Country music artist Ben Rue is a type 1 diabetic. He was diagnosed at the age of 14. Even though he is often on the road, he keeps check on his blood sugar readings and takes his medication. He is also a spokesman for Accu-Chek. He happily states, "There is life after diabetes. It's not something that should set you back. You can accomplish anything you want to." Let that be an encouragement to go after your dreams.
More changes you can make in your lifestyle to help prevent colorectal cancer. See part I below.
If your doctor suggest you eat a low sodium diet, do you know how much salt you can have? It is amazing how much salt is in the average American diet, yet we eat it without even thinking about it. A low sodium diet limits salt to 1,500 to 2,000 milligrams (mg) a day. You may wonder what that means. l,500 to 2,000 mg of salt is less than 1 teaspoon of salt a day! Most people have trouble adjusting to so little salt but rest assured salt preference is a learned or acquired taste. It can take 6 weeks or more of cutting back on salt for your taste buds to adjust. However, once you accomplish this many salty foods you once enjoyed will be too salty for you. If your doctor puts you on a low sodium diet, it will be to your benefit to follow his/her advice.
Studies have shown that up to 40% of all colorectal cancers could be eliminated by the following changes in our diets. As one who has been faced with this cancer and has lost a relative to it, let me tell you that you want to do everything you can to possibly prevent it! These are simple changes and I believe it would behoove each of us to make these changes.
Did you know that just a half cup of strawberries provides 40% of the daily requirement of vitamin C? Vitamin C helps our bodies in many ways a few of which are: boosting the immune system, helps to maintain strong bones, strong teeth and cartilage. What a tasty way to provide your body with an essential need. Now that is good medicine!
Studies have shown that people whose diets are low in the following vitamins - A, C, D, Bs (includes folic acid) and the minerals iron, zinc, and selenium tend to have fewer and less active types of the important white blood cells that defend against invading microorganisms. To keep yourself healthy, eat a well-balanced diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables, whole-grains, and low-fat dairy. You should also eat a moderate amount of fish, lean meat, nuts, and healthy vegetable oils such as olive, canola, coconut, etc.
If you suffer from some environmental allergies you may also suffer from certain food allergies. In most cases the food allergies are not severe and may only cause some itching, etc. In a few cases they could be severe. (Not talking about regular food allergies here, just ones related to environmental allergies.)
Dr. Andrew Weil, a famous MD says it is better to eat fish without the skin as toxins from the water can accumulate in the scales and fat. For those of you who often eat fish with the skin on, you might want to start changing to fish without the skin.
There are several reasons for eating whole foods rather than processed. Many of those reasons are discussed on this blog. Another reason, this one not mentioned previously, to eat whole foods versus processed foods is that you burn 50% more energy digesting the whole foods.
Eating the typical American diet, means consuming approximately 35 teaspoons of added sugar per day! How much is that? Find out for yourself, you will no doubt be surprised. Get a bowl and a measuring teaspoon (a teaspoon from your measuring spoons, not one from the silverware tray!) and count out 35 teaspoons of sugar into said bowl. Then remember that is added sugar, not the natural sugar you are also consuming from the fruits, vegetables, milk, etc in your diet. How to avoid this extra 132 pounds of sugar for every man, woman, and child? Read labels! And remember added sugars can be disguised with words like corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, honey, fructose, malt syrup, molasses, etc. Cut back on the amount of processed foods you eat and read the labels before you buy any food products.
In an interview a few years ago, Dr. Oz was asked if he thinks meat is demonized in this country. His answer: "I do. I don't think how we grow meat is ideal. But grass-fed, organic beef has a fair amount of omega-3 fats. It has iron. It has lots of B vitamins. It has nutrients that our bodies need desperately." He also said that when he eats meat, probably around once a week, he eats a high-quality steak.
