How to Reverse Diabetes during Your Workday

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Do any of these sound familiar?

Are you so rushed in the morning that you don’t take time to have breakfast?

Are there sweets and treats brought in several days that tempt you?

Is the stress of your job making you want to eat to feel better when you get home?

Are you so busy that you can’t or don’t take time for lunch?

Do you go out to restaurants for lunch most days?

What changes can you make?

1. Take time to grab breakfast. If you’re not hungry drink a small smoothie or juice. If you can’t take time to sit down and eat, grab a granola or breakfast bar or fruit on the way out the door. Try to choose something with a few grams of fiber for the benefit of hunger control and blood sugar stability.
2. Create a wellness contest at work to make everyone want to practice healthier habits. Instead of allowing donut trays and sweets to sit around the office, suggest that only fruits and veggies be brought in and designate days for sweets such as Fridays only. Start a walking program and get pedometers for a 10,000 steps club.
3. Limit the frequency of eating out for lunch to once a week as well. Brown bag it the rest of the week by planning ahead on the weekends and picking up sandwich foods, healthy frozen dinners, salads, pita pockets, fruits, and veggies. Or take leftovers to work. If you don’t have time for lunch at least take a snack break. You will be more productive if you get a break and have some energy and nutrition.
4. Have healthy snacks available at work and plan a morning and afternoon snack if you need them. The afternoon snack especially can help keep you from overeating in the evening. Great choices include fruits, veggies, yogurt, granola, string cheese, nuts, or even a little dark chocolate if you crave something sweet.
5. Find ways to manage stress during your work day such as deep breathing, walk breaks, or at least make sure you take a few minutes to distress once you get home, even if it means listening to your favorite music while you prepare dinner.
6. Plan no-cook evening meals for those days when you work later and know you won’t have time to cook. Make a couple large batches of entrees on the weekend and then plan a salad, sandwich or pizza night to save you from having to cook several nights of the week.
7. Replace soda, even diet, with water. Flavor your water with lemon or frozen berries to make your own naturally flavored water.

Now, these ideas will all work but what’s the one key to putting them into action to reverse diabetes?

PLANNING

The #1 thing you will need to do is sit down one day each week and plan your meals. If we don’t plan ahead and have the right foods on hand we just grab what’s available, which usually is not the healthy choice.

Start your plan today, take control of your health, and start to feel the benefits of reversing diabetes!

3 Questions for Faster Food Label Reading

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Do you get completely confused about what to look at on the food label?
Well considering the large number of products today, so much information on the packages and the confusing news reports, how could you NOT be confused? Hopefully the answers to these 3 questions will help you save some time and confusion when food shopping.
What would your answers be to these 3 questions?
1. What’s the one place on the Nutrition Facts box you should always check?
2. What information do most people never read that can really tell you how healthy the food is?
3. What is YOUR most important nutrient to look at for YOUR health concerns?

You might hear different answers to these questions but here are my recommendations:
1. Always check the serving size. Why?Because all of the nutrition information in the Nutrition Facts is based on that serving size. So if you eat 3 of those servings you need to triple the calories, carbs, etc.
2. Most people never look at the ingredient list. Why should you? Well if you want to know if there are a lot of mystery ingredients are in the food or if it actually is as healthy as it claims that is an important place to look. As you may know the largest amount ingredients list first and then go in order from most to least. If you want to whole grains you need to make sure “whole” is actually in the ingredients. Why would you want the whole grain? You get more nutrition and fiber. I try and choose foods with minimal ingredients when possible, especially minimal additives, preservatives and dyes.
3. Do you look at everything on the label? Do you look at calories, carbs, fat and sodium? To save time and confusion I recommend you focus on 1 or 2 nutrients. Here are some guidelines:
• If you are concerned about blood sugars focus on Total Carbohydrates.
• If you are trying to lose weight focus on calories and/or carbohydrates.
• If you have high LDL cholesterol you want saturated fat to be lower and fiber higher.
• If you have been told to avoid salt then look at the sodium.

I have a few basic guidelines I use in my food shopping. You may find them helpful.
• To fight diabetes and other chronic disease, cutting down on processed foods and gradually replacing them with more whole foods can really help reduce inflammation. You also won’t need to take time to read labels on unpackaged foods!
• What about sugars? I have not found it helpful to look at the sugars listing under the Total Carbohydrates since they are already counted in the Total Carbohydrates.
• What about sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners? Sugar alcohols are ingredients like sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol. The body cannot absorb much of those, so you can subtract half that number from the total carbohydrate. My advice however is to keep intake of sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners to a minimum. Eating too much of a food containing sugar alcohols may can have a laxative effect and some are sensitive to artificial sweeteners and get body aches and headaches. For more information on food additive guidelines check out Center for Science in the Public Interest.

