February 24, 2012

Your Hemoglobin A1c

It seems everywhere I hear people talking about their Hemoglobin A1c tests, concerned about being pre-diabetic, and not really sure what it all means. Your answers are here!

The Hemoglobin A1c test, or H-A1c, measures the average amount of glucose in your blood over the past 3-4 months. It is not altered by what you ate for breakfast the day of the test, or what you are the day before. And many doctors are now looking at it much more closely, moving more and more people into the pre-diabetic or “pre-pre-diabetic” range if it gets a little high.

So, a few years ago any number under 6 was fantastic, and a level under 7 was nothing to worry about. The diabetes epidemic in this country has changed those views, and now many physicians want to see their patients with H-A1c levels under 5.6. By making dietary changes at this point, many people can avoid developing Type 2 Diabetes and the health complications that go along with it. Yes, you can lower this number just by changing up your diet a little.

If your levels have come back higher than you and your physician want them to be, the first thing to do is look at your lifestyle over the past three months or so. If you had your test done in January, this result will reflect the months of October, November and December. Not exactly most people’s healthiest time of year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, you get my drift. If that is the case, throw away the leftover candy, cut out the extra breads and sweets, and test again in June. You may be just fine.

If not, or if your levels are too high and have been steadily moving upward, here’s what to do:

  1. Cut way back on sugar. Candy, cookies, ice cream, all those things. Have an occasional dessert with dinner, but cut out all the little sweets during the day. And the late night sweets. Keep your hands busy, go to bed early, have some herbal tea – whatever works. Sugar is like that friend who pretends to be nice then spreads your secrets around town. Dump her.
  2. Limit starches like bread, white rice and white potatoes. No more than one starch per meal; and avoid bread when you can. Simple starches in these refined foods are quickly converted to glucose in your bloodstream. Switch to whole grain starches like quinoa, brown rice, farro, wheat berries, and polenta. Sweet potatoes are fine. Their fiber slows digestion, meaning fewer spikes in blood sugar. Pasta is actually fairly easy on the blood sugar (as far as starches go), do you don’t have to avoid it completely.
  3. Add plenty of vegetables at lunch and dinner. I am not worried about “sugary” vegetables like carrots – that is not what got you here. Try for four or more servings of veggies a day.
  4. Have two servings of whole fruits each day, and limit juice. While fruit can be sweet and sugary, cut out the added sugars and white starches first. Fruits are so full of vitamins and antioxidants they should be the last things on your list to cut. Apples, pears, and berries are best for lowering blood sugar.
  5. Cut out sugary drinks. Soda, lemonade, coffee drinks, sweetened tea, and flavored waters can all cause big spikes in blood sugar and significantly raise your H-A1C levels. This is a no-brainer that will deliver big results.
  6. Add beans and legumes as protein sources. Their fiber can really modulate blood sugar levels.

After three months of following these guidelines, have another test. Your levels should go down, and you will probably be feeling better, too.

If you want the scienc-y details on the test, here you go. Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to the cells throughout our bodies; in adults about 98% of our hemoglobin is Hemoglobin A, and about 7% of that is Hemoglobin A1. Glucose molecules tend to stick to Hemoglobin A1, especially Hemoglobin A1c (we have A1a, A1b, and A1c), and once they are stuck they are very difficult to unstick. This is called glycosylation.

So the Hemoglobin A1c test measures the amount of glycosylated Hemoglobin (GHb) in our blood stream. This value is reflected as a percentage – the percent of Hemoglobin A1c that has been glycosylated. Since our red blood cells have a lifespan of 100 – 120 days, this percentage reflects what has been going on in our bloodstream for the past 3-4 months.

The higher the amount of glucose in our blood at any one time, the more Hemoglobin gets glycosylated. That is why spikes in blood sugar bump up this number. Smaller, steady amounts of glucose in the blood keep it normal.

This test is also used to see how well diabetes treatment is controlling blood sugar levels. It sure would be nice to see that become much less necessary.

Any questions? Let me know. I have answers. Oh, how I have answers.

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February 6, 2012

Sleep

istockphoto File #: 18331664

Beautiful sleep

My dogs have no guilt about taking a nap whatsoever. Right in the middle of the day. Heck, in the middle of the morning. The warm spot on the couch or chair, in the sun, snoring away with abandon. And while yes, they are lazy, they are also intuitive and smart. Just like they know clothes do not make the man, they know that sleep is essential for us to function.

