Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Diabetic Epidemic?

Maybe it's just my friends, but so many have been told that their blood sugar is problematic. They're all rushing to dietitians for special diets.

Is it just our age? Are the hot flashes causing the sugar to heat up like cotton candy?

Maybe I'm getting senile, but I remember reading that the doctors have been "tweaking" the alert numbers for all sorts of conditions, sugar cholesterol, blood pressure etc. That means that what had been considered "normal" a few years ago is now borderline, worrisome or "needs medication."

One thing, please read ingredients, especially on the "low fat/cholesterol" foods. Many, including low-fat mayonnaise and fat-free half and half, have corn syrup. Corn syrup is a very dangerous food additive. It's a lot worse than eggs and cholesterol.

Back to the diabetes. Something really strange is that I've heard of a few cases of men in their forties and fifties who've been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, not the adult onset. That's really strange. And I keep reading about American children getting the adult type, due to their high sugar diet.

I guess we must get back to old-fashioned foods. Ordinary fruit, vegetables, eggs and milk. Unprocessed, please!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As someone who has suffered from PCOS for 42 years and has only come to grips, thanks to medicine FINALLY making the connection, with insulin resistance for the last 10 years (the pre-cursor to diabetes) I can tell you what nearly all the researchers and my eminent endocrinologist says:

It's the additives in the food triggering this.

Sugar substitutes don't work. Your brain still interprets the "sweet" taste and you get the same insulin response.

Fillers = carbs. High fructose corn syrup = SUGAR, Corn Syrup = SUGAR, Fast Food = CARBORAMA!! Fruit = FRUCTOSE - a SUGAR. Anything ending in "ose" Sucrose, Fructose, Lactose... is a FORM OF SUGAR

Start reading labels and staying as organic as you can. If you eat Kosher Meat, keep it up!! Eat more protein. Eat real sugar if you must but sparingly. Be careful with DIET sodas. Switch to seltzer or water.

Just because a label says DIET or LOW FAT or LEAN or SLIM or HEALTHY doesn't mean it is. Make sure that the carbs to protein ratio on the package is close.

Our additives, preservatives and carb laden diets are the culprits.

I've been riding this pony for a long time -- and I continue to fight the fight

Leora said...

Great comment from Barbara! The additives are a problem, as well as all the simple carbohydrates.

Yes, Batya, unprocessed foods are the way to go. You have so many beautiful fruits and vegetables in Israel (and seeds, too--can you get unsalted, unroasted sunflowers seeds?). The way I see it, try to eat foods that don't even have labels.

Milk might be problematic. Depends on your body, and what they did to the milk. Some say just drink "raw milk". Controversial.

Anonymous said...

It's slightly disconcerting to think about the length of the ingredient lists for various foods...

If I'm going to have junk food, I'd rather have the real thing- home made baked goods!

Batya said...

barbara, leora, t,
Thanks for adding your two cents. The food industry is out to make money, and they count on the fact that most people don't bother reading labels.
The simplest is the best, the healthiest.

Anonymous said...

This link might interest you: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

My big advice? READ THE LABEL ;)

Batya said...

Barbara, thanks, and I agree 100%