Understanding Pre-Diabetes

Pre-Diabetes and Lifestyle Changes to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

What is Pre-Diabetes?

It is recommended that you be tested for pre-diabetes if either of the following applies:

• You are overweight and older than 45 years of age
• You are overweight and under the age of 45, but have a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, or high blood lipids (fat); are African-American, Native-American, Hispanic, or Asian; have a history of gestational diabetes; or have given birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more.

How is pre-diabetes diagnosed?

A fasting blood sugar test is performed after you have had nothing by mouth (eating or drinking) for eight hours. Normal fasting blood sugar is between 70 and 99 mg/dl for people who do not have diabetes. 

A normal random blood sugar result is between 70 and 140. The diagnosis of pre-diabetes is made when two blood tests show that your fasting blood sugar level is between 100 and 125 mg/dl, or if two random (anytime) blood sugar tests are greater than or equal to 140, but below 200.

Source

Snack Tips For Diabetics

Carb Choice + Protein Choice = Satisfying Snack

Photo Credit - Diabetic Living Online

In general, you may need a snack if:

• Your regular mealtime will be delayed
• It helps keep your hunger in check between meals
• You're truly hungry and not simply bored or stressed
• It helps you meet your daily calorie goal
• You exercise first thing in the morning
• Your exercise session is strenuous and/or lasts more than an hour
• Testing reveals you're prone to hypoglycemia during the night
• You've just treated a hypoglycemic reaction and it's not near mealtime
• It improves your blood glucose control

Based on your daily calorie allotment, keep snacks between 100 and 200 calories each. To help slow the rise in your blood sugar and satisfy hunger longer, pair a protein-rich food with a nutritious complex-carbohydrate choice.

Get tips at Diabetic Living Online on when to snack and must-have ideas for pairing a complex-carbohydrate choice with a protein-packed food for the perfect diabetic snack

Healthy Banana Pudding Recipe

Source: itsuxtobefat.com viaCE on Pinterest

Ingredients:

1 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
10 oz Fat free Cool Whip, thawed
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/3 cup Better’n Peanut Butter (You can use whatever kind you have, just adjust the Weight Watchers point value)
1/2 t cinnamon
2 small boxes (3.4oz ) non-fat, sugar-free instant banana cream pudding (You could also use vanilla flavored)
1 container Trader Joes’s Ultimate Vanilla wafers
2 bananas, into thin slices

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, peanut butter, whipped topping, almond milk and cinnamon until no clumps remain. Stir in the instant pudding until well incorporated and mixture begins to thicken.

In a large glass serving dish/trifle bowl, form a layer of wafers. Cover with a thin layer of pudding, followed by a layer of banana slices. Add another thin layer of pudding and repeat. The size of your serving dish will determine how many layers you can make. 2-3 layers is typical.

Top with a few vanilla wafers.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serves 12 at 6 Points Plus Value per serving.


RECIPE SOURCE: It Sux To Be Fat 

Take A Lap for Diabetes Fitness

Take a lap for diabetes fitness, and munch on a healthy lunch while you work when you get back.

Source: everydayhealth.com viaCE on Pinterest

A Japanese study found that women who engaged in short bursts of physical activity (as short as three to five minutes) regularly throughout the day were able to reduce their belly fat.

So take a lap for diabetes fitness, and munch on a healthy lunch while you work when you get back.

American Diabetes Association® Alert Day®

Today is American Diabetes Association® Alert Day® 

This is a one-day "wake-up call" asking the American public to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. 

The Diabetes Risk Test asks users to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Preventative tips are provided for everyone who takes the test, including encouraging those at high risk to talk with their health care provider.

Although Alert Day is a one-day event, the Diabetes Risk Test is available year-round.

