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StopBeDiabetes
in
Its
Tracks
st Advice for Stable, Healthy Blood Sugar
Dear Reader,
Memorial Day weekend is just around the
corner, and you know what that means -the unofficial start of summer! If you have
diabetes, it's double cause to celebrate.
That's because as the days get longer,
there's more time to "play" outside and get
the exercise that helps you lower your blood
sugar. And as the thermometer rises, it gets
easier and easier to eat light and healthy.
Heavy meals lose their appeal; meanwhile,
the fruit in the supermarket and at farm
stands gets more tempting with each
passing week. Plump grapes, juicy plums,
and ripe watermelon beckon with their cool
moisture and natural sweetness, making
junk food seem downright second-rate.
The Four-Hour Solution
to Better Blood Sugar
Here's a simple way to feel better, weigh less, and keep your
blood sugar steady: Eat more often! We suggest going no more
than four waking hours without a meal or snack. That usually
means eating three meals (including breakfast — don't skip!) and
two snacks a day. Eating regularly not only helps you avoid blood
sugar swings, it also keeps your metabolism stoked so you burn
more calories all day long. Sound too good to be true? The
caveat: Eating more often doesn't mean eating more. Meals
should be moderate in size (usually around 350 calories for breakfast, 350-400 calories for lunch, and 450-500 calories for dinner).
Snacks should be under 150 calories. Munchies that fit the bill
include 20 red seedless grapes, a plastic bag of fresh raw vegetables, a handful of peanuts, or 8 ounces of sugar-free yogurt.
My family loves to go berry picking. It's a
great way to spend time outdoors. Throw
any berries the kids didn't eat into the
blender with a bit of nonfat yogurt or soy
milk (for all-important protein), a splash of
fruit juice, and a few ice cubes to whip up
thick, refreshing smoothies. Or freeze extra
berries on a cookie sheet in a single layer
before transferring to a plastic freezer bag.
In the next newsletter, I'll talk about how
easy it is to plan meals if you have an outdoor grill, so get yours dusted off and ready!
Wishing you good health,
Getting Back on the Bandwagon
Neil Wertheimer
Editor-in-Chief
Reader’s Digest
Health Books
© 2005 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
You know darn well that following a healthy diet is the number
one way to manage diabetes. Sadly, though, more than half of
people with diabetes abandon their diet therapy, relying instead on
luck and medications. This tactic might work in the short term,
but you're short-changing yourself — and risking serious health
problems down the road — if you don't fight your disease with
your fork. (Luck usually runs out eventually. And remember, oral
diabetes medications start to lose their effectiveness over time.) If
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Stop Diabetes in Its Tracks
you need help getting back on track, a dietitian can
help. Ask your doctor for a recommendation, or contact the American Dietetic Association at 1-800-8771600 or www.eatright.org to find a dietitian in your
area. If weight is an issue for you -- as it is for most
people with type 2 diabetes — consider a weight-loss
program like ChangeOneDiet.com.
Each month we will highlight products
developed by Reader’s Digest.
These offerings will help you meet
your goal and STOP DIABETES IN
ITS TRACKS
NOW you can savor
full-flavor meals without
feeling like you're cheating.
Make That a Decaf
There's both good and bad news for java junkies.
Recent research suggests that people who drink a lot
of coffee seem to have a lower risk of developing diabetes. In fact, data on 42,000 men and 84,000 women
showed that men who drank at least six cups of coffee
daily had less than half the diabetes risk of men who
drank none. But caffeine's not the "good guy" in this
somewhat twisted plot. In fact, if you already have
diabetes, you'd be smart to switch to decaf. That's
because Canadian researchers just showed that caffeine actually reduced insulin sensitivity in a group of
men by as much as 37 percent.
Diabetic
Cookbook
2005
Buy your copy now
and get $5 off!
© 2005 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
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Stop Diabetes In Its Tracks
So why would coffee protect against diabetes? It contains potassium, niacin, magnesium, and antioxidants
that may improve glucose metabolism (the way the
body uses blood sugar) and lower insulin resistance,
the hallmark of type 2 diabetes. It also contains a
chemical called chlorogenic acid, which may disrupt
an enzyme that regulates the release of glucose from
the liver.
Count Your Blessings, and Your Steps
Exercise lowers blood sugar and even helps reverse
insulin resistance, and walking is one of the best forms
of exercise we know. Want to step up your efforts?
