SUGAR IN FRUIT VS TABLE SUGAR

People often ask what is the difference in eating the sugar in fruit vs 'regular' sugar. Yes, sugar is sugar no matter the source but the body does process it differently. The following remarks from nutritionist Joy Dubost, R.D. explains it better than I can:

Whether it's in a piece of fruit, your soda or a pastry, sugar is made up of the same two components: fructose and glucose. The molecular structure and composition of sugar molecules is the same no matter where they come from.

The ratios of fructose and glucose are pretty much the same in both fruit and table sugar. Most fruits are 40 to 55 percent fructose (there's some variation: 65 percent in apples and pears; 20 percent in cranberries), and table sugar (aka sucrose) is 50/50. Neither type of sugar is better or worse for you, but your body processes them differently. Fructose breaks down in your liver and doesn’t provoke an insulin response. Glucose starts to break down in the stomach and requires the release of insulin into the bloodstream to be metabolized completely.

USE MUSTARD ON YOUR SANDWICH

Mustard is actually a good-for-you condiment. No matter whether you choose, brown, yellow, Dijon - they are all made the seeds of various mustard plants. Mustard is rich in selenium - which plays a key role in thyroid function - and in magnesium, which is crucial to bone health as well as enery. Also, most yellow mustards get their color from added turmeric. Turmeric is a spice known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. An added benefit studies show

Here's another little trick for you - substitute mustard for half the mayonnaise in salads such as tuna and potato.

DIABETICS AND DIET

The best weapon in your arsenal to fight your blood sugar and maintain weight control is a healthy diet. I talk to people all the time who say, "But I eat healthy." That may be true but do they eat 'diabetic healthy'? There is a difference. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes it is as important to know how to combine the foods you eat as it is to eat something 'healthy'. No matter what you eat, be sure your protein to carb ratio is good. Over the course of a meal, you should be getting a ratio of at least 1/3 as many proteins as carbs (even healthy carbs).  And be sure to include fiber!

Here is an example:
I have people say, "I had a healthy meal of spaghetti and a salad. I even left off the garlic bread." Okay, let's look at that and assume we are talking about a traditional spaghetti meal. Was that a whole-grain pasta? If not, your blood sugar will go up. Did you use a sugar-free sauce? The amount of sugar in pasta sauces varies greatly. A small amount of lean ground beef or meatballs in the sauce is also helpful for added protein. What kind of salad did you have? It should consist of mixed greans, a sprinkling of kidney or garbanzo beans, and some nuts or seeds. You should go easy on the dressing and it should be sugar free. If you eat this same meal with regular pasta, your sauce has sugar, you have things you shouldn't on the salad and the dressing has sugar, you have not eaten a diabetic healthy meal.  You can also see from this example why it is important to be careful when eating out. You can almost be guaranteed that if you eat that meal in a restaurant it will not be made with whole-grain pasta or sugar-free sauce. 

The next time you sit down to enjoy a meal really look at what you are eating. Look at each item and ask yourself if you are meeting 'diabetic healthy' guidelines.

WHY IS BREAKFAST IMPORTANT?

For many people the temptation is to hurry out the door in the morning and to skip breakfast in the process. This is one of the worst ways to start your day. You don't have to eat an elaborate breakfast but you do need to eat a healthy one. If you want to lose weight, keep your blood sugar under control, or just feel better throughout the day you need to eat breakfast.  Here is one of the main reasons why eating a healthy breakfast is important to your day and to your health. You need a good breakfast to get your metabolism going after a night's sleep. As Denice Furko-Adams, MPH, R.D., LDN, coordinator of the MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education at Villanova University in Villanova, PA so simply stated, "Skipping breakfast is like a car running on empty. You need a high-quality breakfast to fuel up."

HAVE TROUBLE GETTING TO SLEEP?

Are you one of those people who have trouble getting to sleep after getting to bed? A good night's sleep is important to your health so you need to start working on getting to sleep well before bedtime. That's right, start working on getting to sleep at about two o'clock in the afternoon. Ann Romaker, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, says the effects of caffeine can linger up to 8 hours. Therefore for a 10 pm bedtime, you should switch to caffeine-free drinks by two in the afternoon.

Another tip is from Chin Moi Chow, Ph.D., a senior sleep lecturer at The University of Sydney in Australia. Eat bold flavors for lunch and milder flavors for your evening meal. Acidic and heavily spiced dishes eaten late in the day may cause sleep-disturbing acid reflux in the night.

GINGER FOR MOTION SICKNESS

Did you know that taking powdered-ginger capsules right before traveling can help with motion sickness? Studies have shown that taking the capsules right before travel can both delay the onset of nausea and help you to recover more quickly. One recent study showed that people who were spun in a motorized chair but took up to 2,000 mg of ginger 20 minutes before went twice as long before getting sick than did those who took drugs. If you have a problem with motion sickness, give ginger capsules a try.

Note: This picture is not an endorsement of this particular brand.

Gluten-Free Foods (If You Don't Suffer From Celiac Disease or Gluten Allergy)

This is a repost of a 2014 article.

People are constantly trying to get me to go gluten-free. When I tell them no that my doctors have told me that would be dangerous for me they seem appalled. "WHAT?", they say. Now I am not writing this to knock gluten-free as it is important for those suffering from celiac disease. If you will notice in the title it says, "If you don't suffer from celiac disease." What I am saying is to talk to your doctor before going gluten-free if you don't suffer from celiac disease, gluten allergy, etc. Gluten-free is a fad thing right now and everyone seems to want to jump on the bandwagon, just like it was with fat-free diets a few years ago. If you are one of those people, have you discussed this with your doctor? That's all I am asking. If you and your doctor think it is the thing for you, go for it.

