Diabetes and Diet

Maintaining a healthy diet is important for everyone, but it is especially important for people with diabetes. A type 2 diabetes diet and following the right meal plan can make all the difference to a person struggling to keep their blood sugar under control. But, what is the right meal plan? How much of which food group should you eat?

Along with a visit to a dietician, this guide should help answer questions you may have about diabetes and nutrition.

Carbohydrates and Fiber in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet

Carbohydrates are one of the major food categories (the others include proteins and fats) in a type 2 diabetes diet. They provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose. Glucose is a sugar that is the primary means of energy for all of the body's cells.

There are two ways to classify carbohydrates -- simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars -- like glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose. They are found in refined sugar and in fruits. Complex carbohydrates are the starches, which are the simple sugars bonded together chemically -- they are found in beans, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates are considered healthier mostly because they are digested by the body slowly, providing a steady source of energy. They also contain valuable amounts of fiber.

Carbohydrates, rather than fats or proteins, have the most immediate effect on your blood sugar since carbohydrates are broken down directly into sugar early during digestion. It is important to eat the suggested amount of carbohydrate at each meal, along with some protein and fat.

Carbohydrates are mainly found in the following food groups:

• Fruit
• Milk and yogurt
• Bread, cereal, rice, pasta
• Starchy vegetables like potatoes

What Is Carbohydrate Counting?

Carbohydrate counting is a method of meal planning that is a simple way to keep track of the amount of total carbohydrates you eat each day. It helps allow you to eat what you want. Counting grams of carbohydrate and evenly distributing them at meals will help you control your blood sugar.

Instead of following an exchange list, with carbohydrate counting you monitor how much carbohydrates (sugar and starch) you eat daily. One carbohydrate serving is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrates.

With carbohydrate counting, you plan your carbohydrate intake based on what your pre-meal sugar is and your intake or insulin dose can be adjusted. Carbohydrate counting can be used by anyone and not just by people with diabetes that are taking insulin. If you eat more carbohydrates than your insulin supply can handle, your blood sugar level goes up. If you eat too little, your blood sugar level may fall too low. These fluctuations can be managed by knowing how to count your carbohydrate intake.

A registered dietitian will help you figure out a carbohydrate counting plan that meets your specific needs. For adults, a typical plan generally includes three to four carbohydrates at each meal, and one to two carbohydrate servings as snacks.

With carbohydrate counting, you can pick almost any food product off the shelf, read the label, and use the information about grams of carbohydrates to fit the food into your type 2 diabetes meal plan.

Carbohydrate counting is most useful for people who take multiple daily injections of insulin, use the insulin pump, or who want more flexibility and variety in their food choices. However, it may not be for everyone, and the traditional method of following food exchange lists may be used instead.

Always seek professional advice, when making changes to diet, especially if you are diabetic. 

Yo Yo Dieting...

Have you/do you:

l Say on a Friday “Diet starts again on Monday!”

l Never make it more than a few weeks on a diet (often only days)

l Start a diet really motivated only to be absolutely starving by day 3 and ‘fall off the wagon’

l Tried every ‘faddy’ diet around and still haven’t lost weight in the long term?

Then it could well be that you are in fact a ‘yo-yo’ dieter. Not good!

Here are five reasons why you should really put an end to all those miserable cycles of weight loss and regain.

What are Yo-yo diets? www.face2facefitness.net

Yo-yo dieting is the repeated pattern of losing body fat then gaining it back through episodes of diets. Each cycle, the fat loss or gain can be anywhere ranging from 2kg to 20kgs or more. Any diet that includes bouts of starvation, missing meals, cutting out whole food groups entirely, or very low calories produces the yo-yo effect.

Reason 1 – Yo-yo weight loss includes muscle loss.

Very low calorie diets or crash diets cause hunger to set in, triggering the body to break down lean muscle to access the nutrients the body needs.

In other words, the amount of body weight you have lost does not all come from body fat. In fact the drop in weight is mainly due to water and muscle loss. Less muscle = a slower metabolism which leads us onto reason 2.

Reason 2 – Yo-yo diets wreck your metabolism.

