Diabetes & What Type of Nuts to Purchase

Here is a question I recently answered from someone visiting GlucoMenu.

Q:  My husband is a diabetic and he likes to eat peanuts, could you please help me to figure how much and what kind to buy him?

A:  Nuts can be a great addition to your meal plan. Nutritionally, they contain fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals. In addition, they are cholesterol free and contain unsaturated fats (including monounsaturated fats).  Nuts are high in fat and calorie dense so...

Click here to read the entire answer:  Diabetes & Nuts

High Blood Sugar & Diabetes

Here is a question I recently answered from someone visiting GlucoMenu:

Q:  "I noticed right after lunch I get really tired.  I try and walk for 10 minutes and it seems to help.  Any suggestions?"

A: Some people experience sleepiness an hour or two after eating if their blood sugar is running high.  Test your blood sugar before and after eating lunch. If your blood sugar is high after lunch, consider... Read my entire answer by clicking the following link:  High Blood Sugar & Diabetes

Diabetes & Beverages

Here is a question I recently answered from someone with Diabetes visiting GlucoMenu:

Q:  "I am not a great water drinker and tend to go for the juices.  Frozen orange juice and canned apple juice are two of my choices.  Is frozen orange juice considered sugar free?"

A: Fruit juices are definitely NOT sugar free.  Juice tends to be one of the quickest ways to increase blood sugar.  Instead of juices, you might look at... click here to read my entire answer:  Diabetes & Beverage Choices

Diabetes & Dining Out

Here is a question I recently answered from someone visiting GlucoMenu:

Q:  "We eat out a lot.  Could you give us some suggestions for Japanese and Chinese?"

A: Dining out can be challenging because of the large portion sizes and the unknown of how foods are prepared.  Here are a few suggestions when ordering...  Click here to read my entire answer:  Diabetes & Dining Out

Diabetes - Carbohydrate or Calories?

Here is a question I recently answered from someone with Diabetes visiting GlucoMenu:

Q:  "I am confused about whether I should count calories or carbs.  Thanks for any help."

A:  Counting carbohydrates is important for controlling blood sugar.  Counting calories can be helpful if you are... Click here to read my entire answer Carbohydrate or Calories

 

Caffeine & Diabetes

Here is a question I recently answered from someone visiting GlucoMenu:

Q:  "Does caffeine have any effect on blood sugar either good or bad?  Also, what are some healthy snacks that will NOT cause a spike in blood sugar?"

A:   Regarding your caffeine Q:  some research does show that caffeine can cause a small...
Read my entire answer by visiting the following link:  Caffeine & Diabetes

Diabetes & Exercise

Here is a question I recently received at GlucoMenu:

Q:  "I have type 2 Diabetes and I'm wondering about exercise to help with weight loss.  I heard on a radio program that long aerobic exercising can be bad for weight loss due to increased appetite and the body being unable to burn fat quick enough for energy and turning to burning lean muscle.  Instead they touted burst training. What are your thoughts?"

A:  In general, bursts of exercise are considered anaerobic exercise meaning they do not require oxygen.  Examples of anaerobic exercise include things like lifting weights, a 50 yard sprint, etc. and they require a quick burst of energy but are not sustainable for longer periods of time.  These types of exercises use primarily carbohydrate (or stored carbohydrate known as glycogen) for energy.  They use the energy that is readily available in the cell.

Aerobic exercises are those that require oxygen and are generally performed over a longer period of time.  A 5 mile run, aerobic step class, or 45 minute bike ride are examples of these.  After about 20 minutes of an exercise, the body begins to burn fat for fuel instead of carbohydrate.  This is why fat burning exercises are usually a longer more sustainable exercise.

Carbohydrate and fat are the main sources of fuel during exercise.  A fairly small amount of protein is used as an energy source in long duration, endurance types of activities.

If you are monitoring your heart rate, 60-70% of max is about where you want to be for burning fat.

You can learn more about exercise and Diabetic benefits by visiting:  Diabetes & Exercise

Diabetic Menus

Here is a question we recently received from someone looking for 8 weeks of diabetic menus:

Q:  "I need 8 weeks of diabetic menus.  My doctor says I need to get my weight down and control my blood sugar or he is going to put me on insulin.  Can you help?"

You can read our answer by visiting:  Diabetic Menus

Sodium vs. Potassium?

Here is a question we recently received from someone with type 2 Diabetes:

Question:  I’ve noticed that a lot of “low sodium” items seem high in potassium.  Should this be a concern?

Answer:  Sometimes potassium chloride is used to…

Click to read the entire response:  Sodium versus Potassium

SUGAR SCORE

We are seeing great results with our new SUGAR SCORE® program! Members should Login and visit the red Tools link and check out the SUGAR SCORE® section.

You can read more about SUGAR SCORE® in this week’s newsletter:

SUGAR SCORE® Newsletter

Blood Sugar Numbers?

Hello Everyone! How are your blood sugar numbers looking this week? Comment with your numbers!

Learn more about how to control blood sugar by visiting GlucoMenu.com

Type 2 Diabetes Medication

Hi Everyone! Last week we attended a meeting in Phoenix discussing a new diabetes medication that recently received FDA approval called Bydureon. Bydureon is the once a week version of Byetta that you may be familiar with. It can help your body produce its own insulin and slow down how quickly food moves from your stomach during digestion. Its one of the many medications available for Type 2 diabetes... just wanted to share what we learned. Have a great week!

