Indulge in the beauty of color around you.
Preventing Diseases such as Diabetes
I know that everyone has heard of Diabetes, but as you age, it may be something you have to deal with unless you begin to do some preventive measures right now.
How is your Diet?
The first thing that has been an issue related to diabetes is your diet. You really need to clean it up. I mean eating more fresh vegetables and fruit, grains, beans, lean meats, fish and poultry. The processed foods, high fat foods and sugar need to be eliminated from your diet.
Research has shown that a diet that consists mostly of simple carbohydrates and food with low fiber ( white bread, white rice, sugary snacks and cereals) can cause high insulin in the body, and this causes a constant cycle of weight gain. Eating this type of diet also decreases satiety – you feel hungry all the time. You want more and more carbs!!
Sugar
There is much research on the fact that people who are sugarholics really do get diabetes from eating too much sugar. You need to try you best to get rid of the sugar in your diet. High sugar diets lead to obesity and obesity is linked to diabetes.
If you have been told that you have pre-diabetes because your glucose numbers are high- and approaching the level where you will soon need medication, you need to do something about it right now.
Natural Sugar: Stevia and Agave
There is a new natural sugar on the market that is non-chemical called Stevia. It is a very good sugar replacement that can help you on your path toward wellness. Another which can be used in cooking that does not raise the glycemic level- Agave.
Theories on Carbohydrate Metabolism
Andrew Weil who wrote: Healthy Aging talks about how to stay healthier throughout your life.
Because sugar in the body is mostly a product of carbohydrate metabolism, and because insulin’s function is to clear out sugar from the blood, it is important to do whatever you can to keep your carb metabolism finely tuned. ( meaning that you must count how many you have a day).
An Epidemic of Obesity
We are in an obesity epidemic, and are seeing a dramatic increase in type 2 Diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas produces enough insulin, but cells fail to respond. This means that there is a loss of insulin sensitivity, or as some researchers call it- the development of insulin resistance.
The problem seems to lie in our modern society of not only an overabundance of food, but also a change in the nature of food from refining and processing them from their natural state.
For example: Instead of eating grains in their whole form-boiled, parched and chewy- we mill our grains into flour which takes out the fibrous hull and oil-rich wheat germ. These pulverized starches digest very rapidly- causing spikes in our blood sugar and surges in insulin secretion.
What to do?
Eat more whole foods and stay away from the processed and refined foods.
Eat less “whites” white flour, white rice, starchy veggies such as potato. You need to monitor your carbs closely, with portion control as your guide. I believe that no one should eat more than a cup of anything! Moderation is really the key to wellness.
Taken in part from: Weil, A. ( 2005) Healthy Aging: A lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being. New York, NY. Random House.