Taking the Test Pays Off!
For every Diabetes Risk Test taken, Boar's Head® - a leading provider of premium delicatessen products - will donate $5 to the American Diabetes Association starting March 26 through April 9, 2013, up to $50,000.

http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/programs/alert-day/

Diabetic Carrot Cake

Moist Carrot Cake
Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  40 mins Total time:  50 mins
Serves: 8

Source: diettaste.com viaCE on Pinterest

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 pound carrots, finely grated
2 eggs
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 cups almond flour
sweetener of your choice equivalent to 1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 Tablespoons oil

FROSTING:
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
sweetener to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl beat the eggs with yogurt, oil, vanilla and orange zest
In another bowl combine flour, sweetener, baking powder and pumpkin spice. Add to the egg mixture and mix well. Stir in carrots.
Pour into lightly oiled 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan and bake at 350 F (175 C) for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

TOP WITH FROSTING:
Combine butter, cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread the icing on the cake.


RECIPE SOURCE: Diet Taste

Garden for Diabetes Fitness

Source: everydayhealth.com viaCE on Pinterest

If you enjoy gardening or doing yard work, use it as a great escape and a nice way to sneak exercise into your day and get more physical activity with diabetes. 

Work up a sweat raking leaves, pulling weeds, or cutting the grass. Plus, when youre burning calories in the backyard, you wont be able to camp out on the couch with a high-calorie snack.

Asian American Diabetes Initiative

Chefs Ming Tsai and Joanne Chang prepare diabetes-friendly meals

Photo Credit: Shannon Kelley Felton via Metro US

This week, the Joslin Diabetes Center’s annual tasting event gathered chefs such as Joanne Chang and Ming Tsai to benefit the center’s Asian American Diabetes Initiative, which aims to promote awareness of the greater diabetes risks for people of Asian descent.

“Regardless of whether you are East Asian or South, we see a greater risk of diabetes at a lower body mass index,” says Karen Lau, head of the initiative. “The usual BMI for diabetes risk is around 25%, but we see it at 23% for Asians. That small percentage is a greatly increased risk, and it’s more likely to go undetected.”

But regardless of ethnicity, Lau says a diabetic-friendly diet can prevent the condition: “Healthy eating is for everyone. A family can struggle with a different diet for a diabetic member, but a healthy diet is healthy for the whole family.”

 Lau's diabetic-friendly diet tips:

Brown carbs vs. white carbs  “What affects blood glucose most are carbs, and certain types of carbs,” she says. “Simple carbs — like white flour and white rice — are bad, while complex carbs like brown bread and brown rice are better. Complex carbs have higher fiber, which helps stabilize blood glucose levels.”

Fat counts  “Often times, a high-fat diet is not good for blood glucose. Fats increase insulin resistance too. So the amount of dietary fat has to be controlled.”

Lose the salt  “Watching salt intake is important,” Lau adds. “The dietary guideline for the general population is 2,300 mg of sodium a day. That’s about one teaspoon. People with diabetes should have less than 1,500 mg. Use spices, garlic, scallions and onion to bring out flavor instead.”

Portion control “There’s a greater risk of diabetes if you’re overweight. But as we see with the Asian population, a thin person can be at risk. Even eating too many complex carbs will increase blood glucose. Too much of a good thing can be bad.”

Watch the sugar  “It’s a common misconception that sugar causes diabetes,” Lau says, “but it still should be limited. Look at product labels and watch out for foods which have sugar or high fructose corn syrup at the top of the list.”

Nutritionists at the Joslin Diabetes Center approved these two recipes from Ming Tsai and Joanne Chang as diabetes-friendly  - Chicken-Onion Meatloaf with Sambal-Worcestershire Gravy and Joanne Chang’s Thai Ginger Chicken Salad

Click here, and scroll down for recipes

How to Drink Your Veggies

Photo Credit - Recipe Rehab

Check out Veggie Smoothies made with Ginger, Cucumber, Kale, Spinach, Beets and Dates and LOTS more 
  

Diabetic Funnel Cake

Easy Funnel Cake recipe to add to your diabetic dessert recipes. 