Whilst the initial drastic weight loss may seem like the diet is working, yo-yo dieters will soon experience a ‘plateau’ and the rapid weight loss stops.

This plateau is the result of your body adapting to what you are doing – starving it of the correct nutrients.

With less calories coming in and less muscle mass in the body, the body reacts by going into ‘starvation mode’ and starts to conserve energy and fat.

Less energy is burnt and the metabolic rate slows down, so now you have to eat fewer and fewer calories to lose weight making it harder and harder to maintain your new figure.

Therefore, you will inevitably find you are piling your weight back on and sometimes more, resulting in reason 3.

Reason 3 – Yo-yo diets make you put more weight on in the long term.

Yo-yo dieters tend to regain all the weight lost and some more every time they lose weight and regain weight. This is obviously the exact opposite of what they want to achieve.

When normal eating habits resume the body has reduced capability to burn the excess calories due to your slowed down metabolism and weight is rapidly gained. 

What’s worse, your new body profile will have a higher proportion of fat because you have lost all your lean muscle and gained a whole load of fat as you’ve piled the weight (and more) back on.

Reason 4 – If you regain the lost weight it will be even harder to lose it again.

Due to reason 3, a person who repeatedly loses weight only to put it back on is likely to have a cumulative gain in body fat percentage plus your body’s metabolism has slowed down in order to store fat.

Hence, with each dieting episode, the body’s metabolism becomes less efficient and the severe calorie restriction further causes loss of muscle tone, which again means a slower metabolism.

Each successive attempt to shed off those extra pounds becomes more difficult, if not impossible.

Reason 5 – Repetitive weight loss and regain has unhealthy side effects.

Yo-yo dieters often feel lethargic, have a weak immune system and a higher percentage of body fat and tend to be in poor health. Due to multiple unsuccessful crash diets, they may also experience frustration, loss of concentration, depression, irritability and insomnia.

In fact, each time you lose weight and regain it, fat in your body actually redistributes its self.

It migrates from the thighs and butt to the belly (where studies have found a link between tummy fat and diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and high cholesterol).

To make matters worse, some studies also suggest that those who chronically lose and regain weight have increased risk from certain health problems including heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and gallbladder disease.

Breaking the cycle of yo-yo dieting can be difficult and many people really do need support.

Following a healthy ‘diet’ and exercise plan that you can actually realistically stick to and continue as part of a healthier lifestyle is key to success. That way, you will get the results you want, and be a whole lot healthier in the process.

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More to come...

Benefits of Eating Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables in your diet have many positive effects upon health.

• Their high fibre content helps control blood glucose levels, may reduce cholesterol and probably reduces the risk of colon cancer and other cancers.
• They contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
• More than any other foods, they contain essentialvitamins and minerals that are vital for good health and disease prevention.

How much do I need?

Most of us are aware of the current advice of five portions a day. But fewer of us know that your five portions should come from a variety of sources every day.

Eating the same fruits and vegetables every day means you can still be deficient in whatever vitamins and minerals they don't contain.

Fruit

To gain the maximum benefit from fruit, eat it fresh and if the skins are edible, eat them too.

Dried fruits and fruit juices count towards your five a day. Use them in moderation, though, because fruit loses most of its natural fibre in the juicing process and dried fruits lose most of their vitamin C.

Try to eat two or three portions of fruit every day. One portion equates to 80g, which would be:

• one medium apple, orange, banana
• three tablespoons or so of chopped, cooked or canned fruit
• 150ml juice or smoothie (100 per cent fruit)
• one tablespoon of dried fruit (choose brands that have not been preserved with sulphur dioxide).

To boost your fruit intake, try some of the suggestions below.

• Combine more expensive, unusual fruits like mangos and papaya with common ones such as bananas in a liquidised fruit smoothie.
• Add chopped fresh fruit to your breakfast cereal.
• Combine fruit with low fat yoghurt and chopped nuts for a mid-morning snack.
• Round off a meal with a piece of fresh fruit or a portion of grapes.
• Avoid fruit juices that are not 100 per cent pure, including nectars, concentrates and cocktails or any juice that has added sugars.
• For a healthy dessert, bake apples or pears with cinnamon and top with sultanas and chopped nuts. Serve with live plain yoghurt.

