Diabetes, what not to eat.

Diabetes used to be a very rare disease.  Unfortunately, nowadays, it is all too common.  Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle acquired disease - this means that unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 is the direct result of your lifestyle (eating habits, exercise habits, etc..).  So, I am sure you will understand that if you have given yourself type 2 diabetes through your day to day choices, then you can change those choices and habits and improve your health.

Type 2 diabetes can lead to a whole host of serious diseases such as heart disease, blindness and even limb amputation due to the lack of circulation that causes gangrene.

For me, the scariest thing is that everyday more and more children are being diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is reversible, and in the very least controlable, it is up to you.

So, if you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, if you are pre-diabetic or if there is a history of type 2 diabetes in your family, then you might want to start looking after yourself.

Here is what you SHOULDN'T eat:

A big problem for people with type 2 diabetes is carb intake.  Carbs severely affect the blood glucose level causing it to spike but the insulin response to the spike doesn't work.  So, if you have high glucose blood levels for sustained periods of time your body's nerves and blood vessels can be damaged which is the beginning of heart disease, kidney disease and other health conditions.  Keeping to a low carb diet is the best way to avoid any more serious health problems.

So, the first things you need to avoid are refined "white" carbs; white bread, pasta, and white rice.  Refined products have had all nutritional benefits removed during the refining process, leaving them with next to no nutritional value, but they will quickly spike your blood sugar levels.  This also goes for gluten-free products that were found to have the biggest effect on blood sugar levels, the rice-based products were the worst.

Another study found that the effect wasn't limited to raised blood sugar levels but also found that brain function was impaired in people with type 2 diabetes.

Fiber is an extremely important part of our diet.  It is the fiber in high sugar foods such as fruit that stop them being dangerous.  The fiber content means that the sugars are released slowly over a longer period of time.  Refined products like bread, pasta, etc, have very little fiber and so the sugars are released quickly.

Eat wholegrain foods whenever you need to have carbs, the less processed the better and high-fiber breads have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and they also showed reduced levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.

Sugary drinks are another no, as I am sure you can imagine.  They are very high carb as each can of

330ml soda contains 38g of sugar - and what is more it is mainly fructose  that you might remember from last week's post.  Fructose is extremely hard for the body to process and can lead to metabolic changes that facilitate belly fat, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

But don't get excited about diet versions, they are just as bad for diabetes as regular soda.  A recent study posted in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which followed 66,118 women over a period of 14 years and kept track of the drinks they consumed.  By the end of the study, both sugar sweetened drinks and diet drinks were linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

It's a much better idea to stick to water, sparkling water or unsweetened drinks.

Breakfast cereals are also right up there in the high carb section.  If you read the ingredients on a packet of commercial cereal  the second ingredient is usually sugar with the first being some kind of refined cereal, usually wheat.  These are highly processed and lacking in nutrients.  And don't be fooled by the supposedly healthy ones either, they also have high amounts of sugar - you'd be surprised as to how much.

Yogurts are generally deemed healthy, and if they are natural yogurts with no added fruit, sugar or flavoring then they generally are.

However, the minute you get into added fruit and flavoring then you are talking about large amounts of added sugar.  Just one 245g serving of fruit-flavored yogurt can contain a huge 47g of sugar - that's almost 81% of its total calories from sugar!

Stick to plain greek yogurt or kefir - your gut bacteria will love you for it too!

Avoid Starbucks and other such places like the plague.  Our brains do not process liquid or solid calories in the same way.  You don't consider a coffee to be food which means you will probably eat more later, putting your weight at risk.  If you are overweight, then this will only give you an even bigger problem.

Although coffee does have certain health benefits, adding milk and flavored syrups just means adding even more sugar - again.  Even the diet versions have enough carbs in them to raise blood sugar levels.  Just one caramel frappuccino from Starbucks (454ml) has 67g of carbs and the diet version as 30g of carbs...  Need I say more?

Stick to plain old black coffee or expresso and if you must, add some heavy cream.

Honey and spice and all things nice...  Some people believe that natural sweeteners such as honey, agave nectar and maple syrup are healthier versions of white sugar.  But in fact they are even worse.  The carb count for white sugar is 12.6g per tablespoon, so you might be surprised to find out that one tablespoon of honey has a carb count to 17g, Agave nectar comes in at 16g per tablespoon and Maple syrup has a carb count of 13g.  So as you can imagine these aren't going to do any good to your blood sugar levels.

