The Price of Laziness

It's been a rough week. I started out last weekend feeling oddly like I had the flu or something - achy, upset stomach, etc. Then, just out of the blue, I happened to check my blood sugar - it was 385! That's more than twice what it was at its worst two years ago when I first got it.

My vegan diet got me out of trouble then, bringing my numbers all back down into healthy levels, but apparently my occasional "allowances" have been adding up. First I let cooking oils back in - granted I used extra virgin olive, but it's still oil*. Then I began falling for my old temptress, cheese**. Only a little, at first, but then eating pizza fairly often - even plain cheese pizza with all the different kinds of cheese. I should have recognized that I was getting too far off track when I began buying into the whole "eggs are part of a healthy diet" jazz and started eating EGGS#!

The clue that finally got my attention was when I started have "rolling blackouts" where I'd start to do or say something and just phase out. My wife was getting worried and so was I, when I could remember having the blackout. I got a new batch of glucose test strips and found the bad news.

So - go to the doctor and let him insist that I begin Metformin or some other poisonous diabetes drug, or get myself back to basics and clean the machine.

Duh.

I set out Monday morning to renew my commitment to Dr. Barnard's Program to Reverse Diabetes, the book that saved me before. All this week I've had gentle breakfasts: steelcut oatmeal with no butter or oil, just flavorings and flax meal, or rye toast with banana spread (that's a soft banana spread on the toast!). Followed by very basic lunches: frozen fresh veggies with rice or pasta, or beans and rice; and dinner of something similar - or my treat, non fat refried beans and rice and veggie cheese burritos with lots of salsa on top. Oh, and only water to drink. Snacks were some boiled baby potatoes, salad munchies, or crisp rye bread.

Today, five days into the diet, my blood glucose was 185, 245, and 211. Not great, and certainly not where I want or need to be, but one half what it was just a few days ago.

Was it hard? Not really. I am motivated by fear and necessity, so I am sticking with the plan well. It's nice to get back to the basics. I hope I won't have to restart again, but I might. At least I know there is a safe, reasonable solution to run to.

More updates later.

God bless y'all!
Bobby C.



*Any oil contributes to the intermyocellular fats that clog your muscle cells and prevent the proper intake of glucose.
** Cheese is basically condensed, concentrated cow's milk, which means all the blood, pus, and poisons of cow's milk in super strength form!
# Eggs do, indeed, have some good properties: vitamins, amino acids, etc. But they come wrapped in a cholesterol heavy, animal protein, high sodium soup. That's 1028mg of cholesterol (yes, one THOUSAND milligrams - that's FOUR times as much as a fatty 16 ounce T bone steak!). And animal proteins, as opposed to vegetable proteins, are extremely hard on your kidneys. Sodium - don't get me started!

The Problem with Soda

This is from a Care2 article:

Most soft drinks are made with highly concentrated sweeteners, like high-fructose corn sweetener. Even the “healthier” versions made with good old-fashioned sugar deliver it in a highly concentrated dose. The job of the pancreas is to secrete insulin when needed to process sugar, so when you hit your body with a wallop of sugar, the pancreas goes into overdrive. Experts at the University of Minnesota followed 60,000 people in China and found a link between those who drank large quantities of soda and the incidence of pancreatic cancer. The researchers theorize that stressing the pancreas repeatedly with high doses of sugar leads to inflammation, which in turn sets up a vulnerability to pancreatic cancer.

Their study found that people who drank two or more sodas a week had an 87 percent increase in their risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic cancer is rare, and the overall risk of developing it is low, even an 87 percent increase is not as big as it sounds. But pancreatic cancer is a particularly deadly type of cancer, killing most of those who get it within a few years. So protecting our pancreas is something we all need to take seriously.

 I can't overemphasize this point - it is dangerous to drink sugar pops (sodas, colas, soft drinks, etc). For an adult to do so is about the same as smoking - personal choice to defy a slow, painful death from your body falling apart. For a parent to hand a sugar pop to their child is tantamount to handing that child a syringe filled with a drug!