This easy recipe is baked vs. deep fried


 Ingredients 

Cooking Spray 
1/2 cup water 
1/2 cup butter 
1 pinch salt 
1/2 cup flour 
2 eggs 
1 tablespoon confectioner (powdered) sugar 
Piping bag or plastic resealable bag and scissors 
Saucepan 
Wooden spoon 
Baking Sheet 
Wire rack 
Parchment paper 

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
Combine water, butter, and salt in saucepan. 
Heat until boiling, about 30 seconds. 
Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until mixture forms ball. 
Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. 
Add eggs one at a time, beating them into the mixture as you go. 
Put batter into piping bag or re-sealable plastic bag, and snip a tiny hole in the corner. 
Pipe 6 circles 3 to 4 inches in diameter on baking sheet pre-greased with cooking spray 
Use the remainder of batter to make little swirls and decorations to look like funnel cakes. 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until fluffed and golden brown. Sift powdered sugar evenly onto cakes. Place them on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath for easy clean-up. 

 Read more at http://www.favehealthyrecipes.com

$245 Billion Total Cost of Diabetes

The increased price isn't due to rising health care costs. It's due instead to the "sheer number" of Americans who have diabetes.

New research from the American Diabetes Association shows the total cost of diabetes was $245 billion in 2012  -  a 41% increase from the $174 billion spent in 2007.





"Medication costs have gone up, but overall they haven't gone up significantly," said Matt Petersen, the American Diabetes Association's managing director of medical information and professional engagement. "We have more people with diagnosed diabetes. A lot more of them. That's the burden we face."

An estimated 22.3 million people were living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 2012, according to the new report, up from 17.5 million in 2007.

Read full article at CNN

Can Diabetes Can Be Cured By Food?

Many health experts consider diabetes an epidemic interwoven with obesity and other conditions. It can often be controlled by medication but a doctor says it can be cured by food. That’s right, cured.

The CDC says more than 28 million Americans have diabetes, mostly adult-onset or Type 2. Many battle it using medication but a doctor and author argues that the path to victory is diet.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman promotes what he calls the Nutritarian Diet. He makes what he acknowledges is a radical claim about his new book, The End of Diabetes, that many diseases can be prevented through diet.

“Well, the secret is GBOMBS: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds. It’s eating foods that have these natural phytochemicals that retrigger the body.”

The resulting diet is a complete 180 from what most Americans are used-to.

“You might be eating more natural foods, more whole grains, more vegetables, more salads, more onions and mushroom dishes, more bean soups and less of the processed foods and animal products Americans are eating.”

Dr. Fuhrman admits the transition requires some work but says once you begin feeling better you’ll never want to go back.

Source: CBS Philly

Infographic - The Truth Behind Diabetes

Source: google.com via CE on Pinterest

Diabetes May Not Raise Knee Replacement Risks

Study findings contradict previous research linking the disease with poor surgical outcomes.

Patients with diabetes, controlled or uncontrolled, who undergo total knee replacement are no more likely to experience infections or other post-surgical complications than patients without diabetes, according to researchers at Kaiser Permanente, a large integrated health care organization.

The findings, published in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, contradict earlier studies showing that diabetes can lead to poor outcomes after knee replacement surgery. 

For instance, a 2009 Duke University study found that patients with uncontrolled Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes had a significantly higher risk of postoperative stroke and wound infection than patients who had controlled or no diabetes.

Continue Reading Article 

Diabetic Friendly Potato Salad

Source: engagement23.diabeticconnect.com via Betty on Pinterest

Ingredients:  
1 pound small red potatoes, cooked and cubed
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup sliced radishes
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper 
1/3 cup fat-free italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon dill weed 

Directions 

In a large bowl, toss the potatoes and vegetables. In a small bowl, blend the salad dressing and seasonings; add to potato mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until serving.

Dealing With Unexplained Blood Sugar Spikes

Even if you do everything right and are managing your diabetes well, you can still wake up with unexplained blood sugar spikes. Learn the causes and how to take control.