You can learn more about diabetes treatment by visiting GlucoMenu.com

GlucoMenu Breakfast Burrito Recipe

Here is a tasty breakfast recipe to enjoy! Have a great week!

GlucoMenu® Breakfast Burrito

Recipe Ingredients:
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 oz. low sodium mozzarella cheese
1 Mission low carb soft taco size tortilla

Recipe Directions:
1. Pour egg substitute into non-stick skillet. Begin to cook on medium heat.
2. As eggs begin to solidify, add vegetables and cheese and gently fold mixture. Continue to heat until eggs are cooked.
3. Serve mixture on tortilla.
4. Makes 1 burrito.

Nutrition Facts per serving:
Calories: 223, Carbohydrate: 23 g, Fiber: 12 g, Fat: 7 g, Protein: 18 g, Sodium: 445 mg

Visit GlucoMenu for more recipes!

Arizona Diabetes Day Update

Arizona Diabetes Awareness Day Pictures - What a great event! We met some great people from all walks of life... Everyone coming together to raise awareness about Diabetes! We asked our friend Linda to help with the booth and here's what she had to say after the event:

"It was a fabulous event and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. I've already called my parents and told them all about what I learned. I loved talking to everyone and being outside was a real treat. I also enjoyed being inside the House of Representatives. It was cool to get a taste of what those legislators are up to."
*If you have the time please get involved with your local ADA chapter... you won't regret it!

You can learn more about diabetes by visiting GlucoMenu.com

Arizona Diabetes Awareness Day

This Thursday we are heading to the AZ Capitol for "Diabetes Awareness Day".

(GlucoMenu has a booth and ADA will be there among others). We thought it would be cool to hand out Diet Snapple Trop*A*Rocka (Bret Michaels brand, he has Type 1 Diabetes)...

Here's a picture of the 227 bottles in the car!


You can learn more about Diabetes & Diabetes treatment by visiting GlucoMenu.com

High Blood Sugar and Diabetes

I recently received the following question from someone with Type 2 diabetes:

Q: My 12 hour fasting sugar was 158 and my A1C was 10.8. At first my sugar was doing ok (about an average of 165 to 180). But now it seems like if I eat any type of carbs my sugar is high. In the last week or so my readings have been as high as 312. Can you tell me why this is happening?

A: High blood sugar can be due to a number of factors:

1. how much food you eat
2. what type of food you eat
3. stress
4. illness
5. too little insulin or medication
6. too little exercise

It’s very important to consider portion sizes with carbohydrates. Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and losing weight (if needed) helps to control blood sugar.

Regarding your specific numbers, be sure to stay in contact with your doctor so you two can figure out the right combination of medication, test times, diet, and exercise.

You can learn more about controlling blood sugar and treating diabetes by visiting: GlucoMenu.com

Pre-Diabetes Treatment

Last week I attended the Joslin Diabetes Critical Literature Analysis conference in Phoenix.

One of the presenters mentioned research will be presented later this year on giving low dose insulin to those with Pre-Diabetes with the thinking that it may help with preserving pancreas function… Of course, diet and exercise (along with weight loss) can be very helpful in treating Pre-Diabetes.

You can learn more about Pre-Diabetes treatment by visiting: GlucoMenu.com

The conference was at the Arizona Biltmore… I’m including a photo. Nice place!

Blood Sugar & Vinegar

I've had several people ask about whether vinegar assists with reducing blood sugar. Here's what research shows...

Researchers have found that taking a few tablespoons of vinegar (not the pill form) each day can help to reduce post-prandial (2 hours after eating) blood sugar and A1c levels for those with type 2 diabetes. Acetic acid is the component of vinegar that seems to help with this blood sugar lowering effect by inhibiting digestion of carbohydrate.

You can read the entire response and learn more about Diabetes by visiting the following link:

Blood Sugar & Vinegar

GlucoMenu Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Here is a recipe to help you warm up from a cold January day!

GlucoMenu® Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe Ingredients:
1/3 cup onion, chopped
3 T. garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 - 28 oz. can no salt added cut tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
10 fl. oz. water
1 cup low sodium black beans
1/4 cup chopped green chilies
5 oz. roasted skinless chicken breast, diced
1 T. chili powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. black pepper
4 T. fresh cilantro
2 corn tortillas (6 inch in diameter), cut into strips

Recipe Directions:
1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
2. Transfer to large pot. Add tomatoes, broth, water, and spices. Heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add beans, chicken and chilies. Simmer for additional 10 minutes.
4. Serve with tortilla strips as garnish.
5. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts per serving: Calories: 236, Carbohydrate: 28 g, Fiber: 7 g, Fat: 6 g, Protein: 19 g, Sodium: 504 mg

More diabetes recipes are available at GlucoMenu.com

Glucose Monitoring Contact Lens in Development

Microsoft and UW are developing a contact lens that will allow people with Diabetes to monitor their glucose levels. Some of the information found in blood is also available on the surface of the eye. The new lens will transmit the data wirelessly.

Here is a link to read more:

Microsoft Functional Contact Lens

Exercise and Diabetes in 2012

Lots of people heading back to the gym this time of year. Be sure to wash hands and clean equipment before and after use to avoid getting sick. Here's to great workouts in 2012!



Learn more about exercise and diabetes by visiting GlucoMenu.com