Once someone is diagnosed with pre-diabetes, his or her mind begins to get very curious about diabetes. In many cases, other things were much more important in their lives than taking care of their health, so the realm of the questions can vary from basic information that most health practitioners think people already know, to ones that practitioners never even though of before.
One of the first questions is this: what’s the difference between pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes?
The answer is that pre-diabetes is considered a preliminary stage of diabetes. The blood sugar level is obviously elevated from the normal range of 80 to 100 mg/dl (4.4 to 5.5 mmol/L), and is over 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L). However, it’s not yet at 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L).
Almost all cases of pre-diabetes can be reversed if you take steps when it’s at this stage.
With a diagnosis of pre-diabetes, the doctor most likely asked the patient to take a class in diet for diabetes. This is because diet still remains the #1 method to reverse pre-diabetes. And it’s quite effective, too.
Does it mean you’ll be giving up sugary foods? Well, if you want to reverse pre-diabetes, then the answer is yes. If you want to indulge in sweets for a few more years, then maybe you’ll change your mind after you’re prescribed medications such as Metformin and start noticing side effects. Or maybe you’ll change your mind ten years later when you’re scheduled for an amputation. Sugar feeds bacteria, you know, and diabetics are more prone to develop infections that won’t heal.
It’s definitely something to think about now.
Posted in Diet Medications Obesity Pre-Diabetes Type 2 diabetes by .
May 13
10
Is All Water the Same?
As a Type 2 diabetic, you have to be concerned with what goes in your body. One of the things many people seem to forget is water is important and the type of water that goes into your body is important.
The best water for your body is purified water. This means the water has to be run through a carbon filter to remove chemicals and pesticides. Tap water is purified to an extent but it needs to be purified more, right at your tap. This is why many people have resorted to point-of-use filters.
Point-of-use filters are water filters attached to the kitchen faucet. There are many varieties of these filters. The simplest filter removes only particulate matter from the water flowing through the faucet. Surprisingly, even large particles of paper can be found in the tap water. The local water company tries its best to get these out of the water but a certain amount are still left in the water.
This simple filter isn’t enough to purify your water. You see, water has chlorine added to it for purification at the water company and this chlorine needs to be removed because it is linked to heart disease. As a Type 2 diabetic, you can’t take a chance that you will develop heart disease; diabetes already sets you up for it.
So you need that basic carbon filter from a point-of-use water filtration system.
Carbon has been used for many years in the military as a method to purify water from chemicals. It’s safe. But there’s something else you have to remember – you have to replace the carbon filter from time to time. When you read the instructions on your filter, do follow their recommendations. Otherwise, the carbon filter becomes so saturated with chemicals that it cannot do its work any more.
Shower filters are another good way to purify your water. It is said by experts you get more water into your body via breathing the water vapor in the shower than drinking so make sure you get a carbon filter for your shower as well.
These two steps will start to restore your health.
But there’s one more thing to do: bless the water before you drink it or use it in cooking. Studies actually show that blessing the water changes its molecular structure! All for the good!
Posted in Diet Lifestyle Type 2 diabetes by .
May 13
7
What Do You Do to Stay Happy?
Staying happy certainly is very important in life! We all need to have a long list of things that make us happy.
But take a look at your face in the mirror right now. Do you notice the corners of your mouth are drooping? Are there deep crevices that look like you are frowning?
If so, this gives us an indication we need to smile more.
Make a list of all the things that make you happy. Don’t stop until you fill an entire page of things that make you happy.
Here’s an example:
1. Observing puppies.
2. Observing babies and making a baby laugh.
3. Watching a sunset with a loved one.
4. Getting a promotion.
5. Making an achievement or accomplishment.
6. Seeing a blood sugar reading in the normal range.
7. Reading a funny book.
8. Watching a funny movie.
9. Telling jokes to a child.
10. Sleeping in a bed with fresh linens and freshly washed blankets.
The more things you can put on this list, the better off you are going to be. The reason why is that when a time comes and something makes you not so happy, it’s time to pull out the list and start engaging in some of these activities.