You can do everything right to keep your diabetes under control – eat a smart diet, exercise, take medications as prescribed, and follow your doctor’s instructions for blood sugar monitoring – and still wake up in the morning with unexplained blood sugar spikes.

Continue Reading Article - Dealing With Unexplained Blood Sugar Spikes

Kitchen Tips and Tricks for Diabetes

At first, people with type 2 diabetes may find it challenging to follow a healthy diabetes diet. It's normal to feel that many of your favorite dishes are now off limits due to restrictions on sugar, fat, carbohydrates, salt, and other ingredients.

However, there are many ways to tweak recipes to better accommodate a diabetes diet. You can also pursue healthier cooking methods that give the flavor you desire while helping to manage diabetes.

Goals of a Diabetes Diet

Following a healthy diet for diabetes is about choosing foods that will help you control your blood glucose levels and manage your weight. For people who are overweight, losing weight is an important part of managing diabetes, and a healthy diet along with exercise can help you do it.

See what the goals of a type 2 diabetes diet are at 
Kitchen Tips and Tricks for Diabetes - Type 2 Diabetes - Everyday Health

Diabetic Travel Tips

I was reading this article on "American Diabetes Association" site and wanted to share some valuable travel tips for those of us who are diabetic - Charles

Planning a trip? Whether you're camping or cruising, you can go anywhere and do almost anything. It just takes a little planning ahead to handle your diabetes.

How you prepare depends on where you're going and for how long. 

Two weeks backpacking through Europe takes different planning than a week at the beach. Will you be crossing time zones? What kind of food will you eat and when? Will you be more active or less active than usual?

See Your Doctor Before You Go

Before a long trip, have a medical exam to make sure your diabetes is in good control. Schedule the exam with enough time to work on your control before you depart. Get immunization shots -- if you need them -- at least one month before you leave. If the shots make you sick, you'll have time to recover before your trip.

Before any trip, get two papers from your doctor: a letter and a prescription. The letter should explain what you need to do for your diabetes, such as take diabetes pills or insulin shots. It should list insulin, syringes, and any other medications or devices you use. The letter should also list any allergies you have or any foods or medications to which you are sensitive.

The prescription should be for insulin or diabetes pills. You should have more than enough insulin and syringes or pills to last through the trip. But the prescription may help in case of emergency. In the United States, prescription rules may vary from state to state.

The prescription laws may be very different in other countries. If you're going out of the country, write for a list of International Diabetes Federation groups (www.idf.org).

Here's the article source, and you will find more tips here

7 Easy Lunches for Type 2 Diabetes

Sticking to your diabetes diet at lunchtime is easier than you think. Here's a week's worth of ideas to keep your midday meal interesting and healthy.

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via CE on Pinterest

If breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day, lunch can often be the most hurried. 

A recent survey found that 62% of Americans rush through lunch at their desks, and even when we manage to leave the office, fast-food restaurants and food courts often prevail over more healthy options. 

But they don't have to be your only option — and, in fact, they shouldn't be your first choice if you have type 2 diabetes. In general, try to pack your own lunch whenever possible — the health benefits, not to mention the cost-savings, can be enormous. Short on prep time? 

Put these quick and nutritious lunch ideas on your diabetes menu to fill you up and keep your blood sugar in check. Check out Easy Lunces at Every Day Health

African American & Kidney Disease

Infographic: National Kidney Disease Education Program

Saving Money on Type 2 Diabetes Care

I have personally saved quite a bit on my Diabetic mediation after Anthem dropped my coverage at the beginning of 2013. I signed up with United Health Care through AARP, and my costs are drastically lower - Charles


From medical co-pays to the cost of supplies, type 2 diabetes can be expensive to treat and manage. 

When you add up the costs of diabetic supplies, medications, and insurance co-pays, living with type 2 diabetes can be an expensive proposition for both patients and the health system. 