While on the subject of "healthier" options, you should stay away from dried fruit too.  Fresh fruit is a good source to vitamins and minerals and when it is dried, the loss of water content means that these nutrients can be found in higher concentrations.  However, the down side is that its sugar content also becomes concentrated.

An example of this is grapes vs raisin...  One cup of grapes contains 27g of carbs of which 1g is fiber.  Now, one cup of raisins contains 115g of carbs, of which 5g are fiber.  So, if you do have diabetes then stick to low sugar fruits such as berries, small apples, etc., are good for you as their fiber content helps with a slower rate of absorption of the sugars.

Don't even think about juice.  Fruit juice is deemed healthy, but in fact all it is is fruit flavored sugar water.  When you make juice you remove all the fiber from the fruit, and if you remember it is the fiber that makes fruit healthy.  So eat the whole orange - fiber and all!

Potatoes in any form are high in carbs, but especially when fried.  Frying any foods has been shown to produce high amounts of AGEs and aldehydes, toxic compounds that promote inflammation and increase your risk of disease.  A better option is sweet potatoes but keep them to a limited amount.

So, remember which foods to stay away from and you will be helping yourself to stay healthy or get healthier - it's in your hands!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

What you think is healthy... isn't

The constant onslaught of information, usually from large corporations, governments, etc., as to what is healthy quite often isn't.  My beloved friend Mary Jo, who I have often mentioned here, asked me the other day if honey is really a healthy option.  This got me thinking, there are lots of products that are sold to us as healthy but really aren't.

Honey is a perfect example of this; it is a natural product made be bees and flowers - mother nature in her pure state.  As I said last week sugar is the new tobacco and honey has around 53% fructose.  Each teaspoon has nearly 4g of fructose, which means it can exacerbate pre-existing insulin resistance.  However, raw honey has antibacterial properties, while processed refined honey lacks many of these beneficial properties.  It is extremely difficult to find raw unprocessed honey on sale in any store.  In America, 75% of the honey on sale in supermarkets may be ultra-processed to the point that all  inherent medicinal properties are completely gone.  Nearly all "fake" honey is made in China.  The Food Safety News (FSN) tested 60 jars which all came back negative for pollen which is a clear sign of ultra-processing.

The FSN has stated:

"The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies.  The food safety divisions of the World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others have also ruled that without pollen, there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources."

For example; the FSN discovered that 100% of honey sampled from drug stores (Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS Pharmacy) were absent of pollen.  76% of honey samples bought at grocery stores such as TOP Food, Safeway, QFC, Kroger, Harris Teeter, etc., were absent of pollen and 77% of honey from big box stores such as Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart and Target, were also absent of pollen.

So your honey needs to come from a reliable source and for it to be raw and organic for you to receive all the beneficial properties that honey has to offer.

Other examples of the not so healthy foods are:

Agave Nectar - like honey, people think it is a good natural sweetener, but it has a much higher concentration of fructose than regular table sugar or even high fructose corn syrup!

Low-Fat and No-Fat foods.  I have often written about these.  If you remove the fat from foods you also remove the taste.  Taste has to be replaced with something otherwise no one will want to eat these products.  So, large amounts of sugar and salt are added to replace the lost taste.  You also need to remember that the human body needs some fat to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Fruit Juice, another sugar bomb.  Fruit has high concentrations of fructose, but it also has high amounts of fiber.  When you eat the whole fruit, the fiber content stops the fructose being released quickly into the blood stream and therefore causing a blood sugar spike.  Eating the whole fruit means that the sugar is released more slowly over a longer period of time.  Making juice - even fresh, means you remove the fiber and all you have left is sugar water that is flavored.

Butter got a bad rap for years because it is a saturated fat that we were told was really bad for heart health.  The government (The McGovern Report 1977) told us that we should be using vegetable fats instead.  So, America and then Europe turned to vegetable oils and margarine to replace butter and other fats.  This was just the beginning of what is now a huge heart disease and obesity problem.  Their insistence on changing to vegetable fats only made heart disease statistics worse.  Margarine, for example, is just a whole mix of chemicals with some oils added.  Take a tub of margarine and leave it in the sun and watch what happens.  Margarine is the closest thing on the "food" list to PLASTIC.

Protein Bars, granola bars, "health" bars... they may be high in protein and low in carbs but they are full of artificial flavorings and made with a whole host of chemicals.  If you need quick energy reach for a handful of raw nuts.

