Choose Health Today

That Carb Counting Punishment - I Hate It!

2010-08-10T05:43:00.004-05:00

Okay! I am supposed to remember that 1/2 cup of oatmeal has about 15 grams of carbohydrates. And so does "4 - 6 crackers"! You crack me up. And what am I supposed to do when I go to the restaurant? Take my carb counting "cheat sheet" and count my calories before I eat? I'm sure there is a better way to live than this.

Here it is, and I've been doing this for years now and maintaining normal blood sugar levels without meds. Eat high fiber complex carbohydrates, exercise, and sleep properly. Oh, that's so much easier and enjoyable than counting carbs. Plus I don't even have to consider the words high cholesterol or overweight.

I'm sorry. It's boring to count calories and blame carbohydrates for our inflation. Just leave the processed foods alone. Eat more fresh fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables as nature provides them. Check my carb guide for more delicious rants.

High Cholesterol and the Unmentioned Statistic

2008-08-05T21:16:00.003-05:00

According to Darshak Sanghavi, a pediatric cardiologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, scientists and drug companies usually describe the benefits of many medications in terms of relative risks. This is said to "inflate" the benefits of medical therapy. Dr. Sanghavi said there is an alternative statistic that is not used. It's called the "number needed to treat" (or NNT, for short.)

Using cholesterol lowering drug as an example, he recounts the case with Pravachol years ago when it was reported as causing a 31 percent reduction in heart attacks. This caused billions of dollars in sales. By stating the results of clinical trials in terms of "relative risks", it powerfully exaggerates the benefits of drugs and other invasive therapies.

Thirty-one percent fewer heart attacks!

What did the drug manufacturers mean when they talked about a 31 percent relative reduction in heart attacks? Borrowing Dr. Sanghavi's explanation, it meant that "taking Pravachol every day for five years reduced the incidence of heart attacks from 7.5 percent to 5.3 percent. This indeed means that there were 31 percent fewer heart attacks in patients taking the drug. But it also means that the "absolute risk" of a heart attack for any given person dropped by only 2.2 percentage points." So a 31 percent relative reduction in heart attacks equals (or means the same thing as) a 2.2 percent absolute reduction in heart attacks.

So to break this down further, if 100 people with high cholesterol took statins, 93 of them would not have had heart attacks anyway. Of the remaining seven people, five would have heart attacks despite taking Pravachol. Only two out of the original 100 avoided a heart attack by taking the daily pills for five years. This means that in order to prevent 2 people taking Pravachol over a 5-year period from having a heart, we would need to treat 100 of them. In other words, the number needed to treat (NNT) is 50 - fifty needed to be treated in order to observer a reduction in heart attacks.

Can you see what a different picture is created by stating drug research results in terms of relative risk reduction vs. absolute risk reduction? Anybody can see that these 50 people could do much better by changing their diets and getting enough exercise over a period of a few months (not even 5 years!) So the objective of this drug medication for diseases and health conditions resulting from lifestyle habits is ____________________ (you fill in the blanks.)

Did you say 'to make more money'?

Common Diabetes Symptoms Make Catch-22 Situations

2008-05-02T14:50:00.002-05:00

For quite a few months after my diagnosis, I happened to learn firsthand that diabetics can have some really interesting nights. Apart from the insomnia that haunts us for various reasons, such as frequent urination and severe thirst, the forced wakefulness can play other dirty games as well.

The constant thirst, frequent urination, the blurred vision, and the discouraging blow on intimacy are enough to drive you crazy. It's no wonder that so many diabetics usually go for the quick way to control diabetes symptoms very soon after their first visit to the doctor. They will still have these hidden "signs" masked or covered up by Metformin, Actos, Amaryl, and insulin in various forms. Catch-22 again. You still have it but you can't see it.

This is not a laughable matter when you are experiencing these symptoms, or when you have to depend totally on prescription drugs to simulate some semblance of "normal". But when you no longer need your medication, and when your doctor tells you there is no need for a visit until 6 to 9 months time, then you may consider it something to chuckle about. In fact, you may even write about those catch-22 diabetes symptoms like you were never bothered by them.

What really needs fixing

2008-03-19T18:35:00.005-05:00

I am at the car dealership and I am waiting for them to fix my brakes. You know it's time to get your brakes checked when those brake lights stay on when they are supposed to be off.

Simple.

Many other car owners are here. We are all responding to various signs and symptoms we see on our dashboards. Many of us have not even seen any symptoms of something going or gone wrong - we just know it's time to service the vehicle.

Wish our bodies were treated like this all the time. Guess we're more afraid that the vehicle may leave us on the road MORE than that we might leave both the vehicle and the road. How many symptoms have we neglected over the past year?

We see it on the "dashboard" of our bathroom scales every day - 20, 30, 50 lbs overweight, and more! We keep driving.

Bulging at the mid-section, clothes don't fit anymore even though we are not getting any taller - the mirror is a big dashboard that doesn't lie. Yet some of us ignore the warning signs all the time.

Why do some of us take more care of our cars than our bodies?

My doctor said she's "happy" for me

2008-03-07T13:21:00.005-05:00

She is not the one who "threatened" to put me on insulin. This is the other doctor that's been treating me for the past (almost) 1½ years. She just called me 30 minutes ago.

If you have diabetes, please find a doctor like my doctor. She will tell you that you need to eat right, exercise, and go to bed early every night. She will give you medication ONLY if you need it - and only if those three important practices don't work.

Now, many people "need" the medication because they don't go all the way to having and maintaining a proper diet, they are not consistent in exercising, and they can't go to bed early for various reasons - especially when their favorite TV program is airing. Well, they will really need the medication, for as long as the habit lasts.

When we develop diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other similar conditions our bodies need "regularity". A regular schedule of meal times and sleep time puts us back in sync with our natural biorhythms. This promotes healing and restoration. Anyway...

Thanks doc, you have at least one happy patient.

It Works! Do You A1c My Point?

2008-03-06T17:49:00.002-05:00

I just got my results from my medical check last week. From past experience, I know that if I don't get a call from my doctor's office within a couple days after the tests, then there is nothing "unusual" in the results. It has been over a week. Today the mailman delivered.

It was a pleasure reading my medical results again:
- A1c (5.3%),
- total cholesterol (143 mg/dL),
- triglicerides (51 mg/dL),
- LDL (85 mg/dL), and more...
- Liver and kidney functions normal. Hey, I feel like drinking...

Water is the only drink I have had since November 2004. (Note: I've never had alcohol in my life, and I still can't understand why one would drink it rather than put it on a wound.) This week I tried cranberry juice (unsweetened) because I felt so good and had not had a high glucose reading for "I-can't-recall". For more than a year and holding, my A1c is 5.3% without even the "look" at a drug. No one can tell me that a diet and lifestyle changes don't work.

These four principles that I've shared on my website do work (in combination, of course).

Regular exercise - daily 1-hour walks at first, now it 30 minutes strength training, aerobics, or flexibility training
Proper diet - the more "vegan" the better. Don't ingest cholesterol or animal products if you don't have to. Who "must" anyway?
Quality sleep - this is not after midnight sleep. Sleep early (latest 10 pm). Explanation here.
Food supplementation - only because when the body has already succumbed to conditions like type 2 diabetes, we really need "extra" help. I haven't tried a lot of supplements - only two; one of which (a seaweed supplement) I still take daily - the other I no longer need.

Today, I'm more motivated than ever. I feel I'm blessed, and who can blame me for that? Anyway, take care, and remember the four keys I've shared. When you implement these, you really lose something - your diabetes medication (most likely). I remain convinced that health is a choice.

7 Biggest Mistakes in Your Diet

2008-02-24T04:37:00.003-05:00

It's my new course. It's free. It's delivered by email.

Seven diet tips that are "medicine" when you practice the simple principles. You should check it out before you take your next bite.

http://www.anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com/

Ha! My Whopper is a Clone!

2008-01-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

OK, get used to it. The FDA has just approved cloned animal food produce as fit for consumption. You might soon be eating the same steak over again.

Although the European Food Safety Authority has not quite caught on to the the idea of cloned beef, milk, chicken, and pork as yet it won't be long before the rest of the world starts eating Moo "dolly", Oink "dolly", and cluck "dolly". In fact, they might just make it "exotic" by jacking up the price on cloned animal products.

Australia is also waiting to see how this new addition to the human diet will go down, it seems. They are waiting for opinions from their own experts. Meanwhile, in America, Dr Stephen Sundlof, of the FDA is saying, "We conclude that meat and milk from cattle, swine, and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day."

The thing is, they have used those same words to describe all the drugs that have later proven to be "poison" - like Vioxx.

The decision seems to say to consumers, 'Never mind that cloned animals tend to have shorter life expectancy, the juicy steak will get to your plate before the cloned cattle has time to die naturally, anyway.' In fact, this decision may just pave the way for faster production. Why not? Just select the gene that has the greatest response to growth hormones. They might soon be growing drumsticks as fast as they can cook them!

But I can't get used to the idea that **IF** I bought a "whopper" from that "king" of fast food place today...

...and if I really liked it, then it's easy to get it's clone tomorrow. Then I'd say to my neighbor, "Ha! Just look at my burger. I ate the exact (same) thing yesterday!"

Protein intake - osteoporosis

2008-01-13T21:01:00.001-05:00

Most Americans consume much more than the recommended daily allowance of protein of 50 - 60 grams per day. In fact, the restaurants and food supply centers "compete" to make sure we exceed our needed amount of every food nutrient.

No wonder, the description - which I found surprising - a nation that is "over-fed but malnourished." How can this be?

Well, the extra protein, along with the phosphorus, caffeine, and lack of physical exercise are common factors that are being blamed for the prevalence of osteoporosis among Westerners. Maybe, our bones just don't know of the extra supply of calcium supplements we are dosing on.

So, we should just walk more, eat less, get adequate rest and keep osteoporosis at bay.

Take the stairs, go for a stroll after lunch
Eat more complex carbohydrates
drink more water - avoid the Coke and caffeinated drinks that leach Calcium from your bones
adopt an anti-diabetes type diet - it will help you take care of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other situations all at the same time

Remember, good health doesn't come by chance, it's our daily choice.

What is a healthy diabetes diet and is this the same for everyone?

2008-01-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

The phrase "healthy diabetes diet" gets thrown around a lot. I hear medical professionals and others using this term as if you can just go pick it up in a store. Really, a healthy diet is a healthy diet, AND should be "healthy" for everyone.

From this perspective, then, there is no such thing as a diabetes diet. Whether I am a diabetic or not, if my diet does not contain normal and adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients for normal life it should be called "malnutrition".

As a type 2 diabetic who wants to lead a normal and very active life, I cannot be distracted by low carb preparations that will force me into a low energy state. No, I want lots of carbs BUT complex, high fiber carbohydrates that don't cause a blood sugar spike.

These complex carbohydrates are not usually what you find in fast food restaurants - the best diabetes diet (for me) is what is prepared at home. Still, it is amazing to see how packed the fast food places and restaurants are nowadays; especially on the weekends.

My experience tells me there are at least two ways to control your diabetes:

pills and insulin - and if you have to use these as recommended by your doctor, that is not a problem, but DON'T accept it as the "state of the rest of your ever waning life". You can change that.
the anti-diabetes diet and lifestyle approach - in conjunction with your doctor's recommended treatment, learn what a healthy diabetes diet should mean. Your diet should be "anti-diabetes" not "anti-diabetic" - which most popular diets are, since they don't remedy the diabetic syndrome.

The anti-diabetes diet (the healthy diabetes diet) and lifestyle is your best bet to help prevent and reverse the metabolic syndrome; which includes type 2 diabetes.

Beware These Diabetes Tips - Diabetes Nutritional Supplements

2008-01-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

Every piece of the puzzle is important in order to solve it. Two major diabetes nutritional supplements are the last piece of my "bounce-back" puzzle.