 

Blood Sugar Monitoring for Type 2 Diabetes: How to Use Your Results

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Having to take time out of your day to check blood sugars can be a hassle. Sometimes your fingers get sore and strips can get costly.

So why do you do it?

If you are checking your blood sugars ONLY because your doctor told you to then you are wasting a lot of time, money and hassle. Your doctor certainly needs to look at those results but if you check daily and only see your doctor every 3-6 months, then only the most recent few weeks before your appointment are usually relevant.

How can YOU use your results to better manage diabetes?

The first step is to know your A1c. That’s the lab test your doctor does that tells what your average blood sugar has been for the past 2-3 months.

Know what your goal is and where you are with respect to that goal.

For example if your A1c is 7.2 and your goal is to be <7 then you know that overall your blood sugars are running higher than you want.  But when are the high blood sugars happening? Knowing when to check is the next step.

With Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes there are 2 best times of day to check blood sugars to gather information:

  1. Fasting Blood Sugar in the morning before having anything except water.
  2. 2 hours after the start of meals.

Fasting Blood Sugar

Normal fasting blood sugar is 70-100. Your diabetes goal should be somewhere in the 70-120 range depending on the goals you and your doctor have discussed. Fasting blood sugars are usually elevated due to insulin resistance, meaning that your body has insulin but it does not use it effectively. During the night we are very inactive, we may not sleep well, we might have pain, or hormones such as with menopause could be affecting blood sugars. All of these conditions require the body to use more insulin and with diabetes it does not work as well as it should and we end up with higher morning blood sugars.

If your A1c is in target but your morning blood sugars are >120 then it is likely just a brief early morning rise in blood sugars that are occurring and may not be a concern.

After Meal Blood Sugars

We all struggle with portion control right?   Checking 2 hours after a meal will tell you how well your body is clearing the sugar from your blood stream. Your goal is to be less than 180, or even better less than 160. Normal blood sugar is less than 140 by 2 hours after a meal.

If your blood sugar 2 hours after eating is higher than your target, look at the size of the meal you ate or how many servings of carbohydrate you had. Then compare that to a smaller amount at other meals and eventually you find what works best to keep your blood sugars in control.

Are there any other times to check?

If you feel shaky or weak you should check for low blood sugar.  Below 70 is lower than normal but you can feel low at higher levels if your body is not adjusted to lower levels yet. You can also see the effects of illness, exercise, hormones, stress and other life factors on your blood sugars also but it’s much easier to identify patterns when you have an experienced diabetes educator to work with.

Bring results to your doctor visit.  

Check for 2 weeks before your doctor visit and take your results with you and show your doctor. Make sure you have the numbers in a log book unless you know your doctor can download your meter results to a computer. Keeping notes on food, activity, pain, illness or anything else you suspect is affecting your blood sugar will help you and your doctor have a more effective conversation at your visit. Your doctor may also suggest other times to check depending on what medication you take.

What about the cost of strips?

Many of the meter companies now have savings cards that bring the copay down to $15. Call the toll free number on the back of your meter and ask if they have one.  Insurance may limit the number of strips they will pay for so make the most of your results by choosing the best times to check and using your results to make necessary changes in meals or exercise.

What if my meter is not working?

Call the toll free number on the back of your meter if you are having trouble with the meter working and their customer service can help. Your diabetes educator or doctor may also be able to help you resolve problems.

Diabetes and Acid Reflux

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If you have diabetes and acid reflux, also called GERD, and you take medication to reduce acid there are some things you should know.

  1. There are health risks to taking GERD medications long term
  2. There is a good possibility you could control GERD with the right food and nutrition changes

Did you know acid reflux medications could cause the following problems?

  1. Magnesium Deficiency

There is also a strong association between low magnesium and insulin resistance, the main problem of type 2 diabetes. The FDA earlier this year released information about how taking these medications for longer than a year can cause low magnesium, which can lead to leg spasms, heart arrhythmias and seizures.

  1. Pneumonia

If you have diabetes and get pneumonia it may be more severe with greater risk of complications, and your body may take longer to heal.

  1. C-diff

Short for Clostridium Difficile, this is bacteria that cause severe diarrhea and inflammation in the colon. Dehydration is the biggest risk with diarrhea and diabetes, and if you have high blood sugars you can become dehydrated much quicker.

  1. Osteoporosis or Bone Fractures

People with diabetes are may also have low vitamin D levels or be taking Actos, both of which may increase the risk of bone fractures.

  1. Vitamin Deficiencies such as B12

People with diabetes who take metformin are also at risk for low B12 levels.