In her book, Food & Behavior, Barbara Stitt notes:

The connection between food and behavior is so basic that it is being over looked by parents, the school system, counselors and most of the medical professionals.
Ask any hyperactive child, depressed, angry teenager, violent adult or criminal what they eat and you'll find they "live" on junk food - sweetened boxed cereals, candy, carbonated drinks, potato chips, fast foods.
Junk food abuses the mind, undernourishes the body and distorts the behavior.

Children model after their parents. Studies have shown repeatedly that children whose parents smoked are much likelier to smoke, whose parents drank alcohol would probably drink; therefore, it follows that if you have sugar pops in the house and you drink them in front of your kids, they will become addicted to this drug, also.

What do you want to will to your children: diabetes, obesity, hyperactivity, and pancreatic cancer, among many other problems, or habits of good health so they can enjoy a good, long life?

Think about it!
STEPcoach Bob Collins

Diabetics: Got Vinegar? Yaotta!

 Just read some very interesting news about keeping my blood sugar under control and making my wife happy: scientists have completed a study that showed that vinegar prevents sugar spikes after eating. Here, look:

Past studies have shown that consuming vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity in people with insulin resistance and possibly improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes. Now, research has indicated that vinegar consumption is also effective at controlling after-meal blood glucose levels in those with Type 1 diabetes.

Diane Fennell reports in Diabetes Self Management that the subjects of the study drank two tablespoons of vinegar in one and a half tablespoon of water just before eating. Their blood sugar rose after the meal - as everyone's does naturally - but it did not spike high as is common with diabetics.

No one is completely sure why this works, but it does.

While the mechanisms by which vinegar helps control after-meal blood glucose levels aren’t entirely clear, it is known from previous studies that vinegar delays stomach emptying and that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, enhances glucose storage in the liver and muscle tissue.

 So, if there's a good result, why not try? And unlike medicines that usually cause more dangerous side effects than their intended good, vinegar is a natural treatment. That means it is unlikely to have any negative side effects. Of course, some people do have allergies to some things, so you might want to ask your M.D. if you've never used vinegar in this way before.

The article closes with this note:

According to the researchers, “two tablespoons of vinegar could easily be used as a complementary food (e.g., in a salad dressing) to reduce hyperglycemia.” 

 Now, Jo Donna and I have been using apple cider vinegar (ACV) for years to stop colds and flu and to ease indigestion, but this is a nice bonus. It's important to note that, if you're going to try ACV, you get the right kind. If the vinegar is a clear amber color, that's not right. Good ACV is amber colored, but it looks smokey, like there's something foggy in it. That's called The Mother (no, really) and it's all the natural enzymes of protein molecules, which are what do most of the healthy stuff.

We've settled on Bragg brand (their web site is HERE) mostly because that's the brand carried in most of our local stores, but also because they wrote the book on ACV benefits - literally! Paul Bragg was one of the pioneers in discovering all the many health virtues of ACV. Also their's is organic, so that's good too.

I highly recommend unprocessed apple cider vinegar for all sorts of things - now including keeping your or your family member's blood sugar under control without drugs.

LINKS:
the original article : http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/Diane-Fennell/vinegar-reduces-after-meal-glucose/
Bragg vinegar info: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar.html

go get 'em!
STEPcoach Bob Collins
P.S. you do know what "yaotta" means, don't you?

STUDY: Coffee Lowers Diabetes Chances

[BTW, did I tell you my other "office" is at our local Panera Bread, where I get free refills all afternoon! - Bobby C]

Found this today - thought you'd like to know:

People who drink several cups of coffee or tea a day–even decaf versions–can dramatically lower their risk of diabetes, researchers reported on Monday. Drinking three to four cups of coffee per day was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of diabetes than drinking no coffee or just one cup, researchers said.
And the more coffee or tea you drink, the greater the benefit–so keep that pot filled. “Every additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7 percent reduction in the excess risk of diabetes,” wrote Rachel Huxley, who headed a team of Australian researchers at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One reason this study is making headlines around the world is that the conclusions didn’t come from just one study, but were the result of what’s called a “meta-analysis” of 18 different studies, which together included more than 450,000 people.