No significant physical change can happen in our bodies without enough sleep. There. I said it. This crazy “I only need four hours of sleep!” as some sort of bragging right needs to stop. There is no moral superiority for those who manage to get by on less sleep, and research shows time and again that they are no more productive, actually they are less productive, than those who get enough. Whew.

When I look at research about sleep, the cut-off for sufficient sleep is seven hours. That’s right. Less than seven hours a night is officially sleep deprivation. People who get less than seven hours a night get sick almost three times as much as those who get eight hours or more. Yes, that’s three times, an increase of 300%.

Why? Good question. Sleep is when our body heals itself, repairs tissue damage from the day, and detoxes itself. Sleep is when our neurons organize that happened to us during the day and file it into long-term memory. Sleep is when our stress hormones are turned off and our metabolism resets itself.

When it is dark our bodies produce the hormone melatonin, which makes us sleepy. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant, fighting chronic inflammation and repairing damage to our cells’ DNA so that when those cells divide they make new healthy cells. Damaged DNA leads to cells becoming cancerous. Chronic inflammation leads to heart disease and diabetes. Melatonin also helps protect nerve tissue in the brain from the protein damage that leads to Alzheimer’s Disease. It can also prevent headaches from forming the next day.

So why don’t we just take melatonin in a pill and get on with staying up half the night? It doesn’t work that way. Researchers are not sure why, but getting the melatonin in a pill helps us for only about three months, then it stops working so well. And while melatonin is a powerful hormone, it is not the only benefit of sleep.

We crave carbohydrates throughout the day when we are tired. We all know what this means to our waistlines, not to mention our blood sugar and cholesterol. The stress that causes our bodies to hold onto fat in case we need to flee or survive a famine is turned off when we are asleep. Most of us desperately need this, especially if our days allow for very little de-stress time. And our failing memories need sleep. We need to remember our stories so we can tell our grandchildren.

Our over-caffeinated, sleep deprived bodies need us all to go to bed. There is no honor in not sleeping, only a lack of creativity and good judgement. Did you know that if you get less than six hours a night you will be impaired when driving your car? It’s like driving under the influence of alcohol. Sorry if I seem a little preachy – I’ve got a bee in my bonnet.

If you think you can’t possibly leave something undone, stop it. Lots of us lead perfectly happy lives with a few dust bunnies under the couch and our clothes a little wrinkled. Look over your day, and there will be things that don’t have to be done, or at least don’t have to be done by you.

If you are trying to change your eating habits for the better, and start an exercise habit, sleep is essential. Changing our habits is hard, and tired brains do not do it well. Neither do tired bodies. And getting sick? It doesn’t help anyone.

So go to bed early tonight, and find a way to sleep as late as you need to at least one morning a week. Try to get at least 7.5 hours a night – that’s five complete 90-minute sleep cycles. A few days of this and you will be amazed at how productive you become.

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January 23, 2012

Keep Calm and Carry On

Many people I’ve been talking with lately are feeling like they have been knocked down and can’t get up. Between the holidays, family issues, health problems, work (or lack of work), and life-in-general hardness, weight has crept back up and it is easy to slide down that slippery slope into hopelessness.

I’ve been there, and here’s a way out. Actually, you have probably been there before, too, and found a way out, around, or above.

In November my sweet Shih Tzu, Whisper, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. This was not only heartbreaking in itself, but brought up a lot of sad memories from losing my husband George (may his memory be eternal) to cancer 12 years ago. Like a sucker punch to the stomach. Then we all got the flu. Sequentially. By then we were way behind on preparation for the holidays. Craziness, lots of take-out, zero exercise, restless sleep. Not a pretty picture.

Because I’ve been there before, and getting people out of this is what I do for a living, I made a plan. Actually, not a formal plan, just a few grasps at what I knew would help. My Christmas list included a gift certificate for my favorite yoga studio (Core Power Yoga - thanks Jeff!) and a Vitamix. (These are not affiliate links, just FYI.) We have burned through three Magic Bullets and it was time to step up to the big boy of blenders. Now I had what I needed to get some exercise and green smoothies, both of which are essential for me to be my best self. Along with the joy of opening presents! And doing something positive leads to better sleep, more energy to cook at home, and way less stress.

Whisper, now in remission, and very happy

While my exercise and smoothies made absolutely no difference to Whisper, now she is in remission and doing well. She credits the french fries we got after chemo and all the extra treats. Just thought you’d want to know.