The latest figures from the National Institutes of Health estimates that diabetes costs the United States $245 billion each year.

One study found that a person newly diagnosed with diabetes spends over 4K more in medical expenses each year than his peers without diabetes. 

Medical costs increase per year after diagnosis. Most of these costs come from diabetes complications such as kidney disease. And these increases in annual medical costs are in addition to those associated with simply aging. 

Also, a recent study found that even among families with employer-sponsored health care plans, those dealing with chronic conditions like diabetes spent more out of pocket, primarily because of prescription co-payments.

Cutting Costs in Diabetes Care

Here are some strategies for reducing diabetes care expenses:

• Understand disease management goals. Use the valuable time you have with your doctor to make sure you know what your goals are. 
• Go generic. If you need medications, ask about using generics. Most diabetes medications are available in generic form. 
• Schedule testing. Regularly checking your blood sugar helps keep it under better control, but testing strips can add considerable costs to your diabetes care. The frequency of monitoring, he says, depends on whether the patient is using oral medications or insulin, and whether the patient has poor control over blood sugar levels.
• Ask about discount programs. Ask your pharmacist or the manufacturer of the diabetic supplies and medications you use if a discount program exists, and find out if you're eligible. 

Long-term vs. Short-term Costs

Managing your diabetes today may seem to be stretching your budget to the breaking point. There are some hard choices to make, acknowledge experts. 

Achieving consistent control of your blood sugar may lead to greater costs in the short-term: Frequent testing can keep blood sugar under control, but it requires buying more testing strips. But if you don’t manage your blood sugar levels now, your health becomes harder to control as time goes by.

Living with diabetes means you have some difficult choices to make — but you can find a way to be healthy, keep your blood sugar under control, and stay on top of your budget.

Full article by By Madeline Vann, MPH available at Every Day Health

New Study Links Diabetes to Availability of Sugar

A decade-long study of diabetes and eating habits in 175 countries around the world has found a surprising connection between rates of the disease and how much sugar is available to consumers.

The study - which was done by a team of Bay Area researchers from Stanford, UCSF and UC Berkeley - found that for every additional 150 calories of sugar available per person per day, the rate of diabetes in that country's population rose 1% - The same was not true for additional calories from non-sugar products.

For many decades, doctors believed there was a direct connection between sugar consumption and diabetes risk, but multiple studies had shown that wasn't quite true, and that obesity, from eating too much of any kind of food, was the problem.

So the new study results were unexpected, scientists said. They noted that their study looked only at the amount of sugar available in the food supply, and not how much people actually ate. 

Future studies, they said, should focus on actual consumption, plus the types of sugar people are consuming, such as high-fructose corn syrup.

The study results were published Feb. 27 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Article Source: SFGATE

American Idol Judge Randy Jackson Talks Diabetes

"American Idol" judge Randy Jackson talks diabetes on Tuesday's episode of "The Doctors."

On the syndicated series, the Grammy-winning producer tells the doctors that receiving a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes was the reason for his dramatic weight loss and his decision to pay attention to his health.

Jackson, who weighed 355 pounds at the time of his diagnosis in 2003, had gastric bypass surgery, got control of his diet and lost 110 pounds. 



Article Source: TulsaWorld

Diabetes and American Indians

Wouldn’t it be great if fighting diabetes was as simple as eating better and taking medication? But it’s not that easy, particularly among American Indians, who have the highest prevalence of the disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Indians have a 17% incidence rate of diabetes, the highest among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

Mugur Geana, associate professor of journalism and director of the Center for Excellence in Health Communication to Underserved Populations at The University of Kansas, is the principal investigator for a study that will use a web application to deliver tailored health information about best practices in diabetes management to two American Indian communities in Kansas: Prairie Band Potawatomie Nation in Kansas and the Iowa tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.

The web application was developed by Geana, according to a news release. The grant is funded by the Center for Diabetes Translation Research from the Washington University in St. Louis.

View full article