For example, let’s say the worst happens. A friend dies. Now this is a time for grief, but what if our culture has instilled in us the idea this grieving should go on for a very long time? What if we could leave the grieving for only a few days and then get back to our purpose in life?
Negative emotions will never contribute to health so the quicker you can get out of them, the better off you will be.
Set aside a few hours to feel the loss, and then follow it with the joy of what that person brought to your life. Even if the relationship wasn’t particularly good, that person delivered gifts to you. Decide what the treasures are.
Then go to your list. If your list includes some of the things on the above list, schedule a time to go to the library to get some funny books, stop off at the pet store and observe puppies, and come home to wash your bedding. Do at least three things that make you happy.
When you do this, you re-engage the neural pathways in your brain that remind you that you feel happy. You can get off the track of feeling bad.
Let me know what’s on your list!
Posted in Lifestyle Type 2 diabetes by .
May 13
6
How to Stop Drinking Soda Pops
Now you have decided to remove soda pop from your diet, it’s important to do it the right way.
Dropping them cold is certain to cause problems, so don’t go cold turkey. Because of the caffeine content, you can’t just stop them – unless you want a really bad headache that makes you want to give up the pursuit of removing these drinks from your diet.
Your best way is to wean yourself off them. How many cans are you drinking each day? If you’re drinking 2 cans a day, give yourself 3 weeks to wean off them completely. Here’s a sample weaning diet:
Day 1 … 2 cans
Day 2 … 1-1/2 cans (Start getting used to pouring out the other half can down the drain.)
Day 5 … 1 can
Day 10… ½ can
Day 14… ½ can three times a week
Day 20… None at all
If you’re consuming 1 can a day, you can opt for this method:
Week 1 … Choose 5 days a week to have your can of pop.
Week 2 … Choose 3 days a week to have your can of pop.
Week 3 … No more pop.
You can do it!
Make sure you let me know what method worked best for you! Click through to http://www.facebook.com/beverleighp and leave me a message
Posted in Diet Lifestyle Obesity Type 2 diabetes by .
There isn’t just one reason why soft drinks are so damaging to the body of a diabetic. There are many reasons.
The first and worst reason is the carbohydrate content. Diabetics who become non-diabetic and reverse their Type 2 diabetes don’t ever consume one food in a meal that is greater than 15 grams carbohydrates. Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrates. So when you down a can of a soft drink with 70 grams carbohydrates, what ends up happening physiologically, is your insulin level skyrockets, and contributes to your problem of insulin resistance. It makes your body store fat for 18 hours.
Do you see how consuming even half that high amount of carbohydrates with one-half can of soda pop still isn’t the solution? Instead of 70 grams carbs, now you’re at 35 grams, an amount still too high.
And when you look at the soda pops that have only 25 grams carbs, you still have the same problem – it’s too many grams of carbs. And realistically, who can drink half a can of pop when it gets flat after sitting around for a few hours?
The second reason is there are no nutrients in the pop. All it is really, is a combination of flavors and chemicals. With no nutrients, this means you’re wasting space in your body with this non-food. And as a diabetic, you need every nutrient from food you can get.
The third reason is the sweeteners in pop and even the artificial sweeteners are instigators of disease. They are clearly linked to causing disease, and one of them is diabetes.
The fourth reason is the caffeine content of these drinks.
Four big reasons why you should remove soft drinks from your diet.
Posted in Diet Lifestyle Obesity Type 2 diabetes Weight by .
Mountain Dew soda pop was created in 1948. The slogan that went with this beverage out to the public was “It’ll tickle yore innards.” Tickle? If you can feel a tickle, it might be damage on a molecular level you are feeling. Some people are very sensitive and can feel much more going on in their body than others can.
With ingredients in Mountain Dew such as carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, orange juice concentrate, citric acid, sodium benzoate, caffeine, gum arabic, brominated vegetable oil, erythorbic acid and yellow dye #5, it’s not hard to see why kids develop ADHD symptoms.
