Vitamin D linked to lower risk for type 2 Diabetes

In a study following around 5,000 people for five years, researchers found out that the vitamin D with lower average level had 57 percent increase risk in developing the type 2 diabetes as compared to those who are in the level of recommended range.
Dr. Claudia Gagnon, a fellow at the Western Hospital at the University of Melbourne in Australia when the study was done, the studies like on what they did stated that the blood sugar levels of the Vitamin D higher that what it is recommended for a healthy bone may be important in order to decrease the risk of developing the type 2 diabetes.
Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to the sunlight as well as it happens naturally in some foods such as eggs, cod and salmon. Vitamin D is best known for its role in working together with the calcium to the bones.
Institute of Medicine advocates that adults obtain about 600 IU of vitamin D a day to preserve circulating levels in the enviable range. Precedent studies have revealed that vitamin D may also help keep blood sugar levels under.

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Chant of the week: Are you Cheating on your health? Let it go

We've all done it. We picked a diet , we stuck with it. Then one day out of the blue we cheat. We often lie to ourselves about it. It didn't happen. I cant believe I just did that!

This is when we fail. Not failing itself and slipping up. It happens and will happen. But it is best not let make us crash our entire diet just because of one little screw up. Allow yourself this one luxury. Come on admit it, it does feel good to cheap. I mean after all it not like your cheating on your wife in some run down hotel.

Today's message is to say let it go, and stop beating yourself up. Get back on your diet and don't look back at Sodom again

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Renewable Green Super Food

Its not easy these days to eat healthy in America. Having a renewable source of 100% organic super food in your kitchen can help anyone on a budget. Sounds complicated? Its really not. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten either raw or cooked. There are many seeds to choose from. However the easiest by far is the alfalfa seed. In as little as 3-5 days you can have a personal smorgasbord of green goodness at your finger tips.

You will need.
1 container (I recommend a glass mason jar) Just about anything will work.
2 tablespoons of seed
1 mesh or wire lid (use screen or cheese cloth in your in a bind.

Start by placing seeds in jar, then fill jar half full with cool clean water. Let soak for 4 hours or as long as overnight. Strain seeds, get out as much water as you can. This is the trick to good sprouting!

Now watch them grow. Giving them a bath about every other day followed by a good strain. When you are ready to harvest you can eat the sprouts with the seeds attached as I do. Or you can dunk them in a tall bath of water. The seeds should break loose and rise to the top.



QUICK FACT: Sprouts are This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Niacin and Calcium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

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Chayote Squash & Nopal Cactus Salad

Chayote Squash & Nopal Cactus Salad

3-4 Nopal Cactus pads
1 Whole Chayote Squash
4 Cloves of Garlic
2 Tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar
Assorted greens or cut lettuce and tomato

Clean cactus pads and squash combine with three cups of water in a large pot add in apple cider vinegar
(optional 2 tsp of liquid aminos) bring to boil, cook only until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Mix in greens and tomato.

Great for tacos or stand alone salad.

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Say No to Vitamin Water

Its a product that has taken our country by storm. Sadly I've seen children and yes even diabetics drink it. Vitamin Water. Its super cool and sexy. Hey why not? Get all your vitamins and minerals in a bottle and you don't even have to drink that boring stuff (plain water) your grandma drank.

It tastes so good, Heck it doesn't even taste like water. Why? Well for one its full of sugar. Yep I said that right. Vitamin Water has eight teaspoons of sugar per bottle. That's just shy of what you get in a can of coke.

It clocks in at 50 calories per serving. Remember folks that each bottle, just like coke, has 2.5 servings! The sugar may hide under the ingredient list as crystalline fructose but remember Crystalline fructose is a processed sweetener derived from corn that is almost entirely fructose. It consists of at least 98% pure fructose. Crystalline fructose is estimated to be about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar, and 5% sweeter than high-fructose corn syrup.

We need to get over the illusion that products like Vitamin Water will hydrate you better than water. Want more vitamins? Eat a salad and drink some water (real water). For the price of one bottle of vitamin water (depending where you shop) you could go into your local mega-store and get yourself a 24 pack of old fashion drinking water.

Remember that the water used in Vitamin Water is not tapped from some vitamin rich source. All the vitamins are added in later in the production and in low amounts. Stick with the bottled water and dark leafy greens.

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The Best Exercise for Diabetics

You heard it from your doctor I bet. You need to eat better and exercise more. But what kind of exercise? Its kind of left open to interpretation. What is the best exercise for a diabetic and how much is enough? Ideally any activity or exercise is better then nothing at all. Any kind of movement will stimulate circulation which diabetics are known to have poor circulation.

Is Blood Sugar Ever Too High to Exercise?
Yes. In some cases, you should hold off on exercising if your blood sugar is very high.

What Types of Exercise Is Best for Diabetes?
Aerobic exercise and weight training have shown to be better for controlling type 2 diabetes in a recent study. They study shows that with a combination of these two exercise routines the group was able to lower their A1C by nearly one percentage point. Which equals nearly 30% less likely to develop later complications with their illness.

