Do the Crime, Do the Time with the Diet Detective
Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Exercise
We are what we eat. That's what we've always been told, isn't it? For good reason, because it is so very true. Just as important is what we do with that food. Burning it as fuel through exercise is clearly the healthiest option, for this will aid in lowering cholesterol levels, improving circulation, and reducing the risk of heart disease.
When it comes to food, there are usually three or four things that people pay closest attention to on labels: Carbs, Proteins, Fats and Calories. While it's near impossible for non-scientists to determine how proteins, fats, and carbs are being broken down during exercise, there is a way for the rest of us to figure out how much exercise would be required to burn a specific number of calories.
Among the several methods of doing so, I recently came across a website that may be the easiest way of all. It's called the Diet Detective (www.dietdetective.com), and it's a website that is certainly worth looking at. For one, you can find out how long it will take you to burn off the calories of your favorite food. Plus, you can also find out how many calories are burned while performing some of your favorite exercises -- all in great detail in terms of time, effort level, etc. In addition, you can also roughly calculate your BMI and your Body Fat, and also learn your target heart rate.
Here's just a quick thing I put together based on info. on the Diet Detective website:
9 Hershey's Kisses contain 230 calories. This means that you'd have to either run for 24 minutes, or bike for 33 minutes, or walk for 59 minutes, or do Yoga for 129 minutes to burn off the calories consumed from those little chocolate treats. The good news about exercise, though, is that once you are following a regular, consistent program, you will burn a great deal of calories even when you are not working out.
Hope you enjoy the site -- but not for too long. Best I can tell, sitting in front of a computer hardly burns any calories!!!
MRI danger for Medtronic Paradigm pump
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Daily News, Products
Certain models of the Medtronic Paradigm insulin pump can be irrevocably damaged by exposure to MRI radiation. As a result - and based on information supplied voluntarily by Medtronic - the US Food and Drug Administration has declared a Class II recall for the affected pump models. MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) can cause the pump to malfunction and deliver a dangerously high dosage of insulin to the user.Bottom line is that there's nothing defective about these pumps in terms of normal usage. You need only be concerned if you own one of the affected models and if your pump was exposed to MRI magnetic waves. Medtronic says the pumps that are affected should sound an alarm to warn users, but it is feared that people might override such alarms and continue using the devices, unaware that permanent damage has been done.
Owners of the affected models should have received a letter in the mail from Medtronic explaining the recall. If you use a Medtronic pump and have had an MRI, swing over to the FDA's website. There you can read the feds' statement (complete with typo misspelling "paradigm"!) on the problem and confirm whether or not yours is one of the problem pumps. This article in Diabetes Health is also useful. Strangely, I found the Medtronic website devoid of helpful info on the subject, but eventually tracked down a pdf of the letter sent to customers on the company's Canadian website.
Non-prescription Diachrome(R) improves glycemic control for type 2 diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Drugs, Research
You don't even need a prescription for this one. Nutrition 21, Inc., a nutritional bioscience company, markets drugstore supplements such as selenium and omega-3 fish oil. They recently announced new published results of a clinical study of their patented product Diachrome(R), a combination of chromium picolinate and biotin (a B vitamin).
Here's the skinny on the study. In a 447 subject, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, type 2 diabetics taking Diachrome(R) realized significant improvements in glycemic control (an absolute decrease in A1C of 0.54%). More dramatic decreases were seen for type diabetics with terrible glycemic control levels (A1C levels equal or greater than 10%). These diachrome(R)-takers saw an additional absolute A1C decrease of 1.76%, and they were already taking one or more prescriptions to treat their type 2 diabetes. Improvements were also seen in fasting glucose levels and triglycerides to high density lipoprotein (HDL) ratios.
Is a nutritional supplement honestly going to help people with type 2 diabetes? I checked out the Diachrome(R) website and found the product has been around at least since 2004, possibly even longer. The FDA has deemed it safe. Perhaps it does enhance insulin function, but the website clearly states it should never replace medications already being prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes.
Top 5 from LOL Diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Lifestyle, Blogs
The healing continues. From laughter, that is. 
As we wait with great hope for a cure for diabetes, we do so with a smile thanks to humor to be found on the new website LOL Diabetes (www.loldiabetes.com). I've posted before about this site, which itself is part of the popular diabetes website Six Until Me (www.sixuntilme.com). Nevertheless, things have become waaaaaay to funny over there for me to not highlight some of my favorites.
These would be my Top 5:
5 - The Insulin Monkey. This picture features a stuffed animal, a monkey to be exact, with dozens of syringes sticking out of it, much like a pin cushion. The words "You're Doing it Wrong" that are printed on the picture sum it up perfectly.
