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Defend Yourself Against Diabetes by Eating the Right Foods

Worried about developing diabetes? If you’re overweight, you’re not paranoid, as pre-diabetes (insulin resistance) affects one in four adults over 25 and in around half of those cases type 2 diabetes can result within 10 years. Eating right and getting your weight under control are crucial to reducing your risk of developing diabetes. Here’s what to eat to keep those blood glucose levels down.

Low-GI Whole Grains

After years of eating high-GI carbs your body’s cells may choose to stop taking glucose from your insulin supply, making you pre-diabetic. Combat this by choosing low-GI, unprocessed grains over sugary, processed high-GI ones.

Fish

At least one serve of fish per week can greatly reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Choose fish rich in vitamin D such as sardines, mackerel and salmon, and steer clear of shellfish, which can actually increase diabetes risk factors.

Olive Oil

If you are using oil in your meals, choose an extra-virgin olive oil which can reduce inflammation associated with diabetes.

Magnesium-rich Foods

Magnesium helps keep your blood sugar levels down. Magnesium-rich foods include legumes, leafy green vegetables like silverbeet and spinach, pumpkin seeds and nuts.

Cinnamon

Some studies have shown that cinnamon helps increase the efficiency of insulin in removing glucose from your bloodstream, so include little sprinkles in your food wherever you can.

Coffee and Black Tea

Surprisingly, both coffee and black tea (and to a lesser extent green tea) can help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But these should be drunk in moderation – the negative effects of too much tea and coffee are well known and should be taken seriously.

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Is It a Good Idea to Go Gluten-free?

Gluten: it’s a nasty no-no best avoided as much as possible, right? Well, not exactly. Don’t just jump in with the gluten abstainers just because that’s what everyone’s doing these days. Choosing to give gluten the heave-ho should be a decision you make carefully, depending on your body’s needs.

The Truth about Gluten

The current vogue for gluten-free this and gluten-free that has a lot to do with increased awareness of coeliac disease, which causes the body to reject gluten, a protein found in many grains.

Among coeliac sufferers, gluten intake can lead to intestinal damage and sometimes even intestinal cancer, osteoporosis and infertility. A further condition known as non-coeliac gluten sensitivity can cause bloating, stomach pains and fatigue, but not the severe conditions associated with coeliac disease.

Only around one per cent of Australians are believed to be coeliac, with a larger number – but still a small minority – suffering from less severe gluten sensitivity. If you are coeliac or gluten sensitive you should avoid gluten as much as possible, and if you believe you may have either of these conditions it’s best to see a dietician or doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Otherwise, avoid jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon. For the rest of us, gluten is perfectly harmless, though of course in general your carb intake should be managed as part of a balanced diet.

What’s more, by avoiding harmless gluten you may be inadvertently increasing your consumption of other nasties. Because gluten is a binding agent, and in order to label their products ‘gluten free’, many manufactures of processed foods simply replace gluten with other binding agents such as fats and sugars.

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The Truth about Cereal

Even though breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it is one meal that many people neglect by eating the wrong foods or skipping it altogether. Cereal is one of the most common breakfast foods, but often poses as a nutritious start to the day when it is actually high in fat and sugar. Do you know what is in your cereal?

Metabolism Confusion

There’s no denying that cereal is one of the most convenient ways to fuel up every morning, but when it comes to healthy eating is time or added energy more important?

Cereal varieties that are packed with sugar will give you an instant energy boost, but one that will only last a few minutes before your metabolism is lulled back to sleep. Other healthier muesli varieties will thankfully kickstart your metabolism, but will also fill your body with unwanted fat and kilojoules.  

Label Lingo

Before you grab another cereal box with an appealing health claim such as ’99 per cent fat-free’ or ‘high in fibre’, pay close attention to the nutritional facts on the back. Aim for cereals that contain plenty of fibre (at least 3 grams) as this will give you sustained energy throughout the day; fewer than 800 kilojoules and a maximum of 8g of sugar per serve. 

Low-GI

The best way to get sustained energy from your breakfast cereal without added sugar is to choose low-GI cereal ingredients such as rolled oats. The main benefit of eating low-GI foods is that they take longer to digest and release sugar more slowly into the body for continued energy throughout the day.

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Do Detox Diets Really Work?

Detox diets have become another fad diet which promises weight loss results but doesn’t always deliver. While detox diets can cleanse the liver and kidneys, they may not result in as much weight loss as many would imagine.

Detox Dieting Explained

Also referred to as detoxification, detox diets usually consist of periods of fasting followed by a diet of only raw fruits and vegetables, water and fruit juices. In addition, some detox programs include herbal supplements, or a cocktail of water, lemon juice, syrup and cayenne pepper as is the case with the popular Lemon Detox Diet.   

Raw Results

While there is little evidence that detox diets eliminate all toxins from the body, there are several health benefits that come from avoiding heavily processed foods. By cutting out added sugar and solid fats found in most processes foods, the liver and kidneys will eliminate most ingested toxins, but this is about as far as it goes.

Those who stick to a detox diet religiously can look forward to shedding a few kilograms, but this should not be looked at as a long-term weight loss solution. In fact, those who do lose weight while detoxing often put on double the weight the minute they stop.  

Detox Side-effects

The occasional detox is not such a bad idea; however, long-term fasting is. Prolonged periods of fasting can result in health defects such as fatigue, mineral deficiencies and severe dehydration.

For those who are considering detoxing, it is important to first consult with your doctor on whether this is the right weight loss solution for you.

The sensible way to lose weight is through a combination of healthy eating and exercise. To find out more about practical weight loss solutions, contact Life Weight Loss Centre on (02) 8999 8503.

Everyday Foods Which Could Be Increasing Your Waistline

Although delicious to snack on and cleverly disguised as healthy alternatives to fatty foods, the following everyday foods can be just as damaging to a weight loss routine when eaten on a regular basis.

Crackers

Although delicious and a perfect snack to grab on the go, crackers are loaded with salt and fat which, when eaten in abundance, can be just as unhealthy as a packet of potato chips. If you simply cannot do without this crunchy snack, there are wholegrain cracker varieties that contain less sugar and calories but are just as delicious. Always remember to limit yourself to only a handful per day.

Yoghurt

Yoghurt is one food that can be quite deceiving. While there are plenty of varieties that claim to be ’99 per cent fat-free’ or ‘low in sugar’, they are actually either one or the other, meaning the fat-free varieties are still loaded with sugar and vice versa.

When shopping for yoghurt it is important to steer clear of yoghurt smoothies and yoghurt tubs containing added fruits, nuts and granules. Instead, opt for Greek-style yoghurts that are loaded with calcium and already mixed so no extra sugar is added.

Muesli

Much the same as yoghurt, muesli is another breakfast food that appears to be healthy but is in fact loaded with sugar. To reap the benefits of sustained energy from a breakfast muesli without the added sugar, it is important to shop for roasted varieties which contain natural ingredients and no added sugar from an overload of dried fruits and sugary ‘clusters’.

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