Spring is finally here! I just love seeing all the flowers in bloom and growing. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather. Of course, we need the rain to make the flowers grow. I’m not sure we need hail to make the flowers grow though:))
I have some more goodies for you this month, so here we go....
Blood Sugar Issues - Just for Diabetics??
I received a magazine advertisement from Prevention magazine selling their book The Sugar Solution. The ad magazine had some good information so I thought I would share these with you.
If you take control of your blood sugar, you also take control of your mood, weight, energy level, mental alertness and hunger. Our goal is to keep our blood sugar up but not too high. A key tool used in the process of controlling blood sugar is the hormone insulin. I never knew that insulin was a hormone. Watching blood sugar is not for diabetics anymore. When your insulin spikes it triggers your body to store fat.
Your waistline and not your weight is what gives you a determination of your risk of diabetes. The risk factor starts at a 40" waist for men. They don’t tell what the risk factor is for women (I guess they want you to buy the book!).
If your blood sugar stays too high for too long it can affect your eyes. The excess glucose in your bloodstream damages the tiny capillaries in your eyes and makes them swell and burst causing your vision to be impaired possibly leading to blindness.
Too much sugar in your bloodstream can change the chemistry in your bloodstream making the arteries sticky as flypaper. Then the blood clots traveling through your arteries stick to those walls and before you know it you have a blockage.
Did you know that a bowl of instant rice contains almost as much sugar as a bowl of jelly beans? There are some foods that release sugar into your blood stream more slowly and gradually. They encourage people to eat those. So basically they endorse the Low Glycemic Index as a guide. They suggest to eat at least one low GE food with every meal. Here are some suggestions - Popcorn is better than pretzels, oatmeal cookies are better than vanilla wafers, roasted sweet potatoes are better than mashed potatoes.
One of the most powerful blood sugar stabilizing foods is cinnamon! "According to Dr. Richard Anderson, PhD, a chemist with the US Department of Agriculture, taking just 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon every day may be enough to keep your blood sugar in check."
I’m don’t think that a low GI diet would give you the weight loss you desire without Isagenix, but it can sure give you the motivation to avoid letting your sugar levels get too high for too long.
More Sweet Information -
Here are some interesting websites about aspartame for those of you that are interested - especially if you drink diet sodas or use aspartame, Equal or Nutrasweet.
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/
Need Some Energy?
Add some protein to your diet (not necessarily meat). I’ve started adding ½ scoop of Isapro (unflavored protein mix from Isagenix) to my shake every morning. I’m amazed at the extra energy I have in the morning and I’m NOT a morning person.
The Case for Water
In his book What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You, Dr. Don Colbert states "Your body can exist for about five weeks without food, but the average person can only live about five days without water. Here are some amazing facts about water:
Your body is about 60% water
Your muscles are about 75% water
Your brain is about 75% water
Your blood is approximately 82% water
Your bones are approximately 25% water.
The average-sized human requires about 3 quarts of water a day. To determine your water needs, take your body weight in pounds and divide it by 2.
Think for a moment about your brain. Now think about a plum. Without water it shrinks and becomes like a prune. In the brain, cells may become dehydrated due to lack of adequate hydration. Without adequate water, the brain may not obtain nourishment, and it may not be able to properly eliminate waste matter. Thus I believe that long-term dehydration may contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease."
Here’s an interesting quote from Donald Trump -
"If you want something done you’ll find a way. If you don’t want something done you’ll find and excuse."
I hope you all have a wonderful month! Let me know if you have any questions for me.
Heidi
