DAY 8: ADD DIABETES HEALING SNACKS
Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it?
You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.
ASTRID ALAUDA
HEALER: Munching the right snacks between meals will help you balance your blood sugar, lose weight, heal your diabetes and reduce your risk of serious complications. Here's how...
IT‘S A FACT: Snacking is good for you, and even more so if you‘ve got prediabetes or diabetes.
Between-meal eating keeps your energy balanced, which means your blood sugar will remain stable. You see, when you don‘t eat between meals, you‘re likely to experience roller-coaster blood sugar which will trigger hunger-induced lows followed by peaks from eating sugary snacks and fast carbs.
GOOD SNACKS VS. BAD SNACKS
It all comes down to one question: What are you snacking on? The answer can make all the difference between a midday blood-sugar bomb and a healing helper that keeps your energy and your glucose levels stable.
You‘ve already learned the harm that sugary food products and fast carbs (such as chips, cakes, doughnuts and crackers) have on your blood sugar. So I'm not going to go into too much detail about the "bad" snacks. You're already savvy enough to know what most of them are. So today I'm going to teach you about the good stuff: The diabetes-friendly snacks that will keep your blood sugar on an even keel, control your hunger and peel off the excess pounds without you even thinking about dieting.
THE PERFECT SNACK
Here's what you want in a snack: It should contain between 100 and 150 calories … include a slow carb food coupled with either fat or protein … and relatively high in fiber content.
In a moment, I'll give you some specific examples.
Snacking is absolutely vital, because it helps you stay one step ahead of your hunger.
That's why I want you to make sure you snack twice a day – even if you aren't hungry.
Remember my example of the ravenous tiger? That's your hunger when it gets out of control. It's
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such an irresistible drive that willpower can't contain it. Once your stomach starts growling and your brain screams for food, you‘ll gobble whatever‘s handy. And that's usually junk that will upset your blood sugar and set your progress back.
When it comes to healthful snack options in our daily environment, there are few-to-none. So your best strategy is to "pack your snacks" from home and keep them close at hand at work and when you're traveling. My most successful patients wouldn‘t dream of leaving the house without two essentials: A bottle of water and a baggie or container of healthy snacks. Here are some examples…
Fiber plus healthy fat plus protein. Fresh veggies or fresh fruit (in just a few more days you‘ll be able add it to your diet) plus cheese equals great snacking. Try sliced apples with a pinky-sized piece of sharp cheddar ... celery sticks with cream cheese or peanut butter ... pears and bleu cheese ... or raw broccoli with goat cheese. These fiber-plus-fat combos are endless and so are the nutritional benefits. Just remember that fruits and veggies are the ultimate slow carb foods because they break down into blood sugar slowly thanks to all that fiber. The result is that you receive a steady-sustained supply of energy. The protein and good fats digest even more slowly, so you feel full sooner and hunger is abated for longer. In addition, a protein snack will perk up your brain and mental functions.
Dipping permitted. Have you tried making your own hummus? It‘s easy as opening a can, and this yummy dip brings together several diabetes-healing foods: Chickpeas, olive oil and the sesame-seed ―butter‖ called tahini, along with lemon juice and garlic. Yogurt also makes a perfect base for a dip – add herbs, a dash of hot sauce and some curry powder (all of which are beneficial for diabetes and healthy blood sugar). Another satisfying dip can be made by seeding and dicing cucumbers, stirring them into yogurt with fresh chopped mint and cracked pepper.
These dips are perfect with raw carrot sticks, bell peppers, celery and/or radishes (called crudités in gourmet circles).
Sweet surprise. Once you get into Phase Two of The 30-Day Diabetes Cure, you'll be allowed to nibble a small square of high-quality dark chocolate (containing at least 75% to 85% cocoa solids). This type of dark chocolate is quite healthful in small amounts (about 150 calories) due to the cacao bean‘s antioxidants, called polyphenols. In Italian research reported in the
September 2008 Journal of Nutrition, a group of healthy people were given a daily dose of either white or dark chocolate and measured their blood sugar. The dark chocolate group showed 10%
greater insulin sensitivity and 45% less insulin resistance than the white chocolate group, thanks to the higher concentration of polyphenols.xxix
Go nuts. Eat them out of hand or in nut butters ... sprinkle them on a salad ... or add them to yogurt. No matter how you enjoy them, nuts are a quick, nutritious snack that's rich in healthful monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that reduce the risk of diabetes and keep it under control. They‘re also high in protein (ounce for ounce, nearly as much as lean
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meat!) and have a low glycemic index (GI). A small handful of nuts will do the trick, especially if you don't want them one by one. Don't actually "go nuts" with nuts, though, because they are high in calories, so ―a little dab will do ya,‖ as the old Brylcreem® commercial used to say.
