In case I missed anything in my previous blogs on diabetes, here is a good list of things that may help you. Of course, you always need to stay away from sweets and foods with a lot of carbs, but there are so many things you should include. Here is the list.
Foods
Fatty fish like salmon (with omega -3), also chicken without fatty skin
Broccoli – will lower insulin levels
Leafy greens like spinach and kale
Eggs – good protein snack
Greek Yogurt
Nuts – helps regulate blood sugar (eat in moderation)
Flax seeds – for a good digestion
Raspberries – best berries
Sweet potatoes (better than white of red)
Beans (white, red, or black)
Herbs
Cinnamon – This will help a lot. I try every day to put cinnamon with mt coffee.
Turmeric – this benefits kidney health
Garlic – this does wonders (helps fight many diseases)
Cedar berries – for the pancreas
Huckleberry – helps to promote insulin
Ginseng tea – lowers blood sugar level
Supplements
Chromium – this helps improve the insulin’s efficiency. It is found in many foods. Brewer’s Yeast is loaded with it.
Vitamin B complex –take up to 300 mg
Magnesium – 750 mg daily dose
Psyllium husks – for digestion. I take this every day with water.
Other Recommendations
Eat your fruits and vegetables both cooked and raw. Don’t over-cook.
Get your protein mostly from vegetables, not from red meats (red meat is not good)
Avoid too much salt and white flour
Olive oil is good—better than butter.
Apple cider vinegar is very good for you. I take two table spoons with two table spoons of water (mixed together) every day before retiring.
All fruit is good; but take note that fruit is loaded with carbs, so eat fruit moderately. One banana has 28 carbs. One small date has about 10 carbs. Remember to count your carbs every day and don’t go over 150 carbs a day.
Sources:
A few internet sites.
The book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James F. Balch, M. D. and Phyllis A Balck, C. N. C.
Since you found out that you have diabetes your life is going to change. You won’t be able to eat all those deserts that you use to eat; and you will want to quit eating at fast food places. Oh, I love french fries and the little hamburgers, and the chocolate malts. But all that will have to stop! From now on you are on a health kick! Instead of spending your afternoon on the couch, you will be going for a walk, or playing golf, or tennis.
Another thing that may change is you sleeping habits. I have for a long time been a night owl; but recently I have found that going to bed early and getting more sleep is very beneficial. Also, to keep a positive e attitude I find it so helpful to do extra bible reading and prayer. The bible tells us to pray about everything; and when we do that we won’t be so anxious—anxious about having diabetes!
I may be sounding a little strict to you. Sorry about that. Actually, in a class that I attended at the VA for diabetics, they told us that we could eat anything we wanted in moderation, as long as we kept our carbs down. I thought they weren’t strict enough. So, I guess each person has to decide how strict he or she should be. But I think you really should do some reading in order to be somewhat knowledgeable on the subject of diabetes before you set your own standards.
And as for listening to your doctor and nurses, I think you should give then your attention and due respect; but in the end, your body is your own and you are accountable to yourself what you eat and what drugs to take. However, as for me, if I should not want to take a drug, I will always tell my doctor what I intend to do. And if you just can’t agree, then you can always go to a different doctor.
As for how strict I really am, on occasion I will eat a cookie or some Ice cream, or any number of things. But overall, I really try to stay on my carb diet. I want to beat this disease if at all possible—or at least give it a good try. My thinking is, the more I stick to my diet and the more I keep exercising, the better I will feel and the longer I will live.
The global climate cult is getting ready to kick its war on food into overdrive with 13 nations – many of them major cattle and food-producing states led by the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Spain – signing onto a commitment to place farmers under new restrictions intended to reduce emissions of methane gas.
The Global Methane Hub announced in a May 17 press release that agriculture and environmental ministers and ambassadors from 13 countries, including the United States, have signed a commitment that pledges to reduce methane emissions in agriculture. The U.S. was represented by Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry.
What does this mean and why should you care? We’ll break it down.
According to the press release issued by these nations and posted at Global Methane Hub:
“Last month (in April 2023), the Global Methane Hub collaborated with the Ministries of Agriculture of Chile and Spain to convene the first-ever global ministerial on agricultural practices to reduce methane emissions. The ministerial brought together high-ranking government members to share global perspectives on methane reduction and low-emission food systems. The gathering led to a statement in which the nations committed to support efforts to improve the quality and quantity of, and access to, finance for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the agriculture and food sectors and to collaborate on efforts aimed at lowering methane emissions in agriculture and food systems.”
Besides trying to eat right and making sure we take the dreaded drugs every day, the most important thing we can do to fight diabetes is to begin counting the carbohydrates in the foods we eat and make sure we get the right amount of exercise every day. Then a third step will be to test our blood to see how we are doing—how high our blood sugar is. Okay, lets take it one step at a time. Let’s talk about carb counting.
Carb Counting
The amount of carbs that you consume each day will tell you how much sugar will go into your blood. When I first was told that I had diabetes, I was told by a nurse that I needed to start counting my carbs and to try not to consume any more than 150 carbs per day. And I found that when I did that, my blood sugar (glucose) went down. So, it’s really quite automatic. When you keep your carbs down your blood sugar will go down.
