Tag: Diet and Health

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What to Eat if You Are Prediabetic (hint, low carbs)

One of the most studied diets for reversing diabetes and prediabetes is a low carbohydrate diet² that’s personalized to your carb tolerance. People with a high carb tolerance might be able to eat a carbohydrate-heavy diet and keep their blood sugar in a normal range, but someone with prediabetes and a low carb tolerance may experience chronic blood sugar spikes and struggle with fatigue, weight gain, and more. 

Prediabetes Diet: What to Eat, and What to Avoid — https://www.virtahealth.com/blog/prediabetes-diet

I need to be better with the list of foods to avoid.

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Eat an Apple and Some Broccoli and Call Me in the Morning

A recent study examined the effects of produce prescription programs in 12 U.S. states (1). Almost 4,000 individuals received produce prescriptions. About half were adults and half were children. They were all from low-income neighborhoods. Participants received paper vouchers or electronic cards providing from $15 to $300 per month to buy fruits and vegetables at grocery stores and farmers markets. They attended nutrition classes. The median length of program participation was 6 months.

Adults receiving produce prescription ate, on average, more than three quarters of a cup per day more fruits and vegetables; children averaged a quarter cup more per day. Both adults and children reported that their overall health status improved. Among adults with poor health, improvements were seen in blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (a measure of diabetes control), and body mass index (BMI). These results suggest that produce prescriptions could have important benefits.

Eat an Apple and Some Broccoli and Call Me in the Morning: Produce Prescriptions Offer Health Benefits — https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/10/13/eat-an-apple-and-some-broccoli-and-call-me-in-the-morning-produce-prescriptions-offer-health-benefits/ – Posted on October 13, 2023 by The VRG Blog Editor

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Eat This Way – PURE Study

A diet comprised of higher amounts of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole-fat dairy is associated with lower CVD and mortality in all world regions, especially in countries with lower income where consumption of these foods is low.

Our findings suggest that globally the key to a healthy diet is probably one that includes diverse natural foods in moderation, rather than restricting intake to a small number of food categories.

Diet, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in 80 countries — https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad269/7192512

Presented without the usual snarky comment about some of my dietary choices like whole-fat Greek yogurt and full fat cheeses.

Time to make lunch. Spinach quesadillas with whole-fat cheddar cheese.

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DO NOT EAT (crickets for iron)

Iron absorption from house crickets and fortified maize porridge with crickets is low, which may be explained by the presence of chitin and other inhibitors in the cricket biomass.

Absorption of iron from edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in humans — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 116, Issue 4, October 2022, Pages 1146–1156, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac223

Always remember to eat a well balanced diet.

And find other dietary sources for iron besides crickets.

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Research Reveals One Simple Habit That Promotes Longevity AND Provides Extra Income in Retirement

Many thanks to OlRedHair at https://olredhair.wordpress.com/ for the CNN link.

Studies point to the health benefits of beans, backing up what people in blue zones have long known, Buettner said. The soluble fiber in beans can cut cholesterol and help prevent type 2 diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar. A 2001 study found eating beans four times a week cut heart disease by 22%. A 2004 study found people lived approximately eight more years for every 20-gram intake of legumes — that’s about an ounce.

Eating this food may be a reason why some people live to 100 — https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/29/health/beans-longevity-blue-zone-wellness

Beans are cheap and good for you.

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This is Nuts!

Additional Adventist Health Study findings validated the relationship between eating nuts and whole wheat bread and experiencing a reduced risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). These findings were published in a research article by Dr. Fraser and his colleagues to the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1992. The findings attracted substantial media attention.

The research reported that eating nuts one to four times a week:

Lowered the risk of nonfatal heart attack by 74 percent.

Lowered the risk of fatal coronary heart disease by 73 percent.

Findings for Nuts — https://adventisthealthstudy.org/studies/AHS-1/findings-nuts

I hope peanut butter has the same protective properties. Well, not exactly.

Our findings suggest potential benefits of higher nut and peanut butter consumption in lowering risk of type 2 diabetes in women. To avoid increasing caloric intake, regular nut consumption can be recommended as a replacement for consumption of refined grain products or red or processed meats.

Nut and Peanut Butter Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/195554

The Boss eats nuts every day in her yogurt and fruit breakfast. She eats the same breakfast every single day. I used to poke fun at her for this dietary pattern but I no longer will.

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Cranberries

A global study looking at the benefits of cranberry products published in Cochrane Reviews has determined cranberry juice, and its supplements, reduce the risk of repeat symptomatic UTIs in women by more than a quarter, in children by more than half, and in people susceptible to UTI following medical interventions by about 53%.

Flinders University. “A myth no more: Cranberry products can prevent urinary tract infections for women: New medical evidence shows consuming cranberry products is an effective way to prevent a UTI.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230420080722.htm (accessed April 23, 2023).

Journal Reference – Gabrielle Williams, Deirdre Hahn, Jacqueline H Stephens, Jonathan C Craig, Elisabeth M Hodson. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023; 2023 (4) DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub

UTI is short for urinary tract infection but if you are prone to these infections you already knew that.