Normal I would not distinguish these from my regular diet, but since the health improvement that I have experienced is also shared by so many users of the Tongan Seaweed extract and the miracle of the forest tea I have to mention these.

I've used these food supplements and have benefited significantly. Although I don't need Milagro de la Selva anymore, I have to note that this liquid nutritional supplement or tea made the first big dent in my glucose level. After 10 days I noticed I was not getting the high readings I was getting before. (It could have been less, but I was taken by surprise and only realized what was happening on the 10th day after taking it.)

But the real magic is still working...
I've listened to hundreds of people tout the praises of the fucoidan-rich Limu juice. I'm a "rebel" of some sort and a loner to some extent. I never follow the crowd. But when my coworker lost her seasonal allergies "just-like-that" I had to pay attention.

I have been using Original Limu for over two years, and while I know my exercise program, my rest, and my eating habits are major factors why I don't need diabetes medication anymore, this diabetes nutritional supplement is still a regular and vital part of my diet because of

the wide range of benefits,
the over 700 independent scientific studies confirming the health benefits of its main ingredient (fucoidan), and most of all,
the testimonies of thousands of people who have literally "gotten their lives back" from common illnesses like allergies, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, on down to cancer.

I'm totally convinced that this Fucoidan-rich seaweed supplement is a healthy habit breakthrough that will make you lose your medication. My doctor is sorry, she's happy for my recovery. I hope your's won't mind.

Beware These Diabetes Tips - Sleep and Glucose Metabolism

2008-01-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

And now, my friend, go and take your rest. Sleep. I mean, sleep early - wake early. This is one of the important things I learned since developing type 2 diabetes - it matters

when you sleep
how long you sleep, and even
where you sleep

And all these facets of our sleep affect our ability to metabolize glucose - which is the type of impairment diabetes is, anyway.

There are several studies on sleep and diabetes that really my attention and helped me change my sleep pattern. Some of these findings are quite recent but it is a long-known fact sleep deprivation affects glucose metabolism and can lead to type 2 diabetes.

"Role of sleep duration and quality in the risk and severity of type 2 diabetes mellitus," published by the Archives of Internal Medicine, and
In Biological Research For Nursing, an article published in 2008 echoes the same warning: sleep affects diabetes and diabetes affects sleep.

This sounds like a double-edged sword. You have it either way. That's why your decision to handle type 2 diabetes needs to be an aggressive decision. Don't just settle for pills that simply mask the symptoms. Aim to lose your medication all together.

How sleep works
Our bodies rebuild tissues better at nights - it seems. Our bodies know the difference between night and day, and our metabolism depends on this circadian pattern to function properly. (Read about circadian rhythm in this WiKi article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm)

Researchers say that an hour of sleep before midnight may be twice as beneficial as an hour of sleep after midnight. Instead of challenging their findings, I thought it was reasonable so I did (and have been doing) that, i.e going to bed early - like by 10PM. It works for me.

"But I can't sleep that early!"
That may be so for other people, but I'll make myself do anything in order to NOT have diabetes or other lifestyle-related health problems. After nearly decades of going to bed long after midnight, it was difficult, but I've gotten used to it. Glad I broke the habit.

If you want to lose your diabetes medication and be symptom-free (like me), then seriously consider practicing these simple habits: have the best diet there is, start moving, and go to bed early! Look out for my other tips.

Beware These Diabetes Tips - Exercise

2008-01-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

This is the second of four diabetes tips that I'm sharing with you. Again, you're warned that you could lose your medication if you follow my suggestion...

Which, of course, is not a bad thing - unless you love to support the marvelous scientific "inventions" of the pharmaceutical industry. So along with the right diet, you need to exercise.

What!? You mean..?

Everyone can do some form of exercise - even if you are extremely physically challenged.

Physical exercise makes your muscles more efficient at using all the extra glucose that is cause for concern. More efficient muscles mean greater glucose metabolism.
As a type 2 diabetic, most likely your body still makes some insulin. Exercise causes those insulin receptor sites to start working again. See my article on the "cause of diabetes" to see more about insulin receptor action.
You do not need to run! In fact, if you are overweight and you begin your exercise program by running you may damage the cartilage in your knees. Take it easy. Walk. I started walking everyday for one hour - in the mornings! I did this for about four months then the Winter forced me indoors. But I didn't stop.
I exercised indoors - without weights. I have a treadmill that I use sometimes, but I just work the muscles. Even while sitting I do arm twirls and work my shoulder muscles. You'd be amazed at how effective the combination of diet, exercise, and these other habits could be for you over the next few months.

Some time ago, I used to think that once the doctor said, "you're diabetic" that was it. Oh no. I started walking. Today, if I were to go to a another doctor, he or she would not know (from any tests) that I am a diabetic if I don't say it.

Besides walking...
What else can you do as physical exercise? I've learned to do aerobics while sitting in a chair - useful if you are not mobile. It's great, and I can "work up a sweat" without leaving my chair!

Upper-body exercises - shoulder muscles, the muscles in your back, arm muscles, and abdominals. There are a lot of "lazy" muscles in the upper body that you can target and train them to start burning glucose again.

Make the physical change this year - start moving, even without leaving your seat! It works. Remember, the key is determination. You know it's possible, that's great...

...but the determination comes from within you. Do you want to lose your medication?

Beware These Diabetes Tips - Food and Diet

2008-01-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

Just a few years ago I had a hard time just watching my friends and family eat all they wanted while I counted carbs. For this New Year 2008, I have a different "misfortune", and it's all in the numbers!

I lost my diabetes medication; I mean, I'm on ZERO, nothing.
My A1c is below 6
My total cholesterol is 147, and
I love what I see on the bathroom scale - whether or not I stand on it! Nice and low. Just right.

Maybe you or someone you know want to be a "big loser" like me for this year. Well, this is the right time to start. And guess what...

You don't need to call it a "New Year's Resolution" - away with that. Just say it's your determination. That's it! Your first diabetes tip for 2008. Determine.

Then here's how you use that determination.

Shape up your diet. Don't take on those expensive "regimens" that you can't maintain for the rest of your life. Make a reasonable change that you can maintain permanently... check out the anti-diabetes diet concept.

Yes, the right diabetes diet can make you lose your medication. I lost mine, and my doctor is still surprised at my lab results too. It is a great feeling when I see the words, "excellent profile" on my medical test report.

With the right diet and lifestyle habits, most type 2 diabetics can soon begin to "eat like a king" again! If you don't mind losing your medication, this is one good thing to aim for this New Year!

Want to control your blood sugar with diet and exercise?

2007-11-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

I can only share my experience; this is not medical advice...

For me, and the many others who have followed this path, the key is to be consistent in providing the body with what it needs to repair itself.

Exercise - initially, I walked 45 - 60 minutes every morning. I still exercise 4 or 5 times per week in the mornings for at least 30 minutes.

In addition, I eat only high fiber anti-diabetes foods, such as whole wheat bread, corn, brown rice, etc in gradually increasing proportions as I found my glucose level normalizing.

My food also includes supplementation - extra nutrients, such as fucoidan from original limu (http://choosenow.originallimu.com/), and milagro de la selva (http://melagrodelaselva.com/). These helped very well.

Another point about food and eating is that I ate my largest meal (I still do) in the morning so that I burn the calories during the day while I am active; my smallest meal is at the end of the day. Here is another article about the cause of diabetes and what you can do.

Very importantly...

Even though my onset of diabetes has a genetic component, my research showed that this early development of the condition had to do with my lifestyle - not getting the right kind of sleep. Things really changed when I started getting my sleep early at nights. I can't explain all the science here, but it has been amazing. I will be explaining more in my newsletter and on the website that I am now re-designing.

Be consistent, be persistent: exercise, sleep right, eat right, rest and change your A1c. I got mine down to 5.3% and still holding without medication for nearly two years now.

Four healthy habits that did it

2007-11-26T22:43:00.000-05:00

I'm back. It's been a long time.

I'm also back from my former life of metformin and meager meals that I had to prepare from a sheet of paper I got from my doctor's office. Yak!

I never had to count carbs on Thanksgiving Day this year, and that's largely the result of 4 healthy practices I have adopted over the past (nearly) 2 years.

I exercise for at least ½ hour at least 5 days per week. I've resurrected some muscles in my upper body, and now they're burning that glucose so fast, I don't have those high blood sugar levels anymore.
I eat my biggest meal at breakfast and my smallest at the end of the day, approximately 4 hours before bed time. This means any extra calorie intake will get wiped out before the end of my day. I can't get overweight. I really can't - not with this eating style and diet.
I go to bed early at nights - This was a hard one for me, but I soon learned that the early rest was what my body needed all along. Anyone with a degenerative disease such as diabetes needs all the rest he/she can get.
I have been giving my body a steady diet of extra "system restore" nutrients. I could not have normal A1c (5.3%) again without some those special health supplements.

So, I'm back, and I feel great. My glucose meters are nearly unemployed. I have cut the earnings of some diabetes drug makers - boy, am I powerful! But I haven't fired my doctor. I still need her to get me those heart-warming medical reports every now and again.

You may copy my healthy habits, if you wish. You might take up a singing career in a couple years. But that would be a healthy thing to do too.

The Anti-diabetes Diet Works!

2006-12-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

I still don't mind being labeled a diabetic, even though my A1c holds at 5.3% without the use of drugs. I think the "type 2 diabetic" label reminds me well of the power of choice... a healthy choice.

Just plain diet and exercise. No low carb stuff - I eat real, complex, carb foods prepared from unrefined carbohydrates like brown rice and whole wheat flower. It took discipline but I tell the world now, that the anti-diabetes diet and lifestyle really is the way we humabs were made to eat.

I feel like 30 again! And I feel sorry for those who are doing it the wrong way! And to think that I have not yet gone to the gym - I work out at my home with a towel, a few small weights, and a chair. I haven't lifted anything heavier than 10 lbs in each arm.

But on this side of the A1c scale, it feels real good, and I'm convinced that anyone who can eat an apple can kill type 2 diabetes. You don't even have to walk. But it requires attention to everything...

Even the daily dose of that Tongan miracle health supplement. And that, in itself is another miracle. I AM FREE, my A1c is 5.3! Sorry for shouting in your ear, I feel so young again!

Dietary bites

2006-11-27T08:17:00.000-05:00

Did you know that almost 95% of people on a calorie-restricting diet re-gain the pounds after they lose it?

Many diet pills have things like caffeine to make you "hyperactive" so you can burn fat. What's wrong with that? (a) maybe you never knew (b) maybe you think you were not taking in so much caffeine

Some weightloss pills are just a bunch of dietary fiber - the same thing they stripped away from the natural food during the processing... They sell it to you (again), but you could have had it better by eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. But wait...

"Eighty percent of Americans do not eat fruits or vegetables that are rich in antioxidants."- Health Power, Diehl & Ludington

Wow! That's bad. But you do eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, right. And eating them is better than drinking them...

I know you knew that, but I just had to say it. Bye. Stay healthy!

Exercise Indoors

2006-10-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

I have to move indoors now. It's getting too cold outdoors now - makes my trip on the exercise trail less than enjoyable.

At 39°F in the mornings every breath looks like a puff of cigarette smoke. Even the animals seem to be staying in now. But I'm not quitting my exercise program. I'm going indoors!

Got a gym trial membership already. Even though I love my own routine, and prefer to workout outdoors, I am forced by Mr. Winter to go for the warmth, at least for a few months.

The important thing is: diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other lifestyle conditions will not give you a break just because it gets cold outside. No. Got to keep the pressure on these ailments and take charge of our health. Choose health today.

One For 40? A Big Bargain!

