The Balanced Diet-Diabetes Forecast Magazine

The Balanced Diet

What it means and why it's so important

By Tracey Neithercott with recipes by Robyn Webb, MS, LN

Most doctors will tell you that the best way to stay nourished when you have diabetes is to eat a balanced diet. TV commercials proclaim that their cereals are “a healthy part of a balanced diet.” Even the government agrees; it publishes dietary guidelines that promote, first and foremost, a balanced diet.

Which begs the question: What’s a balanced diet?

The short answer is that it’s a diet consisting of a variety of items from all the recommended food groups in the proper amounts. Fair enough. But what does that really mean in practice? We asked the experts to explain the importance of balancing your diet—and how to apply that knowledge in real-life settings.

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The Balanced Diet-Diabetes Forecast Magazine

Best Recipes For Barbecues and Potlucks

Eat What You Love!

Celebrate the coming season with friends, family, and great food! We have the best recipes for all your gatherings, big or small. Whether you’re grilling or bringing a side dish or dessert, our recipes will help make your celebration a success!

·	Sizzlin’ Grilled Chicken Recipes
·	Mouthwatering Barbecue Recipes
·	29 Perfect Potluck Recipes
·	Quick & Easy Grilled Veggies
·	Yum! Juicy Steaks & Burgers

Quick Low-Carb Lunch Ideas-Diabetic Connect

Quick Low-Carb Lunch Ideas
Break out of your lunchtime rut and try something new! Step right up for this taste-tempting assortment of lunch recipes. We've hand picked four favorites that are easy to fix, absolutely delicious, and a great fit for your diabetic meal plan. They're ideal for light dinners too!

Chicken Caesar Pitas
Vegetable Turkey Pockets
Egg Salad Sandwich
Turkey-Broccoli Roll-Ups

10 Ways to Avoid Health Problems-Diabetic Connect

10 Ways to Avoid Health Problems from Diabetes
The most dangerous thing you can do about diabetes complications is pretend they don't exist. Possibilities like heart attacks and blindness can be scary, but there's a lot you can do to reduce your risk. Here are 10 proven tips from the Mayo Clinic to help you slow down or prevent complications. Enjoy a healthier, more active life by taking better control of your diabetes!

More on health problems from diabetes:
Complications: Know Thy Enemy
Video: Complications from Diabetes
Join our discussion on preventing diabetes complications

Great Dinners Without The Stress-Diabetic Living

Great Dinners Without the Stress! Say good-bye to takeout and skip the drive-through! Whether you throw something in the slow cooker or fire up the grill, our recipes make dinner easy! · New Recipes for Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less! · Wow! Easy 7-Ingredient Meals · 24 Healthy Casserole Makeovers · Yum! One-Pan Chicken Dishes · Make the Most of Leftovers!

      

	· · ·

The Happiness Cure For Diabetes and More-Reverse Diabetes

The Happiness Cure For Diabetes

Sure, we all want to be happy. But what does that mean? It’s interesting how so many people define happiness in ways that are either unattainable (to live on a tropical island, be a zillionaire, never have to work again) or aren’t really all that soul satisfying (a sports car, thousands of Facebook fans, as much cake and ice cream as we wish).

Deep down, we all know a simple truth: Happiness isn’t anything more than an attitude. It’s finding pleasure in the small things of life. It’s reacting to tough situations with calm, not anger. It’s waking up feeling hopeful about the day, and going to bed feeling satisfied with what actually transpired.

Why are we talking about this stuff in a newsletter about diabetes? Simple: The benefits of a happy attitude go far beyond emotional and spiritual. They also include many important, life-enhancing physiological benefits. Maintaining a positive outlook reduces stress hormones that raise blood sugar. Also, when you’re happier, you crank up your immune system, warding off a whole host of ailments.

Studies have also found that folks who are happy and laugh more are less likely to have heart problems than those who rarely smile. And, remember, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of those with diabetes. But what’s even more surprising is that laughing and being in a good mood provides protection against heart attacks even among those with elevated blood pressure or cholesterol.

Not a natural born optimist? No worries. Try just one or two of the following mood-flipping strategies to improve your attitude and keep stress under control. You’ll notice right away how it seems much easier to enjoy life and do the right thing for your health.

Arm yourself with humor. Of course, it’s never easy to laugh when things aren’t going your way. Keep some chortles a fingertip away by having books of cartoon collections handy—oh, that Garfield and his lasagna. Or click on some funny YouTube videos. Just a few minutes of laughing will ease muscle tension and stress.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Think of diabetes as a challenge that can make you better and, eventually, stronger. People who’ve managed their condition well say they are healthier now than they were before their diagnosis. They have better habits and lead happier lives.

Set moderate, achievable goals. You don’t have to drop 100, 50, even 25 pounds to be successful at weight loss. In fact, setting unattainable goals only sets you up for failure. Instead, start with a reasonable goal, like losing 5 pounds. Even that amount will yield noticeable improvements in your health and in your self-confidence! Setting—and meeting—small daily goals (like eating one extra veggie or walking for 5 more minutes a day) provides a sense of accomplishment that keeps you going, too.

Say “no” to your inner skeptic. When a negative thought threatens to drag you down, fight back. When you hear yourself thinking that you’ll never be able to lose weight or how unfair it is that you have to worry about your blood sugar, tell yourself “NO!” in your firmest, most commanding voice. Say it out loud if you need to. Sometimes this is all it takes to stop nagging, pessimistic thoughts from snowballing into a defeatist attitude or self-deprecation, both of which can lead to feelings of depression.

