| Welcome |
|
March 28, 2009
Diabetes Defense
Hi ,
Today's article is to round out our discussion of blood sugar issues in our efforts to prevent Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes. To this point I have focused mainly on the obvious - sugar. Have you been reading labels? Amazed at how much sugar there is in products? Wonder why they use so many different kinds of sugar in the products? The ingredient label lists contents by highest percentage first. A product like a breakfast cereal might be 60% sugar by volume, but by using four different sugar sources it can look like sugar is a minor component. The first two ingredients might be whole wheat and corn (at 20% each) making it sound like a good whole grain cereal, but the next four ingredients might be different sugars (at 15% each). Manufacturers know many people read ingredient labels, so they hide the true sugar content by using many different kinds of sugar.
Here is the real secret that they really don't want you to know - the actual sugar content is around 90%. All your breakfast cereals are around 90% sugar! Twenty to thirty minutes after you eat your "wholesome" wheat, or corn, or rice cereal your digestive tract has broken it down to sugar and is smacking your bloodstream with a massive sugar high. In fact sugar-free cereals actually turn into sugar and enter your bloodstream faster than the high sugar cereals!
How can this be? To understand this strange reality we have to talk about two key concepts - Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. In simple language, Glycemic Index is a measure of how fast a food breaks down to sugar and ends up in the blood. Glycemic Load is a measure of how much total stuff is in the food you are eating that will turn into sugar in your digestive system. Every food breaks down at a different rate. The same food cooked different ways will break down at different rates.
Is the glycemic index a concern for everyone? No. Some people are blessed with a metabolism that handles carbohydrates breaking down into sugars much better than other people. We all know these people. They are perpetually thin with abundant energy and can eat as much as they like and never gain weight. Somewhere between 10% and 25% of the people have this type of metabolism. Sugars are still possibly a problem for them, but starches are not.
Glucose (the main sugar in your blood) is used to compare all other foods to and is given a glycemic index value of 100. The glycemic index of table sugar is 65, while the glycemic index of plain corn flakes is 81. Corn flakes break down and enter the blood stream faster than table sugar.
Our concern for protecting ourselves from the health damaging and premature aging effects of sugar just took on a whole new complexion. The impact of sugar on your body is not about what looks like sugar sitting on your table, but about what hits your bloodstream as sugar. To protect ourselves from sugar we need to eat foods that break down slowly. That means choosing foods that have chew to them. Carbohydrate based foods that are airy and light and crunchy turn to sugar rapidly. To be healthy we want to stick with foods that have a glycemic index of below 55. Generally the denser a carbohydrate food is the lower its glycemic index. For instance a corn tortilla or spaghetti cooked just enough have indexes under 55, while breads and cereals all have very high glycemic indexes.
For a detailed list of the glycemic index of all foods that have been tested so far as well as glycemic load go to: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
Now we come to the pay off - what works? How much total starch and sugar is in the food you are about to eat is just as important as how fast it breaks down. Two ounces of a food with a glycemic index of 50 will hit you just as hard as one ounce of a food with an index of 100. So even though pasta may have a good glycemic index, eating a pound of pasta would be a killer to your system. The total load would be overwhelming. All that sugar hitting your bloodstream would immediately start filling up fat cells, damage arteries, send your hormones into inflammation mode, and age your tissues making you old prematurely. So even foods with low indexes can be dangerous to your health if eaten in excess. In order to be truly healthier we need to eat foods that have High Nutrient Density. That means foods that have a lot of food value without a lot of starch, sugar, or fat.
So what are we talking about? You have heard this a million times before - Vegetables, fruits, and clean, healthy proteins! These foods naturally have low glycemic indexes, low glycemic loads, and high nutritional value. So what am I really saying here? Bottom line: eat mostly above ground vegetables, fruits, legumes, and healthy proteins. Occasional meals of low glycemic starchy foods like pasta or treats laden with healthy fats (see previous newsletters for what healthy fats are) are not something to be feared as long as they stay occasional. Root vegetables should be eaten either raw or in small (tablespoon) quantities. Spices are wonderful, use with abandon.
