So you may have noticed my absence for the past few months. I have been hard at work on a new project I’d like to show you. Come visit me at http://thirdgendiabetic.com/ and find out my new A1C number. You will be shocked! Plus, you will get to see what I have been hard at work at while controlling my sugar levels.
My Motivation!
Every”body” is different.
During my research I have ran across several articles on biomes. They are the little bacteria that lines each and every one of our guts. More and more research is beginning to show how an out of balance gut could lead to several diseases including diabetes. Earlier this month Fast Company Magazine ran the article,
Gut Check
What’s Lurking In Your Microbiome? Possibly, a Cure for Disease. This is the latest article I had read on this topic but there are a number of other good resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_flora,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiota, a new company as of 2014 http://www.openbiome.org/, and the
best a post from a scientist who used a new but slightly disgusting way to improve your own biomes http://humanfoodproject.com/rebecoming-human-happened-day-replaced-99-genes-body-hunter-gatherer/.
This research started in the early 1990’s so it is just beginning to show promise and gain traction. It would not be surprising to see this type of treatment become common place. Instead of the fecal transplants, maybe the probiotic yogurt will do the trick in the near future. Possibly, a single pill filled with gut friendly bacteria you take a few times year when you’re not feeling quite balanced. This topic was a definite eye opener and from the research I have seen there is some promise to help with diabetes and other diseases. You never know, next time you visit your doctor, you may just ask for that colonoscopy with the deposit option.
As Always,
Every”body” is different!
So I have done well over the weekend. Apparently, geeking out over a weekend is a diet. I just went done to the last notch on my latest belt and noticed my pants are looser than normal. There has been healthy options with each meal until the last one. In geek tradition there is pizza and soda for our last meal @wordcampstl. So it is up to me to be responsible and eat in moderation and since it is not Imo’s that should be easy.
#wordcampstl Community Day
I appreciate what I learned this weekend @wordcampstl and the new friends I have met. As you can see the community is here to help.
I expect we will cross paths again and I look forward to that day. Until then, stay healthy and as always ….
Every”body” is different!
#wordcampstl
I’m going to talk about conference food experience for diabetics while I’m attending the #wordcampstl this weekend. I was also invited to attend the speakers’ dinner last night by one of my colleagues. So I will start there. As with most functions such as the speakers’ dinner, the food was catered. There were actually some healthier options such as meats and vegetables, but as then there were the usual suspects that challenge those of us watching our sugar levels due to diabetes. For dessert they had huge brownie and apple pies. For drinks they had water and diet craft sodas to complement the craft beers they had offered. So other than the desserts, there were options. Since I have never been a big sweets eater, the desserts were easy to avoid, but I do love trying new craft beers. Luckily for me I had started my day at 2:30 AM local time; and by the time dinner rolled around I was tired and not so interested in beer since I was driving back to my brother’s house where I was staying after a day of traveling. So for the first part of the conference I was pleased with the food and drink options. More to follow …
Every”body” is different!
You may have noticed I missed a post. I managed to catch the crud that was going around the last few weeks so I’ve been under the weather. So in order to try to kick it faster I ran to the store looking for cold medicine. 
Do you realize that sugar is one of the main ingredients in a lot of cold medicines. I never realized that when I wasn’t worried about my blood sugar levels. So I went to my handy smartphone and did a quick search for diabetic friendly cold medicines.
I came up with an old favorite, Alka-Seltzer. They have a new formula, Alka-Seltzer Plus® Severe Cold & Flu Formula which uses aspartame as the sweetener. And yes, it worked great; I felt better the first day and by the second I was mostly recovered. I was even felt good enough to get back to the gym this weekend which made me feel even better.
Now that would be the end of the story except one of the sites that came up and offered, 
“Cold Medicines That Are Safe for Diabetes.” This was at diabeticlivingonline.com. I have been to the site before and have had pop up ads come up before, but on this day I was not impressed. I was prompted to view three potential ads two which were over 90 seconds, and one that was only 15 seconds. This is the one that was the 15 second option. The broken icon image sums up how I felt about this being offered as the shortest video. So I can either disclose my personal information, watch videos that are 6 times longer than the shortest option, or watch a shorter video about a snack most diabetics should steer clear of for their own health. Luckily I don’t have a bad sweet tooth and really don’t like Kisses, but I thought it was incredibly irresponsible for a site such as diabeticlivingonline.com to allow ads for something like Hershey Kisses to be one of the either or options for their site visitors.
So the lesson here is that even sites and resources that can help diabetics, may sometimes lead diabetics astray. Self control is sometimes the only tool we can rely on when we are making decisions. Here’s to good choices and …
Every”body” is different!
Sorry for the short post last weekend. I had started doing research on diabetic related research and therapies. Early last week while researching, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ eye drug, Eylea, was named as the top choice for sever diabetes-related vision loss. Most of us are familiar with glaucoma, but diabetic macular edema which is a leading cause of vision loss, may impact 2.5 million US patients. That is nearly 1 in 100 people in the US.
Medical definition for diabetic macular edema: Swelling of the retina in diabetes mellitus due to leaking of fluid from
Diabetic Macular Edema
blood vessels within the macula. The macula is the central portion of the retina, a small area rich in cones, the specialized nerve endings that detect color and upon which daytime vision depends.
As macular edema develops, blurring occurs in the middle or just to the side of the central visual field. Visual loss from diabetic macular edema can progress over a period of months and make it impossible to focus clearly.
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/
As a diabetic it is important to be aware of new treatments and possible conditions that could potentially impact your quality of life. This is another condition that I will remain aware of in case I notice any changes in my vision. It was a good learning experience. I will not worry about this as I manage my condition, but it gives me good information to speak with my doctors about in the future if needed. Unless you stay aware and informed, you could be blind to opportunities.