Here’s the best idea I have come up with to keep track of my carbs every day. For each day, I take a 3 by 4-inch card and record everything I eat, and list the carbs in each food item on the right side like so:
Monday
Oatmeal with fruit 50
Coffee with sugar 5
Subway sandwich 46
Cooked vegetables
with a potato 35
Chicken with bread 18
Total Carbs 154
You can very easily find the carb amounts by Googling it. Just type in the kind of subway sandwich (6” wheat bread with roasted chicken and veggies) and ask for the carb amount. You may want to make a list of everything you usually eat with the amount of carbs in it, and tape it up somewhere in your kitchen where you will see it. Before long you will know that one cup of fruit is about 15 carbs. And the wheat bread I eat is 18 carbs per slice. You may also know that on most packaged food items are listed the amount of carbs for one serving.
Exercise
You should exercise every day. The days I work I don’t really have to worry too much because I walk around all day long. But the days I have off I usually go for at least a mile brisk walk. Swimming is also very good exercise. It is up to you what you do, but the more you exercise the better things will be for you—the lower your blood sugar will be.
Blood Sugar Testing
The most common way to test your blood sugar is to get yourself a meter, some test strips, a lancing device, and a box of lancets (the needles). These things can be purchased at any drug store, but your doctor may also prescribe these things for you. The process is to insert a lancet into the lancing device, then take a test strip and insert that into the slot in your meter. Then, after cleaning one of your fingers with alcohol, shoot the lancet into your finger. You will get a little blood, and then apply that blood to the tip of the test strip, and the meter will tell you how much sugar (glucose) is in your blood. The average is from 70 to 100. So, if you get anywhere close to 100 you are doing good. But if you are over 200, that’s not good. You need to lower your carbs and get more exercise. Of course, you also need to keep on your Metformin (or whatever you are taking) until your doctor tells you anything different.
It seems that Blue Jays have this favorite spot right outside my window in this little tree. It’s wonderful to see them–to see how colorful God has decorated them.
I was out for a walk when I saw this black bird. I had to walk around to the side of him in order to see his red wings–a delight to see God’s handiwork.
He looks around, but isn’t afraid of the camera–yet.
If you don’t have diabetes and don’t wish to have it, there are some things you can do to prevent it. Here is what I would recommend.
If anyone in your family has diabetes find out what they have been doing wrong and make sure you do not follow their habits. Chances are you will get diabetes through your genes if one of your parents has it. But you can cut down the chances if you can develop good habits.
Eat only healthy foods—mainly fruits and vegetables. Stay away from sugary foods and processed foods (I will talk more on this later).
Don’t eat too much—only what your body needs.
Exercise regularly and keep your weight down. Most diabetics are overweight.
Even though you may not be classified as a diabetic yet, check your blood sugar (see your druggist about how to do it) at least once a month; and if it is a little high, cut down on what you eat (especially your carbohydrates) and increase you exercise.
If you find that your blood sugar count is high (normal is 70 to 100 if fasting), and you can’t seem to lower it, then it is time to start a drug treatment. Check with your doctor to help you decide which drug to use. My doctor has put me on Metformin—a very common diabetes drug. In this next segment we will talk about what it is, how it works, its side effects, who should not use it, the food to avoid while taking Metformin, and foods to include white taking this drug.
The following information on Metformin was acquired from two sources sited below.
Why Metformin is a good drug (5 reasons)
According to the articles sited below, Metformin is the most commonly used drug to treat diabetes.
Metformin has a long record of being safe and effective.
It does not cause weight gain as many other diabetes drugs do. In fact, it may even help you lose weight.
Research shows that it may have heart health benefits.
Some studies show that Metformin will lower your risk of cancer.
How Metformin works
Most scientists admit that they don’t know exactly how Metformin works; they only know that it does work. Here is what it does: it helps your cells to absorb and use sugar more effectively. In short, Metformin supposedly helps the body to do what it should do. Maybe someday we will discover what is in this drug to make it work as it does.
What are the side effects of Metformin?
There are only a few mild side effects that will involve stomach discomfort: gas, upset stomach, possible nausea, possible vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping. Personally, I don’t experience half of these; I mainly just have some cramping and slight diarrhea. And the good news is that you can avoid most of this by taking Metformin with food and plenty of water.
Who should not take Metformin
People who have kidney disease, liver problems, or a buildup of acid in your blood should not take Metformin. Also, a condition known as lactic acidosis is rare, but can be life threatening. If you discover that you have this—which you will experience as muscle pain, trouble breathing, and feel very weak—you should discontinue Metformin and call your doctor; you will need to be treated in a hospital.
Foods to avoid while taking Metformin
Here are six categories of foods to avoid while taking metformin (or even if you are not taking Metformin):
Alcohol. Alcohol use may lead to lactic acid and kidney failure.
