“Quality” Carbs: It’s Not Just About Your Six-Pack!
It seems as though every week we learn something new about the real power of nutrition. Recently, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) funded scientists at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research and found some interesting information.
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and the vision loss associated with it may be connected to the “quality” of carbohydrates.
One study showed that a regular consumption of a “slow carb” ( low glycemic index) diet provided a protective effect against macular degeneration. A food’s glycemic index is an indicator of how fast the carbohydrate it contains will spike blood sugar levels.
So how do you keep your glycemic index in check? To learn more about which carbs produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels, check out http://www.glycemicindex.com/ and follow their recommendations:
1. Pile half your dinner plate high with vegetables or salad
Aim to eat at least five serves of vegetables (this doesn’t include the starchy ones like potatoes, sweet potatoes or sweet corn) every day, and aim for foods with a variety of of colors.
2. Cut back on most potatoes
If you are a big potato eater and can’t bear the thought of giving them up, you don’t have to. Just cut back on the quantity. Don’t be afraid of trying other starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yams or taro, steamed, roasted or mashed.
3. Swap your bread
Choose a really grainy bread where you can actually see the grains, granary bread, stoneground wholemeal bread, real sourdough bread, soy and linseed bread, pumpernickel, fruit loaf or bread made from chickpea or other legume based flours.
4. Replace those high GI crunchy breakfast flakes
These refined breakfast cereals spike your blood glucose and insulin levels. Replace them with smart carbs like natural muesli or traditional (not instant) porridge oats or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals that will trickle fuel into your engine.
5. Make your starchy staples the low GI ones
Look for the low GI rice’s, serve your pasta al dente, choose less processed foods such as large flake or rolled oats for porridge or muesli and intact grains such as barley, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole kernel rye, or whole wheat kernels and opt for lower GI starchy vegetables.
6. Learn to love legumes!
Include legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas in your meals two or three times a week, more often if you are vegetarian. Add chickpeas to a stir fry, red kidney beans to a chili, a bean salad to that barbecue menu, and beans or lentils to a casserole or soup.
7. Develop the art of combining
No need to cut out all high GI carbs. The trick is to combine them with those low GI tricklers to achieve a moderate overall GI. How? Lentils with rice (think of that delicious classic Italian soup), rice with beans and chili, tabbouli tucked into pita bread (with falafels and a dash of hummus), baked beans on toast or piled on a jacket-baked potato for classic comfort food.
8. Incorporate a lean protein source with every meal
Eat lean meat, skinless chicken, fish and seafood, eggs, milk, yoghurt or cheese, or legumes and tofu if you are vegetarian. The protein portion should make up around a quarter of the plate/meal.
9. Tickle your taste buds
Try vinaigrette (using vinegar or lemon juice with a dash of extra virgin olive oil) with salads, yogurt with cereal, lemon juice on vegetables like asparagus, or sourdough bread. These foods contain acids, which slow stomach emptying and lower your blood glucose response to the carbs in the meal.
10. Go low GI when snacking
If it is healthful and low GI, keep it handy. Grab fresh fruit, dried fruit, or fruit and nut mix, low fat milk and yogurt (or soy alternatives), fruit bread etc for snacks. Limit (this means don’t buy them every week) high GI refined flour products whether home baked or from the supermarket such as cookies, cakes, pastries, crumpets, crackers, biscuits, irrespective of their fat and sugar content. These really are the ‘keep for the occasional treat’ foods.
Keep your eye on the serving size. Remember portion caution with carb rich foods such as rice, al dente pasta and noodles, potatoes etc. Eating a huge amount of these foods, even of the low GI variety, will have a marked effect on your blood glucose. A cup of cooked noodles or al dente pasta or rice plus plenty of mixed non starchy vegetables and a little lean protein can turn into 3 cups of a very satisfying meal.
Most of all, recognize that protective nutrients are in each and every meal that you eat, and we all my have the power to stave off certain age related conditions.