Research studies show yellow dye #5 causes ADHD-like symptoms. The legend is Mountain Dew is linked to shrunken testicles and/or penis size as well as lowered sperm count, yet officials at the company report that it’s an urban myth.
One 12 oz can Mountain Dew has 46 grams carbohydrates. Diet Dew has 0 grams but what are the artificial sweeteners and are they linked to pancreatic dysfunction?
No one knows. Eight ounces of Mountain Dew Baja Blast with Tropical Lime has 30 grams carbohydrates and 12 oz of Voltage rings in at 45 grams. The aspartame used has been linked to all types of health disorders, as mentioned in previous blog posts.
Is Mountain Dew or Diet Dew meant for diabetics? No, not at all. Stay away from these dastardly drinks and regain your health. Even if all you did this week for your health was eliminated these types of soft drinks, you would be taking a big step towards regaining your health and reversing damage already done.
Posted in Belly Fat Diet Lifestyle Obesity Pre-Diabetes Type 2 diabetes Weight by .
What’s in Coca-Cola that gives it such a high carbohydrate content? You’ll never know their secret recipe because it’s kept under lock and key by top Coca-Cola officials.
What we do know is that the primary ingredient is either high fructose corn syrup or sucrose, both linked by many health experts as a culprit in causing diabetes. The latest studies of high fructose corn syrup link it directly to obesity, gout, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
Other ingredients include caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, lime extract, vanilla, glycerin and coca extract. The taste of Coca-Cola is really a mixture of six flavors: vanilla, cinnamon, orange, lemon, lime and nutmeg. The glycerin is kosher, which makes Coca-Cola a kosher drink, but only when high fructose corn syrup is used instead of corn syrup sweetener (not kosher). Coca-Cola makes sure it offers the true kosher variety for Passover.
Phosphoric acid is enough of an acid to dissolve teeth and bones. Caffeine has its own set of problems.
Kosher or not, Coca-Cola gets a thumbs down for diabetics.
Pepsi-Cola has been around since 1898 and may have been a tool in political schmoozing. Khrushchev and Vice President Richard Nixon visited the Moscow’s World’s Fair in 1959 and sipped on small cups of Pepsi-Cola while they solved world problems.
One 12 oz can Pepsi-Cola contains 38 grams carbohydrates.
Diet Pepsi was sweetened with aspartame but in December 2012, began adding acesulfame potassium to the aspartame. Aspartame is a walking time bomb for your health.
That list again of the top 5 drinks in the year 2010 is below:
1. Coke
2. Diet Coke
3. Pepsi
4. Mountain Dew
5. Dr. Pepper
More soon…
Posted in Diet Lifestyle Pre-Diabetes Type 2 diabetes Weight by .
I’m sure you have heard the dietitians in the various hospitals tell you you can eat ANYTHING as a diabetic; it’s just a matter of how much you eat.
Do you really believe that?
If diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, then why are dietitians still telling people it’s okay to eat starchy vegetables, a dessert, non-starchy vegetables, fruit juices, protein or breakfast bars, and muffins, pancakes, waffles or processed foods?
All these foods are high in carbohydrates and if you read their labels, you will find awfully high levels of carbohydrates.
So if carbohydrates are essentially poisons to diabetics, why are we allowing our taste buds to rule us? Why aren’t we standing up and telling ourselves, “I will not eat you. You make me sicker!”
Let’s examine the top 5 drinks in the year 2010. Here’s the list:
1. Coke
2. Diet Coke
3. Pepsi
4. Mountain Dew
5. Dr. Pepper
Oh, and by the way, if you look at the top 10 beverages in the same year, there are four diet sodas in the list. That’s twice as many as what was on the Top 10 list in 2000.
Coca-Cola goes back generations to 1886 when your great, great-grandparents were possibly drinking it. In fact, Coca-Cola got a boost in its ratings when the astronauts took it with them and sipped it while in outer space. Hey, now that’s cool, you may think.
With 39 grams carbohydrates in a 12-oz can, Coca-Cola and Coke Classic are double trouble for diabetics. Coca-Cola Classic isn’t any better at 27 grams per 8 fluid ounces and Cherry Coke is the worst at 70 grams carbohydrates for a 20 fluid ounce bottle.
