diabetes » Beyond Prescriptions

And We Thought Smoking Was Bad

Jan 252013

Did you know that obesity affects more people than smoking, heavy drinking, or poverty? This is according to a recent study by two RAND researchers, health economist Roland Sturm and psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Wells. And research just recently printed in the British Medical Journal found non-smoker teens who are obese are just as likely to die early as heavy smokers.

Drs. Sturm and Wells note that “Americans haven’t given obesity the same attention as other risks, like smoking, but it is clearly a top health problem and one that is on the rise in all segments of the population. More effective clinical and public health approaches are urgently needed.”

A survey done by this team had nearly 10,000 participants, asking them to self-report on 17 chronic health conditions (including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart disease, and cancer), height, weight, poverty, smoking status, problem drinking, health-related quality of life, and a variety of demographic factors. It revealed the link of obesity to very high rates of chronic illnesses, much higher than smoking or drinking.

In my own life I do not remember a time before 1980 that obesity even was in the news. Now we learn that what is considered “obese” (BMI over 30) grew by 60% between 1991 and 2000! Last year at my business convention, we were all asked to measure our BMI. That is when I learned that I fell into that “obese” range! I was just one point into it but nevertheless, it was a wake-up call for me. I came home determined to change that category and have managed to be just two points now away from normal (18.5 to 24.9). Overweight is considered to be 25 to 29.9. I am losing the weight slowly and keeping it off and feeling a lot more energy. The program I am using helps me lose the fat and keep the muscle and as I drop dress and pant sizes I can really see that happening. If you would like more information about the program I am using click here.

So what can be done to change these statistics? One in five Americans are obese and three in five are overweight or obese. I just heard on the news yesterday that two out of every three people in North Carolina fall into the obese category! Unfortunately our lifestyle of being sedentary (eg. watching tv, computer games, working non-stop at desks without moving) and exercising less is having a real impact. We are basically eating the same or more and moving less. The RAND study suggests increased education, access control (including smoking bans in many buildings nationwide), taxation, better enforcement of laws relating to minors, curbs on advertising, and increased clinical attention.

We all are aware of New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomburg’s ban on large sugary drinks in an effort to curb obesity, making it illegal for food service establishments such as restaurants, street vendors, sports venues and movie theaters to serve sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. According to Bloomberg, New York City spends $4 billion a year on health care for overweight residents, and sugary drinks are the most significant factor in the increasing number of obese or overweight New Yorkers.

One suggestion to help with weight loss from a study (published online December 10, 2012 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine) involved the use of a “weight-loss app” with coaching. They found that because this “weight-loss app” provided immediate feed back – it showed users how many of their daily calories they had already consumed, and how close they were to reaching their physical activity goal plus the app sent information to a coach, giving people the sense that someone was “watching” even if the coach did not interact with the person very much (if they stopped uploading, they would contact you), on average, participants in the mobile app group had lost about 8.6 pounds more at every checkup (which took place at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months) than those in the control group. The findings resulted in the fact that a mobile app teamed with diet and exercise education can help people lose weight.

I was very happy to learn that the program I have been on just recently launched free access to an exclusive app which includes meal trackers, recipes, workouts, etc. as well as personalized support. They are even offering amazing rewards to motivate my success (as long as I track my daily meals, etc. on my app).

The recent HBO documentary that came out last May (The Weight of The Nation, To Win, We Have to Lose) suggests major actions/policies to make the big changes to the systems that govern the food we grow; the economies that drive the food we manufacture; the policies that regulate what we market and serve, particularly to kids; the values we place on the overall quality of schools to which we send our children; the design of our communities, parks and roads so they promote health; and the perspective of our health care system so that it is focused on preventing illness from happening, rather than just treating it once it develops. USA Today, Monday April 30, 2012

I am on a mission to eat healthy foods (avoiding such things as sodas of course), exercise daily, track everything on my “app” and use that personal support to reach my goals. What about you? Where do you fall in America’s “obesity” statistics? And if you are not in that normal range, what are your plans?

Can We Slow Down The Aging Process?

Aging, Dangers of Sugar, weight loss No Responses »

Dec 112012

As 2012 winds down, it is hard to believe another year has almost passed. They say time flies! And of course we are all another year older ~ let’s face it ~ we all age. Our cells are bombarded every day by stress, poor diet, and environmental conditions. Can we really slow down that clock?