The Happy Diabetic
By Michael Thomas Masters
In the spring of 2010, I was extremely fortunate to have been introduced to a modern day chef, Robert Lewis, The Happy Diabetic, residing in Bettendorf, Iowa, who offers his own unique 21st Century culinary innovations. Chef Robert’s personal goal is for everyone – diabetic and non-diabetic – who are eager and willing, to maintain a healthy, happy and delicious culinary lifestyle filled with oomph and success.
Like Chef Robert, Julia Childs and Graham Kerr (1970s Galloping Gourmet) comprise a long list of popular chefs. Furthermore, the mystery farce, Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), the animated film, Ratatouille (2008), and the comedy-drama, Julie & Julia (2009) creatively focus on the culinary world of chefs.
In fact, eating well and knowing how to properly cook and bake, continues to both captivate and challenge people worldwide.
Honestly, do not Amos & Andy’s Moon Cake, Grandma’s Rice Chex Dessert and Wilma Marie’s Cream Puffs desserts all sound incredibly delectable? How about Chicken-Almond Stir-Fry or Glazed Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions? Perhaps even barbequed Shrimp or Lemon garlic Alaska Salmon? Has your mouth begun to water yet?
Now understand that all of these recipes (and countless more) are featured in two successful cookbooks for diabetes, Simply Desserts and Get Happy, Get Healthy! both written by Chef Robert Lewis. Chef Robert’s latest cookbook catering to diabetics, Cooking for One, will be available in Fall 2010. Additionally, visit Chef Robert’s informative and cool website, happydiabetic.com.
Of course, non-diabetics, like me, are also strongly encouraged to enjoy these appetizing and healthy meals and desserts. Eating well and being healthy and happy should be the objective for all people.
Robert Lewis’s passion for good food, and the creative outlet it provides for him, initially materialized as the promising chef, who graduated in 1976 from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, grew up in culinary unique Los Angeles.
When first diagnosed in 1998 with type 2 diabetes, Chef Robert believed that the infinite food choices he had come to appreciate would be greatly restricted.
“Much of what I heard in those early days after being diagnosed was about the foods that were prohibited. I suspected my days of good eating were over,” Lewis recalls.
However, Chef Robert did not lose heart, but instead, he moved forward with a positive and educated approach towards the disease and his new life’s challenge as a type 2 diabetic.
“Instead of viewing meals and diet as just another set of restrictions, it’s about treating food as a reward,” states the renowned Chef.
Robert Lewis is thrilled that his recipes celebrate great-tasting as well as healthful foods that both diabetics and non-diabetics can enjoy.
Extensive knowledge of cooking and food preparation, coupled with his friendly personality and delightful humor, has landed Chef Robert on the Quad City TV’s top rated show, Paula Sands Live. Additionally, Chef Lewis has been featured each fall on WGN Chicago’s call-in radio show, Turkey Talk, and appeared on ESPN’s Cold Pizza program. Lewis has also worked with television personalities Al Roker, Richard Simmons and Ann Curry.
Chef Robert currently is the Director of Training and Development and Corporate Chef for Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream Parlors at its support center in Bettendorf, Iowa.
In recent years, Chef Robert and the Eli Lilly Company have successfully teamed up to create an amazingly informative and fun interactive virtual kitchen, filled with tips, tidbits and humorous anecdotes, available at both the lillydiabetes.com and happydiabetic.com websites. In fact, Chef Robert was selected to be the culinary face on the new Lilly Diabetes website.
The Happy Diabetic recommends that people work to manage their health in partnership with their doctor or dietician.
It is critical to note that diabetes is an incurable (and often successfully manageable) disease and not a medical condition, as many people incorrectly suppose. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and lower-extremity amputations and can strike all ages and all nationalities, both male and female.