Although Huxley said the study didn’t identify exactly how coffee and tea are controlling diabetes, the researchers singled out a series of antioxidants and other ingredients that seem to be responsible for the beneficial effects. These include:-magnesium- chemicals called lignans- chlorogenic acids.

This news is important for aging Americans because the number of people with diabetes is rising so fast. Right now, one in ten adults in North America has diabetes, and the International Diabetes Federation projects that by the year 2025 (which is only 15 years away) 380 million people worldwide could have type 2 diabetes.

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com

I'll have mine straight up, with a packet of Stevia, thanks!

Stronger Bones? Eat Veggies (not milk!)

For strong bones, milk or veggies? Veggies win hands down - Vegsource.com

If you're loading up on dairy but skimping on vegetables, you could still be at five times the risk of low bone mass. That's the implication of a recent Japanese study of roughly 100 female college students, comparing dietary patterns with bone mass. Those with daily intake of beta-carotene-rich veggies (e.g., carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red bell peppers and pumpkin) were 500% less likely to suffer low bone mass. Since dairy intake was fairly similar across the board, researchers speculate that the difference in vegetable consumption was the decisive factor. This echoes similar, previous research, which found greater bone mass and less calcium excretion among girls with the highest fruit intake.

Why might that be? Well, as explored in Beyond Calcium, nutrient-dense fruit and vegetables provide the rainbow of other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed for overall bone health. For example,

• cantaloupe's a top beta-carotene source, but also provides 60% of daily vitamin C, needed to produce collagen, a structural component of strong bones. 
• Beta-carotene-rich leafy greens are also top sources of vitamin K, adequate intake of which is linked to a 65% lower fracture risk among seniors. 
• Beta-carotene-rich tomatoes are also a top source of lycopene, linked to 66% less bone loss in another recent study.

In addition to eating a plant-based diet, keep bones strong with plenty of weight-bearing exercise -- whether that's strength-training or high-impact team sports like soccer and volleyball.

For high-intensity athletes, bear in mind that you lose a significant amount of calcium and other nutrients needed for bone health through the profuse perspiration that comes with vigorous activity.

[respectfully shared from http://www.vegsource.com/news/2009/12/veggies-500-times-more-important-to-bone-mass-than-milk.html]

Vitamin B12

[NOTE: This information comes from VegFamily a very good source of reliable information for the wiser of us (i.e. veg*ans) and was orginally written by Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.]

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, fungi, and algae. Neither plants nor animals can synthesize the vitamin. Thus, it is not found in plant products naturally (there might be trace amounts in plant foods contaminated with B12-producing microorganisms, but we should not depend on contaminated food). Animal foods are reliable sources of B12 because large amounts of bacteria live inside animals, and vitamin B12 remains in flesh, milk, and eggs.

We vegans need to get B12 from supplements and/or fortified foods. The B12 added to foods and supplements are synthetically produced in a laboratory from bacteria, not animal sources. Here are some other foods that typically are B12-fortified. Make sure you read the food label! B12 is also called cobalamin.

• Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula Nutritional Yeast*
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Fortified soy milk
• Fortified vegetarian meat analogs
• Fortified energy or snack bars, such as Luna Bars
• Fortified soy powders or other beverage mixes

*Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor to foods; my favorite way to use it is in tofu scrambles.

By the way, the lack of vitamin B12 in plant foods has led many to question how "natural" a vegan diet is. After all, if an essential nutrient is lacking from a 100% plant-based diet, how can such a diet be good for you? This is a very good question. Remember, B12 is produced only by microorganisms. Consider the sanitary modern world: only in the last several decades have we had the luxury of treated water, power-washed produce, and machine-sanitized packaged foods. Before these conveniences, people (vegans and non-vegans) ate locally-grown fruits and vegetables and drank water from the well or public water supply, all of which were rich in vitamin B12 due to bacterial contamination. In those times, vitamin B12-producing microorganisms contaminated the entire food supply, not just animal products. The need of a modern-day vegan to supplement the diet with B12 is not because the vegan diet is inferior to a diet with animal products; it is the result of modern sanitary conditions

OATMEAL! for dinner!???