  1. Bacterial Imbalance leading to Digestive Problems

People who have had diabetes for many years can have slow digestion due to nerve damage. Keeping a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria is important for immune system, absorbing nutrients and avoiding diarrhea and constipation.

What you can do if you have to take medication for acid reflux.

Eat healthy foods and whole foods for immune strength. Nuts are the best food source for magnesium.

Eat yogurt daily to replenish good bacteria or take a probiotic supplement.

Ask your doctor if B12 and D levels have been checked.

Ask your doctor about trying to get off the acid reflux medications. These medications are really only meant to be taken for a short time of a few weeks but most people just stay on them.  I would NOT recommend going off the medication until you have made nutrition changes and are discussing changes with your doctor.

GERD may be unrelated to acid in stomach.  Some evidence suggests that the heartburn symptoms of reflux are not caused by acid in stomach burning the esophagus, but rather by an immune response.

LEAP is a program that has helped many people get off acid reflux medications. Learn more about how a food sensitivity blood test can identify specific foods that are causing you pain and inflammation, and help you make diet changes that eliminate acid reflux problems naturally.  Contact Karen for more information.

Meal Plan to Break the Overeating Cycle

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Are you ready to fight diabetes this year? 

Try My 1-Day Meal Plan to Break the Overeating Cycle

 Are you feeling the effects of holiday overeating like I am?    I had the marathon Christmas year this season with family gatherings 3 weekends in a row. Now it’s time to get back on track for weight control and diabetes prevention. The hard part is that once you’ve been overeating you have to work again at shrinking back your stomach and getting off the carb craving cycle.

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions and thinking in terms of a new diet that you are going to start, how about trying a new approach?

You can do anything for one day right?

Try this meal plan for one day to get you back on track. And if it works for you then use it another day.  Take it one day at a time and one week at a time.
4 Part Basic Meal Plan
1.    Drink about 6 oz water before each meal and snack. This will help you stay adequately hydrated and may help with hunger control. If you don’t have drinking water handy then keep a water bottle with you during your work day.
Other beverages give you fluid but you still want to try and get the water in.

2.    Breakfast:  Choose either whole grain cereal with 3 or more grams fiber   or  whole grain toast with egg or peanut butter.
The key to success with cereal is to find one that you are not tempted to overeat. There are some healthy cereals that I tend to overeat because they make me crave more after the first bowl. Cereals that I really like and am satisfied with one moderate size bowl are Bran flakes and oatmeal. You may find different cereals that work for you.  You also may not like cereal or may want to have another option if you decide to use this plan more than one day.  Peanut butter or eggs are a great protein source to have on whole grain toast and may stick with you longer than cereal if you don’t get time for a morning snack.
3.    Snacks:  Have a morning, afternoon and evening snack.  The amount you have depends on how active you are but if you are sitting much of the day you may need to keep it to 100 calorie snacks.  The purpose of the snack is to keep your hunger under control so you can eat small meals and prevent cravings.
Some snack ideas to choose from are: fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, string cheese, veggies, dark chocolate or hot chocolate for the sweet craving.

4.    Lunch and Dinner:   Focus on lean protein and vegetables.  For these meals choose lean protein about the size of your palm or less and add veggies that are not starch. Add low fat milk and/or fresh fruit if you like.  You can also add whole grain but be careful of starches such as pasta, bread, potatoes and rice that are hard to portion control.  Some other grain options would be barley, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice or tortillas. If you are familiar with carbohydrate portions then try to keep these meals to 2 starch/grain servings.

If you would like a meal plan personalized for your diabetes health situation, just contact me via email and we can set up a one-time phone consultation to get you started!

Try a New Approach to Holiday Eating

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My goal for Thanksgiving meals this year was to practice some mindful eating techniques in hopes that I would not overeat. I think I actually did better than in past years. I still overate, but not as much as if I had not been working on eating slower and paying attention to the food with all senses.

I always thought putting the fork down was a good idea but sounded a little silly. Turns out it actually works! I also made a point to not pile my plate with a little of everything but instead just the foods I enjoy the most. All of these strategies helped me eat less and I hope that the the following tips will help you this holiday season and throughout the year in your journey to beat diabetes!

At your holiday parties this year try a mindful eating approach. Each time you have a your favorite holiday foods try to engage all 5 senses by doing the following:

1. Pay closer attention to the presentation and colors of the foods, like the beautiful relish trays and cranberry salads!

2. Smell the wonderful aroma of the “just out of the oven” turkey or fresh baked bread!!

3. Take more time to taste the full flavor of the food.  I am one of the worst at eating too fast, which often leads me to overeat but I have found that if I slow down I enjoy the meal much more and eat less.