Consider buying a pedometer, a small device you wear
on your waist that counts each step you take. If you're
already walking 30 minutes a day, your numbers will
be well into the thousands. Build on that by trying to
hit a higher mark. If you're at 6,000 steps a day, for
example, aim for 7,000. Work toward the ultimate goal
of 10,000 steps a day on most days of the week. Even
if nobody's counting, walk more every chance you get:
• If you're meeting a friend, catch up over a walk
instead of a cup of coffee.
• Have a cell phone? Walk while you talk. They don't
call them mobile phones for nothing.
• Running an errand nearby? Get on your feet instead
of in the car.
• In airports, walk around the terminal while waiting
for your flight — and avoid the moving sidewalks.
• During TV commercials, walk in place, climb up
and down the stairs, or take a spin around the
perimeter of the house.
• Don't fight for parking. Avoid the aggravation of
jockeying for a space close to the door and park
farther away.
• Offer to walk the neighbor's dog, or a dog from the
local animal shelter. You'll be the dog's best friend.
• Return your shopping cart to the front of the store
instead of leaving it in the parking lot.
Meter Mystery
Why do the blood sugar tests you get in your doctor's
office, such as the fasting plasma glucose test, make
your blood sugar seem higher than your home tests
do? It's because most home-use meters measure whole
blood, while your doctor measures a fluid called plasma, which is just one component of whole blood.
Blood sugar tends to be slightly more concentrated in
plasma than in whole blood. Some home meters automatically translate whole-blood readings into plasma
© 2005 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
readings. But if yours doesn't, don't worry; when your
doctor looks at the home-test numbers, he'll convert
them.
Secrets of Enjoyable Eating
The idea that you should take pleasure in food is
sometimes controversial. In fact, an advisory committee for the 1997 federal Dietary Guidelines for
Americans changed the instruction "enjoy a variety of
foods" to "eat a variety of foods." (The current guidelines use the word choose.) After all, if you enjoy your
food, won't you over-enjoy? Not necessarily. Many
nutrition researchers say it's better to selectively
indulge your tastes for finer (read: richer) foods than
to eat a bland, boring diet you'll see tire of. Here are
some ways to increase your pleasure without
overindulging your appetite.
Slow the pace. The best sensual experiences are
savored. By eating more slowly, you deepen your
experience of flavors, better appreciate the social
aspects of a meal, and give your body's appetite controls more time to signal that you're full, so you ultimately eat less.
Engage the senses. Pleasure doesn't have to mean
calories. You can boost your enjoyment of a meal by
appealing to senses other than taste. Examples: Buy a
small bouquet of flowers or gather cuttings from your
garden to brighten your table, dine by the light of a
small votive candle, or play your favorite music at dinnertime.
Indulge like royalty. Choose one sinfully delicious
chocolate instead of a box of fat-free cookies. The
intensity and richness of the treat will make you feel
satisfied, and it will actually have fewer calories than a
larger portion of a "healthier" snack.
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Stop Diabetes in Its Tracks
RECIPE
for Diabetes from Reader’s Digest
ChangeOne, the revolutionary program that has
helped hundreds of thousands of people lose weight
safely and effectively, now has a program for people
with type 2 diabetes. Try it today!
Berry Salad With Passion Fruit
1 quart ripe fresh strawberries,
hulled and cut in half (4 cups)
1/2 pint fresh raspberries (1 cup)
1/2 pint fresh blackberries (1 cup)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup mixed fresh red and black currants,
removed from their stalks
2 passion fruits
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
Directions
1. Combine strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, red and black currants together
in a large serving bowl.
2. Cut each passion fruit in half. Holding a strainer over the bowl of berries, spoon the passion
fruits and seeds into the strainer. Rub the flesh
and seeds briskly to press all the juice through the
strainer onto the berries. Reserve a few of the
seeds left in the strainer and discard the rest.
3. Add sugar and lime juice to berries. Toss gently. Sprinkle reserved passion fruit seeds over top.
Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 30
minutes.
Tart, sweet, and juicy, berries come in many varieties--from bright and delicate raspberries to sweet
strawberries, from plump blueberries to rich, fragrant blackberries. Thanks to importers, you can
buy almost all berries in any season.
Per serving: Calories 100, fat 1 g, saturated fat 0
g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 4 mg, carbohydrate
24 g, fiber 6 g, protein 1 g.
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Number of Servings: 6
From Great Healthy Cooking: Fruit Dishes &
Desserts
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© 2005 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.