If you haven't tried steel cut oatmeal yet, MAN! are you in for a treat! I was first tempted to try Mccann's Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal because of its being from Ireland. I'm a dead sucker for anything from Eire, from Kerrygold cheeses and butter, to an occasional Guinness stout ("It's good for you!"), and now Irish oats.

First, why Irish and steel cut instead of American rolled oats. Several reasons, but here are the top three:

1) Mccann's are purer. As many of you know, my sweetheart Jo Donna is allergic to gluten, which is found in wheat. She can't eat anything with wheat flour in it - breads, cake, pie, breaded fried foods, pizza, many candies, etc, etc, etc. Now oats are gluten free, but she hasn't been able to eat them because they get contaminated during processing with flour which is ground and prepared in the same facilities as almost all oatmeal brands. Except, it turns out, Mccann's from Ireland who only mill oats in their facilites, and therefore keep them pure of the nasty gluten she can't eat.

2) Steel cut oats are much, much better for a body than rolled oats. Rolled oats are partially cooked (steamed) before the rolling process, then steamed again afterwards. This removes some of the nutrients. Steel-Cut Oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into two or three pieces using steel discs. This process preserves all the natural nutrients and flavor of the oat.

3) Irish oats are better quality. Quoting from their website: "The temperature, humid climate of Ireland promotes the slow ripening of the grain. It enables the oats to draw the goodness from the soil and yield up a crop with fuller, plumper grains." (Sure, and isn't everything better in Ireland!)

READ MORE ABOUT Mccann's Oats at http://www.mccanns.ie/index.html
(BTW, you may be askin' your self, "Now Seamus, me boy, is this an advert for old Mccann's?" HA! I only wish! If anyone from Mccann's wants to toss money my way, though, I have a big basket to catch it in!!!!)

Now the recipe for super oatmeal for dinner:

Prepare the oats as directed on the can:
* four cups of water, brought to a boil
* one cup of oats stirred in
* boil for a few minutes, until they begin to get a little creamy, then
* simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes

at this point the oats are done and you could eat them as is, but wait! there's more ...

* add 1 tsp of sea salt
* stir in 2 tsp of non-dairy butter spread (we use Smart Balance Light with Flax Oil)
* add one tablespoon of milled flax seeds (not just the seeds, but the ground ones you find with the baking goods)
* mix in 1/4 cup of vegetarian bacon bits

Stir this all together and cover the pot tightly; let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to merge.

Serve this nutty, rich, super dish either as a main course or as a side dish.

You're welcome.!

What's My "Diet" All About?

To answer basic questions about what I eat, what I don't eat, and why, here's a list of facts:

I don't eat eggs

I don't use dairy*

I DO use soy milk

I don't eat refined white sugar**

I don't eat artificial sweeteners***

if I use a sweetner, it's raw sugar or local organic honey

I don't drink sugarpops (coke, etc)

I don't eat refined white flour**

I DO stick with rye or pumpernickel breads

I DO eat pretty much everything else!

I DO get lots of protein from various sources

I DO get plenty of calcium, and everything else

I have lost 30 pounds on this "diet"

I have corrected my diabetes and cholesterol numbers through this lifestyle

I started out just for health sake, but now continue out of respect for God's pets, which He has created in infinite detail for His enjoyment, and which we were put in charge of to care for

"meat" is the only source of bad cholesterol: no meat = no cholesterol

"good" fats are in most vegetables

tofu, when prepared correctly, is super!
(even potatoes can taste bad if not cooked or if cooked wrong)

NOTES:
* I do eat imported cheese on rare occasion - imported cheeses are free from all the pesticides and hormones of American cheeses
** as much as possible, but these damaged goods are snuck into so many foods it's almost impossible to avoid them totally
***these have all been proven to be poisonous to one extent or another