This article is not intended to be the solution to each persons dietary needs. Consult your physician if you wish to change your nutrition intake and begin exercise. Some information contained in this article has been gathered through workshops of the American Diabetes Association.
Diets, Fads and Healthy Eating
The word diet has taken on a meaning other than what humans eat to fulfill nutritional requirements. The word diet has come to mean deprivation, and in some cases, it has come to connotate obesity, fads and weight loss via instant gratification.
Appallingly, for all of the Americans who say they are on diets, instances of type II diabetes, heart attack and stroke, obesity and general poor health are increasing each year.
12 OUNCES EQUALS
It is estimated that most Americans consume an astonishing two to three pounds of sugar each week, which is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars are being processed into so many foods. Sources of these sugars are bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce and a plethora of microwave meals.
In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the USA from 26 pounds to 135 pounds of sugar per year! Prior to the 20th century, the average consumption was only 5 pounds per person per year.
(source: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm )
“Sugar consumption is off the charts,” said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Added sugars - found largely in junk foods such as soft drinks, cakes, and cookies - squeeze healthier foods out of the diet. That sugar now accounts for 16 percent of the calories consumed by the average American and 20 percent of teenagers’ calories.”
A government study found that in 1977-78 added sugars provided only 11 percent
of the average person’s calories.
(source: http://www.cspinet.org/new/sugar.htm )
Sugar is not the sole reason for the rise in type II diabetes across the globe. The rise in type II diabetes can be attributed to over eating, or eating larger portions of food at any one meal than are needed to produce energy. The consumption of carbohydrates in general, which include raw and refined sugar, is increasingly going up as more and more people rely on fast foods, prepared and packaged foods and sweets for their sustenance.
Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by some individuals without the use of insulin and other drugs. Making healthy food choices, reducing portion sizes and improving lifestyle are the first steps in controlling type II diabetes. The other factor for health as well as control of diabetes and weight loss is daily exercise. With exercise, good food choices and by losing only 8% of total body weight, many people with diabetes can avoid taking insulin and the family of drugs* available to control diabetes.
Reading Food Labels
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instituted a policy of requiring food manufacturers to list the percentages of fats, carbohydrates, fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals and other substances at least 15 years ago. While most of us can look at a label and chose a product based on its' claims of "Lower Fat" or "Sugar Free", few of us really understand how to read the labeling on food products, and how those facts relate to what our bodies need daily.
Food labels list their contents in grams. Most Americans can not, or do not know how, to convert those grams into serving information, and food manufacturers probably wouldn't want you to know how.
While this article does not claim expertise on this, or any subject, it does draw from information provided by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and various other sources. The ADA provides training, often free, to individuals who are diagnosed with diabetes. In the ADA workshops, registered nutritionists and nurses work with diabetics to help them control their diabetes, as well as lose weight and find the proper exercise limits for themselves.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
To lose weight, a woman is allowed 2 to 3 carbohydrate choices per meal. A man who wishes to lose weight is allowed 3 to 4 carb choices per meal. To maintain body weight, a woman can consume 3 to 4 carb choices per meal, while a man can easily consume 4 to 5 carb choices.
But, what is a "carb choice"? The following short table will illustrate how to read the labels on foods and convert the grams listed to carbohydrate choices.
1. Read a label to determine the serving size of a portion.
2. Find the total carbohydrate grams, which are usually listed for each serving.
3. Using the below guidelines, turn the 'grams' into 'choices'.
Carbohydrate Grams Carbohydrate Choices
0 - 5 0
6 - 10 1/2
11 - 20 1
21 - 25 1 1/2
26 - 35 2
36 - 40 2 1/2
41- 50 3
51 - 55 3 1/2
56 - 65 4
66 - 70 4 1/2
71 - 80 5
An example of how to determine carb choice per serving:
Serving size is 1/2 cup
Total carbohydrate is 16 grams per serving
Equals 1 carb choice.
("Carb Choice" table source: ADA )
While carbohydrate and fat consumption is a large part of controlling weight, fiber can be another factor that a person can use to reduce the impact of carbs. Fiber grams can be directly subtracted from carbohydrate grams if the fiber is more than 5 grams. If a serving of toasted muffin is 36 grams of carbs, but the fiber content is 17 grams, the total carb grams can be reduced to 19, or 1 carb choice.