4 - iPump. A play on the now famous iPod silhouette ads, this mock version of this campaign features people wearing insulin pumps in place of iPods.
3 - Thumbtacks. A photo of a child's Spider Man poster fastened to the wall with -- Thumb Tacks? No, no, no. Look again...those are lancets! As someone aptly commented on the entry, what a great use for all those extras!
2 - Wanted! In this Old West style Wanted poster, there's a bounty for bringing in Twinkie the Kid. Turns out "The Kid" is wanted for Shootin' Up High Blood Sugars.
1 - The Enemy. By far my favorite, Short, simple, and hilarious. The photo features no other than Willy Wonka himself, with the words "The Enemy" written below. Very true. And very funny.
There are a whole bunch more that could have made a Top 10 list (namely: Soundtrack to a Low, Is This the Remix?, My Pump Makes Me Look Like a Cross-Dresser, Ah! Needle Landslide, and What's Better Than a Cookie).
Be sure to check out LOL Diabetes. Think you have something funny to add? I say go for it!!
Have a sweet Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day. Sure is a tough day to be diabetic if you have to fight a yearning for sugary treats that are nutritional no-nos. Is is possible to have a sweet Valentine's Day without sugar? Well, maybe. For starters, check out the DLife website. The folks over there have posted some handy hints on how to get by on the big, red, heart-shaped day without giving in to a candy craving. Their advice includes trying low-carb candies and (for couples in lurve) focusing on romance, flowers and the like. As for helping diabetic kids to deal with the sugar deluge associated with V-Day, here are a couple of good suggestions: have them distribute non-foodie gifts with Valentine cards at school. Think along the lines of little, inexpensive items like stickers. They also advise stashing any candy your diabetic child may receive as a gift and keeping it to be distributed a little at a time.
You have to wonder if parents with diabetic kids have a particularly difficult time on holidays like this, which are so tied up with sticky treats. Must be hard to talk the little ones into going without. Seems to me the best solution for kids and adults is to refocus onto "safe" foods that are still fun and Valentine's Day-themed. Okay, you'll have to use your imagination a little, but life is full of challenges! For example, I liked the website Pioneer Thinking's suggestion: whipping up a big hot potful of spicy Gazpacho soup. It's healthy, affordable, red-hot and can be enjoyed by all. There's just no candy in it. Nor is it heart-shaped. (As I said, you need to use your imagination for this to work...) But what a great idea! I can see it now: in a future, alternate-universe America, people spurning red boxes of candy in exchange for hot and spicy cuisine. A bowl of chili and a bunch of roses for your True Love? Stranger things have happened in this world...
The Solution to Healthy Weight Loss
"Can't find what you are looking for? Try Google Search" Calorie Feature Article The Solution to Healthy Weight LossAuthor: Marilyn Pokorney REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publishthis article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter,ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if itremains unchanged and you include the copyright and authorinformation (Resource Box) at the end. You may not usethis article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).You may retrieve this article by:Autoresponder: diettips1000@getresponse.comWebsite: http://www.apluswriting.net/articles/diettips.txtWords: 882 including resource boxCopyright: 2005 Marilyn PokorneyPlease leave the resource box intact with an active link,and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which thearticle appears to: marilynp@nctc.net------------------------------------------------------------The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem.There are no official statistics for spending on dietproducts, but estimates vary from $40 to $100 billion in theUS alone, much of that on scams and fad diets that promisethe impossible.Research shows that 95% of people who have lost weight findthat they regain it back when they return to their normaleating habits.According to the Center for Disease Control's ChronicDisease Center, in 1991 in the United States, only fourstates had an obesity prevalence of 15 percent to 19percent. In 2003, 15 states had an obesity prevalence of15 to 19 percent, 31 states had an obesity prevalence of 20to 24 percent, and four states had a prevalence of 25percent or more.Major medical problems associated with obesity includegallbladder disease, high blood pressure, high bloodcholesterol, diabetes, and osteoarthritis.If that isn't incentive enough to lose that excess weightstatistics show that overweight people are usually givenlower paying jobs, get lower salaries, receive little inraises, and are, as a whole, looked down upon by 40 percentof fellow employees and employers.In 2002 The American Heart Association reported that morethan 10 percent of US children ages 2 to 5 are overweight.That is up from 7 percent in 1994. The situation isprobably even worse now, said Dr. Robert H. Eckel,president-elect of the heart association and professor ofmedicine at the University of Colorado.The obesity problem among children has increased withschool-age children as well. Four million children ages 6to 11 and 5.3 million in age group 12 to 19 have increasedby 75 percent from 1991.Food habits adopted in childhood can be hard to change. Asa result hypertension