This is the last edition for the year and I will like to present you with the last part of the serial – FOODS THAT DEAL WITH AILMENTS: DIABETES. As noted in earlier articles of this serial, food is more than just filling us up and getting rid of hunger pangs. Food helps us maintain good health and manages our health conditions. In this concluding part, we are going to examine more foods that can deal with, and prevent ailments such as diabetes.
Beans
Beans are just about your best source of dietary fiber, which not only makes you feel full longer, it actually slows digestion and keeps blood sugar from spiking after a meal. This effect is so powerful that it can even lower your overall blood sugar levels.Beans are good source of protein and fibre and also low in fat. Beans are also inexpensive, versatile, and virtually fat-free.
Oatmeal
Contains lots of Zinc, Vitamin B and full of fibre which slows the absorption of glucose from food in the stomach — keeping blood-sugar levels under control. Studies have shown that eating a diet rich in whole grains and high-fiber will reduce the risk of diabetes and other heart related diseases by between 35 to 42 percent.
Fish
Another outstanding source of lean protein is fresh fish. Combine fish with the high-quality carbs found in vegetables, lentils, or beans for another balanced meal combination will keep your blood sugar from rising. Olive oil. At the center of the famously heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is olive oil is considered a ‘good’ fat that helps slash the risk of heart attack — and has been shown to help keep blood sugar steady by reducing insulin resistance. So toss the butter and cook with olive oil instead. At home and in restaurants, dip your bread in a bit of the stuff. Just watch how much you eat, because at 119 calories per tablespoon, even ‘good’ fat can pack on the pounds.
Olive oil
The health benefits of Olive oil are extensive with new positive attributes discovered all the time. One prominent Cardiologist recommends at least two tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil each day to enjoy the many health benefits it has to offer. It has been demonstrated that a diet that is rich in Olive oil, low in saturated fats, moderately rich in carbohydrates and soluble fiber from fruits, vegetables, pulses and grains as listed above is the most effective way to manage and overcome diabetes. Although high in calories, Olive oil has been shown to help reduce levels of obesity.
Poultry breast
Although poultry are known to be more nutritious compared with beef, the part of the poultry you eat also matters. Chicken lap for instance has large deposit of fat, therefore eat less of it. In addition to being a fat burning powerhouse, chicken breasts provide a wealth of health benefits to help you maintain good health. Half chicken breast has just 142calories and just 3 grams of fat. There is no carbs, sugar or fiber but there are 27 grams of protein in just a half breast. You get these health benefits of chicken breast if you eat chicken breast without the skin and bone. This way, your chicken breast is as lean as possible, providing you with maximum fat burning potential. Well I must confess I am sometimes guilty of this. If you are diabetic, please don’t indulge in eating chicken with the skin because most of the fat content is on the skin. Half chicken breast provides you with more than 50%of your daily value of protein, which is what makes chicken breast such an amazing fat burning food.
FOODS YOU SHOULD STOP EATING TODAY
Food we eat now will tell a lot about our health in the future. Note that the foods we’ve eaten in the past are having Olive oil. At the center of the famously heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is olive oil is considered a ‘good’ fat that helps slash the risk of heart attack — and has been shown to help keep blood sugar steady by reducing insulin resistance. So toss the butter and cook with olive oil instead. At home and in restaurants, dip your bread in a bit of the stuff. Just watch how much you eat, because at 119 calories per tablespoon, even ‘good’ fat can pack on the pounds. their effects on our health now, either positive or negative depending on the food’s composition. It is therefore wise to note that whatsoever you eat will affect your overall health now and in future. Below are some foods you should stop taking now:
Breakfast Cereals
Yes, there are some good ones but the majority of these sugar bombs are not as healthy as the manufacturers claim. Make it better if you really want cereal, try basic rolled oats or Muesli, and add some fruit or nuts and you’ll be much better off.