What is a Carbohydrate?
Carbohydrates are any of various chemical compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, such as sugars, starches, and cellulose. They are also the most efficient means of delivering energy to the human body. Carbohydrates are stored in the muscle and liver as glycogen and in the blood as glucose. Carbohydrates are found predominantly in breads, cereals, fruits, and vegetables.
The human body needs carbohydrates to produce the energy that keeps us healthy, and keeps all of our organs functioning at maximum and peak levels. As with all other food and energy giving substances, there are good carbs and less than good carbs. Carbohydrates that are found in vegetables and fruits also contain large amounts of fiber and are processed by the body at a more efficient rate.
The simplest carbohydrates are sugars, also classified by source as follows:
Table sugar: Sucrose
Milk sugar: Lactose
Fruit sugar: Fructose
Complex carbohydrates include the starches found in grain and cereals, and are classified as polysaccharides.
For diabetics, if the body does not have enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it produces, the body will not be able to use carbohydrates for energy the way it should. The result is blood sugar that is too high, or too low.
Fats
When asked what makes a certain food taste good, most people will say that it is the salt (sodium) they like in a food, or the sweetness (carbohydrates), or the richness (fat content). Foods that lack sweetness, saltiness or fat content generally are not appealing to most people. It is too much of those things that make us fat or make us ill.
There are many sources for fat in foods, and there is "good" fat and "bad" fat. Many people who have had their cholesterol checked have been told that they need more "good" cholesterol and less "bad" cholesterol. What exactly does this mean?
Unsaturated fats are better choices than are saturated and trans-fats. It is a misconception that all saturated and trans-fats are manufactured or found in processed foods. Saturated and trans-fats are found in processed foods, but they also occur naturally in meats, dairy foods, and some nuts (coconut and palm oils). While unsaturated fats are mostly unprocessed, it is also a misconception that unsaturated fats are found only in healthy foods. Liquid and soft margarine are processed polyunsaturated fats. Following is a list of sources of fat.
Unsaturated Fats Saturated and Trans Fats
Vegetable Oils: Animal Fats in:
Monosaturated beef
olive oil pork
canola oil poultry
peanut oil Dairy Fats in:
Polyunsaturated milk
corn oil cheese
soybean oil butter
sunflower oil sour cream
coconut or palm oil Trans Fats:
cocoa butter margarine, shortening and processed foods
Nuts
Avocados
olives
Liquid Margarine
Soft margarine in tubs
Oil-based salad dressings
When chossing foods to improve your fat conscious diet, some basic rules are good to follow. Choose lean meats like grilled chicken and fish or roasted turkey. For beef or pork, try filet mignon, sirloin, loin chops or baked ham. Keep meat portions to the size of the palm of your hand, a deck of cards or a computer mouse. That will equal about 3 ounces. Choose meats that are baked, broiled, grilled or steamed without added sauces. Remove skin from poultry and trim visible fat from other meats. Omit added cheeses.
Consider serving or ordering condiments on the side. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, butter, margarine and sour cream can all be brought to table separately, allowing you to add them at your discretion. Keep portion sizes small: salad dressing in an amount the size of the tip of your thumb is about 1 teaspoon. While a serving which is the size of a golf ball is equal to 2 tablespoons. When eating out, it is important to remember that vegetables in restaurants almost always have added fat. For weight loss, it is recommended that people not only be cautious with carbohydrates, but also follow basic guidelines for consumption of vegetables, meat and meat alternatives, and fats daily.
For women to lose weight For men to lose weight
Vegetables At least 3 At least 3
Meat/Alternatives 4 - 6 ounces 6 - 8 ounces
Fat 3 - 4 "choices" 4 - 5 "choices"
Fat caloric intake can be figured in the same manner as carb intake. The following chart shows the conversion for fat grams to fat choices, or servings.