Cholesterol Lowering foods, like Danacol, etc.,  these boast a nutrient called phytosterols, which have been proven to lower cholesterol in humans.  However, there is "some science" that suggest the phytosterols can actually contribute to weakening the cardiovascular system and even contribute to heart disease - the jury is still out on this one!

Sports drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade, etc... do not just replace electrolytes after your workout, they are also packed full of sugar.  So if you really want to rehydrate afterwards, just plain old water is great o coconut water (not more than 1 per day).  Sports drinks should only really be used by professional athletes with high intensity training sessions.  I run between 8 and 10 km every day and never use anything other than water after a run.

Gluten-free diets are really in vogue at the moment.  Celiac Disease is a real and terrible disease that needs a specific gluten free diet, in 2015 gluten intolerance without celiac disease was finally recognized officially.  I know many people who have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease and most peoples' initial reaction is to try and substitute everything with gluten for gluten-free foods.  After all, who can live without pasta or bread or biscuits or cake?  Well, guess what?  You can!  Now I do get it, a person has just been told they can no longer eat all those things they have grown up on, and the desire is to find something to replace them with.  But just think for a minute... gluten free cake is still... cake.  Just because a package has been stamped with the gluten-free logo DOES NOT MEAN IT'S HEALTHY.  Chances are it will be full of sugar, salt and chemicals.

The one thing you can do to be sure you are making healthy choices is to eat REAL FOOD; whole fruits, fresh vegetables (and frozen - they are just as good and often conserve their vitamins and minerals), fresh, preferably organic meat, poultry, fish and eggs.  If you are vegetarian/vegan, the same applies, make it REAL and you'll be just fine.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Cold Season is coming!

Unfortunately, it's that time of year again... autumn arrives and with it colder weather, rain, and colds and flu and there is still winter to come!

Last week researchers revealed that taking ibuprofen doesn't help at all and it might just make you worse.  The British Medical Journal reported on a study where researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK, carried out a trial with 889 primary care patients from the age of 3 and over with acute respiratory tract infections (colds, sore throats).  The patients were randomly advised to take ibuprofen, paracetamol or ibuprofen and paracetamol.  The researchers then assessed symptom severity on days 2-4 plus temperature and antibiotic use and it was noted if the patients sought further consultations with their doctor for further complications or lingering symptoms.

The results showed that compared with paracetamol, ibuprofen or ibuprofen and paracetamol combined offered no advantage on the whole to patients with colds or sore throats.  The study found that patients advised to take ibuprofen or ibuprofen and paracetamol were more likely to return within a month with unresolved symptoms or new complications, compared with patients advised to take only paracetamol.  Between 50-70% more of the participants who took ibuprofen or ibuprofen with paracetamol came back.

This may be because ibuprofen reduces inflammation - and an inflammatory response is part of the body's immune response to the infection.

There are several popular remedies for treating these winter ailments, which one do you swear by?

Chicken Soup:

For centuries chicken soup has been thought to help relieve symptoms of cold and flu.  A study in the journal Chest in 2000 speculated that it helped prevent the movement of neutrophils (a form of immune cell) which cause some of the symptoms of a cold by stimulating the release of mucus.

A recent study in the American Journal of Therapeutics suggests that the protein in chicken soup provides carnosine a substance that increases the production of nitric oxide.

Catherine Collins, principal dietitian at St. George's Hospital, London, says:

"Protein is needed for the production of immune cells, but some chicken soups may have little protein in them.  You may as well have a glass of milk.  A bowl of good chicken soup might provide some nutritional benefit - as well as protein, the chicken will give you zinc, also good for the immune function - and just the fluid itself can be helpful.  But to say it will help you recover from a cold or flu is a step too far."

Probiotics:

These are used for preventing and treating norovirus, colds and flu.  Probiotics, also known as good bacteria, and prebiotics - which encourage good bacteria to grow in the gut - are thought to have a preventive effect, as well as treating illness.  A review of 63 studies by the Cochrane Library found that probiotics could reduce the length of time people had a stomach bug, such as norovirus by a day.  Also, a US study published in Paediatrics in 2009 found that giving children probiotic products twice a day reduced their incidence of colds and coughs.

Professor Glenn Gibson, a microbiologist at Reading University says:

"Probiotics help improve the immune response.  The majority of our immune defense is found in the gut wall and probiotics appear to boost the response from immune cells such as T cells and natural killer cells, which are part of the immune system.

"I think the evidence is most compelling for gut infections, but some studies found that taking probiotics speeds up the recovery from a cold by around a day."