2006-09-28T18:16:00.000-05:00

Did you know that lowering your Hemoglobin A1c reading by 1% cuts your risk of going bling or losing a kidney by up to 40 percent? I learned that from the Diabetes ClearingHouse.

Imaging the benefits of losing weight, eating right, sleeping at night, not stopping at the hospital on your way out of this world! Could I pass up Coke and Mickey Dees for that?

You bet!

Hey, do something great for your health today. The anti-diabetes diet is the way to go. You could benefit by a big margin of 40 to 1. Not bad, eh?

How 'diabetic' am I?

2006-09-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

The American Diabetes Association has a book called Diabetes A to Z, in which they define a diabetic. "A person with diabetes has a fasting blood glucose of 126 mg/dl or above." - p.106.

If this is so, how come I am diabetic when my fasting glucose is consistently (without variation) between 70 and 85 mg/dl and I am not on any medication nor supplements? Something is wrong with this definition because my label doesn't fit.

Now I'm wondering how diabetic am I, and it's not that I mind. If you have diabetes you know how it feels to be sidelined by all those symptoms. It sure feels great to not have to worry about frequent trips to the toilet while you're on a plane. It's really nice. I wouldn't trade my anti-diabetes diet for any culinary glamor in the world.

One meat eater or 20 vegetarians

2006-09-16T19:03:00.000-05:00

It is estimated that the amount of land needed to feed one meat eater would feed 20 vegetarians. Not only that, but one acre of land produces 183 pounds of beef or 20,000 pounds of potatoes.

Have you ever wondered why a loaf of whole wheat bread costs more than a loaf of white bread even those extra processing is needed to make the flour that makes the white bread?

What is even more surprizing is the fact that science proves the vegetarian diet is a better alternative for health and longevity, but more people prefer the high cholesterol, high fat, steroid-laced meats.

Why isn't the vegetarian diet the more popular choice? It beats me. It's one of the mysteries of the palate.

A cluster or a bottle of wine?

2006-09-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

I just gave away a bottle of wine today. It was not my intention to give it away nor to have gotten it in the first place. I don't drink alcoholic beverages.

It was a gift from the receptionist at the hotel I am staying - something to sorta allay any ill feelings I might have because my room wasn't ready when it was time for me to check in. Shame. So here was this bottle of wine to say, "let's still be friends."

Well, I get my phytochemicals fresh from the grapes or from grape juice. In fact, I read somewhere in the Bible a reference to grapes as being wine. Listen to this:

Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. - Isaiah 65:8 (KJV)

The BBC News Health section ran an article titled, Mediterranean diet 'extends life.' That must be due to the abundant sources of phytochemicals from the vineyards.

From the vine

Yes, I get my phytochemicals from the vine. The wine makers want me to think it should be "from the wine." But you don't have to let your nutrients pass through the vats. Certainly the longevity is not from the alcohol. It is from the grape, so we don't need a reason to drink wine - just eat the grapes!

I believe the nutrients in grapes are in the proper quantities, naturally packed. So you don't have to worry about an overdose. You can eat your grapes and drive yourself home too. So, I choose the cluster instead of the bottle.

Caribbean Resort Almost Paradise

2006-08-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

This trip to the Westin Resort in St. John came quite close to being called a trip to paradise. Let's see what was missing.

It's not the threat of tropical storm Chris. After all, the Heavenly Bed, Bath, and relaxing atmosphere of the rooms and the lush green vegetation would have made up for that. People pay hundreds, thousands even, of dollars to enjoy this place.

I did like the workout facilities and the kid's club and shop idea. The water and weather were heavenly, as usual. But it was difficult to find real vegetarian menus anywhere.

You would expect in a time like this when obesity, hich cholesterol, and other lifestyle conditions are at epidemic proportions that places that provide the physical setting conducive to good healthy living would also encourage the leaner, healthier look through diet as well.

When are we going to see more businesses put their money where people's health is, rather than enticing people to put their mouths where the money is? The answer to this may be; when more of us wake up to the real cause of much of the illnesses that are killing us.

Let's hope it will be more of a paradise when I go back to the Virgin Islands.

Island vegetable salad

2006-08-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

From the previous post you may deduce that I am watching the stormy weather unfold in the Virgin Islands. The adverse weather seems to shut down business here in St. John (it seems), hence it's pointless for me to be hoping to find vegetarian food.

Supermarkets (food shops) are closed for the day. The boats that regularly sail to St. Thomas have suspended their services earlier than usual today because of the weather. So my hunger led me to a deli near the hotel.

I have made an enjoyable dinner out of an island vegetable salad, wheat bread, soy cheese, and cashews. It was enjoyable and that will definitely pass for dinner. My efforts to keep it healthy have paid off.

Vegan Visiting VI

2006-08-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you're on a diet and you're on vacation or are away from home? Do you carry your own food? Or, do you relax your preferences and just go with what you can find?

Last time I traveled to the Caribbean on a work assignment, I returned home with tell-tale signs in my stomach. I could not find anything vegan to go with the sunny St. John, USVI weather. I had so much gas, I believe I could really float head up.

This time around the Virgin Islands skies are painted gray by the passing of tropical storm Chris. So I have double discomfort. It's raining and most people only know where to find chicken, beef, and sea food. Any vegetarian restaurant on St. John? I'm going to have to find out - even if I have to go in the rain.

Did these vegetarians hurt their economy?

2006-07-06T20:31:00.001-05:00

There are many of them, but let's just consider these 4 guys:

Robert Parish - this guy played Boston Celtics basketball center until he was over 41 years old. It is said he did it on veg-power. I guess that must have hurt the team for keeping him on the payroll for so long.
Carl Lewis - Four-time Olympian. What could hurt more than not running out of steam for so long. I wonder what competive sports would be like if all athletes were that prolific.
Albert Einstein - Now this guy really hurt the world economy. He is even quoted as saying, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Although not a total vegetarian, Einstein knew the benefits of a plant-based diet. Today, many economies benefit from the technological applications derived from his nearly vegan head.
Benjamin Franklin - A vegetarian from the age of 16, although later on in life he ate fish, this guy is right on the money! (Do you have a hundred?) Talk about being bad for the economy!

Really, whether or not these guys' diets had anything to do with their contributions to society and the economy is beside the point. Just examine the scientific evidence now available: a vegetarian diet is more beneficial to your life than an animal flesh diet.

You don't even have to care about saving animals, just be concerned with having the best diet that makes a healthier you. Here are some articles to chew on for now. A simple diet costs less too. Help your economy.

Vegetarians Are Bad For The Economy

2006-07-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Vegetarians are bad for our modern economy. Let me prove it to you. Even the carnivore who never saw the color green in his or her lifetime must have, by now, seen the abundance of research findings that associate a plant-based diet with health and longevity.

Allow me to cite only one example: the cover story in the November 2005 National Geographic Magazine. How would you feel when a 101 year-old lady drives you around town?

She stops to get her hair done, delivers magazines, treats you to lunch (tofu and greens), and confesses to you that she has not eaten meat in over half a century! She doesn't have arthritis, yet you groan to get up out of your chair.

If you are an economist with an "Allan Greenspan mindset" this would be of great concern to you. You may be thinking that a nursing home is losing revenue.

Imagine how long the government will have to pay out retirement benefits, and that word (retirement) is not even in this centenarian's vocabulary.

I say that vegetarians are a threat to the billion dollar meat industry. In fact, they threaten modern agriculture - especially those vegans; most of whom are animal rights activists. Such people crash your Thanksgiving Day dinner, come November. Every turkey would be back to being national birds if it were left to vegetarians.

They don't get sick as often as people on an animal protein diet. In general, they have better health. Can you imagine what that does to the pharmaceutical drug industry?

The lower incidences of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems among strict vegetarians is a blow to the manufacturers of lipitor and other drugs. Less revenue to the hospitals.

And weight control... some 65% of American adults 20 years old and over are overweight. People on a strict vegetarian diet are a tiny fraction of those statistics. Do you see how the weight loss industry could be losing thousands of pounds and dollars if more people switched to a plant-based diet?

My friend, we haven't even began to count all the ways vegetarians, especially vegans, are bad for the economy. Anyway, thanks for sharing my concern. I hope you see my point. But before you go, I must confess that I have shared this with you from a vegan heart. I am a vegan. I hope I can continue to be a productive one for many more years to come.

Remember to eat healthy today.

Oh say can you see...?

2006-07-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

A symbol of freedom? An emblem of liberty? A sign of what makes Americans proud to be Americans. Well, let's use that freedom to protect our health.

Statistics show that on July 4 there are more traffic-related deaths resulting from the celebration of these freedoms with alcohol than on any other day. Can you resist the alcohol and save a life? Now, that would be freedom.

The number of deaths resulting directly from driving under the influence of alcohol are just the tip of the iceberg. What the drinking habit continues to do to our health (physical, social, and mental) is not as clear as the red white and blue.

Make the healthy choice. Cut the alcohol consumption. Celebrate soberly. Can you see this helping a few more people living a bit longer in the land of the free and the home of the brave? I think I can see that.

Physical Exercise Pays, Literally

2006-07-03T07:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that physical exercise pays healthy dividends. It improves cardiovascular functions, tones and strengthens muscles, elevates your sense of self, and increases longevity, among other things. But who would expect actual cash to be included in those "other things?"

You will lose weight when you exercise if your total energy intake (from the food you eat) is less than the total energy you expend. That's just the way it is... it's a law of science.

You will also lose water, so keep your body hydrated. As you lose body fat, your clothes will appear to be getting too big. That is natural. And those pockets that used to hold your change and your keys tightly between your pants and your skin won't hold on to their contents as well as before. So you could lose cash, keys, or anything else you carry in your pockets.

It happens folks! We found two one-dollar bills this morning on our exercise trail. Someobody is getting weight loss results, and I am being reminded that it pays to exercise. Now, what if the folks on my exercise trail were to play the game with Benjamin Franklin's instead of George Washington's? Then, for those of us who keep watching our steps, exercise would really pay.

Exercise pays. Whether or not you keep losing your cash and your weight on the same path is up to you. The health benefits you gain are priceless, anyway.

Personal Advice: Save your cash and take a walking vacation. Don't lose it on the exercise trail.

How much vitamin supplements do I need?

2006-06-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

Maybe the question should really be, "Do I need to be taking multivitamins?" What did people do before they discovered how to manufacture them and tell us our food is famished?

I don't know, but I read about iron overload in middle-aged women. Aren't we better off using all-natural vitamin sources?

Also, in a June 2004 article (a Scandinavian publication), it was pointed out that only groups of people who have nutritional risks need to take vitamin and minerals supplements.

Who are these "at risk" people?

Women of child-bearing age and those who eat "very little or have an unbalanced diet." So that includes (maybe) all of us on a Western-type diet. Of course, we re-define "balanced." Just look what is common on the American breakfast table. For many, it is either coffee, lots of sugary stuff (like donuts, muffins, pancakes, and pretty artistic cereal).

And the calorie intake! Wheeew! That's why we've become more than 65% overweight. Doesn't sount like the result of a balanced diet to me.

So you might be in the "at risk" group. You might need to take vitamin supplements. But what the scientists are saying is this...

Except you eat poorly or you are a woman of fertile age, you just need to eat right. "The largest health potential lies in a healthy diet."

References:
Meltzer H. M., Haugen M., Alexander J., Pedersen J. I. (2004). Vitamin and minerals supplements--required for good health? Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2004 Jun 17;124(12):1646-9.

Yes, Exercise - Go Jump Rope Kid!

2006-06-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

We do not need anymore evidence that adult onset diabetes is now a misnomer. It's everyone's disease. One of the best ways we can help save the lives of our children from the clutches of this degenerative lifestyle syndrome is to get them active early in life.

I really admired this little man having a go at jumping rope recently. He was unashamedly persistent. It never mattered that he hardly got that rope under his feet, he knew how to work up a sweat!