However that is not to say that other exercise routines are not good for you. I highly suggest to people who want to get into an exercise pattern to simply start walking. You don't have to be a runner either. Remember if you walk or run a mile you end up burning roughly the same amount of calories. Plus to reiterate walking can improve circulation in a short time.



Exercise helps control type 2 diabetes by:
Improving your body's use of insulin.
Burning excess body fat, helping to decrease and control weight (decreased body fat results in improved insulin sensitivity).
Improving muscle strength.
Increasing bone density and strength.
Lowering blood pressure.
Helping to protect against heart and blood vessel disease by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol.
Improving blood circulation and reducing your risk of heart disease.
Increasing energy level and enhancing work capacity.
Reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and releasing tension and anxiety.

Safety tips
If you have diabetes, check with your health care provider before you begin a an exercise program. Tell your doctor what kind of exercise you want to do so adjustments can be made to your medicine schedule or meal plan, if necessary.
Start slowly and gradually increase your endurance.
Choose an activity that you enjoy. You'll be more likely to stick with a program if you enjoy the activity. Make exercise a lifetime commitment.
Consider a water exercise program. Some other exercise options include walking, riding a stationary bicycle, swimming, or muscle stretching.
Exercise at least three to four times per week for 20 to 40 minutes each session. Ideally, you should exercise every day. A good exercise program should include a 5- to 10-minute warm-up and at least 15 to 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise (such as walking or biking) or muscle stretching exercises, followed by a 5-minute cool down.
Wear good shoes and practice proper foot care.
Drink water before, during, and after exercise to prevent dehydration.
Do not ignore pain -- discontinue any exercise that causes unexpected pain. If you continue to perform the activity while you are in pain, you may cause unnecessary stress or damage to your joints.

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Medical Alert Tags... Are They Worth It?

It seems lately that I get dozens of diabetes advertisements these days touting different wears for today's diabetic. Most of them are worthless but some may deem useful given the right situation. One of the more popular items are diabetic medical alert tags.

A basic idea really. The persons name, medications he or she is taking and contact information. You might ask do I really need one? You need to ask yourself a few questions. How is my diabetes progressing and do I put myself in situations where I might need an alert bracelet?

If you are a type 1 diabetic or have high glucose sensitivity the a alert tag may be something you already wear on a daily basis. If you are managing your diabetes very well and are in good physical shape then it is unlikely you will find yourself in a situation when you would need an alert tag.

There is several caveats to that. I would wear a diabetic identification tag if I was.

1.Traveling abroad
2.competing in a sport or marathon race
3.taking a long weekend/camping/backpacking longer then 3 days

The whole idea is to identify your condition to take the guess work out of a prognosis should you find yourself unconscious in a hospital.

There are even more ways to identify yourself as a diabetic such as medical alert tattoos. It should be noted that not every doctor or nurse may spot the tattoo unless it is clearly worded out.

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Sticking for no reason?

I recently read an interesting news item from the Times Colonist out of Canada that would suggest that most Diabetics are over sticking themselves when it comes to there glucose monitoring. However it should be noted that Type 1 diabetics and others that have high blood glucose sensitivity should test more often or as recommended by their doctor.

The article would suggest that a net amount of 10 million dollars is wasted every year (in Canada) on test strips. This brings up a good point. How much is too much when it comes to your own testing?
When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes I tested up to 4-5 times a day, for no good reason really.
I would test and find slightly elevated blood sugar. I would get depressed and have a lot of anxiety. Which only raised my blood pressure and lowered my general health and well being.

In the end the testing itself became the problem. Today I test my blood sugar levels once a day and that's when I'm picky. Once in the morning and once in the evening (two hours after meals) rotated every other day.

I would only suggest that if you are having a hard time with testing alone then maybe your simply over doing it. Ask your doctor of course but also ask yourself is it my blood sugar that's the problem or the obsession of reaching the perfect number?

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The American Diabetic Diet is Self-Defeating

The other day when I was checking out at the grocery store with my cart of mostly raw unprocessed food I glanced at the magazine rack in the checkout line. There must have been a half dozen magazines dedicated to managing diabetes.

One of the magazine covers featured a chocolate cake with the title “Treat Diabetes, have Cake Tonight”. Now while I'm not saying eating cake is a mortal sin, this idea that our diet should just get us under our dietary limit is at the very best counter productive.

This idea that if I limit each meal to 500 calories and only 65 carbs that I'll be fine because that's what the ADA recommends is crazy talk in my book. Many days I go way beyond the standard American dietary recommendation. High carb and high fiber diet works for me. Will it work for everyone? Most Likely! but will they implement it? Probably not.

If the ADA had any balls in their pocket they would get rid of their Draconian food pyramid and step into the future. Will they? Not a chance. It has been the standard consensus to feed your body with processed food (watered down gasoline if you ask me) that is just safe enough not to kills us but on the other hand just keeping us barely alive.

I can tell you that anyone who has simple non-complex carbs (ADA recommends this) for the building block of their diet is setup for failure.

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