Carbs are key

by | Apr 2, 2013 | Carbs, Diabetes, Diet, Low carb, Sugars | 0 comments

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The world needs more people like Peggy Newman. She’s a Family Nurse practitioner at Southeastern Medical Clinic in White Lake and she takes the time and trouble to teach people about exactly what carbohydrates are.

Her main audience is people who have diabetes but obviously that would also apply to people who are wanting to follow a low carbohydrate diet in order to deal with the diabetes and other health problems such as being overweight.

 It’s a matter of fact little story this but frankly it’s quite touching but someone would give up their time and take the trouble to help show other people how to live better and healthier lives.

Three cheers for Peggy! Maybe this story will touch your heart as well…. The link is below.

Link to the full article

Depression, Diabetes, & Diet: Drop One, Add One, Jump Start Your Mood

by | Apr 1, 2013 | Diabetes, Diet, Nutrition | 0 comments

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image1528140Here’s an interesting article by a British psychiatrist and researcher Malcolm Peet. He’s been investigating the link between mental illnesses and diet for a quarter of a century. Dr. Peet has found that there is more schizophrenia in countries that consume a lot of sugar.

One of the other interesting  conclusions from the study he has made is that people with diabetes and other blood sugar issues seem to be at greater risk of depression in other words that diabetes and depression can co-occur and of course many people who are depressed  will often turn to food for comfort which merely reinforces the problem causing it to spiral further downwards eventually to be seemingly out of control.

It’s a short but worthwhile article and there are lots of other links from it that may prove interesting to people who have diabetes and or depression.

Link to the article

The Sweet Side Of Health – The Benefits of Natural Sweeteners

by | Apr 1, 2013 | Artificial Sweeteners, Diabetes, Diet, Food Choices, Natural food, Nutrition, Obesity, Sugars | 0 comments

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Here’s a short but informative article by Chris Haro found on the Kwik Med site where he talks about artificial  sweeteners and how that they are simply yellow, blue and pink packets of chemicals.

There’s a link to the full article at the bottom of this page and I have left in just the natural sweeteners that he has tried for himself to great effect. Do take the time and read his article.

Natural Sweeteners to Consider

Local Honey

Honey is simply one of the best natural sweeteners you can use. Not only does it not raise your blood sugars like other sugars do, it is a whole food that comes from plant nectar. Honey contains many health benefits. It has vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, B2, Vitamin C, Biotin (Vitamin H) and rutine. It also has calcium, magnesium potassium, iron iodine, copper and zinc.

Honey is also a natural “healing” food. Honey has been used as an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibiotic. Many will also use local honey to help with allergies.

Agave Nectar

Agave Nectar is another plant-based natural sweetener derived from the plant used to make tequila! It is very sweet and can be used in both your drinks and food. Native Americans have been using agave for many years as both a sweetener and healing agent. In terms of the glycemic index, Agave nectar is extremely lower than other sugars. Sucrose for instance will come in on the GI as an 83, high fructose corn syrup comes in at 89, while the agave nectar comes in at 27! Agave is also known to have health benefits such as having inulin, which can be beneficial in weight loss, decrease appetite and keep blood sugars at bay. Agave nectar also has immune system health benefits, and the Aztecs used the agave as an antibacterial agent.

Other great natural sweeteners to consider are raw maple syrup, date sugar, coconut palm sugar and Stevia, which is becoming a more and more popular in the natural health community.

If you are wanting to keep the bad sugars away, yet not throw down chemicals in your body, give these natural sweeteners a try. They can all be added in many recipes, and are wonderfully useful not just for your taste buds, but also for health.

Link to the article

Early Consumption of Carbs Heightens Obesity Risk

by | Mar 29, 2013 | Carbs, Diabetes, Metabolism, Obesity, Sugars, Weight gain | 0 comments

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Something that many people aren’t aware of is that many modern baby foods and juices have a high carbohydrate content; many of those carbs are just simple sugars. It would seem that maxim that breast is best, holds true particularly according to a study by Mulchand Patel out of the University of Buffalo.

More than 20 years, Dr. Patel and his University of Buffalo colleagues have looked at the effect of increased intake of carbohydrate-enriched calories to young and newborn children and how an early introduction to these carbohydrate-enriched foods can almost program infants to continue to overeat as they grow up.

Most of his clinical studies have been based using rats most of the time. There is a clear correlation between the studies done in the lab and the findings out in the real world. Nonetheless it does seem to give credence to the understanding that children who get fat as babies and infants very rarely get thin in adult life.

Link to the article

Fruit flies fed organic diets live longer, study finds

by | Mar 29, 2013 | Diabetes, Diet, Digestive system, Food Choices, General Health, Natural food, Nutrition, Research, Sensible Eating | 0 comments

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It seems everywhere we turn  we’re encouraged to eat organic yet many people who I have spoken to wonder if eating organic is actually any good, whether it makes any difference to our overall general health.

Here is an interesting study from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas where biologist Johannes H. Bauer ran a study on fruit flies and he found that the fruit flies that were raised on organic diets performed better on several tests for general health than those that were raised on non-organic diets.

The study itself is quite interesting and if you are a little bit technical, well worth viewing.

Simply follow the link below.

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Link to the article

Low carb diets and heart disease – What are we afraid of?

by | Mar 29, 2013 | Diabetes, Health organization, High Fat Diet, Low carb diet, Obesity, Weight Loss | 0 comments

1297680967Xa27j9It seems that the medical establishment still does not feel comfortable with suggesting low carb diets for people with heart disease. It seems that they are afraid of something or another.

Yet those of us who have followed low carb diets have found that almost without exception, the huge range of health benefits positively outweigh any inconvenience that we might suffer through restricting our diet by moderate amount.

This article I’ve linked to below goes through many of the different types of diets that could be called loosely low carb and covers many of the relevant points and studies in quite a comprehensive way.

Link to the article