In the Nutrition Report, Eating Well, June 2011, Karen Ansel, M.S. R.D. reported that the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) update the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years. Last January the results were released and the information they shared includes 6 easy rules that can help us all live a longer, healthier life. They include:

Stop Eating Too much ~ Losing just 5 to 10% of your body weight can lead to better blood pressure, a decreased risk of diabetes and improved lipid levels. (According to the International Food Information Council, only 12% of Americans know how many calories they need in a day). Ansel reminds us that by taking our current weight (in pounds) x 12 you will know how many calories you need to maintain your weight. If you subtract 500 calories per day from this number, you will shed about a pound a week; trim 1,000 calories and you will lose 2 pounds a week. Anything more than that will deprive you of important nutrients. One thing that has helped in our family is by using smaller plates. Smaller plates…..smaller portions! Another suggestion ~ when you eat out, order the appetizer and salad rather than an entree.

GO For More Fruits and Vegetables ~ Eating Well Advisor Rachel Johnson recommends following the Guidelines in making literally half of the plate fruits and vegetables. Since only 1 in 4 Americans are even getting the recommended servings of these per day, this is good advice. The most nutrient-rich ones are dark green,, red and orange. I love to pile my plate with salad. Adding red peppers, grape tomatoes, carrots, dried cherries, peaches, apples or red grapes add a lot of nutrients without a lot of calories.

STOP Eating Junk ~ The top source of calories (35%) are starchy desserts (cookies, cakes, pastries). These contain artery-clogging saturated fats contributing to heart disease (now affecting 37% of Americans). Added sugars include table sugar, honey, molasses, agave and high-fructose corn syrup. Eating naturally sweet foods (fresh and dried fruit) will give you less calories, and vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. There are also plant-based fats found in nuts, nut butters, seeds, and avocados. Did you know Americans on average take in 3,400 millgrams of sodium each day? (a third more than the recommended daily limit which is only 1 teaspoon salt) High salt intake leads to high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Our family avoids processed foods (which are loaded with salt) and stick with fresh foods. Also, when we purchase canned beans, we make sure to rinse them first to get all of the salt out.

MAKE WAY for leaner meats and poultry and vegetable protein ~ The usual staples in Americans” diets include cheese, whole milk, butter, and certain cuts of meat and poultry. These make our diets 1 and one half times as much saturated fat as we should be having. Ansel cited a study done in a 2009 Journal of Nutrition with 350,000 American men and women. They were following their diets and found that the death rate was 20% lower in the 10 years of the study of those who consumed lean meat, low-fat dairy and a few added solid fats. I found it interesting that vegetable protein is mentioned as a great “lean choice.” I gave up all meat except fish 2 years ago and concentrate on beans, peas and nuts and some soy.

GO for more whole grains ~ Unfortunately we consume a lot of refined grains rather than choose brown rice, oats and 100% of whole-grain cereal, bread and pasta. (Half of Americans are eating less than half an ounce of whole grains a day). The Archives of Internal Medicine Study attributes a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases because of the fiber from whole grains and as result state that upping your whole-grains intake could lengthen your life.

GO fish ~ Fish is low in calories and packed with protein and a source of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA (shown to improve heart health and reduce risk of dying from a heart attack according to Dariush Mozaffarian, Dr.P.H.M.D. at Harvard School of Public Health). Ansel reports that a 2009 Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease study found that people who ate a 5-ounce serving of seafood 5 times a week for 8 weeks lost nearly 4 pounds more than people who ate the same number of calories but no seafood. Worried about mercury? Avoid swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark and limit albacore tuna to 6 ounces a week. My husband and I love to put our wild salmon into a “light” alfredo sauce mixed with steamed broccoli, and red and yellow peppers.

An additional thing my husband and I do each day is take a liquid dietary supplement that contains the power of both resveratrol and a proprietary phytonutrient blend, clinically shown to slow aging at the cellular level by improving cell defense, increasing cell energy, promoting cell repair, and optimizing cell performance. Ask me about it.

Going back to the first rule of eating recommended, Eating Less, I have found a plan that has really helped me to satisfy my cravings and get the nutrients and protein I need without adding extra calories. If you are close to Chapel Hill, I am having a tasting party at my home on January 5th from 10 am until Noon and would love to share these products with you. If you can’t make it, contact me and I will send you a sample.

Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays! Perhaps by following some of the guidelines here, you will not fall into the usual weight gain that this season often brings.

Sugar Blues

Dangers of Sugar, Nutrition No Responses »

Jul 192012

What is it about summertime and ice cream? They seem to go together like bread and butter. Even though I am aware of the calories, the fat, the lack of nutrition ~ I still am drawn to it.