In some kids, some sweat glands have gone permantly inactive by the time they reach the teen years, thus setting them up for toxic build-up and poor health early in adulthood.

So we've got to cheer this two-year-old frisky on. Should he continue this at least three days per week for the rest of his life, he could still be doing his thing as a centenarian - all other health practices being properly maintained.

And you... you're never too old to jump-start the "kid" in you. Do something. Use a rebounder if you can't jump rope. Since 65% of us need to lose weight, I'm nearly certain you need to be jumping too.

And even if you are in good shape as this little guy in the picture, your heart will love you for it. How's your exercise or weight-loss program doing right now?

Weight Control, Not Weight Loss

2006-06-09T14:49:00.000-05:00

Frankly, I prefer to hear about efforts to have weight control than wishes for weight loss. The former seems more permanent and realistic to me.

Just think how bulging this weight loss craze has become. And it's getting worse. Why? Because our modern lifestyles constrain us to keep on doing the things that make us fat.

I can just list a few situations and you will be guilty on at least one count - even if you are not overweight. (Some of us are so genetically lucky!)

Missing breakfast and snacking (or grazing, it seems) throughout the day
Not getting regular exercise
Taking in more calories than our physical activity level demands
Eating the wrong foods

However, if we get these habits under control our lifestyle now becomes one of weight control,rather than the reactive weight loss measures many of us have to take, resulting in the economic fattening of pill and potion pushers (a.k.a. drug makers.)

Let's practice weight control instead of relying so much on quick weight loss fixes. In most cases, they don't make you lose it permanently. You have to put your hand in your pocket and go back again and again.

Can sleep deprivation cause diabetes?

2006-06-06T22:58:00.000-05:00

Will your habit of staying up too late cause you to develop diabetes? Scientists think so. In fact, that's what research is showing, and I find it quite easy to believe.

The following is true of me: I am diabetic, I habitually stay up late, I am not overweight, and all other medical metrics (cholesterol, bp, etc) are quite normal. I have had this habit for nearly two decades!

Plus, I haven't been exercising for nearly that long. That spells type 2 diabetes, right? Research shows this kind of lifestyle dismantles the body's ability to handle glucose.

Ok, I better go to sleep. It's 12:06 AM. I shall do better tomorrow. Somehow, I fear that my diabetes project and my facination with the benefits of sauna may have to have a lower place on my priority list now.

FIR Sauna - burn fat the lazy way

2006-05-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

This weight loss thing is a lot of work, or else, it can be a big risk to take. But thermal research therapy (with the far infrared sauna) is actually a great aid to weight loss.

The best way to control body weight is through diet and exercise (actually, a lifestyle change - a real habit makeover, if you please.) But this takes a lot of work and good discipline - the lack of which got most of us tipping the scales so far in the first place, anyway.

Then there are the weight loss pills, and those starvation diets, and surgery! Those are risky deals. Usually faster, but with possible serious side effects.

According to recent research reports on infrared thermal therapy interventions, the vasodilation effect of far infrared radiation (FIR) simulates the effect of aerobic activity on the internal organs without the effort of physical action.

I suppose that if you are extremely overweight, this might be the best weight loss method if you don't want to damage your joints in jogging or your internal organs from drugs.

There is real health relief in an infrared sauna. We can actually burn fat the lazy way - without health risks. In fact, as I see it, the benefits stack up quite high.

Zero Cholesterol Protein

2006-05-17T08:46:00.000-05:00

Here's my zero cholesterol protein dish. It's steaming. It's delicious. It's healthy, and...

It's done. I had it all for dinner, with brown rice. It was good. I cannot afford to increase my total cholesterol level. This anti-diabetes diet helps me keep it in the desirable or normal range every time.

Total Cholesterol Level	Category
Less than 200 mg/dL	Desirable
200-239 mg/dL	Borderline High
240 mg/dL and above	High

You cannot increase (make worse) your total cholesterol level from having a plant-based diet. I really believe this is the way we humans were created to eat.

Childhood Obesity Increasing

2006-05-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

One way I know there are more incidences of childhood obesity is by comparing photographs. What photographs?

Just compare photographs of your class with those of your child's. Wheew! They are almost all bigger than we were back then - and we weren't starving!

Even that boat that sank in New York last year went down because we are getting bigger. Built to hold a certain number of people, this boat was loaded with 2 less than the full capacity and it went down.

They said the average weight of boat riders back in 1955 was around 145 lbs. Today, the lightest one on board might be 150 lbs!

Anyway, the child obesity figures are expanding and that means we may be a bigger, sicker nation within a decade... not because of our population growth, but because our children eat more fast food and exercise less than their parents who used to walk more.

When you exercise, enjoy the walk

2006-05-10T07:23:00.000-05:00

Whenever you take a walk in the park next time, try and see if you can notice what I've been seeing. I have noticed that some of the larger folks on the exercise path just keep their eyes fixed on the ground.
Imagine on a cool morning on my routine walk; there are fingers of sunlight poking diagonally down through the dark green foliage, birds singing their who-knows-what. It's lovely out here, except...

It's as if some of us are burdened carrying ourselves along unwillingly. Despite the pain in the joints, take time to enjoy the scenery, listen to the birds, give the squirrels a fleeting glance, even.

Don't entertain the thought that the passersby may be thinking how grossly overweight you are. Take the challenge; if they last for the next 12 months they are in for a surprize when they see you then. But I've got to tell you this...

You have got to be consistent. Don't stop. Don't be like the hare either. Be the tortoise. It's consistency that counts in weight loss. It took a long time to put it on, it can take a relatively long time to convince your metabolism that you are different now. But it works, no matter how old you are. So whe you go walking int he park, in the neighborhood, or whereever you exercise, just enjoy it.

Would you exercise through pain?

2006-05-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

A study published in February, 2006 said that fibromyalgia patients were encouraged to exercise - in their pain. "After 3 months, benefits consisting of increased muscle performances associated with a reduction of pain and an improvement of quality of life were documented."

I think that must have been worth it!

So what are you doing? Even through your pain you can gain from simple consistent exercise (like walking one hour each day.) Just do it! It pays healthy dividends.

Gas up, fat down!

2006-05-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

Everyone has been giving the prices on the boards at the gas station a bad look. If you notice the range of reactions to the fuel price hikes, you will see looks ranging from stoic unconcern to shock and awe. My reaction is productive.

As the fuel price goes up I resolve to keep the fat burning. I don't have to drive to the neighborhood convenience store or even to the tennis court in my subdivision anymore. I walk. And if you feel like turning up some more heat on that bulging belly, just do it. It only costs a minutes, and it is worth it.

You may not be able to tell where this price hike is going, but you will love your image by the end of summer.

When are you going to sleep?

2006-04-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

More sleep could extend your life, but are we getting enough? Could the lack of sleep be killing us?

We should be sleeping 7-8 hours per day and if we are getting less than 5 hours or more than 10 hours of sleep, we are not doing well either, according to experts.

True recovery from sickness and stress requires relaxation and sleep. I wonder how we can ensure that, while catching up on all our favorite TV programs, movies, work, and the miriad of other things "modern" people do.

Maybe that's why we are sick.

Image credit: www.pims.math.ca/pi/cartoons.html

Natural Products for Diabetes

2006-04-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

There are pros and cons regarding the use of pharmaceutical medications for treating diabetes. Likewise, there are positives and negatives regarding the use of natural products. It comes down to a personal decision based on how informed the patient is.

I have had a very bad experience with doctor-prescribed fortamet (actually I was given an over dose that nearly killed me). It turned out to be a blessing though, because I went on to find something that gave me more than I'd bargain for - without the side effects.

Don't turn up your nose on natural products that help with any medical condition though. They are not as quick-acting (some may use the word'effective') as drugs, but they are safer, generally.

I just read an article citing the effective use of natural products for diabetes, especially in combination: fenugreek, prickly pear, gymnema, gineng, and so on. You should read my experience of using one natural product that gave a surprizing result in only 10 days. I'm still enjoying that result today.

REFERENCE:
Shapiro K, Gong WC, "Natural Products Used for Diabetes", in J. Am Pharm Assoc (Wash). 2002 Mar - Apr; 42(2):217-26

Choosing healthy foods

2006-04-10T12:34:00.001-05:00

How easy is it to choose only the healthiest foods? Honestly, you have to have guts to defy the beck and call of your tastebuds, the hungry lion in your stomach, and the tease of media advertising.
I try everything possible, including making a low glycemic food list from which I pick items for my meal planning. I plan to extend it as I discover more healthy foods that are easily available AND that I would like to eat at least once a week.

It takes determination to choose health over enjoyment. Eating is enjoyable, and the advertisers of icecream, candy, snack bars, sugar and fat-laden eats know it is difficult to make a good choice when your tastebuds are lobbying for them.

Choosing healthy foods to eat everyday is a purposeful decision each of us has to make for ourselves. We either live to eat or eat to live.

Three food stories

2006-04-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

This morning I happened to pick three related news stories to browse. Just look at these headlines (from FoxNews.com):

More Fast Food Ads on Black-Oriented TV, Study Shows
Many Kids Too Heavy for Car-Safety Seats
Study: More Children to Become Overweight

Do you see heredity at play here or is it lifestyle?

To the first, my answer is this: You control what you watch; be selective and let the advertisers know you don't appreciate their tricks.

Secondly, avoid the overfeeding/under-nourishment syndrome. For example, let the calves drink the cows' milk and the little baby boys and girls their mama's.

And lastly, here's your chance to make the prophecy not come true for you.
You can always do something about what's controlable. Proper diet and exercise is the definitive answer to avoiding being overweight. I know it works!

No carb food is no food

2006-04-02T22:45:00.000-05:00

There are many people who are trying to lose weight by keeping carbohydrate intake to a minimum. In the extreme cases, some think that no-carb food will help them lose weight quickly. Truth is, it will.

However, as I mentioned in my recent article, if we remove one food group from our diet it spells mal-nutrition. Carbohydrates are especially important because they are our main source of energy.

For the diabetic, no carb food is no food. In fact, the ADA recommends 45 to 60% of our calories should come from carbs. Don't buy the "no carb" or even the "low carb" idea if you are diabetic.

Your vitamin supplements may be worthless

2006-03-21T13:56:00.000-05:00

Dr. David Katz reported some not-so-encouraging news about vitamin supplements. He said it might be more beneficial to eat a well-balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals.

The article reporting the doctor's statements stopped short of mentioning the role of phytochemicals in nutrient assimilation, but I have already dealt with that on in an article titled, "How Antiaging Antioxidants Help Add Life to Our Years" on my website.

There are several useless "short-cut paths" that people take to try to regain health. They are practically useless. These include:

Hoping that by exercising you can turn your fat tissue into muscle tissue. No, you can build muscle while "burning" the fat. By exercising, your body uses the extra energy stored as fat, and while sensing that you need more muscle for you activity, actually builds more muscle tissue from the protein building blocks in the diet. Here's another mis-conception...
Eating parts (or organs) of animals in hopes of acquiring strength, virility, or some attribute. Has anyone eaten the brain of a pig or cattle and increased their IQ? Neither will calcium pills deposit more bone tissue unless the body senses a need for it.

In most cases our tissues deteriorate because of lack of use. "Don't use it, you lose it," they say. So let's get active. Exercise, eat right, and the body will self repair and maintain.

The doctor is right. It's not more vitamin supplements that we need, it's better eating habits. The story "Some Vitamins Can Do More Harm Than Good" about Dr. Katz's statements is on ABC.com

The healthy dieting choice

2006-03-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

Heavy advertising usually wins. Well, most of the times. Yes, even in the world of dieting and weight loss, popularity usually wins common sense.

If carbohydrate is the fuel, why should you decrease the amount you take in, especially when you are going to need the energy in your exercise program.