You can find probiotics as supplements or in foods such as yogurts or prebiotics also en supplement form or in food such as cereal - personally I'd go for the supplements as far as prebiotics are concerned.  You will need to take them for a few days for them to work.

Honey and Lemon:

This is an ancient remedy for treating a cough and a sore throat.  Israeli investigators tested various honeys as a way to ease a cough in children, giving them either 10g of honey or date extract half an hour before bed.

The honey reduced the severity and frequency of the cough and improved the child's sleep better than the date extract, they wrote last year in the Journal Paediatrics.  Also a U.S Study found honey was better at reducing children's night-time cough than popular suppressant dextromethorphan.

Adam Frosh, a consultant ENT surgeon from the Lister Hospital, Stevenage says:

"The sugar in honey can give a pep up if you haven't been eating, but why honey should reduce a cough is not understood.  Manuka honey is thought to be antibacterial, but there has been no robust research into its use for fighting infections such as a sore throat."

As far as a hot lemon and honey drink are concerned:

"Hot drinks provide steam and warmth, which can soothe inflammation in the throat around the vocal cords.  The taste of citrus can give a strong feeling of wellbeing.  However, any hot drink would do really - but the effects will be temporary." 

Echinacea:

This is a common herbal remedy for speeding up the recovery from a cold.  A review of 14 studies published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases said it seemed to reduce the duration of a cold by 1.4 days.  But, a review from the Cochrane Library said evidence for its ability to help treat colds was "not fully consistent".

Another popular herbal treatment is Koloba (pelargonium).  In 2008 the Cochrane Library reviewed several studies on this medicinal plant and concluded that it may be effective in alleviating symptoms of bronchitis and colds in adults and children, but "doubt exists".

Professor Mike Gleeson, an expert in exercise and physiology at Loughborough University Says:

"There is no evidence that echinacea reduces the incidence of colds but it may reduce their duration by a bit.

"Koloba won't prevent a cold, but it has been shown to reduce the symptoms and duration of a respiratory infection.  Both remedies are thought to help improve white cell function - part of the immune response to bacteria and viruses."

Vitamin D:

Also known as the sunshine vitamin, it is important for bone health, but has also been recently linked to the immune system. The journal PLoS One published a review of 11 studies which says; that taking daily vitamin D pills has "a protective effect against colds and other respiratory infections".

Dr. Adrian Martinueau, a leader in respiratory infection and immunity at Barts and London Medical School, says that vitamin D can help reduce respiratory infections by making certain immune cells in the blood and lungs stronger:

"But it doesn't work for everyone.  For example, a study giving vitamin D to Mongolian children who were profoundly deficient found it had a dramatic effect on preventing colds, but a trial with adults in NEw Zealand who all had good levels found it had no effect."

How you take it also seems to be relevant:

"Some studies have involved giving one big dose a month but this does not seem to be as helpful as giving a smaller does of 10-50 micrograms daily."

The NHS recommends anyone over 65 or who has little sun exposure to take 10 micrograms daily.

Steam Inhalation: 

Putting your head over a bowl of steaming (not boiling) water is an age old treatment for colds especially the mucus build-up in the sinuses.  However,  a study published this month in the British Medical Journal found that using this technique for five minutes, three times a day had no benefit when tried on a group of 200 people with respiratory tract infections.

Adam Frosh, consultant ENT from the Lister Hospital says:

"The warm steam can soothe an inflamed voice box and help the cough associated with laryngitis.  It can also penetrate the sinuses and give a comforting feeling, although won't actually unblock them.

"Adding menthol may temporarily make you feel as if the nose is less congested - actually it isn't, menthol just makes receptors in the nose more sensitive to airflow but does not physically improve the air flow.  Use it for around five minutes, three times a day.

"It can be useful to do before going to bed if you are suffering from a night time cough."

Vitamin C:

Who hasn't heard of the need for Vitamin C to prevent and cure colds?  It became popular as a way to improve immunity back in the Seventies.  A recent review by the Cochrane Library of 29 studies involving more than 11,000 people found that regularly taking Vitamin C (the dose varied) did not affect the number of colds people developed unless they were a serious athlete, when it halved their risk of colds.

Professor Paul Little, Primary Care Researcher at Southampton University says:

"There is no evidence vitamin C will prevent a cold, and little that it will help when you have one."

So what do I do?

Well, one of the most effective things I have found is to take Zinc supplements the minute you start feeling the onset of a cold.  For me it helps considerably.  Obviously drink lots of water and hot drinks too.  Tell me what works for you... I'd be really interested to hear your remedies.