Vegetables

Balance your vegetable intake between the orange/red and green varieties.

The more colourful your choice, the healthier it usually is.

As an easy rule, the darker and brighter the colour of the vegetable the more vitamins, minerals and fibre they usually contain. For example, spinach contains more nutrients than lettuce.

Make sure you balance the more starchy vegetables like corn, butternut squash, pumpkin, peas, root vegetables and sweet potatoes with less starchy vegetables like courgettes, green beans, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower.

You should aim for three portions of vegetables each day. One portion equates to 80g, which would be a cereal bowl of lettuce, but three tablespoons or so of carrots.

To boost your vegetable intake, try some of the suggestions below.

• Eat your vegetables raw as part of a sandwich filling or serve them with dips. You can make your own dip using natural yoghurt and finely chopped herbs.
• Juice raw vegetables such as carrot, tomato and cucumber for a quick and refreshing drink. Ginger and lemon can be added for taste. One to try is carrot, celery and apple.
• Overcook your vegetables, and they lose nutrients. For this reason, microwave or lightly steam vegetables rather than boiling.
• Salads are quick to make. Make them more appetising by adding items such as chopped nuts and cannellini beans, and a healthy dressing such as vinaigrette or a dash of olive oil.
• Homemade vegetable soup is an ideal way for the family to increase their intake of vegetables. Add lentils, beans or wholegrains like pearl barley to make it a complete meal. The soup can also be frozen in portions and used later on.
• Always include vegetables with your main meals. So if you eat pasta, have it with a simple side salad.
• Add fresh herbs to pep up vegetables. Use chopped mint to add to green beans, peas and mangetout, coriander in stir-fries, curries and casseroles, and rosemary or thyme with root vegetables
  .

Food For Fitness

The Power of Protein

Eating properly for strength training means choosing high-quality protein sources and eating them at the optimal times. Unlike carbohydrates and fat, protein is not a primary energy source, but it plays an important role in metabolism and muscle health. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein work together to keep the body performing at its best. 

The goal of proper protein intake is to consume adequate amounts throughout the day, with extra doses after workouts. Eating protein after a strength workout―lifting weights or resistance training―helps restore the muscle tissues you’ve stressed during that workout. Over time, that combination builds strength and lean body mass. 

Instead of turning to supplements, get the majority of your protein from foods―your body will benefit from a well-rounded nutrient package of vitamins and minerals that come with those foods.

MORE TO COME...

Pears

Pears often get short shrift on menus, encased in green gelatin or served as grainy cubes. But with colors ranging from golden-brown to blushing yellow to apple-green, pears can provide visual interest to fruit bowls and salads. Pears have an edible core, so they produce little waste. Eating pears helps you to rehydrate, prevent muscle cramping, avoid illness and recover more quickly from gastric distress.

Adequate Hydration

Pears have a water content that ranges from 83 percent for most varieties to 88 percent for the Asian variety, according to the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Adequate hydration aids recovery from illness, especially lower respiratory infections such as pulmonary pneumonia, according to a study conducted by K. L. Szafara and colleagues at the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology, published in the April 2011 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Directors Association." With a lower acid content than apples, mild flavor and soft texture, pears work well as a second-stage food in a bland diet such as BRAT, the bananas, rice, applesauce and toast diet touted by pediatricians for recovery from bouts of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

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Fiber

Asian pears provide 3.6 g of fiber, and other varieties provide 3.1 grams. Men under 50 should get 38 g of fiber per day, according to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, and men 51 and older should aim for 30 g per day. Women under 50 need 25 g of fiber daily, while women 51 and older should get 21 g per day.

Potassium

Pears provide 119 to 121 mg of potassium per 100 g serving. Potassium makes muscle contract and relax, so it is vital to heart function. Potassium also prevents cramping and speeds recovery from muscle fatigue after strenuous exercise. Children over age 10 and all adults need 2000 mg of potassium daily.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate inside the eye in the macula, part of the retina where light strikes the eye to form the images we see. Macular damage leads to a loss of visual sharpness and eventual cataracts. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the eye from ultraviolet light and help block damage from free radicals. Pears provide 50 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin per 100 g serving.