These popular fads never made sense to me at all. The "low-carb diet" logic seems something like, "If you need your car to run better, put less gasoline in the tank". Doesn't make sense to me.

On the other hand, it's easy to see why the anti-diabetes diet makes so much sense. I have said all that to make a point about a popular headline on Fox.com website recently - Atkins Diet Linked to Life Threatening Complication.

Folks, beware. Choose health today.

Phytochemicals and antioxidants

2006-03-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

Whoever said "my food is my medicine, my medicine is my food" sure had a healthy phylosophy. Now science is actually saying, "man, you were right."

Unrefined foods have substances (phytochemicals and antioxidants) that protect the body from the destructive actions of free radicals.

The question is, are we eating enough of those foods high in these disease-fighting nutrients?

If you have any of the common lifestyle conditions mentioned on this blog, you could be depriving yourself of some really effective 'medicine'.

Remember that "chicken prevent cancer" story?

2006-03-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

You may remember my chiding that bit of commercially motivated news the media put out at the end of last year. If you don't, read the comments I made in my article on my website.

Well, Newsweek Magazine is now backing up what I said. Thank you Newsweek!

The government pays for much of basic science, but industries with a stake in the outcome often fund food and drug studies.
- Newsweek, March 13, 2006

Industry-funded studies with negative results are often not published.
- Newsweek, March 13, 2006

Somebody is seeing the light. You should read the cover page headline by Newsweek, March 13, 2006 - "Diet Hype."

Can exercise cause weight gain?

2006-03-06T13:40:00.000-05:00

I noticed I had put on a couple pounds recently even though I'd been exercising more. This puzzled me.

It seems this is somewhat natural in some people. Exercise should cause overweight people to lose weight. And it does, so long as your calorie intake is less than your calorie expenditure.

They say you lose one pound of fat for every 3500 calories you burn above your total calorie intake. This understanding is quite simpler than the weight loss commercials on TV.

However, why do I gain a few pounds?

Well, I have been eating more. My muscles have grown - it's not more fat that I have, it's more muscles!

One exercise physiologist says that is normal. Exercise has many benefits. It tones the muscles, makes them more efficient and gaining a few pounds of muscle is quite possible.

Pig Cells May Reverse Diabetes

2006-02-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

OK, it's gross enough to wear spare parts taken from another human, but what do you think about having a part of a pig in your bowels?

Gross! Me? Not going there. I'd rather die a 100% human being.

Read the article for yourself:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4725082.stm

I love the science. This is a novel idea, or breakthrough (if you want to call it that). But for me, that's just how far it goes. It can stay in the novel. It will be fictional data for me.

I expect the transplanted islets will behave just as they were designed - like pig's. Shouldn't be surprising either if the diabetics start being piggish after awhile!

Come on folks, we don't have to go down there. I have been holding my diabetes in retreat with anti-diabetes diet and exercise.

Let pigs be pigs and humans be human.

Vegetarian High Q

2006-02-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

It is said that we are what we eat. That's not totally true, but I found this little tidbit interesting.

Research has shown that American children have an average I.Q. of 99. However, the average I.Q. of vegetarian American children is 116.
- John Robbins, M.D., The Food Revolution (Boston: Conari Press, 2001) 85

What about this fat myth?

2006-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Newsweek Magazine is carrying this report on a fat study that scientists have been doing since the mid 1990's. They seem to be saying, "fat's OK".

But this might be confusing, so let me break it down. It doesn't matter what they may have found or didn't find, these principles are true.

Animal fat, saturated fat is bad for you.
Plant-based fats, e.g. olive oil and fats from flax, are better for you.
Use all foods, including fats, in moderation. Too much carb, protein can also make you fat.
Inactivity or lack of exercise can make you fat.
Snacking OR skipping breakfast will make you fat. This one is a shocker, but it is true.

I have been talking about the diet, the original diet that allows you to keep your healthy, natural size. I also found that God - from the beginning - recommended that fat be left out of the diet.

"Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. - Lev. 7:23

The proper amount of good fat is good, but the wrong type is a killer. Don't fall for the fat lies from the food industry. Choose health today.

Health is Everything!

2006-02-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

If you follow the ads and fads of today, you might be led to think that being careful to exercise just a single healthy practice will guarantee your health.

Like those who feast on a single food item, or are on a special diet alone. No single practice can guarantee health.

If you eat right and don't exercise, you can ruin your health as a result.

If you exercise and don't get enough rest, you could suffer similar negative impact.

Those who combine healthy diets with hefty amounts of alcohol, or a habit of smoking can be digging their graves by a bad habit as well.

It seems reasonable to me, that while you cannot control everything that impacts your health, you should control everything you can.

I've learned that you can't buy this thing called health. And to me, health is everything!

My doctor just called

2006-02-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been anxious about the result of a medical checkup? Well, I knew my glucose and cholesterol levels would be OK, but I wondered if my slightly elevated bp would make him prescribe more drugs.

Well, my doctor just called. No diabetes medications - I had stopped taking that since before June last year, anyway. Even though I did it without my doctor's consent, I do not advise anyone to follow my example.

I knew that the anti-diabetes diet works! Here is proof. It's nice to be "drug-free" and healthy.

Have a good heart this month

2006-02-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

February already! And I was just thinking...

I've got to have a good heart this month. This means keeping up the exercise program and eating healthy.

That means different things to different people, but for me it is

walking or light aerobic activity for at least ½ hour every day
avoiding fatty and or processed foods - eating only good stuff
getting enough rest - sleep early wake early
enjoying the fresh air (even though it's cold outside)
drinking enough water - helps keep the blood thin, heart works less
avoiding alcohol and all harmful substances
take in the sunshine, and
believing that my Creator will help to keep things ticking

These principles are said to be the key to total health and happiness. February is the "love" month. If I don't love anyone else this month, I've got to love me. And I'll do it the healthy way!

Can you reverse heart disease?

2006-01-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

Never say never. Just do these and your heart will love it.

Reduce your cholesterol level with a low-fat, high fiber diet and your medication (if you are on medication).
A target of below 160 mg% is good.
Eat more natural foods , which will help you lose excess weight.
Cut the salt intake (5 grams per day) is good, AND exercise daily. And you don't have to join a health club either - simple walking will do.
Stop smoking (if yo do) and avoid alcohol, coffee and other stimulants.

If you can do these simple things, then America's leading cause of death doesn't have to be yours. Just do it. You'll be very glad you did.

Should you lose it fast or slow?

2006-01-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

A lot of people are thinking, planning, aiming, and wanting to lose weight right now. Simultaneously, they are being pelted with ads promising effective and quick weight loss.

How long would it take you to put on 100 lbs if you were not trying to gain weight? Certainly months or years.

So why do we believe we should drop the weight as if it can just free fall under gravity?

When the body senses rapid weight loss it goes in a defensive mode after a while. It is similar to that which happens in starvation. It's the same mechanism that helps to save a victim trapped in an earthquake rubble, for example.

Never go on a diet you cannot maintain for the rest of your life because the pounds will come back, especially as you get older.

Most QUICK weight loss programs cause you to lose fat and muscle. When you lose muscle, it means you are losing your fat-burning capacity as well.

A lifestyle change is the safest route

Eat high fiber foods, don't snack, AND use natural food supplements that will regulate and optimize your metabolism. I use the Limu product (http://choosenow.originallimu.com/), a seaweed extract because of it's benefits beyond weightloss.

Both my sisters tell how limu regulated their cravings and helped them to stay on regular eating schedules.

My suggestion is to go the healthiest, safest way - a change in lifestyle. This is not the quickest way, but by this time next year you will find yourself having the nicest gift you could ever have - a new body.

Remember, you can put down the weight and still keep your shape. But you've got to do it the healthy way - the natural way.

Diet and Grazing

2006-01-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

It is popular practice in some weightloss programs for participants to graze. By the way, should I say participants, or patients, or losers? The popular reality TV program calls them losers. To me, that is a misnomer, since every pound of extra weight lost holds so much gain in health benefits and overall quality of life.

As I was saying, people like to graze (like cattle). They are just snacking all the time. Even though the food or snacks are considered healthy stuff, there is something wrong with this habit.

Just think of it. The stomach is an organ - just like the eye, or the heart. Each organ needs a certain amount of rest. How much rest do the stomachs of grazers get during the day if they are constantly snacking?

Consider that food takes some 4 hours or so to leave the stomach, doesn't that lead to indigestion?

I read about a study done to investigate this snacking or grazing habit. The study says that eating between meals, e.g. eating a snack within two hours after breakfast prolongs the digestion of the food ate at breakfast time by several hours - more than 7 hours (I'm remembering).

Our stomachs need to rest. Additionally, the healthiest peoples eat no more than three meals a day. Some eat just two meals per day. I believe if we eat the right foods - high fiber foods, high carbohydrate foods - we won't need to snack. What do you think?

No More Diabetes?

2006-01-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

What a mega-event the last week has been? I have been away in St. John, Virgin Islands, but I was not parasailing, snorkeling, or tanning.

It was a week of lots of work and little food. Imagine a year ago, I could not have done this. No way! I would have died.

There was a lot of food at the Westin, St. John Resort. Sad thing is it was mostly what I don't eat. Meats, seafood, fried foods, you name it. And the vegetable salads were mixed with egg, crab, or shrimp.

It was easy to find popular foods, BUT not the foods (or meals) that are anti-diabetic. I resorted to 'I-can't-even-recall-what-I-ate'. Good news is, I had no hypo's, no ill effects, even though I had to stock up on orange juice, peannut butter, soy cheese, and bread for a whole week.

Now I'm back. I must confess I ate too much this morning and I feared I might have had a high postprandial reading two hours later. No! It never happened. This is truly amazing!

There is no way I could go back to eating like I used to up to a year ago - NOT AFTER seeing these results. No more diabetes!

For those of you out there toying with this disease - stop. Do yourself a favor. Choose health. Choose the anti-diabetes diet and kick the disease for good. It works for me. You should, at least, give it a try.

Then you might be able to go on an adventure vacation in the Virgin Islands and forget your medication. That's a nice thought that can certainly be a reality, IF AND ONLY IF you choose health.

My Zero-cholesterol High Fiber Food

2006-01-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

I have to invite you to look at one of my favorite zero-cholesterol high fiber foods - home made granola. Here is a picture of what it looks like.

To find out how delicious this thing tastes, you have to make it yourself. Try the no-oil granola recipe, you'll love it. Actually, the picture you're looking at has extra stuff. Lot's more stuff.

I threw some my favorite nuts in there and created a whole new unique irristible blend. You may recognize the shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts, and even sesame seeds. But how did I know it tasted great?

Well, I tried it on my neighbors, they loved it. Visitors to my house and co-workers all could not stop eating, once they started. But the real test...

The real test came when I tried it on my three kids. Wheeewww! That's the proof. When they asked for more... when they begged for more, then I knew it was tops.

It's my zero-cholesterol, high fiber food. And it's really healthy.

Today is Friday. I have to make some again this weekend. It's gonna be great!

Walk away from osteoporosis

2006-01-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

How much milk do you need to drink in order to prevent calcium deficiency?

How much calcium supplements do we need?

How much cattle brain matter (or that of any animal) do we need to consume in order to become smarter?

Osteoporosis is an abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium; most common in postmenopausal women.

All three questions (above) can be answered using the same logic. Osteoporosis is due to a deficiency - resulting in an abnormal loss of bony tissue.

If you exercise your brain, you become smarter. You muscles? Exercise not only makes our muscles stronger, it makes our bones stronger as well.

How?

Exercise is a signal to our bodies to use the nutrients we take in our food. Taking hundreds of dollars of calcium supplements is not the way to strengthen our bones - it's regular exercise.

Without physical activity, our bodies will not sense a need to use all that unnatural source of calcium in those pills or shakes or concoctions that we call supplements.