During the last ten years, diabetes has grown at an astounding rate of 50%. Americans need to become better educated about the disease and how to effectively control it, while living a high-quality life, through a healthy and well-balanced diet and exercise.
Yes, exercise is important for diabetics (and non-diabetics) alike. Physical activity, such as walking or riding an exercise bike, is a critical factor in maintaining a healthier life.
Chef Robert also encourages joining a neighborhood diabetic support group,
“Newly diagnosed diabetics can learn from people who have lived with the disease for a long time. It helps to talk with others who have similar challenges and questions.”
In regards to diet, Chef Robert also recommends a diet high in fiber to help control blood sugar levels from spiking. Additionally, he recommends considerably cutting down processed foods from one’s diet and substituting them with beans and whole grains, which are not just healthy, but can actually save money. In addition, when out dining, “pair and share” restaurant portions, since many meals are often too large for one person. Order a salad each and spilt one large entrée.
When making healthy dietary choices, Chef Robert suggests creating small changes over time, in what one eats and in the level of exercise, since small steps usually work better than taking giant hurdles. Eat and enjoy all foods in moderation. If you occasionally desire to visit a fast food restaurant, choose your meals wisely (favoring salads and low calorie and less fat menu items) and resist the temptation to super-size your order.
By shifting eating habits and food menus towards a healthier diet and lifestyle, Chef Robert Lewis advocates, “We’re changing the way people eat one recipe at a time.”
Certainly, my eating habits and meal menus have become healthier, as well as more exciting and delicious since discovering Chef Robert Lewis.
Now, a healthier and tastier Bon Appetite to you!
Michael Thomas Masters can be reached at filmguy552003@yahoo.com
Robert’s Mediterranean Chicken of Love
Recipe by Robert Lewis, www.happydiabetic.com
If you’ve ever traveled to Greece, you know all about the healthy eating habits of the locals. This dish is a rich and full-flavored sample of their cuisine, heavy with aromas from the Mediterranean. The tender chicken, garlic, and tomatoes create a delicious combination that your friends and family will not soon forget, and it’s just as good if you substitute shrimp for the chicken. This recipe is easy to prepare…and remember, it was made with love!
Ingredients & Methods
Serves 4
Robert’s Mediterranean Chicken of Love
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup white wine
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
3 roma tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon oregano
10 pitted black pitted olives
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Nutrition at a Glance (per serving)
Calories
336
Total fat
17.75g
Carbohydrate
4.92g
Protein
34.58g
Method:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced chicken and sauté about 4 to 6 minutes, until golden. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
2. Sauté garlic in pan drippings for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes. Lower heat, add white wine, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add oregano, rosemary, and basil, and simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes.
3. Return chicken to skillet and cover. Cook over low heat until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add olives and parsley to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
The Emerging Field of Epigenetics
How much of our health depends on our family genes? How much can we influence our own lifespan? These are questions that I have discussed with friends and family over the years and are questions that interest me for oomphTV.
I recently came across an article in the LA Times about a rapidly growing field in health called Epigenetics that caught my eye.
We all have an idea of what DNA is and what it does. I just learned there is a kind of secondary code, carried along with the DNA, called the “epigenome.” This code is a set of chemical marks, attached to the genes, that act like the DNA referees. They turn off some genes and let others do their thing.
And although the epigenome is pretty stable, it can change. This means lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise and drug use could have lasting effects on how the body works.
“The thing I love about epigenetics is that you have the potential to alter your destiny,” says Randy Jirtle, who studies epigenetics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
The epigenome is part of what tells different cells in the body which DNA recipes to read and which to ignore. The small chemicals that attach to the DNA may cover up or restrict access to genes that aren’t needed and keep others wide open and readable.
Jirtle compares the system to a computer: The DNA is the hardware – set and unchanging- and the epigenome is the software that tells it when, where and how to work. Some very important stuff here.