Every”body” is different!
It’s what is for dinner tonight!
What a great idea for a naturally gluten-free but decadent winter meal. It’s easy AND the dish-washing is easy since you can just toss the dish (i.e. the outside of the squash). I love working with spaghetti squash and still feel like it’s magic every time those strands of pasta-like squash start coming apart just at a gentle tug of a fork. A diabetic and gluten-free foodie’s dream come true!
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Ok, that title should have you saying WHHHHHAAAAATT??? Those would be two items that would put you in a coma even if you weren’t diabetic. So how can someone who is watching their sugar intake eat pasta and dessert? I have two recipes this week that I have tried and was pleasantly surprised.
I came home from work last Wednesday to a typical Sunday meal. The whole family had come over for a pasta dinner. We had switched to wheat pasta a few years back in order to eat healthier, but my wife went the extra mile on this dinner. We had mentioned trying spaghetti squash in the past but had never tried it. To my surprise she had went out and got two spaghetti squash. I was skeptical at first because I have tried other vegetable replacements for flour due to the carbohydrates. Lets just say it was a great meal and I want to share the easy recipe.
Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
1 Squash for every two (2) people
Guess what, that is it; you don’t even need the water you would need with pasta.
Spaghetti Squash
My wife opted for the easy prep. She sliced eight (8) holes in each of the squashes.
The taste of the “noodles” was in line with traditional pastas. It was fairly bland and didn’t have a distinct flavor which a
Just the squash noodles.
little olive oil and some Italian seasoning perked it right up. The squash had a nice al dente crispness; I had expected a soggy noodle consistency. If you like a less crisp noodle; I assume extending the time in the microwave or boiling the noodles would do the trick. I may need to try that next time just for experimenting purposes. This surprised and pleased me. The other great thing about spaghetti squash is that it typically has about 1/3 to 1/2 less carbohydrates compared to other pastas which is great you’re watching your carbs to control your sugar
Spaghetti Squash and Sauce
levels. If you want a pasta fix but worry about carbohydrates, spaghetti squash is a great alternative. The other good surprise is that my wife actually liked the spaghetti squash. So this will be a staple in our pantry since the squash can be kept for weeks. It can also be grown in our garden, so I already picked up some seeds this weekend.
Now onto dessert, I decided to make traditional chocolate chip cookies for the rest of the family because they typically do not like my desserts due to my limiting of the sweetness. I did make some diabetic chocolate chip cookies for me and the more adventurous in my family. This recipe will make slightly sweet chocolate chip cookie.
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soy Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup soy flour
1 cup butter (I used this and it made the cookies dry; my wife suggested using Crisco)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup Stevia sugar replacement powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate for less carbs
This recipe was not a big success with the family due to the lack of sweetness apart from the chocolate chips. I liked the cookies taste but was not impressed with the fact they did not melt down like traditional cookies. In the future, I will use Crisco as my wife had suggested and increase it by a half cup since the dough was much drier than regular cookie dough. The cookies were good with almond milk, but I did miss the crispness of a flat chocolate chip cookie. Not all was lost, this dough would make a great base for a firm diabetic chocolate chip crust for a pie.
So this week I have offered two recipes to make a main course and dessert. One was great and the other not so much. Just keep trying new things and as you find things that work well and are well liked; be sure to add those recipes to your cook book. Until next week.
Every”body” is different!
OK so that may not be the saying you were ready for, but on the dawn of Super Bowl XLIX most of us who are worried about the amount of carbs and sugars we are going to have on the menu this evening will be challenging for us to make healthier choices. I have two great options for us guys who have no time to prepare a great snack before the game and those that have a few minutes.
Lets start with the easiest. There are a lot of options in your local grocery stores that are actually good options for diabetics worried about sugar levels.
T.G.I. Friday’s Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip
One of the tastier ones I have found is T.G.I. Friday’s Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip. The entire 8oz pack consists of only 240 calories, and 16g of fat and of carbs. So you can eat it all or share with other party goers, and not feel bad about eating something that was bad for you. I would suggest sharing it though because the next option is also very tasty and worth sharing.
Now if you are just a bit handy around the kitchen you can make people think you are the master with this recipe.
If you are a typical guy who wants a quick recipe that tastes great, just look below.
Quick and Easy Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip
Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip
This will take about 5 minutes to put together.
15 minutes to prep before you can move onto something else.
45 minutes before you can eat.
Ingredients:
In order to stick with a low carb option for this recipe choose those ingredients that consist of low carbs. Many hot sauces and dressings have unneeded high amounts of sugar added to make them more appealing to the American palate. As a person concerned with diabetes, I have been experimenting with many spices over the past two decades which has vastly expanded my culinary experiences and discoveries. Sugars and salts are not the only spices that offer taste to food.
Every”body” is different!
My most recent tests results were better than I had expected. According to my latest test results, I am now just at risk of diabetes and no longer diabetic.
Newest Hemoglobin A1C Test Results
Just 0.1% point lower and I would basically be diabetic free. So now I need to keep up what I have been doing for the 90 days prior to this last test. What will my next Hemoglobin A1C test be?
How did I manage to lower my Hemoglobin A1C by a full point? I spoke with several friends who are physician assistant, cardio nurse, and dietician. They all knew I had worked out most of my life but in the past few years have slacked up. So they suggested that I get back into a work out routine and lose weight. I managed to lose about 30 pounds between my first Hemoglobin A1C test with a 6.7% to this test with a 5.7% result. I also decreased my carb intake and increased my fiber intake. I try to stay under 100 grams total carbs a day including the fiber carbs. I try to eat a minimum of 30 grams fiber carbs a day. This means I have cut out most breads and pasta but I have found several good options that I will include in later posts.
Every”body” is different!
