Meal Planning Quick Start Guide

Figuring out what a healthy meal looks like can be confusing to LOTS of people, but the truth is that it’s just not that complicated. This handy “Quick Start Guide” will make it a lot simpler… choose two vegetables from the list of veggies on the left, some protein and a serving of whole grains or starchy vegetables and you’re all set!
Print out this page and tape it to your refrigerator or a cabinet so that you can refer to it whenever you need to. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to plan a delicious and nutritious meal with your eyes closed! You can download it by clicking here!
And if you’d like to see some actual examples of healthy meals using this approach, click here. Continue reading

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Five Diabetes-Friendly Recipes for Peanut Butter Lovers

Peanut butter not only tastes great but also can help to control blood sugar levels and appetite, according to research.
Enjoy this delicious and nutritious spread with these five diabetes-friendly recipes:
3.1 grams of carbohydrate per cookie
4.4 grams of carbohydrate per serving
10 grams of carbohydrate per slice
12.6 grams of carbohydrate
13.5 grams of carbohydrate
Type 2 diabetes is different from type 1 diabetes in many ways. As its alternate name of adult-onset diabetes implies, it is usually only found in adults. However, the rate of children acquiring the disease is going up.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes due to the fact that, unlike type 1, insulin injections are not always required for treatment.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas either doesn't produce any insulin, or the insulin that is produced is not properly utilized. This is due to a condition known as insulin resistance, which prevents key parts of the body (such as muscle, fat and the liver) from responding to insulin as they should.
Insulin resistance means that sugar never makes it into the cells where it can be used for the body's energy needs. Instead, massive levels of it build within the bloodstream.
Type 2 diabetes has a gradual onset
Type 2 diabetes also differs from its younger counterpart in that onset can be very slow, lasting for years. The gradual progression is typically not noticed by the individual until the condition becomes full-blown. Being overweight helps the disease to develop faster.
Genetics can also play a part in the likelihood of diagnosis. If a pa Continue reading

Can yogurt ward off type 2 diabetes?

The health-promoting properties of yogurt have been linked to better gut flora, lowered blood pressure and even mood improvement - and now research suggests it can also help lower risk for type 2 diabetes.
Data from the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study, which included 41,497 participants, indicates that yogurt may have diabetes-fighting abilities, even when other factors like body mass index and diet are taken into account.
According to the study, people who consume 28 grams of yogurt per day may have up to an 18-percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The dairy dilemma
Similar to results found in a study earlier this year, the current research shows that yogurt - but not other dairy products - is linked to lower diabetes risk.
Scientists still aren't clear on why, but it could have to do with a number of different factors: the fact that yogurt is high in protein, which leads to satiety and perhaps healthier body weight; the calcium and minerals in yogurt, which could improve metabolic health; or simply the fact that people who eat yogurt have healthier diets overall.
Study author Frank Hu also suggests that probiotics in yogurt could be the reason for its healthy profile.
"The mechanisms are not well understood at this point," Hu told Forbes. "One hypothesis is that the probiotics in yogurt may help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, but this hypothesis needs to be tested in randomized clinical trials.”
Diabetics looking to include yogurt into their diets may need to opt for sugar-free, low- or non-fat versions, as these will generally be lower i Continue reading

New insulin pill developed by American researchers that could treat type 1 diabetes

American researchers have developed an insulin pill that could provide a less painful way for people with type 1 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.
This new technology is known as a Cholestosome, which was reported on this week at the 252nd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Mary McCourt, a researcher from Niagara University, explains that a Cholestosome is a "neutral, lipid-based particle that is capable of doing some very interesting things".
McCourt said at the conference that a major problem with oral insulin delivery is to move the drug through the stomach while keeping it intact.
Insulin often degrades before it moves into the intestine, leaving it ineffective when it eventually reaches the bloodstream. But the Canadian team have been able to address this problem.
A Cholestosome encapsulates insulin using simple lipid esters, which are assembled into spheres. These then form neutral particles that are resistant to attack from stomach acids.
When the Cholestosome packages reach the intestines, they are recognised by the body as something that can be absorbed. Once they have passed through the intestines into the blood stream, the cells then break the packages apart, releasing insulin.
In laboratory studies, the Niagara team have been able to deliver multiple insulin molecules into cells, and trials with rats have shown that certain formulations of Cholestosomes have high effectiveness.
The researchers now plan to optimise their formulations in future clinical trials involving animals. Then, their aim is developing new par Continue reading

Diabetes Diet : The Much Maligned Egg Makes A Comeback

The recently revised U.S. Dietary Guidelines now reflect what some researchers have been saying for years, that the nutrient cholesterol is not a threat to our health.
Since cholesterol is no longer a dietary villain, neither are cholesterol rich foods such as the egg. Yet, after being told for decades to limit egg consumption, some of us - especially those at higher risk for cardiovascular disease - may remain skeptical about eating more of them.
An Egg-cellent Test
An interesting study involving overweight and obese people with type 2 or pre-diabetes might help skeptics rethink the role of eggs in their diet.
Some of the research participants, those in the high-egg group, were instructed to eat 12 eggs per week, increasing their cholesterol intake by 281 milligrams daily. The participants in the low-egg group were asked to eat fewer than two eggs each week, reducing their daily intake of cholesterol.
Both groups consumed the same amount of protein weekly, and in the end:
The high-egg folks reported less hunger and a greater sense of satisfaction following breakfast.
The increased cholesterol consumption had no ill-effect on the high-egg participants’ lipid profile.
“No between-group differences were shown for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or glycemic control,” noted the researchers in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “This study suggests that a high-egg diet can be included safely as part of the dietary management of type 2 diabetes, and it may provide greater satiety.”
Abundant Nutrients
The research is especi Continue reading