ensure the purity of the supplement! Be sure to read more about DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS!!

Besides sunshine and supplements, mushrooms that have been dried by the sun are rich sources of vitamin D, and fortified soy milk is another source.

Here is research measuring vitamin D in various types of mushrooms, via the USDA.

The Magical Fruit!

Beans, peas, and legumes are some of the most nutritious, inexpensive, and versatile foods you can find! Substitute these savory little nuggets for meat in a meal this week to lower fat, cholesterol, and calories. One cup of beans provides half of the fiber that we should each consume daily, as well as plenty of vitamins, minerals, and protein. So it’s no surprise that beans may even prevent colon cancer, heart disease, and type II diabetes!

Plus, here are three more ways to eat your magical fruit!