Diet Coke wasn’t created until nearly 100 years later – in 1983. It’s been popularized by Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, and even President Bill Clinton.
Diet Coke contains aspartame, the problematic artificial sweetener that creates methanol when heated. The methanol has been linked to all sorts of odd reactions including migraines, brain tumors, instability in gait, mood disorders, and more.
The older generation took a liking to Diet Coke. They may have been a little more carbohydrate-minded because 12 oz. diet coke has 0 grams carbohydrates as does diet coke lime, diet coke plus, cherry coke zero (20 oz).
Other Coca-cola products are not so innocent either. Mr. Pibb in a 20 oz can provides 104 grams carbohydrates and Sprite in a 12 oz can has 37.42 grams. Classic Caffeine-free Coca-Cola is 39 grams per can, Thums up is 30 grams per bottle, Vanilla Coca Cola is 70 grams carbs per bottle or 42 grams per can. Even a mini can of Classic Coca-Cola rings in at 25 grams carbohydrates.
This information can really burst your bubble if you’re a soft drink lover, so we’ll stop right here for now and pick up the topic tomorrow. This might give you time to drink up your last cans…
Posted in Belly Fat Cardiovascular Disease Diet Lifestyle Obesity Pre-Diabetes Type 2 diabetes Weight by .
The noscocomial infections and drug interactions induced by modern medicine is pretty frightening. Some statistics are that 80% of the population has at least tried one alternative medicine for an illness. People clearly want answers to their health and those answers better be accurate and had better work!
But did you know that medical malpractice was common in the 1800s and go back to the beginning of time?
If the medical solution to infections of antibiotics is truly legitimate, then why are there so many more infections now than in years gone by? Why are there so many drug resistance problems as bacteria and viruses have developed new ways to adapt to the drugs?
If medical solutions that involve giving people toxic substances was truly legitimate, then why is it that some of the CDC’s own research finds the blood of everyone they test to be filled with all types of chemicals and toxins?
Surely the body accumulating toxins cannot be a good thing. And what about all the toxic elements such as mercury, arsenic, platinum and others that the medical profession uses which may seem to be doing some good temporarily but then end up causing clear cut cases of toxicity? Why does the remedy have to be bad for the body in the long run?
Why do medical tests such as CAT scans and MRI scans have side effects, too?
There are many questions – and these are often the first questions found in the minds of those who are thinkers and won’t just settle for the normal medical treatment.
Early medical texts reflect the concern for medical doctors causing harm. In some of these texts, now considered rare books, you’ll find that the doctors would lose a hand – get it cut off – if their treatment failed for someone in royalty. Not surprisingly, the doctor would simply have to refund half the treatment fee for someone who was in the working class.
In other words, those who don’t have money have less rights than those who do.
Hmmm… it’s really a medical viewpoint that has stayed with us until now, hasn’t it?
Posted in Lifestyle Medications Type 2 diabetes by .
I’m interested in your views on natural healing. Have you used any alternative healthcare practitioners for your Type 2 diabetes in the last few years? What type of treatment did you get and did it accomplish the goal you set out to accomplish?
Send me an email. I’d like to share some of the answers on this blog.
Let me know what you really think of both alternative medicine and regular medicine. Do you agree with the early Catholic Church that natural medicine practitioners should be hunted down and eliminated?
Interestingly, once the Bible was printed in the year 1434, people finally had the chance to decide for themselves what was true and what God was saying to them. They didn’t have to pay a priest to do it for them. This started putting a negative view onto what the Church really was doing to the people and they started waking up to reality.
The same thing happened after the Plague. The Plague occurred after the Inquisition and people started waking up to the reality that the medical doctors really did not have it all figured out and basically had only a way to extract money from people with little health in return.
This is when the field of natural medicine gained a lot of momentum.
So let me know what you think.
Posted in Dietary Supplements Lifestyle Type 2 diabetes by .
Beverleigh Piepers RN here, your Type 2 Diabetes Health Coach
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