Epigenetics might be especially important for pregnant women and infants, because much of the epigenetic code is laid down early in development. Some experts speculate that the time before puberty might also be important, since the genome and epgenome are gearing up to launch new genetic programs.
So why should those of us over 40 care about about epigenetics? Because the epigenome can also be altered in our adulthood. Epigenome may change in response to what you had for breakfast today, or the stress you feel after a tough day.
Genes are not just “on” or “off.” They can be on just a little bit, on a lot and everything in between. So referees, both the short-term and long-term types, turn genes up or down, rather like the dimmer switch for a lamp.
And many genes can be turned up or down by changes in behavior and environment. For example, researchers at the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., studied 30 men with prostrate cancer. These men declined traditional medical treatment and instead underwent a three-month program that included a healthy diet, moderate exercise and daily stress management.
When the researchers examined gene activity in the men’s prostate biopsy samples, they found that 48 genes were turned up and 453 were turned down, compared with gene activity at the beginning of the study. The authors noted that the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, was small and needs to be repeated to be sure of the effects.
Though the science of epigenetics is young, scientists think there’s good reason to think about how lifestyle choices may affect the epigenome.
So the next time you eat a healthy meal or finish a good round of exercise, think of those little epigenomes. Hopefully you are helping them make good decisions and giving them a little oomph!
Life Expectancy Decreases in US
The researchers were among two dozen USC faculty who spoke at the April 20 conference, “What’s Hot in Aging Research at USC: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” hosted by the USC Davis School of Gerontology and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement.
Demographer Eileen Crimmins warned that the U.S. is falling behind other developed countries.
“Life expectancy is low in the U.S. and has been getting worse, relative to other countries like us. For a country that is the richest in the world and spends the most on health care, you might think that we’d do a little better,” Crimmins said.
World leaders in life expectancy include Japan, France, Switzerland, Spain and Italy.
Health care reform will help slightly, Crimmins said. Smoking, obesity, economic disparity and other deep cultural problems have a greater impact on life span. More than health care reform, the nation needs health reform, Crimmins told the nearly full auditorium at the Andrus Gerontology Center.
According to Crimmins, one of the biggest influences on life span is the inequality in health and mortality between the top and bottom of society, which is greater than in other countries.“People who are poor and have low education live different lives,” she said, regardless of their race.
Crimmins’ frequent collaborator, University Professor and neurobiologist Caleb Finch, described a future in which most people will lead less healthy lives than the wealthy few, due to rising health care costs and uneven environmental conditions. His current research studies possible links between air quality and brain development.
“There are very powerful counter longevity forces that are building. Future benefits of longevity may be limited to a very small privileged group of people,” he said.
However, you can make a difference in your own life, no matter who you are. 50% of the factors that influence your own life span, is your own behavior, according to Walter Bortz, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University. Please read “Tips on how to be 100” These are very simple tips we all can learn from.
We need to examine the current data coming out of the Universities and learn from what they are telling us.
Mediterranean Diet Can Boost Brainpower
A recently conducted study has revealed that Mediterranean diet can increase the brainpower. According to www.newswise.com, diet with rich quantities of fruits, vegetables, cereals, olive oil and fish helps improve the brainpower. The study was conducted by the researchers at the Rush University Medical Centre, Chicago.
During the study, about 4000 people in their mid 60s were made to take cognitive tests followed by clinical interview. It was found that those who performed well in the tests and had lower cognitive declines were found to be having a routinely consumption of Mediterranean diet. The study spanned for a time period of over 15 years.
As reported by www.blog.taragana.com, the team of researchers also said that moderate consumption of wine together with intake of non refined grains may also help keep the brain in healthy condition. Cognitive skills include the power of the brain to recall numbers and symbols, which tends to face a decline with the growing age.
Researchers also mentioned about the importance of exercise in the study. “Finally, we want older adults to remember that physical activity is an important part of maintaining cognitive skills,” said Dr. Christy Tangney, lead researcher of the study.