Our food already has enough nutrients. It's the lack of exercise that is the biggest disease problem in a society filled with cars, escalators, elevators, and many unused walking trails.

We can get out and wake up our bones. Walk. Let your bones "feel" the need for more calcium.

Potato salad, ribs, and white bread

2006-01-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

Look at this meal one of my friends had. Potato salad, ribs, and white bread, and "no one" from the vegetable salad family was invited to this dinner. That category was left behind.

How long would I last if I had something like this for lunch every day for one whole year? I imagine I'd have cholesterol deposits lining my arteries, and a pretty rough time when I go to the toilet, given all this low fiber stuff.

Does all this stuff taste good? I think so. And I bet this is the catch. This is what most people on this kind of diet fall for - the taste of the food.

Ahhh. But there is more to good food than taste. That's why I love the principle: Eat to live, don't just live to eat.

And what a big difference this rule can make in controlling our weight, overall health, and even our productivity. Eat to live, don't just live to eat.

Sounds like a good resolution to adopt for the New Year as well. May you prosper and be in good health throughout this year and always.

Eating chicken prevents cancer?

2005-12-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

Good news for KFC! Bad news for you if you fall for this piece of news.

Read my rantings on a page I wrote with the headline: Chicken Prevent Cancer - Another Crop of Crap?

It seems like a well paid, heavily funded advertisement to me. What do you think?

Healthy Holiday Choices

2005-12-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

I hope you don't have to make difficult diet choices during the holidays. Most often the menus at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other times that pull family together.

If you have a special diet, e.g. if you are trying to lose weight, do you feel peer pressure when friends and family meet for dinner during the holidays? Do you feel like you need to be apologetic?

Well, take a stand like I do. I have no apologies. I don't care how long it took to fry the chicken or whether or not the recipe came from Mars. I'm making the healthy choice regardless...

Or you can please the cook, kill yourself, and hope that you get the chance to take off the extra pounds you will gain or lower the increase in your cholesterol after everybody goes back home. But then again, will you have to do yourself the same thing next time?

Why not just come out and say, "no thanks" now, so you don't have to feel the guilt next time? You might even get some of your dear cousins on the "healthy choice band waggon" with you.

Anyway, have a healthy, happy Christmas and an even greater 2006.

Breathe fresh healthy air

2005-12-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

It's 30°F outside and you have decided that this winter air is not for you. So you soon find yourself spending the better part of the winter months somewhat a prisoner of old man winter.

Suppose I tell you that you are not the only one who loves the warmth on the inside? Many airborne microbes do too!

During the colder months one of your healthiest decisions could be to breathe fresh healthy air. Everybody seems to get stuck inside.

Those who smoke at home, and clean with toxic chemicals add other contaminants to the air. There is also more demand for the air in your house at this time as well, since kids are on vacation, friends and family are visiting, and you may be thinking of not running your heating/air conditioning too much because the energy costs have doubled this year.

Well, so could your cost for family health care in the future.

Do like I do every now and then. Make sure you are wearing proper clothing and then just pop your head outside and grab a breath of fresh, healthy air. I even took my camera and caught a nice shot of our Georgia skyline.

Your lungs will love the taste of fresh life. Do it.

Looking younger than you are?

2005-12-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met someone who likes to let you guess their age? People like that are usually sure you are going to pick a number they have passed several birthdays ago...

And you usually do.

These are usually adults who have either been blessed with a petite frame, a youthful look, or they are those whom most other people would call health enthusiasts or fitness freaks.

It doesn't matter what we call people, or what they do to keep looking younger than they are after every birthday. The fact is, they are looking younger than they are.

If you go around feeling comfortable carrying extra weight on your pear or apple shaped frame, the odds are against you. Health and longevity vary from one individual to another, but many of us let it gradually slip away from us.

Losing some weight can make a stranger think you are much younger than you actually are. Keeping your overweight look can do the opposite. Quick weight loss without the muscle toning effect of regular exercise can make you look sick and older too. So what's the trick?

To keep looking younger and feeling younger than the number used to describe your age, optimize your life habits: eat right, exercise, rest, and trust your Creator to reward your health habits with good health and longevity.

Eating habits and pills

2005-12-18T18:53:00.000-05:00

These statistics about eating habits are incredible. Look at this:

about 80% of Americans do not eat fruits or vegetables rich in carotenoids (an anti-oxidant)
some 84% of us do not eat high-fiber grain food, like whole wheat bread and cereal
64% of adults 20 years and older are either overweight or obese

Yet we keep the nutritional supplement industries booming. Yes, we prefer to get our dietary fiber from a bottle (maybe in pill form, even) than from our bread, fruits, and vegetables.

I have never seen anything more effective in preventing constipation than water, high fiber foods, and an occasional walk in the park, and flax in worse case scenarios. Yet, Metamucil and MiraLax wear the plug-pulling crown on the market. Why?

Poor eating habits and pills... Is this a sign that we're over-sold on modern science and the medical technology and economy on which it sits?

If you ever see anyone on a high fiber diet, who gets adequate exercise, and water and suffers from constipation you have made a great discovery!

Do you eat your juice?

2005-12-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

I found this interesting about fruits and fruit juice. For example, orange juice is more convenient to have than an orange, but not as good. Consider that

the orange juice lost its fiber
requires more insulin to be assimilated
is less effective in lowering cholesterol
does not stabilize your appetite as much as the fruit itself, and
has more calories, weight for weight

That's why I prefer to eat my juice than drink it.

Start walking

2005-12-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ellen DeGeneres said this about her grandmother:

"My grandmother started walking 5 miles a day when she was 60 years old. Today she is 93 and we don't know the hell where she is."

Made me laugh. But if more of us started walking - I mean seriously forming the habit of walking a couple miles a day - we would get the chance of seeing 93 candles on our birthday cakes.

I do hope I'll be walking at 93. And what if they don't even know where I am? Who cares, I could be skiing in Colorado or some place.

Here is a secret. If you don't want your folk to go asking the Nursing Home people where you are (when you could be having fun in the sun), take my advice... start walking now.

If you do, you stand a greater chance of being far away up a mountain, or on a golf course and wearing your own jeans and t-shirt. If you don't, you increase your chance that a nurse will be escorting some fuzzy face kid of yours to bed #5, where you are the 'occupant' wearing some common unisex designer wear.

At that time, only Jesus could make you rise up and walk! Start walking.

Commit to lose weight

2005-12-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

Last night I heard a lady talking how she really need to lose some weight. Someone who has never had that need before cannot really understand how difficult that is.

From her explaination, I realized that it is easier to love food than to enjoy the disciplined daily exercise to shed the pounds.

What would make you really commit (and proceed) to lose weight?

Realizing that each pound of extra weight you lose adds years to your life?
The sense of fulfillment and satisfaction you get, realizing that you actually accomplished something personal and important?
The improved self-image, the pleasure of looking at the real you in your mirror and loving your image?
The inspiration you will become to your friends, family, and associates.

Hey, we're talking about great rewards here just for losing weight.

But the greatest reward is the extra lease on a great life that you get just by walking off those pounds. But one last thing...

Weight loss is a tricky thing. It's not easy. If it were, you wouldn't be overweight in the first place. Take your time, preserve yourself. Don't fall for fad diets, the weight will surely come back after the fad is gone. The best way to lose weight is...

A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE. Check out my articles on weightloss for more information.

Are Alzheimer's and Diabetes Twin Diseases?

2005-12-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Scientists are wondering...

Now, pardon me, but I have to vent my first thought before I digest the news. Does this mean more drugs, more of the same symptom-treating-prescriptions?

Could Alzheimer's and Diabetes share the same parents - poor lifestyle habits tipped over the edge by genetics? I wouldn't be too surprized.

Both diseases are a kind of starvation. Nutrients (glucose) cannot get into the cells. In Type 2 diabetes, the insulin receptor sites on the cells are blocked with fat cells. In Type 1 diabetes, the insulin manufacturing organ (pancreas) is vestigeal (or on a permanent vacation). And now, this new study cited by WebMD on FoxNews.com, is saying,

"At the most advances stage of Alzheimer's, the study showed insulin receptors were 80 percent lower than in normal brain."

Cellular starvation? Still, I have read an encouraging report of one Alzheimer's patient who, prior to a diet and exercise program, could not even change her own clothes. After a few months on a good vegetarian diet and daily outdoor exercise (e.g. walking) program she was able to take care of herself.

I believe a good diet is medicinal and that the popular (and typical) American diet only tastes good. But that's another post. Let's wait and see if the right people with the health interests bigger than financial interest will fund more research on this Alzheimer's disease.

But maybe the pharmaceutical drug lords are already on the money with this one anyway.

Health and Healthy Relationships

2005-12-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

National Geographic Magazine, November 2005 Edition, carried the findings of a health and longevity study about three groups of people said to live the longest in the world.

From this,we find that family ties don't stretch to the nursing homes in Sardinia, Italy. Family stays together, and they live long and healthy together there. The influence of having close friends and family on health and longivity was also noticed among the other groups studied - Okinawans and Seventh-day Adventists.

I found this statement in one Seventh-day Adventist publication:

"Close relationships go hand-in-hand with good health." - Health by Choice, Not by Chance, p. 223

And another...

"People who have close ties to others, who share time and thoughts and worries and laughter with kindred souls, reap profound health benefits." - ibid. p.214

And relationships are mostly a matter of choice as well. That's why I maintain that our health is our choice. So choose health today.

P.S. You could include me in your circle of online friends. Subscribe to my RSS feed and/or my newsletter, and let's encourage each other to live healthier longer.

Diabetes Stories

2005-12-08T21:56:00.000-05:00

This post by JJSDiabetes was really interesting. It's called Diabetes Stories. It features interviews from fifty diabetics, telling their experiences from diagnosis, to coping, and treatment.

A large number of the recorded cases are Type 1 diabetics; very disporportionate when compared to today's numbers in America. Over 90% of all diabetics are Type 2 cases nowadays. It would have been great to hear from more Type 2 patients.

You may notice (from pictures and from statements made by the interviewees) that most Type 2 patients have a weight problem. What does this say about the increasing problem of obesity we have today among children?

We keep on making more medicines, more studies are predicting increasing numbers of patients, while we are still looking for a "cure" for diabetes, but often inthe wrong places. Imagine looking in animal venom and laboratory coctails, while neglecting an effective education on lifestyle revention.

I am determined that my diabetic story should be different. And for those of you who may be genetically predisposed (and maybe all of us are, in some way), know that you do not have to add your story to the catalog of diabetic patients. Choose to be healthy - it's a lifestyle thing - and write your 'health story' in a different book.

Snacks and munches

2005-12-08T06:43:00.000-05:00

I'm so thankful I discovered how puny the medically recommended diabetes diet is. Imagine, my dietician had me on 3 meals and 3 snacks per day. Most people would think that is good, but here's what I have found out.

A typical meal takes about 4 hours before it passes through the stomach.
The stomach, like all organs of the body, needs some time to rest between meals. Even your heart rests between beats. That's why the lower your regular heartbeat, the healthier your heart.
Eating anything, snacking and munching, in less than 4 or 5 hours after a meal will slow your digestion of food. Researchers have found that up to 50% of your breakfast can remain in your stomach 13 hours after you eat it if you snack several times per day!
Retaining food in our stomachs for extended periods of time not only brings indigestion, but causes weight gain (obesity) and other medical problems.
To curb the need for snacking and munching between meals, eat high fiber carbohydrate meals, lots of fruit and vegetables at regular meal times.
Only drink water between meals. Water has zero calories; it cleanses instead of fattens.

Do you think you can do that? Sure, you can.

I am type 2 diabetic, but I amd off all medication, my blood sugar levels are all normal, AND I eat ONLY THREE meals a day, 5 to 6 hours apart, with ZERO snacks or munches in between. I drink only water, lots of it.