So, here’s what you do when life sucker punches you:

Think about what you need to be your best. Usually sleep is at the top of the list, so do what you need to do (record Castle and Hawaii Five-O) to get at least seven, and even better eight hours a night. I mean it, you are making yourself very vulnerable to every virus that comes around if you are exhausted. That doesn’t help anybody.

Next, think about what type of movement your body really likes. Don’t worry about how quickly it will take off the pounds, just get your body moving with whatever feels good. For me, hot yoga – actually warm yoga – is the ticket. I thought I would hate it, but I love it. So whether it is walking, swimming, dance, yoga, Zumba, Tai Chi, it doesn’t matter. Just do it and feel good.

Now get some green veggies on your plate. Nourish your body so it can heal itself from the stress (or the flu) and give you a dose of energy every day. Start taking care of yourself, even if it seems like there is no time, and you will find yourself able to accomplish so much more. Put on a pot of magic bean soup, toss a salad, and be comforted.

Nourish you soul as well. Family time, relationship time, YOU time. Even 10 minutes can make a big difference in how you feel. Especially if it helps you avoid checking out with a bag of Chips Ahoy or a pint of New York Fudge Brownie. I’m not giving you links to those.

Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend, or your child. With kindness, compassion and love. It is the only thing that works. Baby step by baby step, you can make it. And then you can lead the ones you love.

 

 

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January 9, 2012

Nourishment

As this new year gets going, many of us are struggling with the resolve to lose our extra weight. Or just overcome the cravings for junk, sweets, bread and cheese, cute shoes, etc. And it is really hard.

Our bodies do not like this kind of change, and we are obviously getting something we need from filling these cravings. Energy, in the form of sugar. Salt, which we need when we are stressed and anxious (our bodies use it to make cortisol). Bread and cheese, to calm us down and give us a little hit of feel-good. Shoes, well we don’t really need to go there.

The trick to changing these habits is to really nourish our bodies. We are getting plenty of calories, but not enough nutrients. And our bodies will crave more food until we have all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we need.

So, instead of beating ourselves up for giving in to these very strong cravings, lets try giving ourselves the nourishment we need. This nourishment comes in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans – you get the idea. Colorful, natural, whole and delicious foods.

After a few days of truly nourishing yourself, you will find those cravings a lot easier to shake. They will turn from strong yearnings to just habits.

Remember the other ways our bodies need nourishment: sleep, exercise, sunlight, and touch. Getting plenty of those will nourish not only your body but your soul. And our souls need nourishment, too.

So prep some salad greens, grab some veggies and fruits at the market, and plan a few home-cooked meals for the next week. Once you start thinking about food in terms of nourishment for yourself and your family, instead of the enemy of your waistline, this whole thing gets easier. If you want an easy plan, sign up for the 10 habits on the right side of this page. It will get you started  - quick and painless.

Just think how great next year will be, when none of your resolutions have anything to do with your thighs.

 

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November 18, 2011

Holiday Special Package

holiday dietYou know those extra few pounds we all seem to put on each year? The ones that hang around until next year, when we gain another few? We gain 90% of those during the Holiday Season. Makes those Holidays not quite so happy, yes?

I have a solution that will actually work. No empty promises, just proven strategies to get the job done.

Imagine, not needing to put lose weight on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, because it will already be happening. No need to worry about lowering your cholesterol and blood sugar, either. We’ll take care of that.

Best of all, you will still enjoy your Holidays. You can have your favorites, enjoy your parties, and bake for your family. All you need are a few strategies and a really good plan.

If you would like to start next year in better health than you started this year, this plan was made for you.

This package is limited to 12 people or couples. So sign up now and don’t lose your spot.

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November 14, 2011

Monday Swap #6: Baked Apples

photo by MKucova at istockphoto

Baked Apples for Apple Pie

Fall is here in all its glory, and one of the best things about it is the fabulous selection of apples at the market. They are fresh, smell fantastic, taste terrific, and are so good for us. Full of nutrients, especially quercitin, which helps keep our bronchial passages healthy.

While that may seem like justification to indulge in apple pie, the fat and refined flour in the crust and sugar and butter in the filling take a healthy apple and drag it down. Now, I’m all for a special dessert now and then, and if someone you love made you their famous apple pie please enjoy a piece. But for everyday type desserts, try baked apples instead. They are easy, delicious, and pretty much guilt free. Also gluten free!

Here’s how to make them:

Heat oven to 350 F

Core apples, and peel a strip or two off the stem end, slice a little off the bottom if they won’t stand up.

Place in a pie pan, or baking pan that will hold the apples upright.