Foods with simple and refined carbs like white bread, white rice and pasta, candy, soda pop, desserts, chips and crackers. These things will spike your blood sugar and make Metformin not work as effectively.
Saturated fats like red meat and dairy products (but you may eat low fat dairy).
Trans fat like baked goods or fast foods. Skip those McDonalds hamburgers and French fries!
Foods with a lot of sodium. Check the labels of all can goods. Most canned soups are loaded with sodium (salt).
Grapefruit. Recent studies have shown that chemicals in this fruit interacts with the enzymes in our liver and will cause Metformin not to work effectively.
Foods to include while taking Metformin
Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole grain oats, whole-grain bread. The fiber in these foods slows the rate at which your body converts carbs into glucose, leading to more stable blood glucose levels.
Healthy fats such as fish, nuts, avocados and olive oil. They will help fight inflammation and protect heart health.
Fiber. Eat foods with fiber such as grain bread, fruit, and fresh vegetables. However, do not take fiber supplements or fiber powder (such as psyllium husk) when taking Metformin, since that may change the way your body absorbs the drug.
Lean proteins. These are turkey, chicken without fat, and fish.
Non-starchy vegetable like broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens, and cauliflower. You should eat these both raw and cooked.
I am seventy-two years old. I think I am in relatively good health for my age; but lately I haven’t been feeling as energetic, and I am in poorer health than I use to be. Well, I found out a couple of years ago that I have type II Diabetes, and my doctor says that I have to keep my carbs down and get regular exercise. And since I am retired now—or semi-retired—that is a little bit of a problem. I mean, I spend too much time on the couch; whereas, when I was working (as a house painter), I was active all day.
So anyway, it has been hard for me to change my lifestyle and do what I should—or what is required of me as a diabetic. One of the ways I have always found to help myself change is by reading in order to understand the problem, and then share it with others. So, what I have decided to do is read up on diabetes and then blog on it. I know this will get me moving and will help me to do what I need to do. Well, I have already done most of the reading, and here is an outline of what I will be blogging on.
What is diabetes
How to prevent and or treat diabetes
On carb counting, exercise, and blood testing
Lifestyle changes
These are my next four proposed blog posts. I am not an expert on this subject, nor am I a doctor, so please take this information for what it is—just my opinion and what I have found in my reading. I hope this information will be helpful to you.
Diabetes: What Is It?
If you don’t know anything about diabetes; if you don’t know the science of it or what causes it, you can still know that you probably have it, due to your symptoms. Here is a list of some things to look for.
Fatigue or a loss of energy
Drowsiness
Frequent urination
Unusual thirst
Blurred vision
Numbness in hands and feet
Itching of the skin
Infections
You may have just a few of these symptoms, or all of them, depending on how long you have had diabetes and how long you have let it get out of control.
What causes diabetes. Diabetes, according to my understanding of common knowledge, starts from a defect in the production of insulin by the pancreas. Yes, it seems like much of the problem is in the pancreas; it is not producing enough insulin, or enough that works properly.
Insulin is very necessary to the body. When it works as it should, it will act as a conduit or an agent to bring glucose (sugar) from your blood stream to your cells so that you will have the energy you need. But if your insulin is defective in some way, or if there is not enough insulin produced, then, well, that is why diabetics have low energy.
Another thing that happens is that because insulin is not breaking through to the cells as it should, there is a backup of glucose in the blood. Hence, there is too much glucose in the blood and not enough in the cells. So, when you eat food, the glucose goes into the blood stream, but does not get absorbed into the body tissues (the cells)—as is the job of the insulin. Thus, in type II diabetes, our blood sugar is too high and the sugar we need and crave in our cells is low.
Insulin resistance. Some scientists have used this term to describe what is going on in diabetes. They say that there is a resistance in the cells in my body to the insulin that is trying to bring me the glucose I need. And that resistance is mainly from the built-up fat in the body, a poor diet, and a lack of physical activity. But in many cases we can also put the blame on our parents, because most diabetes is genetic.
In the end, whoever we choose to blame, we must take responsibility for ourselves. If we don’t, if we don’t take some positive action to fight against this disease we will find that in the end it will catch up to us and be too late. If we don’t head off this disease early, we can be sure that the following things will occur:
Our blood vessels will become saturated with sugar and become brittle and useless.
Blindness
Our nervous system will break down and will result in amputations.
Your joints will stop moving.
Your kidneys will be destroyed.
Strokes and heart disease
Eventually, if left untreated, diabetes will kill you.
Under Biden, the southern “border” has become a giant, open-air staging ground from which illegal aliens bludgeon U.S. territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,671,266 illegal aliens during President Donald Trump’s final 27 months in power. In Biden’s first 27 months, they encountered a breathtaking 5,249,144 illegal aliensup a skin-crawling 314%.
In fiscal year 2020, the last one that Trump fully controlled, 69,000 illegal migrants were detected on the “border” but got away into America’s interior. In fiscal year 2022 (entirely on Biden’s watch), “gotaways” hit 599,000—up a mind-blowing 768% versus fiscal year 2020.
Stephen Nielsen 