Nuts help control glucose levels and improve your body‘s response to insulin. A Harvard study of 83,000 women found that those who frequently ate peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, macadamia, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts or pine nuts, reduced their risk of developing diabetes by an amazing 27% compared to those who rarely ate them. Those who ate at least two tablespoons of peanut butter (always choose natural peanut butter with no additives or extra sodium) more than five times a week were 20% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease than those who didn‘t. As a bonus: the women who ate nuts tended to lose weight as well.
Almonds are especially good at keeping blood sugar levels under control. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, their high antioxidant content helps neutralize free radicals caused by chronically high glucose levels. And a study published in the medical journal Metabolism reported that almonds not only have a low GI, but actually help lower the GI of the entire meal eaten. They‘re also rich in the antioxidant vitamin E.
Try almonds lightly toasted and sprinkled on yogurt, or buy natural almond butter and spread it on celery sticks. Whole-grain bread or sliced apples (after Day 12) are delectable snacks when spread with a little almond butter. Have a few almonds between breakfast and lunch to keep your energy and blood sugar stable.
Eating almonds and other nuts can actually help you lose weight. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found those who ate almonds in a low-calorie diet for six months reduced their weight by 11% and their waistlines by 9%. Plus, 96% of those in the study who had Type 1 diabetes were able to reduce their
medication. A similar Spanish study involving 8,865 adults found that people who ate nuts at least twice weekly were 31% less likely to gain weight than those who seldom ate nuts.
More health benefits: The monounsaturated fats in almonds also help lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating almonds instead of other fats reduced LDL by 8 to 12%.
Walnuts are a great snack choice too because they are exceptionally high in omega-3 essential fatty acids – and have the lowest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of any nut (4.2 to 1).
Numerous studies show that a diet rich in omega-3s helps prevent the blood clotting and plaque build-up that can lead to atherosclerosis. And omega-3s also improve the radio of HDL
cholesterol to LDL cholesterol, while reducing inflammation. Walnuts and apples are a classic combo eaten by hand or mixed into yogurt with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon – and it‘s a fantastically healthful snack...
■ In a study published in Diabetes Care, eating walnuts was linked to a significant increase in the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol and a 10% reduction in LDL.
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■ A Spanish study involving high-cholesterol adults found those who ate walnuts drove down their total cholesterol by 4.4% to 7.4% and their LDL by 6.4 to 10%. A quarter cup of walnuts provides an astonishing 90.8% of your daily omega-3 needs.
■ Eating antioxidant-rich nuts also lowers your risk for coronary heart disease that often results from having diabetes. According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition,
walnuts, pecans and chestnuts are also exceptionally high in antioxidants.
■ Another study published in the research journal Phytochemistry identified 16 different antioxidant polyphenols in walnuts they describe as "remarkable."
■ Four large studies, including the Adventist Health Study, Iowa Women‘s Study, the Nurses‘
Health Study, and the Physician‘s Study, found that those who ate nuts at least four times a week lowered their risk for coronary heart disease by an amazing 37%.xxx
And don't overlook peanuts. Although technically a legume, peanuts contain oleic acid, the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Peanuts are high in vitamin E and a great source of antioxidants. A study published in the journal Food Chemistry found that peanuts contain high concentrations of the antioxidant polyphenol p-coumaric acid. Slow roasting (170 degrees for 20 minutes) can increase the levels by 22%.xxxi
Peanuts are also high in resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red grapes and red wine and linked to the ―French Paradox,‖ which maintains that eating a diet high in certain fats, the way the French do, can actually benefit your heart. According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, resveratrol improves blood flow to the brain by as much as 30%, significantly reducing the risk of stroke.