Fried Foods
Fried foods damage your body and brain in many different ways; it has both long term and short term consequences. It makes your blood cholesterol rise and all the nutrients are lost due to frying. Just as a car needs good clean oil to run efficiently and not break down, your body needs food that can be digested properly and not clog your heart – the one and only “breathing machine” you have for your entire life. One long term effect of eating food high in saturated fat is heart attack or stroke which occurs when there is too much cholesterol (fat like substance) in your blood. It continues to build up as you eat more of fried foods and bad fats and then build wall around your arteries. This hardens the arteries and slow down or in severe cases block blood and oxygen flow to the heart. If blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut by blockage, then the outcome is heart attack. Also, the closer your fat is to your heart, the more the heart is strained. It’s worse for men because the belly is closer to the heart than the hips and thighs, where women are more prone to keep the fried foods stored.
Fast foods
There are some fast food centres that are now incorporating healthy choices on their menu. The higher percentage of these fast foods are best described as fast edibles because it does nothing to nourish the body due to preservatives, trans fats, artificial colour, citric acid, and other processed sweeteners’ all in a bid to enhance flavour and give attractive colours. It’s not a surprise that after years of consuming too much of such foods, our bodies react to all those chemicals by getting sick. The amount of calories one fast food meal contains is almost equal to the amount of calories one must consume in the entire day! While some of these calories come from protein, most come from the sugar (of the soda) and the fat (usually the burger and fries!) in the food.
In one study, the average meal purchased by fast food customers surveyed was 827 calories. For those needing a reminder, the average adult needs only 1,800 to 2,000 calories in a full day!
White Flour Products
White flour is one of this generation’s most dangerous processed foods. Taking something wholesome and nourishing (the whole grain) and refining it into something totally alien to the body, then treat it with chemicals and bleaching agents. Before white flour evolves, it’s a whole grain consisting of germ, bran and endosperm. To refine the grain, the germ and bran are stripped off, and most of the fiber, minerals and essential nutrients come off in the process. Too much consumption of this refined grain leads to rapid release of insulin from the body, which leads to an overworked pancreas and an increased storage of fat (leading to both diabetes and obesity). But there are also the bleaching and deodorizing processes that most flour will go through before becoming ‘white flour’. If you are so used to eating white flour and its products, start off by reducing it gradually and opt for wholesome, wholegrain or whole-wheat flour and its products. Then eat it only as a treat if you love it that much.
Whole dairy
Of course, dairy and dairy products are good for your health, but whole-fat dairy is full of fat and cholesterol. So always choose low-fat dairy and its products, which have all the nutrients you need.
Products that contain aspartame
Aspartame is a very dangerous substance in the market that is being added to foods. It’s 200 times sweeter than sugar. Some people are more sensitive to aspartame and experience more side effects, while others have a milder reaction. Aspartame seems to cause neurological problems that include confusion, slurring of speech, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and severe tremors. This is often related to psychological side effects such as depression, aggression, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia and irritability. Some people experience gastrointestinal changes, which can lead to nausea, abdominal pain and peptic ulcers. Please take a quick glance on contents of products before you buy.
Soda
Soda is loaded with empty calories from high fructose corn syrup? What’s more, you should stop drinking soda, because it is known to contribute to obesity and is also likely to increase the risk of diabetes and high-blood pressure in people. It’s a recipe for disease disguised in a delicious, bubbly brew. Sodium benzoate is a preservative found in soft drinks, and it’s been linked to the phantom triad of allergies, asthma and eczema. Phosphoric acid, the chemical that gives soda its wonderfully sharp, brassy flavour, has been shown to cause osteoporosis and tooth decay (causing more damage to the bones than battery acid, some experts claim). It depletes calcium and other minerals from the body as it’s excreted in urine, taking with it the very stuff our bones and teeth are made of. Because of the high amount of minerals it takes with it out of the body.
As moments of celebrations come near, I enjoin you to take heed to my advice here (and in other past editions – www.wheretoprintmagazine.com or www.flourishcaterers.com ) and reduce or totally stop your intake of unhealthy food. We need you in 2014. This is the more reason we are here for questions on healthy eating. This is wishing you a Merry Christmas, happy and healthy New Year 2014! See you next Year!