Higher glycemic foods like breads or sugars would ideally be avoided completely for health. Realistically however we know there are times socially where it is important to have that slice of birthday cake, or share that special treat with someone you care about. Most bodies can handle this up to 2 or 3 times a week and do ok (some people can not handle the sugar or high glycemic foods at all). You just have to find out for yourselves. Be sure that if you do challenge your system with a couple starch or sugar loads that you keep the challenges ALWAYS AT LEAST 24 HOURS APART. This gives your body the time it needs to reset its insulin response back to normal.
The human body actually has no need for grains in the diet and is much healthier without them altogether. I will discuss this topic in a later issue. I will also need to devote a newsletter to just what makes up a clean, healthy protein.
So we are ready for our next health challenge:
Health Challenge #5 Stop eating cereals and breads made with flours.
I have suggested this to many of you individually and the usual response I get is "What is there to eat for breakfast?" Around my house breakfast and dinner look alike. Your body actually likes its biggest protein meals early - before 2pm. Free-range eggs are a wonderful choice for those looking for a traditional breakfast. But for us any combination of vegetables and protein works to get us going in the morning.
Some of you are wondering what I mean by "breads made with flours". Most breads are made with flour - usually some type of wheat flour. All breads made with flours are too high on the glycemic index. The alternative is breads made solely with sprouted grains. If you have no problem with gluten or gliadin (the allergenic proteins in most grains) then sprouted grain breads may work well for you. Give these a try. They are usually better toasted as they tend to be more crumbly than flour based breads.
In case you are wondering cereals includes Muesli and granola. They may look good for you, but they aren't. Would it hurt you to eat a bowl once a week - probably not much. Will it hurt you if you eat it every day - absolutely (unless you are one of the starch tolerant people).
One extra concern, which will be more fully addressed in a later newsletter, is the impact of toxic chemicals in our foods on the formation of diabetes. Check out the link in the "on the wire" section below for a good piece on this.
One unanticipated positive of these health challenges you will find is that your shopping trips become much simpler and quicker. We cruise the fruit and vegetables and maybe a quick check of a couple meats and we are done. We never even go down the isles except for the occasional legume or spice. There is almost nothing in the isles that is healthy to eat.
Yours in health,
David
If you missed either of the three previous articles in this series: Health Priorities 1,2 or Health Priorities 3 please:
________
You are free to reprint this article in your newsletter as long as you include the following statement in the same size type and color:
"This article appears courtesy of Fair Oaks Health News, offering natural and healthy solutions for body, mind and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.fairoakshealth.com"
Whale Watch: still stalled. The amazing power of food reactions to put on weight really showed up this last 2 weeks. I had wheat and dairy for two days in a row, Saturday and Sunday. Without eating any excess calories, by Monday I was up over 8 pounds. It has taken over a week for the reaction to settle down and the 8 pounds to come off. I still feel my gut is inflamed. On the website for the lab that does genetic testing for gluten (wheat) sensitivity that leads to Celiac disease (www.enterolab.com) I found that one exposure to wheat can cause a reaction for up to 8 months! Swell. Literally. My ALCAT test came back so I can now start avoiding the foods that my body is reacting to now. These sensitivities change over time as the foods I showed reactive to this time were very different than 5 years ago when I took the ALCAT except for wheat. Some sensitivities are plugged in genetically and don't change.
So now I get to avoid avocados, tomatoes, lemons, spinach, cinnamon, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Generally it takes about 6 months to settle down most of these reactions. A rotation diet helps to avoid developing new sensitivities.
I also have a suspicion that I need to do a liver cleanse every 20-25 pounds lost. Fat cells are one of the main storage depots for toxins the body has not gotten rid of. When you lose weight those toxins are thrown back into the blood stream and picked up by the liver. I suspect that the body will stop weight loss to prevent further toxic dumps into the blood until the liver has cleaned out what has already been dumped. Until next time...