Sprinkle apples inside core and over the top with cinnamon and sugar – I like a 2:1 ratio of sugar to cinnamon

Stuff core with raisins and chopped nuts – dried cranberries are also good

Pour about a cup, depending on how many you are making, of apple cider in the pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily into apples. Do not overbake, or they will fall apart. It is good to baste them every so often, too, so the tops stay nice and moist.

*You can put them in the oven when you take dinner out, they will be ready when you are done eating, and they can keep warm for a while, too.

Your house will smell heavenly!

Enjoy!

Some people have had success making these in the microwave. They seem to take about 5 minutes, your timing may vary. Let me know if this works for you.

 

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November 10, 2011

Eating Vitamin C Prevents Colds

 

Yes, you read that right. A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, August 2011, found that women who ate Vitamin C rich foods on average 60 times per month – that is twice a day – had a 45% lower risk of developing an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (cold, flu, bronchitis, etc.) Yes, their risk was cut almost in half!

There was no significant reduction in risk with supplements of Vitamin C in women. In men it was the opposite, and the researchers’ theory is that the intake of Vitamin C from food in the men studied was so low that only large amounts from supplements helped. It seemed too few ate enough Vitamin C rich foods to make a difference.

Why was food better than supplements for women? If you’ve been hanging out here for a while, or if you have taken my Cancer Class, you know why. Smarties! Vitamins, especially the antioxidant ones like A, C and E, play better with others. Meaning, the foods rich in these vitamins are also rich in complementary nutrients that make the vitamins work better, and you just don’t get all those complementary nutrients in a supplement.

So which foods are rich in Vitamin C? Veggies can be eaten cooked or raw, fruit can be fresh or frozen. They are all good.

  1. Asparagus
  2. Bell peppers – all colors, especially orange and red
  3. Berries – again, all kinds
  4. Broccoli
  5. Brussels Sprouts
  6. Cabbage
  7. Cauliflower
  8. Citrus fruits and juices
  9. Kale
  10. Papaya

I’ve made a handy checklist for you to put on your fridge, or wherever you like. Download it here.

You may notice that these foods are also high in other nutrients. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Work two of these foods into your diet each day, and you will see more healthy days this Winter. There is also some evidence that you will recover faster if you do catch a cold if you eat plenty of Vitamin C rich foods.

Another bonus: these foods will make your skin look fantastic since they are also high in other antioxidant vitamins, not to mention very figure-friendly.

 

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November 7, 2011

Holidaying #1

I’m here to answer your holiday health questions, so ask away!

Q:

I am invited to a lot of dinner parties where dinner will be served at eight. I usually eat dinner at six, so by the time I arrive at the party I am starving. I eat and drink too much, too fast, and end up not enjoying the party as much as I would like. After a few of these shindigs, my party clothes get a little too tight, too. What is the solution?

-Popular on the Potomac

A:

Hello Popular, I can absolutely help you! This is common, since it is so fashionable to eat later, and weekday hostesses need some time after work to get everything ready.

If you are coming from your home, eat a good salad at your usual dinner time. You’ll get a good serving or two of veggies, which are usually in short supply at holiday parties, and will be ready to eat but not starving when you get to your party. Skip the cheese or creamy dressings, though, they can make your breath less than fresh.

If you are going straight from work to the party, a few nuts and an apple are a perfect pre-party snack. They take the edge off, without making you feel bloated or giving you dragon breath. Dried fruit in trail mix can stick in your teeth, and see above for cheese. Crackers or cookies just make your blood sugar spike then plummet, right around party time.

When you get to the party, have a non-alcoholic drink first. Quenching thirst with alcohol leads to too much drinking, and drinking on an empty stomach leads to embarrassing, intoxicated episodes. We’ve all seen it happen, and its not pretty.

Eat the veggies that are served, along with your regular portion sizes of anything else. Pay attention to how full you are – eating too much or too fast can lead to heartburn. Most of all, enjoy the party! Eating well most of the time during the holidays means you can indulge in your hosts’ special dishes without guilt.

Hope this helps! What do you all do when parties through you off schedule?

 

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November 7, 2011

Monday Swap #5: Veggie Ground “Beef”

If you’ve never tried substituting veggie crumbles for ground beef, or haven’t had success, read on. When you make a few adjustments to the recipe, you really can’t tell the difference. And you can save yourself from a ton of saturated fat and cholesterol while enjoying some foods you thought may have been off limits. And veggie crumbles don’t have to be defrosted before using, which is great if you decide at the last minute to make chili.