Don't take my word for it. Here is an excerpt from an article that originally appeared in Redbook magazine and there are many more similar articles out there:

"If you’re anything like the pedestrians Jimmy Kimmel recently interviewed, you may think that cutting out gluten is healthy—without knowing exactly what gluten is. “If you swap out foods for their gluten-free alternatives, you may actually be depriving yourself of key nutrients while adding on more calories and fat,” says registered dietitian and Healthy Habits author Laura Cipullo. Take frozen pizza: Half a gluten-free personal pizza, like Udi’s three-cheese pizza, has more saturated fat and cholesterol and significantly less fiber and protein than Kashi’s four-cheese pizza, its gluten-containing frozen pizza counterpart. The lesson: Unless you're actually gluten intolerant, be sure to read the labels carefully when it comes to gluten-free foods."

Note: I am not here to argue this point with you. I know what my doctors tell me. I am just giving the other side of this story. Talk to your doctor and know what you are doing before going on any diet, especially one that omits any one food

HANDLING LOW BLOOD SUGAR

If you need a quick solution to low blood sugar, one of the favorite tricks of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a glass of milk. 

Milk contains lactose that's broken down into glucose (sugar). It also has fat and protein in it to slow down the rise in your blood sugar and keep it steady over time. For this reason, milk is a better solution than juice or glucose tablets. 

Fat-free and reduced-fat milk have the same amount of lactose. Other studies have found that a small amount of ice cream will work as well. 

If you don't like milk or don't buy it regularly to have on hand, you might also consider graham crackers, which are easily stored in the pantry or in your glove compartment. 

The ADA recommends that you avoid high-fat treatments, such as candy bars, because they aren't absorbed as quickly, may lead to very high blood sugar levels in the hours after you eat them and can contribute to weight gain. 

CHOOSE SNACKS THAT INCLUDE PROTEIN + FIBER

Dr. Melina Jampolis, an internist specializing in nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention suggests our snacks should include protein plus fiber. She has stated that protein and fat trigger the release of hormones in the gut that keep us feeling satisfied for hours. Protein also puts the brakes on the body's insulin pump and we know that high levels of insulin can lead to tummy fat. Fiber slows digestion, another key to feeling full. Dr. Jampolis says that many high-fiber carbs such as oatmeal, fresh fruits and veggies are water-rich which means we get to eat a bigger serving for fewer calories!  Below are some of her snack combo suggestions:

• hummus and nuts + carrots or whole-grain crackers
• a hard boiled egg + 1/2 cup grapes
• a packet of instant unsweetened oatmeal with cinnamon and chopped nuts
• a cup of low-fat Greek yogurt + a cup of your favorite berries
• 1/2 cup high-fiber cereal with skim milk
• a 100-calorie pack of almonds + a kiwi

Remember snacks should be no more than 200 calories!

WARNING REGARDING GARCINIA CAMBOGIA SUPPLEMENTS

I am most certainly against most "wonderful medical, weight-loss, etc general products lining the shelves in the market place today. And I believe many people are suckered into a lot of nonsense when they become avid followers of guys like Dr. Oz. Now before you explode let me explain what I mean.  I know there are a lot of good products out there but rest assured the majority of what you see in the malls, etc is a lot of hype and expense for a little of nothing.  Manufacturers are quick to make a buck off those who want to be slim, trim, beautiful, etc yet think they can eat whatever they want, never exercise, etc and reach that goal. That simply is not so. No matter how many products you buy, if you eat everything you can get your hands on - mostly fast foods, fats, sugars, etc, sit on the couch watching TV and playing video games in your spare time, and swallow a bunch of expensive pills, your health, weight, etc will not improve!

Now I have nothing against Dr. Oz. In fact, I often quote him on this blog but it is almost always an intelligent quote in context. People who hang on his every word, often miss what he is saying. He cannot usually change your life or go completely into an area during a 1 hour show that is cut way down because of commercials! He went to school for years and reads medical journals, goes to seminars, etc and you think he can tell you everything you need to know on a subject in a matter of minutes. Another problem is that humans, who are only half listening anyway, tend to hear what they want to hear and miss the rest.  That is where the title of this blog post comes in!

Americans have gone crazy buying Garcinia Cambogia because Dr. Oz claimed it to be the holy grail. Really?  Did they listen to what he really said? Doubtful!  Well now, guess who else was listening. That's right, manufacturers!  So they started packaging the stuff as fast and as cheaply as they could.  And guess what! They knew people weren't listening beyond what they wanted to hear. Whoa!

Check the package of Garcinia Cambogia that is in your house right now. Does it contain calcium? If so you might as well throw it away, flush it down the toilet, etc. Dr. Oz warned to make sure your product contains NO calcium. Why? It blocks the absorption of the HCA or hydroxycitric acid, the active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia that makes it work! Studies have shown that adding calcium to a garcinia cambogia product makes the product unusable by the body.

I continually suggest reading labels on anything that goes into your mouth. But that doesn't do a lot of good if you don't know what you are looking for!

I went to the internet and just randomly pulled up a couple of garcinia cambogia product labels. And there it is, calcium on both labels. Dr. Oz also said to buy product with 75% HCA. Note these labels both say 60% HCA. The manufacturers aren't trying to fool anyone. They know they don't have to because humans don't pay attention to the details of this type of product. They are playing you a little on the first label by saying the serving size is 1 Veggie Capsule.  That is a mind game with you because we are living in a society right now that is big on promoting vegetables so they know that will get your attention and perhaps have you choose their product over another.  Also, when you read the two labels you will see the ingredients list is the same for both. But notice the dosage. One says the serving size is 1 "Veggie" Capsule and the other says it is 2 Capsules.