What are the Benefits of Vitamin D - What Does It Do?

Vitamin D is essential for the human body to function properly. It regulates over 200 genes, in cells all over the body - including the brain, heart, kidney, bone, intestine, skin, gonads, prostate, breast, parathyroid gland, and immune system.

Vitamin D is important for bone health because it regulates calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood. It can suppress the immune system, to fight against conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Multiple Sclerosis. Or Vit. D can activate the immune system, to fight cancer and infections like TB, Pneumonia, and Flu, and decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Vit. D helps prevent diabetes by modifying the release and response to insulin.

Exercise tips Lunges

1. Gain Strength, Stability and Balance

Alternating lunges improve the stability of the trunk, balance out the muscle strength of each individual leg and tighten and tone the rear end. This exercise is one of the best lower body workouts you can do. Not only does it help to strengthen and develop the glutes, but the lunge also works the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Alternating lunges work the same muscles as a stationary lunge, but it works them harder because of the pushing back movement necessary to stand back up with both feet together.

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2. Lunging Correctly

Do alternating lunges as part of the lower body strength routine, two to three times a week. Performing this exercise with proper technique, 12 to 15 times on each leg for two to three sets, is optimal. Be sure to rest in between each set to allow the leg muscles to recover. Slow movements, proper breathing and maintaining form from beginning to end is crucial.

3. Ouch!

Be sure not to lunge with feet too close to each other, which will cause the knee to go over the toes and place undue stress on the knee joints, ligaments and tendons that can lead to injury. Make sure the spine is upright, in a neutral position, not rounded forward. A rounded spine position places too much stress on the vertebrae and discs of the upper back. Finally, do not force the heel of the back leg to touch the ground. Doing this will overstretch and damage the Achilles tendon.

4. Make Lunges Even More Challenging

Challenging the body's abilities is how people get better and stronger. There are several ways to make alternating lunges more difficult, forcing the body to adapt and develop. One way is to do alternating lunges with increasing weight, another is to use the Smith Cage Machine and yet another is to use a bench to step down from when alternating the legs. All of these options will challenge the lower body, creating a greater amount of strength and power in the legs.

5. Focus on Different Muscles

The distance between the two legs in an alternating lunge changes which muscles you emphasize. The greater the stride, the more the focus you put on the gluteus maximus. The smaller the distance between the front leg and the back leg, the greater the emphasis you put on the quadriceps muscles.

Blueberries: Weight loss benefits

Blueberries possess powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols which are attributed to helping virtually all illness and disease. What’s great news for everyone is that the benefits of blueberries also go as far aiding in weight loss as well. One study done by Shiwani Moghe , a researcher from Texas Woman’s University, showed that polyphenols greatly inhibit the development of fat cells. She found that a high dose of polyphenols shed down fat cells by 73 percent in mice and a lose does reduced fat cell count by 27 percent in mice. With blueberries containing a high amount of these polyphenols, they prove to be one of the great foods for weight loss.

Interesting : what can cause too much stomach acid

Internal layers of the stomach produce a hormone termed as gastrin. This hormone stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid. Acidity of the stomach is important to prevent bacterial growth, as food resides in the stomach before it is digested and hence, serves as a good medium for bacterial growth. Acid produced in the stomach is also important for digestion, as it breaks down very complex molecules.

Despite the above benefits of acid production in the stomach, it is unbearable if the acid production extends beyond the limits. The burning sensation is due to the action of the acid on the internal layers of the stomach. The following are some of the causes that are responsible for increased acid production in the stomach.

• Diet, increased consumption of spicy foods and oily foods increases the extent of acid production.

• If you consume foods that are very rich in fiber content, it takes a long time for the food to pass through the stomach. As a result, the acid production continues until the stomach is emptied, resulting in increased amount of acid in the stomach.

• Stomach ulcer or cancers that increase the production of gastrin automatically increase the acid production.