4. Note the texture of foods like the creamy pumpkin pie and flaky crust!

5. Have fun with the crunchy sound of carrots, celery and other healthy veggies. I know I am weird but that’s one of my favorite things about celery – the crunch!

If you try these strategies let me know how they work for you!

 

Apple a Day for Blood Sugar Delay?

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Well, maybe not an apple a day year round but this time of year when apples are fresh picked I can eat at least one apple a day without a problem. And just yesterday I discovered a new apple that I LOVE! In fact right now I am eating my second one for the day and will be going to the store to get more tomorrow.

It's called SweeTango. What a great name! My son's reaction after his first bite was "That's incredible!"  I describe it as juicy, crispy and a combination of sweet and tanginess.

How are apples good for diabetes?
Natural chemicals in apples work together with the fiber to help slow the digestion and absorption of the sugars so you get a slower rise in blood sugar. These nutrients also help to lower cholesterol. You can read more about how that works at World's Healthiest Foods   You can also read more about a study where women who ate dried apples had a 23% drop in cholesterol!

For an apple dessert try my favorite apple crisp recipe in one of my archived newsletters!

5 Questions on the Diet Soda Debate

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A Harvard University recent study says diet soda does NOT raise the risk of diabetes.    What?

Didn't they just say a few weeks ago that drinking diet soda was bad for us?

Well, here's my take on it. Ask yourself these 5 questions and see if it helps you decide for yourself.

1. Maybe the question is not which one is better but HOW MUCH?

How much soda am I drinking?
Many of the bad effects from food and drinks come down to how much and how often we have it.
The FDA has set the Acceptable Daily Intake of aspartame at a level equal to drinking 17 cans of diet soda daily.  Really?   I don't think you need me to tell you that is not healthy and should not be acceptable.

2. How does it affect MY blood sugars?
Start checking before and 2 hours after drinking your favorite soda and see for yourself if it is a problem! Your blood sugar at 2 hours without diabetes would be under 140. If it is over 180 that means your insulin, whether you take it or make it, is not able to keep up with the quick rise in your blood sugar.

3. How do I feel physically if I drink diet soda?
I have had many clients that get headaches or body aches from artificial sweeteners. Personally I get a terrible stomach ache if I drink any regular soda, or other sweetened beverage. Diet soda does not do that but I do have to go the bathroom more urgently – which suggests to me that my body is trying to get rid of it faster. Probably not a good sign. Not scientific – but one of those Listen to your Body therapies.

4. Have you read the ingredients?     

Which sweetener is in there?
Usually it is a combination but some are sensitive to aspartame but not sucralose, or vice versa. 

5. What can I drink that would be a healthier alternative to either diet OR regular soda?
Try coffee, tea, water, milk, 100% juice diluted or in small 4-6 oz portions, or water flavored naturally with fresh or frozen fruit.

My own personal and professional experience tells me that I should probably avoid both diet and regular soda. Do I? . .. . Not completely.  I have a diet soda occasionally and I have prevented diabetes for 15 years now after having gestational diabetes. I do not suspect diet soda to be increasing the risk of diabetes by itself  . . but overall unhealthy eating habits? . . . and not enough activity . . .  Yes.

Kicking Off National Nutrition Month with My 100th Blog Post!

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Since I have been away from my blog for a while I thought it fitting to start posting again in celebration of National Nutrition Month, and as I pulled up my blog I realized this would be my 100th post!

So to kick off this month I would like to share some interesting tidbits from an article in the issue of Diabetes Forecast I just received.  Christy L. Parkin, associate editor, talks about a lecture Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic, gave at the annual meeting for diabetes educators last summer.

The topic was the genetic influence on aging and how we can prevent diabetes or diabetes complications.

Here are my two favorite quotes from this article . . . .

  • By the time you reach 50, lifestyle dictates 80% of how you age, and only 20% is genes
  • Four factors cause 75 percent of chronic diseases and they are all within our control . . . tobacco, food choices/portions, inactivity, and stress

What I take away from this is that since I am now 40 something with a family history of diabetes, it is even more important for me to stay active, control portions, make healthy food choices and practice stress management. Yet our tendency as we age is to get less activity and gain weight. Guess this gives me another reason to get on my treadmill tomorrow!

 

 

Stay tuned for more

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Dairy and dark chocolate is today's lunch! Most people would probably consider this a weird and disgusting combination but I have discovered one of my favorite snacks is honey flavored Greek yogurt with dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips. It's not low fat but I can have 1/2 cup yogurt with 2 Tbsp chocolate chips mixed in for around 300 calories. Very tasty and I get the health benefits of the good bacteria, fatty acids and calcium . . . plus the blood pressure lowering benefit of dark chocolate!