and high cholesterol leading to heartdisease, strokes, and diabetes are going to become thenations top health problem with people of all ages within 10to 30 years. These are ailments that usually afflict themiddle age to elderly population. More than a million newcases of diabetes are already being diagnosed each year,says the American Diabetic Association.Nearly 30 percent of American adults are overweight andanother 30 percent are obese, according to University ofMinnesota researchers. Obesity is usually described as aweight 20 percent greater than the persons desirable weight.A study by the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at theFred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle revealedthat 60% of overweight women, and 70% of obese women, arelikely to become pregnant while taking the pill. Theresearchers suggest that a higher metabolism is the reason,causing the medication to be effective for a shorter lengthof time. Or, that the drug interacts with the body'shormones in a way that the drug becomes trapped in the bodyfat instead of circulating in the bloodstream.Studies with obese pregnant women show they are 50% morelikely to die during pregnancy than those of normal weight.Complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes,hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and stillbirthare also more common. Preliminary evidence shows thatbabies are also adversely affected, and are more likely tobe obese themselves in later life.Fast foods: Studies show that people who frequent fast foodoutlets twice a week or more gained 36 pounds over thecourse of 15 years compared to 26 pounds for those thatfrequented them once a week or less.A major factor for the obesity crisis is a sedentarylifestyle, not enough exercise, and the eating of highcalorie fast foods in place of nutritious natural foodproducts.Fast food is designed to promote consumption of the maximumnumber of calories in the minimum amount of time. Thisupsets the body's normal metabolism. One solution is to eatsmaller, more nutritious, meals more frequently throughoutthe day.Physical activity reduces the effects of being overweight,but healthy eating habits have to be followed to preventdisease associated with poor nutrition according to anexpert of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard Schoolof Public Health.The new diet guidelines set by the Health and Human Servicesand the U.S. Department of Agriculture is basically abalanced diet and good old fashioned exercise. They stressmore fruits, vegetables, whole grains and limit fats, sugar,alcohol, and salt.Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day making a choice ofhealthy food available at all times.For more tips on how to lose weight safely see The Secret toWeight Loss at:http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/diettips.htm*****************************************Author: Marilyn PokorneyFreelance writer of science, nature, animals and theenvironment.Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.Website: http://www.apluswriting.net***************************************** About the Author Author: Marilyn PokorneyFreelance writer of science, nature, animals and theenvironment.Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.Website: http://www.apluswriting.net... Canadian Calorie CounterFree Calorie Counting GuidePilates And Calorie Burning
Vehicle for change? Novo Nordisk's bus to visit US
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Events, Opinion
Drug giant Novo Nordisk's big white bus will soon roll into the USA. Officially known as the Novo Nordisk Changing Diabetes Bus, the vehicle is scheduled to visit a selection of towns in the USA between June and November. First, though, it's the turn of those lucky Canadians. The tour kicked off in Denmark back in September 2006 and goes under the banner "Changing Diabetes." Since Denmark, the bus and its crew have visited the following countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa, Australia, China, Japan, and Canada. (Cool job, huh?) The Canada sojourn will last a few more days - 'till June 12, to be exact - then it's time to cross the border into the US. Last stop is New York City, where the tour will end on November 14, which is World Diabetes Day. Oddly, the Novo "bus" is actually a big truck, at least according to the pics I'm viewing on Novo's snazzy website. I guess calling it a bus tour makes it sound a tad folksier...more Partridge Family, less soulless pharmaceutical empire? But I digress...The Changing Diabetes Bus tour is touted by Novo as an attitude-altering event with its high-tech educational displays that are housed on board the bus/truck. (See the website for a fun virtual tour of the bus.) A vehicle for change, if you will (yukkity yuk) designed to reach out to everyone: diabetics, their families, healthcare providers, as well as curious Average Joes. The specific purpose, says Novo, is to support the passing of a United Nations resolution on diabetes. Listen, I hate to be catty, but it's been an awareness-raising event in more ways than one, don't you agree? It's been a great promotional venture. An all around image-polishing exercise for Novo too. Hey, that's not to say this tour has not done good things to educate the public. I mean, it's good that mega-companies like that put aside money in the budget for feel-good, reach-out-to-the-community stuff. But let's be honest. Would they have put up the cash if their name wasn't plastered all over? Probably not.
Vegetarian Tips: Make Your Vegetarian Diet A Balanced Diet!