Total Fat (in grams) # of Fat Servings (choices)
0 - 3 no fat servings
4 - 6 1 fat serving
7 - 8 1 1/2 fat servings
9 - 11 2 fat servings
12 - 13 2 1/2 fat servings
14 - 16 3 fat servings
17 - 18 3 1/2 fat servings
19 - 21 4 fat servings
22 - 23 4 1/2 fat servings
24 - 26 5 fat servings
27 - 28 5 1/2 fat servings
29 - 31 6 fat servings
Exercise
Daily exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy body and mind. People who exercise daily generally sleep better, feel better, have more stamina and increased
thought processes. Public school systems know this and for a time, meals which were healthy or provided essential elements for strong bodies and minds, were offered in schools for breakfast and lunch. Since the reduction of social services available to lower income neighborhood school districts, eating habits among school children (and staff) have worsened each year.
In the early 1960s President John Kennedy instituted a health regimen for public schools. Physical fitness in students was not only stressed, but also paid for and administrated by social service administrators within the US government. However, today these programs are met with lack of funding for the general student population, while athletic programs favoring those students with skill in one sport or another have been receiving funding.
Daily exercise regimens, especially for adults who are pressed for time can be boring or just plain difficult to accomplish. Each of us have physical activities that we find enjoyable. Some of us like to walk, others like to swim, while still others enjoy team sports such as basketball. All of these activities are good cardiovascular exercise and should be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. A simplified explanation for good, daily exercise is that if you can not hold conversation while engaged in exercise, you are working at it 'too hard'. However, if you can sing while exercising, you are not working hard enough.
Dining Out
We all like to dine out. Many of us find that with jobs, family and other activities, dining out is the only way we can find the time to eat. But what we eat and the places we chose to dine can make or break our health and satisfaction with what we eat.
The trend in dining out has been to offer more food for less money. However, anyone who shops knows that the less costly food is, the more often it contains ingredients which are less healthy. When eating out it is helpful to keep in mind your personal meal plans. As many restaurants offer menus online, it is a good idea to check to see if a particular restaurant offers meals that you consider healthful. When ordering from menus, keep your 'choice' numbers in mind; order leaner meats or alternatives, keep portions in correct ratio. A lovely trick many diabetics use is to ask for a 'to go" container at the same time their meal is delivered to the table.
It is then possible to put aside that portion of the meal which is 'too much' or not in their "choices".
Still, it is sometimes necessary to simply avoid establishments which do not offer good food sources. If you can not practice self control when confronted with french fries, then avoid places which serve them as a mainstay of the meal.
Self control is often the hardest thing to put into practice. Recently, a funny theory was made into a book addressing "How French Women Stay Thin". The idea behind this 'diet' is that one can eat anything, as long as one takes no more than 3 bites of everything. 3 bites of salad, 3 bites of vegetable, 3 bites of meat (or substitute), 3 bites of dessert. In theory this sounds like a great idea, and perhaps it is. However, what happens to the rest of the meal or serving after the 3 bites have been taken?
Eating Well and Not "Dieting"
Many fad diets have and do claim that a person can lose large amounts of weight by eliminating carbohydrates from the diet. In the short term, this generally is true. However, the long term results of eating a zero carb diet are detrimental to the overall and future health of a person. Quick weight loss may be gratifying, but it is not healthy and it is almost always followed by increased weight gain.
By making wise and informed food choices, a person can lose 2 to 3 pounds per month, without a risk to his or her internal organs, organ function and with a better chance of maintaining the weight loss.
Much is said about each of our 'carbon footprint' on this planet. Many of us attempt to live in a manner which decreases our dependancy on fossil fuels for delivering to us our daily needs. Increasingly, it is obvious that by controlling the amounts we eat, the foods we eat, and considering the source of our foods, we can also decrease our 'carbon footprint'.
A "diet" need not be a period of deprivation at the end of which we might fit into a coveted dress or pair of pants. A diet should be how we eat to live, not live to eat.
And a good diet can bring us pleasure as we enjoy the fruits of this planet all the while nourishing our bodies and spirits.
* "The family of drugs"; including, but not limited to Sulfonylureas, Secretagogues, and Biguanides.
"Do we Eat to Live, or Live to Eat?", © Copyright by L. Jody Kuchar, 2006.
Copyright is property of the above author. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited.
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