What do I do if I play a game ping pong (my favorite indoor pasttime nowadays) and I feel hungry? I eat a fruit or some raw vegetables.

If you are diabetic or overweight, or hypertensive, or have high cholesterol, there you go... that's the formula to normalize things again. I have done it, thank God! You can too. I provide much more explanation of these principles on my new website - www.anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com. You are welcome to take a look.

Snack it to you, one time

2005-12-07T07:10:00.000-05:00

Do you need a snack? According to a food industry sponsored research study, we cannot get all out nutrients from regular meals.

Think about that clearly now, if you are not hungry, that is. Does that sound like a poor marketing gimmick or what?

But, on the other hand, it may be true. If our diet is poor then such conclusions are perfectly true. However, if we eat well balanced meals, with the right foods, e.g. a high fiber carbohydrate diet, we don't need snack.

In my next post I will show you why EVEN diabetics shouldn't, and don't need to, snack. It's amazing how commerce can drive our health until the hearse drives our bodies!

Don't snack. I bet you don't need to, if your diet is right.

The dirty milky way

2005-12-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said that I fired my cow sometime ago? I really meant that, as humans, we don't need to feast from the bovine udder.

Now I have some more dirty stuff about cow's milk to help pasteurize you thinking, and hopefully, your diet.

Did you know that current US Public Health Service regulations state that

after pasteurization, milk should contain no more than 20,000 bacteria per milliters, and that
it should not contain more than 10 coliform bacteria per milliter?

What does this mean when you put that "pure white" stuff to your lips? One glass of milk with up to 5,000,000 bacteria is still acceptable (as pure) under those regulations.

It also means that 2,500 coliform bacteria are allowable, for good taste, per 8 oz of milk. Do you like the milky way, for you, for your kids?

Humans are the only members of the animal kingdom who drink milk after they are weaned. Including milk in the new food pyramid is a benefit more for the health of the economy than for people.

Why? Because we love to increase our cholesterol levels, clog our arteries, increase our risk of coronary having heart problems as long as we make money.

Our son was miserable baby until he was 9 months, when we learned about lactose allergies. Since we fired the cow, he has slept like a baby. He's now 16 years dairy-free, taller than his dad, semi-finalist national for scholarship, avid musician, and fit as a fiddle.

Who needs milk anyway? The same nutrients can be obtained from plant sources. How? Why not send me an email [healthychoice at bellsouth dot net] OR fill in the contact form at my website. I'll do my best to answer your questions.

Eat protein in moderation

2005-12-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

The following is a warning from the American Diabetes Association, specifically for diabetics...

"Protein is found in both animal and plant foods. For healthy eating, it's best to get your protein from foods that are low in fat, calories, and cholesterol."

You don't need to read between the lines to see that:-

Although meats, eggs, milk, and cheese are high in protein, they are also high in the things we should avoid, viz. fat and cholesterol.
If you prefer to get your protein secondhand, use fish (good fish, not shellfish) in small portions and stay away from red meat.
You can get all your protein (firsthand) from legumes, grains, and vegetables. Nuts and seeds are rich sources of protein and good dietary fats. These foods have just the right balance of nutrients, specially prepared by nature for our bodies.

But if dead animal carcases, gutted, greased, and garnished, still hold some appeal, just be careful. That's it. Like the old and helpless parental advice, "If you can't be good, be careful."

But still consider what Einstein said, "The best thing that could ever happen to mankind is the graduation to a vegetarian diet."

That dude got a few things right.

Good health, bad memory

2005-12-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

Albert Schweitzer said, "Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."

That's paradoxical for the simple reason that a bad memory is terribly unhealthy. And it seems that before the next Thanksgiving holidays come around, we may forget about the lessons we should have learned from the last one.

Did I hear anyone say, "I over-indulged" or "I knew I shouldn't have so much to eat"?

Do we forget how hard it is to get rid of those extra pounds we put on every year? Well, good health and a bad memory don't go together... take your pick.

Especially when it comes to looking at the food and standing there powerless, for the nth year in a row! Hey, for the happiness of you, don't over indulge next holiday season.

After you have had your reasonable share, look at the rest of the food as a mirror. Use your good memory and see yourself wearing a few more pounds around the waist in a few days. And if it's not the healthiest of food, think of it as taking one more step towards diabetes, high(er) cholesterol, and/or blood pressure...

Is it still worth it? Be moderate. Be happy.

Weight a minute, again

2005-12-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that whether or not we become overweight depends on the balance between energy expense and food intake.

Basic fact.

...if you are obese, you can
put your weight down
and
live longer...

So why can't we all take measures to counteract the "over blubbering" of ourselves? I think I'm ruling out ignorance as the problem here. So why does this seem to be getting worse? Is it because of the lack of self-control?

Well, in a previous post - Smart Weight Loss - I mentioned some simple practices that are effective weightloss measures.

The fact is, they require discipline and self-control. You cannot be on a "see-food" diet. Maybe someone needs to invent and develop some sort of culinary blinders.

And then there is the inactivity factor. We don't walk, or we walk just from the house to the car port and then from the car port to the house. Where is all that food fuel going?

I wish I could say that it was not going to WAIST and belly.

Open Sesame Seeds Again!

2005-12-01T16:44:00.000-05:00

In my last post I ranted about the adulteration of sesame seeds by the fast food chains. This time I tell you why Arby's dot the bun with sesame seeds. Sesame seed is good food...

Sesame seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids
They are high in protein, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements
Sesame seeds gives sexual vigor - and they won't make you go blind, as allegedly some popular sexual enhancers do
They are used to make tahini - a very healthy butter or margarine substitute
The practice of putting these seeds on bread goes way back to the time of the Egyptians
Sesame seeds have been used to help promote milk secretion in lactating moms
Sesame seeds is one of the highest plant sources of lecithin, an emulsifier which helps to keep the cholesterol in your blood dissolved.

So there are many reasons why the fast food makers tossed sesame seeds on the high cholesterol burgers they sell.

But the few seeds they put on these sickening foods are more of a decoration than anything else. They might as well paint those buns.

Here is healthy advice... stay away from the bait. A tiny dash of healthy sesame seeds is used just to give a perception of a healthy choice. Don't be tricked. You don't have to swallow a "whopper" of cholesterol, saturated fats, and fiberless carbohydrates in order to get a slim trace of healthy goodness.

Get some sesame seeds at your whole food store. Eat healthy. Live healthy. Live longer. And by the way...

Can anyone tell me where the phrase, "Open sesame" comes from?

Look what they've done!

2005-11-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

Look what they have done to the sesame seeds! Now, I know this picture makes some of you think I'm Pavlov, but this is grossly unhealthy! This is what I see with eyes that have been saved from diabetes:

Sesame seeds - rich in iron and other nutrients, AND zero cholesterol
Melted cholesterolized cheese that will inflame your sinuses, and make dangerous bacteria happy they have you as host
Rotten meat - yes, it could not fold so nicely if rigormortis was not complete, and it is packed with unnecessary, extra cholesterol as well (let's hope nothing else!)
White bread/bun! Oh my, they remove all the nutritious parts of the wheat and sell you the trash! That fiberless stuff will fix the colon for diverticulitis, soon.

And they sell you 4 of these for $5. So now...

Open YOUR eyes. Look at the drug maker 'round the corner smiling. He knows that with many people being on such a diet, he will continue to sell lots of synthetic medicines that will inflict more side effects. You will have to take his drugs later on if you want to continue breathing God's free air!

Okay. You have two choices: (a) Ignore what I said about the adulteration of the sesame seeds and enjoy your delicious poison, OR (b) Change your diet and choose to be healthy. It's your choice.

I chose the latter. Read my testimony. Health is not luck, friend... It's the choice you make.

Another food pyramid?

2005-11-29T10:21:00.000-05:00

I never meant to to be prophetic but the feeling was right on! Soon everyone would be coming up with a food pyramid, and here we go again...

University of Michigan has invented the "Healing Food Pyramid". It is elaborate - having about 10 levels!

The description of this pyramid is interactive. You can get a lot of information from it. As with the USDA's new food pyramid you don't need some items. They are there for the economics, not for health.

Check it out.

Fastfood calories

2005-11-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

When most of the calories in your meal comes from fat, you are heading down a very greasy slope... that is, if you are not already in serious trouble!

I found a nice little resource that will help you check your caloric intake if you eat at any of the popular fast food places, such as KFC, McDonalds, Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's, and many more.

You can check the total calories from fat (if you're diabetic), the sodium content (if you're hypertensive), or the cholesterol content (if you have coronary heart problems).

Just go to http://www.fatcalories.com/, select the options you need and click Search.

My advice would be to check your food content BEFORE you eat your health out! Don't wait until you are looking diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, or death in the face before you become concerned.

And if you have been unfortunate enough to have caused the undertaker to be wearing a smile, don't despair. You can delay his paycheck for many more years if you take the healthy advice I give on my new website. Drop by. I have done some deep research and you will find the information there invaluable.

Here is the URL: anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com

I'm back... no pressure!

2005-11-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

I've been away on vacation for 8 days. It was nice to feel the island sun again.

Here is a health nugget that just hit me as I did some reading this morning.

Americans eat 10 to 20 times more salt than they need. And they pay for it with high blood pressure, heart failure, and other problems related to fluid retention.

- Health Power, by Aileen Ludington & Hans Diehl

Diabetes and hypertension both result from the same lifestyle habits of improper dietary practices. If you have diabetes you should be especially careful of this increased health risk.

The good news is that both conditions are controlled and regulated by diet and exercise. Hop over to my new website and read about the Anti-diabetes Diet and Supplements for more information. Learn how you can take the pressure off your heart. It's the best way to really love yourself.

Does sugar or fat cause diabetes?

2005-11-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

In experiments conducted at the University of Kentucky and elsewhere, a group of lean and healthy young men were put on a "rich 65% fat diet" while another group was given a 10% fat diet together with one pound of sugar per day.

In two weeks, the first group developed diabetes, but after eleven weeks none of the members of the second group showed any signs of the disease.

So now we know what is in those big whoppers and double whatever - diabetes! It underscores reason why it is important to be on a weight-controlling lifestyle. I continue to describe such a program/lifestyle at my new website. Check it out.

Time and health are parallel

2005-11-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed how children look at time. They don't need to make haste to do something before they're unable, nor do they have to "watch the clock." I find, many adults are just the same regarding their health. Check this out...

When I was a child I laughed and wept - time crept.
When as a youth I dreamed and talked - time walked.
When I became a full-grown man - time ran.
And later as older I grew - time flew.
Soon I shall find while traveling on - time gone!
- Author Unknown.

We think we will never be affected by our health choices. There's no need to stop eating this, I can't give up this, I don't need to exercise that regularly, and on, and on.

Until...

You're on your back admiring the playful scratch marks the architect left on the ceiling of your expensive hospital room.

Time gone!

Choose health today. Please visit my new website; I am adding articles daily.

Who ever heard of a sprint marathon?

2005-11-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, the title of this entry is a pertinent misnomer, so here we go...

If you live long enough you should have noticed by now that most of the nice tasting things are not good for your health. Cola drinks, candy bars, and spicy, highly seasoned foods are just a few.

Until we find that one of today's killer diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular problems, etc) takes residence in our lives we persist in carrying our hope for health and longevity and our careless eating habits in the same basket.

You cannot have it both ways. Ignoring healthy lifestyle practices AND living life just for the fun of it don't co-exist for long. If you know you have predisposition to diabetes, for example, stop courting it!

None of us has a guarantee on longevity, but we need to purposefully avoid unhealthy eating habits, however tasty or popular the stuff is. It's not encouraging to me to continue ignoring "cause and effect" when I learn of the deaths of two Mcdonald's Corporation CEO's in quick succession. Jim Cantalupo, 60, died in April 2004 of a heart attack, and then his successor Charlie Bell, 44, of colorectal cancer in January 2005.