"Can't find what you are looking for? Try Google Search" Low Calorie Feature Article Vegetarian Tips: Make Your Vegetarian Diet A Balanced Diet!Author: Jasdeep Singh The world has opened eyes to the harmful side-effects of non-veg food like red meat and is now opening arms to Vegetarian Food. A very common myth found among common man is that vegetarian food doesnt provide you with necessary nutrients but a Vegetarian Diet, in no ways, is deprived of necessary nutrients, Only if you have a balanced Vegetarian Diet. Make sure you eat a lot of fruits and dont follow particular monotonous meals. Some Nutrients you dont come across normally in Vegetarian Diets are:- a) Iron b) Calcium c) Zinc d) Protien e) Vitamin D f) Vitamin B12 But you can always have vegetarian source for these nutrients. On a other side of the coin, there are a lots of benifits of Vegetarian Food (incomplete) . They are rich in . You can Find Iron in the following Vegetarian Food items:- Cashews, tomato juice, rice, garbanzo beans (chick peas) and tofu. . You can Find Calcium in the following Vegetarian Food items:- Dairy products, fortified soymilk, fortified orange juice, tofu and broccoli. . You can find Zinc in the following Vegetarian Food items:- Whole grains (especially the germ and bran of the grain), nuts, tofu, leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, cabbage), root vegetables (onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, radishes), eggs and dairy products. . You can find Protein in the following Vegetarian Food items:- Vegetarians must eat a variety of plant foods over the course of a day to get enough protein. Eg: Tempeh, miso lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, and peas. . You can find Vitamin D in the following Vegetarian Food items:- fortified cereals (or a small amount of sunlight) and Fortified milk and soymilk . You can Vitamin B12 in the following Vegetarian Food items:- Tempeh, miso, eggs, dairy products, fortified soymilk and cereals.. Tempeh and miso are foods made from soybeans. They are low in calories and fat and high in protein. Know more about Balanced Diet at http://www.weightloss-health.com/balanced_diet.htm About the Author: Jasdeep Singh For http://weightloss-health.com/ your complete and most comprehensive family guide on Health. Also get free sample low carb recipes, low fat recipes, low calorie recipes, low sodium recipes, low sugar recipes at http://weightloss-health.com/low_carb_recipes.htm If you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this resource box and LIVE link to our website.... Burning Calorie On A Stationary BikeRestaurant Food Calorie CountLow Calorie Pumpkin Pie
Why being an athlete isn't as healthy as it used to be
Filed under: Exercise
Physical activity is great for your health, and although it's no guarantee against heart disease and cardiovascular issues it is a pretty big deterrent and can definitely swing the odds in your favor. But being an athlete isn't as healthy as it used to be years ago, now that air pollution levels and smog have risen so much in urban and highly populated areas. Athletes breathe in more air than the average sedentary person, and those chemicals and pollutants can build up their bodies and cause problems in the heart and lungs.Suggestions on limiting the damage caused by poor air quality include doing what you can to avoid working out in high traffic areas and staying indoors altogether when the air quality is bad. You can usually get air quality readings on the website for your local state or city, or That's Fit found this handy national map that can also give you an idea of what you're dealing with in your area.
A few heart healthy tips
Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Mind Body medicine
I usually tune in to CNN to find out what's going on in the world, not to find out what's going in inside my body. But, there are always exceptions. For example, I find the BBC news to sometimes be a more accurate/less filtered account of world events. By the same token, CNN does have some valuable health info. to offer up every once in a while. Case in point, a list of "9 Secrets to a Healthier Heart" published on the news giant's website.
Simple, easy-to-follow and just plain good, sound advice. That's what I like most about this list. Rather than reiterate all of the 9 secrets, I have instead decided to paraphrase a few I found to be most helpful:
#4) Try to consume more pomegranate juice. In addition to aiding in preventing hardening of the arteries, lowering bad cholesterol, pomegranate juice may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Try to find a 100% version of the juice, such s the very popular Pom -- which can be found in most supermarkets.
#6) Pointing to a research study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, the article sites the importance of laughter. Its healing power, if you will. Apparently, people who watched comedy films such as "There's Something About Mary" had better blood flow than those who watched dramas like "Saving Private Ryan."
#8) Relaxed, control breathing can help lower your blood pressure. The article suggests trying to take 10 breaths per minute rather than the average 16 to 19. By doing so, you can slow your body's excretion of salt, which, in turn, will help keep your blood pressure down.
As I said, these are simple and effective strategies to help keep your heart healthy. To read all 9, click HERE.
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