Social Nutrition:

You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

How food can give you a good night's sleep... or not

Back in March I wrote a post on the need for sleep.  Sleep is essential to good health, both mentally and physically.  So, if you are having problems getting to sleep at night here are a few tips on what to eat and what not to eat.

There are several foods that will promote good sleep, relax tense muscles, quieten an overactive brain and promote the sleep-inducing hormones serotonin and melatonin.

1. Honey - try a relaxing herbal tea with a drizzle of honey.  Too much sugar is stimulating, however a little glucose sends a message to your brain to turn off a recently discovered neurotransmitter called orexin which is linked to alertness.  The natural sugar in honey promotes relaxation and raises insulin slightly which allows the amino acid tryptophan (precursor to Serotonin) to enter the brain more easily.  Just a small spoonful before bed can help you get a good night's sleep.
2. Cherries - Eat fresh, dried or tart cherries about an hour before going to bed or before taking a
   
   flight that you want to sleep on.  Cherries are one of the few natural sources of melatonin.  Melatonin is a chemical that controls the body's internal clock and helps regulate sleep.  It is also currently being studied for its anti-aging properties.  If you don't like cherries then you're in luck, melatonin is now available from health shops and pharmacies in tablet form.  My advice is to start with the lowest dose you can find, take a tablet an hour before bed and then make sure your room is dark and the TV isn't on!  The reason I say to start with the lowest dose is that I have only found ONE side effect so far... two people I know who have tried it have told me that after 2-3 days of taking melatonin in tablet form they became very bad tempered!
3. Flaxseeds - My husband often accuses me of being on "spin cycle" when I have a problem that is going round and round my head and stopping me sleeping.  Flaxseeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids which is also a natural mood lifter.  Fatty acids, in general, are involved in inducing and maintaining sleep so a spoonful of flaxseed in a yogurt or mixed with a bowl of healthy cereal before bed can help you on your way to the land of nod.  Also the fibre is great for your gut!
4. Almonds - I am a total fan of raw almonds.  They are packed full of wonderful things such as Vitamin E and calcium, the good thing is they also contain tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin and a healthy amount of magnesium that relaxes muscles.  They also supply proteins that will help you to maintain a stable blood sugar level while you sleep and they switch off your alert mode and put you into a rest cycle.  Just a handful of raw almonds will be enough to help your body relax.
5. Bananas - As you probably already know, bananas are a great source of magnesium and potassium which are both natural muscle relaxants.  They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which in turns is converted into 5-HTP in the brain, this is then converted to serotonin and melatonin - an all round winner!

Now, for the bad news.  There are also several foods out there that do the complete opposite of the above mentioned 5.  There are, of course, foods that stop you getting a good night's sleep.  I have to say, they are pretty obvious:

1. Coffee - well we all know that anything with caffeine in it is a no no just before bed.  But there are less obvious caffeine fixes other than coffee.  Tea, CocaCola, Pepsi, etc., even decaffeinated coffee still has a certain amount in it.  The best rule to follow is no caffeine after 2pm.
2. Alcohol -   Lots of people find that a glass of wine before bed or a small nightcap can help them fall asleep quicker.  However, alcohol quite often provokes a restless night's sleep, making the person wake up often during the night, which in the longterm leads to sleep deprivation. 
3. Dark chocolate -  Now, I'm a chocolate lover!  The good thing about plain 70% cocoa chocolate is that it is packed full of antioxidants - so if you need an excuse to eat chocolate there you have it.  However, it also contains caffeine and a stimulant called theobromine that can increase your heart rate and provoke sleeplessness.  So your best bet is to eat chocolate up to 5 hours before bed.
4. Spicy Foods - A study published in The International Journal of Psychophysiology by Australian researchers noted that on nights that included spicy meals, there were notable changes in the sleep patterns of the study subjects meaning that they slept less over all, taking longer to fall asleep and spending less time in both the light phase of sleep called Stage 2 and the deep slow-wave Stages 3 and 4.
5. Fatty Foods - There seems to be a strong connection between the circadian processes of sleep and metabolism relating to the processing of fatty foods such as fried foods, fatty meats and high fat dairy.  Research has shown that people who often eat high-fat foods experience a disruption of their sleep cycles.  Eating a heavy meal before bed activates digestion, which can mean you will have to get up frequently during the night to go to the bathroom.  Leave heavy meals for breakfast and lunchtime and eat a light evening meal.

Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com