Here is a simple tip to keep on top of your diabetes. It’s called the ABC Program and can help you control your type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
- A is for A1c. Be sure to get your hemoglobin A1c tested every three months. This indicates how well you are controlling your blood sugar over time. Diabetics should maintain an A1c under 7. Normal is 4-6.
- B is for Blood Pressure. Keep your blood pressure at 120/80 mg/dl or lower.
- C is for Cholesterol. The recommendation for LDL cholesterol is under 100.
Important! Check with your Doctor and get your current ABC numbers. You want to stay on top of these three.
Filed under Tips for Diabetics by 
Having a body that is slightly neutral to alkaline is essential for good health. Drinking alkalized water can help you to reach this goal. To alkalize your water, simply add some fresh lemon drops to it. Although lemon is acidic, it is alkalizing in the body. To help fight our diabetes, we want our bodies to be neutral to slightly alkaline.
Here's what I do. I have a little yellow plastic spigot that my sister-in-law gave me that you screw into the lemon. Then, anytime you want some lemon juice for your water, you just open the cap on the tool and squeeze the lemon. The lemon juice drips into the water (be sure to hold the lemon OVER your water, LOL). It works great!
It is important to drink lots of water and stay hydrated. A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water every day. So if you weighed 170 pounds you should drink at least 85 ounces of water per day, about 2.5 liters. I weigh about 185 and usually drink around 4 liters of water every day. And be sure to add some lemon to help alkalize the water. By the way, adding a little baking soda will help alkalize the water also.
Filed under Tips for Diabetics by
Almonds are a great snack and considered the healthiest nut. They are a great source of vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E, protein, fiber and antioxidants. Almonds are considered a heart-healthy food and have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease.
Because almonds have a lot of fat (monounsaturated, which is good for you), you don’t want to eat too many of them on a daily basis. If you are trying to lose weight, eat no more than 1 ounce per day, about 28-30 almonds. These make a great snack because of their nutritional value and they taste good too.
My recommendation is to split your daily allowance of almonds into 3 different snacks of 10 almonds each. Personally I eat too many of the darn things but I just love them as a snack.
One note of caution: a legal ruling in 2007 requires that raw almonds in North America be pasteurized prior to sale. This, of course, reduces their nutritional value dramatically. So, when buying your raw almonds be sure to get almonds that have not been pasteurized. For some reason this is still legal at farmers markets and online.
I am trying some raw almonds from Briden Wilson farm in Arbuckle, CA. I will report on how they are.
Filed under Tips for Diabetics by
Metabolic Syndrome X (also known as Insulin Resistance Syndrome, Syndrome X, and Metabolic Syndrome) is the label for a common cluster of health conditions caused largely by inactivity and over consumption of refined sugars, refined grains, and bad fats. While there is no consensus among “experts” as to what exactly constitutes Metabolic Syndrome X, most agree on these common risk factors:
- Too fat around the middle. This means a waist size of 40 inches (102 cm) or more for men and 35 inches (88 cm) or more for women.
- Blood pressure above normal. Your blood pressure is 130/85 mm Hg or greater.
- Too much glucose in your blood. Your body can’t properly use glucose and your fasting blood glucose is 110 mg/dl or greater.
- Too much fat in your blood. Your triglyceride level is 150 mg/dl or higher, leading to plaque buildup on the walls of your arteries.
- Too much insulin in your blood. Your body can’t properly use insulin due, in part at least, to too much glucose and fat in the blood.
- “Good” cholesterol is too low. This means an HDL level below 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women.
These health conditions lead directly to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. If you have three or more of the above risk factors, you are suffering from Metabolic Syndrome X, which means that you probably have Type 2 Diabetes or are pre-diabetic.
Filed under Questions and Answers by
Vinegar obstructs the breakdown of carbohydrates which can result in fewer blood glucose spikes in diabetics. A recent study showed that insulin sensitivity improved by 40% when the test subjects drank a mixture of vinegar and water prior to eating a high-carbohydrate meal. The drink was 1/8 cup of vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup of water and some sweetener (saccharine in this case).
Vinegar has been around for thousands of years and has many hundreds of uses. This one may be beneficial to diabetics when eating a high-carbohydrate meal.
Important! Please consult with your physician before making changes to your diet or experimenting with supplements or any unusual/exotic food combination.
Filed under Tips for Diabetics by