David
Ouestions - if you have questions of a health or growth nature we could discuss in this newsletter, or if you have comments or ideas about a future newsletter focus please email me at:
david@fairoakshealth.com
|
H
|
On the Wire
|
He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.
- Arabian Proverb
'Miracle fruit' turns sour things sweet
I discovered this fruit a couple years ago while surfing the internet. When you chew up this fruit and coat your tongue with its pulp then for about 15 to 20 minutes any other food you eat that is very sour tastes very sweet. This seems like a great party plaything, but otherwise I could not find much use for it. Well somebody has gotten the bright idea that folks with a loss of interest in food due to various drug therapies may be coaxed back into eating with this fruit...an interesting idea.
Thousands and thousands of people have studied disease.
Almost no one has studied health.
- Adelle Davis
Japanese Treetop Tea House
While the last newsletter had a truly beautiful tree house cafe, I had to share a whole different means to the same end. This fun little tea house shows how simplicity can achieve its own beauty.
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.
- Mark Twain
Extreme Sheep Herding
This is just too amazing not to pass along. These guys put Light Emitting Diode arrays on a bunch of sheep and then herd them around on a hillside in Wales at night. The patterns they are able to make are nothing short of astounding.
The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
- Voltaire
_________________________________________________
Concerned About Diabetes? Go Organic
By Kelley Herring
Eating conventionally grown produce and meats and farm-raised fish? If so, you may be 38 times more likely to develop diabetes. A recent study published in Diabetes Care found a strong relationship between Type II diabetes and the body burden of six pollutants:
* a PCB: hexachlorobiphenyl
* 2 dioxins: heptadioxin and OCDdioxin
* 2 pesticides: oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, and
* a pesticide metabolite: DDE, a metabolite of DDT
These contaminants were detectable in more than 80 percent of the study participants. And compared to participants in the lowest-exposure category, those in the highest-exposure category were almost 38 times more likely to have diabetes.
Don't think you're at risk? Think again. The average American takes in nearly a gallon of pesticides per year by eating conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.
Reduce your risk of diabetes (and many other chronic illnesses) by choosing only organic produce and meats and wild fish.
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
|
| |
|
_______________
to check on old newsletters
_______________
About Dr. DeLapp
|
Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years. He began experimenting with medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis. In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education. Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic. He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice.
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health.
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities.
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth. The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework. Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.
Fair Oaks Healing
& Arts Center
Staff
Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor
Ellen Flowers FGM
Spiritual Life Coach
Susan Richardson
Front Desk
Gypsy Andrews
Metabolic Nutritionist
Front Desk
Sugar-Free
Marshmallows
I got the ultimatum from my sweetie that sugar or no sugar, she expects a Rocky Road Chocolate Egg for Easter. So how do I do that without sugar? The sugar free chocolate is no problem as previous recipes have shown...but marshmallow filling? Well a little experimentation and trial and error and we now have sugar-free marshmallows.
1 ½ cups water
½ cup 2X erythritol/ stevia blend
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
cornstarch
9x12 pyrex dish
Step1
Mix 1 ½ cup water with ½ cup erythritol/stevia blend and salt in a saucepan. Cook till it boils to make a syrup then set aside. Add vanilla.
Step2
Put gelatin into a deep bowl add the syrup you just made.
Step3 Beat with an electric mixer for 12 minutes until very thick and
tripled in size. It may take longer - the foam should form soft
peaks. It thickens as it cools.
Step4
Pour marshmallow mixture into a 9x12 inch baking dish very lightly
coated in cooking spray and heavily dusted with corn starch. Oils
will cause the gelatin foam to collapse. Let cool for at least
three hours, or overnight. Cut with a wet knife into squares. Serve
as is, in hot cocoa, or use to make rice crispy treats.
To make the Rocky Road is now just a matter of freezing the marshmallows, melting some coconut oil and bakers chocolate with some double 2X sugar, and mixing the cold marshmallows and some walnuts into the chocolate.
| |