• Stress is the major cause for a great number of ailments in the body. It is found that individuals who are severely stressed produce increased amounts of acid in the stomach.

• Bacterial infection by the bacterium H. pylori is also found to increase the acid production.

• Irregular meals like not having meals regularly at a particular time. Existence of a long gap between meals results in accumulation of the secreted acid in the stomach.

• In some people, lack of sufficient sleep also increases the acid production.

In majority of the cases, increased acid production is mainly due to dietary habits. To know if foods are responsible for increased acidity, cultivate the habit of noting down the foods you have taken and the time you have developed acidity. Correlation of both the details shows the presence of any existing relation between foods consumed and the cause of increased stomach acid. If having certain foods is repeatedly associated with acidity, quit the food to obtain relief from the problem.

If the daily routine is keeping you busy and preventing you from having timely meals, try to nibble something in the middle. This helps to keep the acid levels in the stomach under control.

In some cases, if the acidity is due to infection and if you have mistaken the acidity induced by foods and reduce the consumption of acid producing foods, it will only worsen the condition. As reduced acidity promotes bacterial growth and worsens the condition. Hence, before you start any treatment, even controlling the dietary habits, it is highly recommended to consult a physician and get yourself tested for the condition of increased stomach acidity. If the acid levels are not brought under control with the simple alteration of dietary measures, your physician may recommend antacids.

In most of the cases, positive results can be obtained without drug intervention, by controlling the dietary habits, having sufficient sleep and leading a stress free healthy lifestyle.

If you have experienced or are experiencing any of the above, your first call would be a doctor and then kick start to change your life for the better, contact Fehmida for more advice. Fehmida specializes in nutrition as well as helping gain physical benefits through safe exercising :) Email for more information on : face2facefitness@hotmail.co.uk 

Runner's diet

As a runner, your diet is important not only for maintaining good health, but also to promote peak performance. Proper nutrition and hydration can make or break a workout or race, and also greatly affects how runners feel, work and think.

A balanced diet for healthy runners should include these essentials: carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Here are some basic guidelines for a nutritious, healthy balance:

Carbohydrates
As a runner, carbohydrates should make up about 60 - 65% of your total calorie intake. Without a doubt, carbs are the best source of energy for athletes. Research has shown that for both quick and long-lasting energy, our bodies work more efficiently with carbs than they do with proteins or fats. Whole grain pasta, steamed or boiled rice, potatoes, fruits, starchy vegetables, and whole grain breads are good carb sources

Protein
Protein is used for some energy and to repair tissue damaged during training. In addition to being an essential nutrient, protein keeps you feeling full longer, which helps if you're trying to lose weight. Protein should make up about 15% - 20% of your daily intake. Runners, especially those running long distances, should consume .5 to .75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Try to concentrate on protein sources that are low in fat and cholesterol such as lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy products, poultry, whole grains, and beans.

MORE TO COME...

Types of Fat??

The two types of fat

Fat can be divided into two main groups - saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature and is usually from animal sources. It's found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything that contains these ingredients, such as cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pies and pastries. It's also the white fat you can see on red meat and underneath poultry skin.

The vaue of saturated and unsaturated fat in our diets isn’t fully understood yet but generally, eating too much saturated fat is associated with increased blood cholesterol concentrations and an increased risk of heart disease. Eating less helps to minimise the risks it poses to heart health. Polyunsaturated fats contain inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and it’s the balance of these with omega-3s which is important.

Trans fats, or hydrogenated unsaturated fats, are used in the food industry but are increasingly recognised as being unhealthy.

Unsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetable sources. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both included in this group. Unsaturated vegetable oils are generally a healthier alternative to saturated fat and can be found in sesame, sunflower, soya, olive and rapeseed oil, soft margarine and in foods such as oily fish, including mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon. Where possible, you should ensure the fat you eat is unsaturated.

Did you know...?

• A jam doughnut contains 10.9g fat
• A slice of malt loaf contains 0.7g fat
• A teaspoon of peanut butter contains 5.4g fat
• A pint of whole milk contains 22.8 g fat
• A handful of mixed nuts contains 21.6g fat