We all know that sugar is well hidden in packaged foods, even our pasta sauces. Eating on the run, consuming sweets when we are stressed or sad, driving to the store late at night to satisfy a craving. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, chronic sugar indulgence can lead to serious health complications as we all know.

Watching the video below, CNN: Is Sugar Toxic?, really made me think about my own relationship with sugar. It definitely made me want to break the sugar habit.

One fact which has greatly influenced my decision to eat less sugar is the fact that to burn off the average number of sugar-related calories consumed in a month, I would have to walk 52 miles! Hmmmm ~ just realizing that is NOT a possibility for me is spurring me on to stop the madness! A past post I wrote about the health problems (including AGING!!) created by too much sugar also reinforced this.

I have found that by beginning my day with a shake that has at least 24 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber is a great way for me to keep me from getting those “sugar blues” and “blahs”! In the afternoon when I am feeling less energetic, I drink an energy tea made from white, red and Matcha green tea sweetened with pomegrante. It really satisfies my sweet tooth as well, without added sugar. I have also found fruit to be extremely more satisfying when I have not consumed sugary foods. Instead of the added sugars overwhelming my taste buds, the naturally sweet flavor of the fruit comes alive.

I do hope you take the time to watch the video. It really does make one sit up and think more about the dangers and pitfalls of too much sugar in our lives today.

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, claims that what’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth. He calls the things disguised as food in our supermarkets and fast-food restaurants as “edible food-like substances (EFLS for short) and warns us:

not to eat anything our great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
not to eat anything with more than five ingredients or better yet, with ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, and
not to eat anything containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS ).

Following those 3 rules will certainly keep me away from sugar and maybe even that ice cream!

Saving Lives With A Soda Tax

Uncategorized No Responses »

Jan 172012

Watching the news this morning I learned that Hostess Brand, a 87 year old company and maker of the infamous Twinkies is going bankrupt again.

This made me very happy considering the fact that the Twinkie, (150 calories and 4.5 gr of fat) is not really a food but a mixture of chemicals and trans fat, filled with an unidentifiable sugary cream filling that never goes bad. Of course when my children were growing up, if they found a Hostess Brand Ding Dong (368 calories, 19.4 gr of fat) or Twinkie in their lunchbox, I was truly “Mom of the Day!” Here are the exact ingredients of that Twinkie:

Apparently, because there has been more demand for healthier options such as yogurt and energy bars, purchase of this gooey snack has diminished. Under its most recent bankruptcy filing, it is looking to restructure into a “strong, competitive” company. I found the following video very enlightening about this subject:

Another sugary issue is our love for sweet drinks. Every year Americans drink 13.8 billion gallons of soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, sports drinks, and other sweetened beverages. According to Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF (University of California, SF), after analyzing the effect of a nationwide tax on these sugary drinks, estimates of 240,000 cases of diabetes per year, 100,000 cases of heart disease, 8,000 strokes, and 26,000 deaths over the next decade could be realized simply by slapping this penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages.

Even more impressive would be the savings to the public of $17 billion over the next decade in health care related expenses due to the decline of obesity-related diseases (as well as the $13 billion per year in direct tax revenue). The fact that surprised me was that the scientists who generated this first study to generate concrete estimates of the health benefits and cost savings of such a tax are only estimating a reduction of 10 to 15% over a decade!

Some interesting facts about these sugary drinks:

17 teaspoons of sugar in a typical 22-oz soda
45 gallons consumed annually per person of sweet beverages
70,000 calories is average number person consumes per year in sweet drinks
cost per decade of excess coronary artery disease attributable to elevated consumption of sweetened drinks may be as high as $500 billion!

We all know deep down that sugar is toxic. If it takes a tax to stop even 10 to 15% of us to stop consuming so much of it, then it is a worthwhile tax. Just happy to see that Americans are choosing yogurt over twinkies some of the time!

Alzheimer’s Disease.. Can it be “Diabetes 3″?

Aging, Alzheimer's Disease, Nutrition No Responses »

Jan 112011

According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million children and adults suffer from diabetes - 7.8% of the total population. This does not include the 5.7 million people undiagnosed, and 57 million people predisposed to diabetes. These figures were compiled in 2007. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006. In the U.S. the incidence of diabetes has increased 70% among people in their thirties, in large part because of the obesity pandemic.

What does Alzheimer’s Disease have to do with this? . A study conducted by the American Academy of Neurology concluded that impaired acute insulin response at midlife was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) up to 35 years later suggesting a causal link between insulin metabolism and the pathogenesis of AD.