Put your marriage first. Unhappy marriages have been linked to high blood pressure, high levels of stress hormones, and depression. It’s never too late to begin healthy communication with your spouse. Your do-this-today fix: Say “thank you” to your partner at least once a day and offer to do small kindnesses without being asked. Chances are your spouse will respond in kind.

Give and get massages from your spouse. This is a fabulous way to lower stress hormones and in turn, your blood sugar. And who knows where a massage could lead? We won’t dare presume, but keep in mind that sex is not only good exercise, but a wonderful way to nurture your relationship. Money (and a red, convertible sports car) may not buy happiness—but love sure does.

Featured Recipe

Granola Macaroons 
By adding granola, this recipe is a healthy spin on a classic cookie favorite. What’s even better: You mix your own granola rather than using commercial cereal, which can have up to 5 grams of fat per ounce!

Makes 2 ½ dozen

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup dried apples or raisins
1/3 cup sliced almonds
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
1    Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place the oats in a small baking pan and toast, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
2    Add the apples, almonds, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt, stirring to combine. Add the egg whites and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
3    With moistened hands, roll walnut-size pieces of dough into rounds and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly and bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown and slightly firm, but not hard. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Per macaroon: 53 cal, 1 g fat, 10 g carbs, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber, 0 mg chol, 34 mg sodium, 7 mg calcium

Great Ideas

The Candy Bar of Choice For Diabetes

Alongside the checkout aisle, a multitude of candy bars tempt you with the sweet taste of childhood memories. You’ve recently checked your blood sugar and know that you have a few calories to splurge on a snack. But which bar is best? They all contain lots of sugar and calories. Here, we decode three of the most popular bars so you can evaluate your indulgence:
• Snickers (30 g sugar, 280 calories, 4 g protein) scores as the best of the worst. Even though it’s slightly higher in calories than other bars, it contains the lowest amount of sugar. Snickers also packs in nuts, a source of fiber and healthy monounsaturated fat. And compared to the non-nutty bars, Snickers will slightly curb the blood-sugar spike you’ll experience after munching one.
• Milky Way (35 g sugar, 260 calories, 2 g protein) consists mostly of marshmallowy fluff and caramel, so it’s digested rapidly—which is what causes those rollercoaster blood-sugar spikes and dips. On the plus side, though, Milky Way offers the most calcium of the three at 6 percent of Recommended Daily Value.
• 3 Musketeers (40 g sugar, 260 calories, 2 g protein) commercials show the bars floating away because they’re so light. But it’s high sugar content and negligible amount of fiber—only 1 g—makes it the worst choice of the three.

8 Worst Appetizers in America-Yahoo! Health

Check out these 8 must-avoid appetizers. For the minority out there looking to gain weight, here are some excellent options to get you started! ;) 

8 Worst Appetizers in America
By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
May 27,2011

 
Usain Bolt. Michael Phelps. Jeff Gordon. What do these guys have in common? They know how to get off to a great start.

Think of them next time you settle into a booth at your favorite restaurant. Most sit-down chains offer a wide selection of egregious appetizers, “starters” that ought be called “stoppers” because they’ll stop your weight-loss plans dead. Unlike, say, a midafternoon candy bar or buttered popcorn at the movie theater, an appetizer isn't a stand-alone indulgence. It's a pre-game meal, the food you eat before you eat your food. And if you suck down 1,000 calories before dinner arrives, you'll blow past your entire day's calorie needs in one sitting. A thousand calories in just an appetizer? Oh, read on, innocent eater. . . .

Now, I’m not saying you should never indulge in an app. In fact, a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that by eating an appetizer before your meal, you could reduce your total calorie intake by 12 percent. But you have to be smart. The appetizer in the study weighed in at a mere 100 calories. The oversized appetizers now served at most chain restaurants are 10, sometimes 20 times that size. That's no exaggeration. If you want to avoid a calorie hangover (that'd be the one drooping over your belt), then you'd be wise to eliminate these 8 starters from your life, compliments of Eat This, Not That! 2011: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution.

#8: Worst Seafood Starter
Red Lobster Crispy Calamari and Vegetables
1,520 calories
97 g fat (11 g saturated)
3,050 mg sodium

"Crispy" is nothing more than a polite way of saying "covered with oil-saturated breading." That puts the tariff for this meal at nearly 100 grams of fat, which is more than you'd find in eight McDonald's cheeseburgers. Fortunately, Red Lobster also carries one of the world's healthiest starters: shrimp cocktail. It's loaded with protein and health-promoting minerals, and it's naturally low in calories. You'd have to suck down 76 jumbo shrimp to equal the 1,520 calories in Red Lobster's Crispy Calamari and Vegetables.

Eat This Instead!Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
120 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
580 mg sodium

#7: Worst Asian Appetizer
P.F. Chang’s Spare Ribs with Asian Slaw
1,546 calories
113 g fat (31 g saturated)
1,624 mg sodium 

Notice anything unusual about this appetizer? It's a full meal! It contains both an entree and a side dish. That would be forgivable if either of these were the least bit lean, but they're not. Far from it. The ribs deliver a deathblow of saturated fat and the Asian slaw bolsters the total fat count by 17 extra grams. The ribs’ antithesis is Chang’s Steamed Vegetable Dumplings. They're low in calories and high in micronutrients. Unfortunately, sodium's hard to avoid at Chang's, so go easy on the Potsticker Sauce to minimize the salty impact.

Eat This Instead!P.F. Chang’s Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Potsticker Sauce
320 calories
0 g fat
1,090 mg sodium

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8 Worst Appetizers in America-Yahoo! Health