None of us can say the whoppers may have whopped, but studies after studies prove that fast foods and those life-terminating conditions go hand in hand.

If you are eating for the nice taste alone you are like a sprinter. Statistically, you enjoy life for ten seconds. If you are eating (primarily) to live and only eat what's good and healthy (including copius amounts of fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables), you are a marathoner. You are in the race for the long haul.

Longevity is not guaranteed in either case, but the odds are better that you will make it like an Okinawan, a Sardinian, or a Loma Linda Seventh-day Adventist. The good thing about the lifestyles and eating habits of these people (said to be the healthiest and live the longest) is that they mostly go to hospitals to visit others. They seldom get sick. They run the race to the finish, mostly without retiring hurt. And they prove that...

...there's no such thing as a sprint marathon in life's race. Are you going for the marathon, or the sprint?

No veg?

2005-11-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

Our company celebrated an anniversary today. We had a "party" of sorts to mark the occasion. Here come the caterers, and I began to think...

Where is the vegetable that's supposed to be on the menu? The ribs have come. There is white bread over there, there is the extra source of cholesterol you don't need, spices for further aggravation of your arthritis, enough salt to push up your blood pressure a few points so your doctor can prescribe more medication. Where is the veg?

Sorry, who wants string beans and spinach between their teeth while they're at work? It's better to get some fat and grease so we can use up our insurance and retire early...

Sorry folks. I know what it is to be sick. I've gotta eat to live.

Excuse me while I be unpopular and healthy at the same time. Strictly vegetarian cuisine for me, please.

Because I fired my cow...

2005-11-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm unpopular today, I know that for sure. Yesterday, I blasted the age-old institution of "drinking milk."

I expect some friends might soon tell me I will be banned from going to the promised land where all the "milk and honey flow". But it just makes sense to me, we're to feed from our own breasts.

If you check out the nutritional specs (constituents) of my nuts, fruits, and vegetables, you will see why we can send all the cows to India.

I don't drink cows milk! I fired my cow.

It's time you weaned yourself

2005-11-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

Don't you think this strange? You were born with a little calf muscle and you grew on "someone" else's milk until now you are big.
Don't you think it is past time you weaned yourself from bovine dependence?

Are we the only species that give our young milk from another species? Tell me of any cow trying to pull the reverse stunt on mama! It's time you weaned yourself.

I'm serious... who needs cow's milk? ANS: The calf. Who needs mama's milk? ANS: Mama's baby.

That's the way I see it. If you don't, you may have had moo-o-o too much milk, or you are udderly blind. Don't you see that the longest livers, the healthiest people on the face of the earth live mostly on a plant-based diet.

Why did the USDA feature milk so prominently on their recommended diet? They include milk in the new food pyramid for economic reasons; not for your health. Moooooo!

No need to run...

2005-11-08T03:22:00.000-05:00

Did you see that lady running along the sidewalk this morning with the pain on her face? That was unnecessary. It wasn't a marathon, and no one was chasing her!

Plain old simple exercise. That's all.

Well, yesterday it was the large guy at the park, today I am attacking the "running" lady. I passed her on the road as I drove to work this morning... she was grimacing. I would have stopped for her if my truck was an ambulance. Whew!!

I was told that the cheetah, the horse, dogs, and other animals were made to run - they all have bowed legs. As humans, we don't usually have bow legs.

This means we suffer more from the shock to our joints while we run. Legs that are bow-shaped appear to be better shock absorbers, they say.

In college, my doctor recommended that I trained only on grass turf because the paved surfaces were too shocking to my knees. Back then, I used to run distance (1500m, cross-country). Today I run in my mind, and I win every time. You wouldn't believe how fit my imagination is!!

However, if you are trying to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reverse or control your diabetes, or get rid of an arthritic condition... walk. You don't need to run.

It's not the speed that will get you there... it's the tortoise effort. Never give up. Just keep on doing it. No Nike boots, no speed, just an aerobic walk everyday.

Maybe that lady should read this. She could also visit my new place on the web:
www.anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com.

I'll be saying much more about walking back to health later. You could walk across there too. Don't run... just click.

The reason behind the abs

2005-11-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

I saw a guy awhile ago. I had taken a 10-minute stroll after lunch. [By the way, a leasurely walk after a meal helps your digestion.] Ok, so... That guy and I were walking the same trail around the park...

His tummy has gone south - he may not be able to see his toes without losing his balance! Poor guy... but he was doing the right thing before the wrong thing happens to him.

Now, most people I know say they want flat six-pack abs so they can look good (again). That gentleman at the park with the outward-southward-protrusion of his absolutely out-of-shape abs... that guy, he wants flat abs so he can run again.

So he can live normal again, so he can sit down and get up without a groan again, so he can lie...

...on his gut again.

OK.. BUT ON A SERIOUS NOTE: I do not have a habit of making fun at serious situations, but that guy seemed like a jolly, fairly-young (40-something) fellow. I don't think he'd mind my "American" sense of humor. The point I am making is a serious one:

We need to value exercise for more than just it's sculpting effects. For many of us, it means life itself. And when we look at it from that perspective, it makes it all the more enjoyable and fulfilling.

If you are exercising and crunching your way to find beautiful abs, think about the bigger reasons... the ones that ABSolutely make a healthier, happier you.

Ok, maybe you can meet me at my new place:
http://www.anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com - you don't have to have diabetes or flat abs to come. Don't show me your ABSence on this one... go there!

Can't keep my mouth shut

2005-11-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

Hey, I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. I've got to tell everybody.

Maybe you don't understand. Let me tell you...

You would be blabbing and blogging if your doctor had told you you would "always be a diabetic AND you will just have to work with the program," but you later find out you can INDEED get your pancreas to remember how it used to do things 20+ years ago!

I'm gonna keep on shouting... I even registered a new domain name. I'll be screaming some more on the Net. Gotta tell everyone; non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, even those who are "too diabetic" that they think you must have to shoot insulin and do metformin every day.

Hey, learn about the program:
www.anti-diabetes-diet-supplements.com...
I am proof!
I am gone...
See ya later.

Muffin or granola?

2005-11-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

Let's say it's about 9:00 AM and you find yourself at the office, having not had time for breakfast before you left home. (By the way, if this ever happened to you, you should not make a habit of this. Skipping breakfast is not a healthy choice at by any means.)

Now, the hunger is beginning to weigh in on your stomach, and you can only choose ONE of two things. (a) a cup of granola (made from oats, walnuts, almonds, honey, whole wheat flour, olive oil), and (b) a blueberry cup cake (or muffin made of white flour, sugar, bluberries), which would you choose? Both portions are of similar size.

Would you go for the granola? Yes! That's what I'd choose. It's the healthier choice. I must tell you though, I saw someone chose the muffin. Well, that cup of fiber would have kept me full til lunchtime whereas the muffin would speed through my system. Moreover, the granola is much more nutritious!

Small matter, eh? But it addsb up to the big choice we make for or against a healthy lifestyle. Let's choose health today, and visit my website - http://www.choosehealthtoday.com - to learn more about other healthy choices we all need to make everyday.

Ever been afraid of your medical result?

2005-11-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

No? Well, I bet you're under 20 or you're just too lucky!

If you know what it is to dread getting a call from your doctor about a medical examination then you may have heard the "happy birthday" song thirty times or more. You're old... enough.

To a certain extent, diabetics go through the same I-hope-it's-not-high-again kinda stress everyday... some several times a day. I know I did. When you struggle to keep this disease in check and everything you do seems to have a "greater than zero" effect on your previous glucose level, then it's like torment waiting for your meter to show you how bad you are again every time you test.

For me, it was depressing!

If you are afraid to hear what your blood glucose meter has to say to you (or show you) any time, if you are tormented by the thought of knowing what your blood cholesterol level is, if measuring your blood pressure is too much pressure then you've got to do what I have been doing.

I have chosen to be healthy again. Now, even my glucose meters are agreeing with each other... every time! It's the work of diet, exercise, and faith. Try it.

Do you know what 105 means?

2005-11-02T16:27:00.000-05:00

Do you know what 105 means to a diabetic? Well, maybe if you are a type 1 or a type 2...

Or maybe if you are a care giver to to someone who has diabetes, then you may really know what it means.

But I am not questioning whether or not you know that it is actually saying your blood glucose concentration is 105 mg/dl.

This is what it means to me:

It means that the medical professionals and drug makers and their researchers are not always correct. Why?

My doctor told me about 5 months ago that I would have to take medication, and prescribed Fortamet for me. When I asked why can't I be allowed to try diet and exercise for a little while longer, I was told, "You will always be diabetic, and you've just got to go with the program." But that's not what the health message said.

I defied my doctor, I trashed the Fortamet, I scrapped the 6 or 7 snacks per day and substituted with three meals of high fiber, high carbohydrate, low fat diet, ALONG WITH regular exercise, and a few herbs.

Now I can't take the herbs any more - they lower my glucose too much! I just eat a huge breakfast, a medium lunch, and a small supper, and that's it.

I couldn't believe my glucose meter, so I started testing with two different ones now. They corroborate. You could call me diabetic; I don't care. But if you are not diabetic, your blood glucose level better be 105 mg/dl two hours after you eat a breakfast like mine:

1 cup of cooked brown rice, string beans, large serving vegetable salad, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 3 vege tender rounds, small serving of tofu, a handful of pumpkin seeds, and two tablespoons of ground flax seed.

The Power of Diet & Exercise

2005-11-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

According to my medical profile, I am diabetic. My doctor expects me to be on Fortamet - the thing that made me the most frequent visitor to the waste room!

Now this is my daily medicine:

(1) Wake at 5 a.m. - fasting glucose = 82 mg/dl
(2) Exercise (Brisk walk and stretches) for ½ hour to 1 hour
(3) Blood glucose reading after exercise = 78 mg/dl
(4) Breakfast (high carbohydrate, high fiber, low fat meal) at 6:30 a.m.
(5) Post prandial glucose (2 hrs) = 97 mg/dl
(6) Blood glucose reading immediately before lunch = 85 mg/dl
(7) Blood glucose reading 2 hrs after bunch = 105 mg/dl

Three healthy meals per day without any snacking! I eat foods that heal, not hurt. It's great! That "special" ADA diet was about to kill me. Hey, now I really enjoy eating.

The part of the equation I haven't told you about is this: I go to bed between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. each night. That is why I can spring out of bed at 4 or 5 o'clock and exercise for an hour.

It is amazing what a change in lifestyle can do for you.

Oh, what nice food!

2005-10-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

We had one of the healthiest breakfast this morning. It was total vegetarian, of course. Picture waffle with homemade blackberry syrup, scrambled tofu, healthy and wholesome wholeweat bread, banana, grapefruit, pear, a dash of pumpkin seeds for a great supply of omega-3 fatty acids.

Then we went for a stroll. Two hours later my glucose level was 103 mg/dl. If you have diabetes, you can conquer the "beast" in dia-beast-es. Don't let this condition spoil your feast.

Send me a note at healthychoice at bellsouth dot net (written this way to avoid spam) and I'll let you know about the Health by Choice plan.

Wanna live healthier & longer?

2005-10-29T17:57:00.000-05:00

Check out this video clip seen recently on ABC television... Just backs up what we've been saying here in this blog.

This Bluezones.com video clip on longevity opens in a new window.
Like the Okinawans in Japan and the Seventh-day Adventists who strictly practice what they believe, you can live healthier and longer.

NOTE:If you are unable to watch the video, it may be because you do not have QuickTime media player installed on your computer. Here is the link to get it (it's free, from Apple Computer):
Quicktime for Windows
Quicktime for Mac