So now not only do the diabetes 2 population have to deal with the prospects of kidney disease, nervous system disease (Neuropathy), amputation, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure….they have to face the prospect of lost memories, lost cognitive abilities, and eventual death, all coming from the effects of AD.

We often think of adult-onset diabetes as a condition that affects us in the middle years. And of course when most people are prescribed medications to lower their blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar, they are usually told, “You will have to take this for the rest of your life,” often in ever-increasing doses. According to Dr. Oz (You Staying Young), our bodies are designed to run on a relatively low level of glucose, and when we overeat and indulge in a sedentary lifestyle, we are unable to process the extra glucose – thus pickling ourselves in all the excess – and our metabolic system malfunctions. Eventually, our pancreatic beta cells, cells that produce insulin, cannot keep up because of exhaustion after years of working against the relentless insulin resistance. And that’s how we become diabetic.

With the prospect of “Diabetes 3″ facing those with diabetes and all of those not yet diagnosed , it certainly seems appropriate to consider what changes we can make to avoid all of this. Just a small of amount of weight loss can make the difference between elevated blood sugar and normal blood sugar. So keeping our waist thin, exercising (30 minutes daily) and keeping our blood pressure under control are positive changes we can make. I have found that by drinking a “smoothie” each morning for breakfast is a great way to start the day. I have even made it “green” by adding organic kale and frozen organic fruit with it. It has been a great way for me to eat less calories and start the day out healthier.

Instead of investing our monies into surgical procedures and drugs, let’s concentrate on making different choices in what we eat and how we live. Our bodies have the remarkable ability to heal themselves with proper diet, exercise and less stress.

The Nutrient of the Day-Vitamin D

Uncategorized No Responses »

May 192010

The other day while visiting a family member she told me that the doctor had told her that one of her tests he had taken showed that her vitamin D levels were extremely low. I had just recently been reading about how important a role this nutrient plays in our health so was very concerned.

This deficiency can lead to not only bone loss, but other serious health conditions such as heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and some autoimmune disorders. Even MS has been linked to a lack of Vitamin D.

It takes about 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight on your hands and face for your body to make enough vitamin D under normal circumstances. Pulling ourselves away from the computer, workplace, tv, etc. to get that brief exposure can make a tremendous difference. Sunscreens that we apply daily to protect ourselves from the sun’s rays can also prevent enough exposure as well as protective clothing. If we reside up north or way down south we may need to spend a little more time outside.

Foods which contain vitamin D include salmon, sardines, shrimp, milk, cod, and eggs. Among salmon, wild-caught fish have been shown to average significantly more vitamin D than non-organically farmed fish. Supplements can also be taken. It is the overwhelming consensus of researchers that D3 is our best bet when supplementing with vitamin D. (For more information about how to obtain such a supplement, contact me here).

For an excellent discussion about what this valuable nutrient can do for you, check out this site. I was amazed to learn how linked this vitamin is to so many of the health issues we are dealing with today. Have you had your vitamin D levels checked recently?

We All Need To Be Worried About Dementia

Uncategorized 3 Responses »

Mar 132010

I often catch myself pondering about the subject of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease whenever I misplace my keys again, or so often find myself walking into a room and then wondering for what purpose was I there. I know I am not alone with this fear.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s report, “2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures”, 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The data examined covered the years 2000 to 2006 and found that deaths from Alzheimer’s increased by 46% compared with heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer deaths, all which have decreased in their numbers.

Another disturbing fact from this report discovered that African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and Hispanics are about one and a half times more likely to be stricken with it.

So what do we do with this new information? Alzheimer’s expert, Steven DeKosky, Senior Vice President and Dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, gives us the following preventative tips to reduce the risk of developing dementia:

Exercise…I am working on developing that habit now!
Watch our lipids (cholesterol), blood pressure and abdominal girth…hopefully my success with CINCH is helping with that abdominal girth!
Exercise our brain by staying active (challenge yourself with puzzles, etc.) Just being on the internet daily seems to be exercising my brain quite a bit!

Another good reason to watch our weight is the connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, two diseases that are increasing at an alarming rate within the U.S. Diabetic patients have a 30% to 65% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease compared to the non-diabetic individual.

So, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, if we are forgetting recently learned material, have problems staying organized (that one scares me!) losing track of steps in making a call or playing a game, forgetting simple words more often, putting a watch in the sugar bowl (??) and paying bills twice or not at all…..perhaps we need to realize these are not normal behaviors and may be a cause for concern. But not to worry if we are just misplacing the keys. (Well, that’s a relief!)