Here’s the deal with veggie ground crumbles, you need to use them in something where the ground meat is in a sauce – like chili or spaghetti sauce. You will be unhappy using them for meatloaf. I’ve tried the Morningstar Farms and Yves brands, and they both were good.

To make a successful sway, you will want to add more liquid to the recipe – start with adding 1/2 the liquid again, and go from there. You will also need to add a little oil, like plain olive oil or canola oil, for the texture. And lastly, you will want to bump up the earthy spices in the recipe, like oregano and cumin.

This is our favorite chili – it is guilt-free and absolutely delicious. I took The Pioneer Woman’s chili recipe and made it veggie. If you don’t tell, I won’t tell, and no one will even suspect you swapped out the ground beef. Once they taste it, you won’t have to hide the wrapper.

Veggie Chili

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil (not extra virgin) or canola-type oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

1 Tbs. ground cumin – generous

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 Tbs. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper – or to taste, depending on how spicy your chili powder is and how you like your chili

2 packages of veggie crumbles, about 12 oz each

1 14-15oz can tomato sauce, no salt added if you can find it

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 cup masa or corn flour, you can use fine ground corn meal if that’s all you can find

2 15oz cans of beans – I like kidney, pinto or black beans – drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis, like RoTel

 

1.  Heat oil in a dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, and saute onion until translucent

2. Add garlic, spices and veggie crumbles, and saute until blended and veggie crumbles are hot

3. Add tomato sauce, swish out can with some water to get the rest, pour it in and bring to a low boil

4. Cover the pot and simmer about 20 minutes to meld the flavors

5. Mix the masa with 1/2 cup of water, and add to chili; let simmer uncovered a few minutes

6. Add beans and tomatoes, heat through

7. Enjoy chili with your favorite toppings, like grated cheese or red onion or avocado!

Experiment with these crumbles, and you may never go back to ground beef again – think about it, those days of draining all that yucky fat from the pan into an old coffee can can be behind you! Along with a healthy heart, a smaller backside, and a happy family.

 

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October 24, 2011

Monday Swap it Up #3

Okay, let me just say don’t say no until you read the whole post.

Swap #3: steel cut oats for cold cereal or instant oatmeal

I know, you are thinking you don’t have all morning to stir oatmeal on the stove. Neither do I. Here’s a way to get all the whole-grain goodness of steel cut oats without turning yourself into June Cleaver. Not that she didn’t rock those pearls.

Anyway, while wandering through Target (all “I’m finally getting my life in order” resolutions begin with a trip to Target) I found the most handy little gadget, a 2 qt. little crock pot. I couldn’t download a picture, but you can see it here (not an affiliate link, I just like this). For about $10. My regular meal size crockpot is way too big for morning oatmeal.

Crockpots are not my favorite cooking method, mostly since I work from home in the afternoons and just stick stuff in the oven. But this is my favorite kind of kitchen gadget, one that solves a problem easily and cheaply. So I bought it, and am very glad I did.

Now we have delicious steel cut oats ready for us in the morning. It’s like the timer on the coffee maker – one of the best inventions ever. Here’s how we do it:

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

This makes enough for two adults.

Before going to bed put 3/4 cup steel cut oats and 3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk in the crockpot (almond milk will be a future swap, you can use water, skim or 1% regular milk, soy milk, whatever you like)

Add a pinch of salt and 2 Tbs ground flax seeds

Stir, cover and turn the crockpot on low and sleep like a baby knowing breakfast is already made.

WARNING: When you wake up and look at your oatmeal the first time, you will curse me. It will look all wrong. But it is really fine. Just give is a good stir, getting all the thick stuff off the bottom, turn off the crockpot and put the lid back on. In a few minutes it will look normal, I promise.

Add whatever fruit you like in your oatmeal, some chopped nuts (unsalted), and a little sugar if you need it. Yum! My husband has 2/3 of the oatmeal and I have 1/3.

If you are adding frozen fruit, let it cook with the oatmeal overnight. The color will change, so don’t be alarmed. Your kids might really like purple oatmeal!

You can try as many flavor variations as you can imagine: pumpkin with pie spices, apple and cinnamon (add chopped apple with the oats in the evening), mango and ginger – there are so many possibilities.

If you have regular Old Fashioned Oats, this works fine too. Use the ratios on the package for the number of servings you want, and reduce the liquid just a little since there will be no evaporation during cooking.

Enjoy this yummy breakfast all winter long. Your cholesterol, blood sugar and waistline will thank you.

 

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