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CDC FeaturesCDC Features Choosing Healthy Eating without Giving Up the Foods You Love
Is it possible to enjoy healthy eating without giving up the foods you love? Yes. The nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida, has information available in Spanish and English to help control the serious complications of diabetes without giving up the traditional Hispanic and Latin foods you’ve always enjoyed.
Carmen is a 55-year-old Colombian woman who moved to the United States five years ago to help her oldest daughter take care of her new baby. Carmen was raised by her mother and grandmother, both of whom were great cooks. Carmen was a little overweight. This felt normal to her because everyone in her family carried a little extra weight.
Not long ago, Carmen’s doctor told her she has type 2 diabetes. According to her doctor, Carmen’s eating habits that included American fast foods, fried foods, and excessive sweets had raised her blood sugar to unhealthy levels. Carmen immediately gave up eating fast foods and fried foods, but as a precaution also stopped eating all of the Latin dishes she loved, like arepas con chicharrón. She even stopped cooking many of the tasty traditional foods she used to make.
Carmen has since learned that she does not have to abandon the Latin foods she loves in order to control her disease. Thanks to information from a campaign focused on making Hispanics and Latinos aware of what making healthy food choices includes, she is now able to include many traditional dishes in her diet and at the same time control her diabetes. Carmen used information and recipes from the National Diabetes Education Program’s nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.).
Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.)
The National Diabetes Education Program’s nutritional campaign, Más que comida, es vida (It’s more than food, it’s life.), has materials available in both Spanish and English to help Hispanics and Latinos control the serious complications of diabetes without giving up the traditional foods they love.
This campaign provides resources for dietitians, diabetes educators and people who want to manage their diabetes but don’t want to sacrifice their cultural identity. Más que comida, es vida. addresses diabetes control and prevention through a better understanding of planning and preparing meals and making healthy food choices. It helps the Hispanic and Latin community deal with the cultural barriers of adopting a tasty but nutritional diet.
The campaign features a recipe booklet, Ricas recetas para personas con diabetes y sus familiares (Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families), which contains food ideas specifically designed for the Latin American palate. The recipe booklet is an updated version of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Meal Planner, one of NDEP’s most popular bilingual publications.
Among the delicious and healthy recipes now included in the booklet are Spanish omelet (Tortilla española), Beef or Turkey Stew (Carne guisada de res o pavo), Caribbean Red Snapper (Pargo rojo caribeño), Two Cheese Pizza (Pizza de dos quesos), and Avocado Tacos (Tacos de aguacate).
In addition to the recipe booklet, other campaign components include a poster and print ads available in Spanish and English. Like Carmen, perhaps you are a Hispanic/Latino with diabetes or have a family member, neighbor, friend or co-worker who could benefit from the recipes and other valuable information contained in the recipe booklet.
For a free copy of these materials or to download them online visit the National Diabetes Education Program. You can also call 1-888-693-NDEP to request copies; shipping and handling charges will apply. The call is toll-free and confidential.
Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Diabetes Public Health Resource
Page maintained by: National Center for Health Marketing, Division of eHealth Marketing
URL for this page: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/DiabetesAndLatinos/
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This post is dedicated to two of the greatest talents that ever lived. There are so many legends that I admire and would like to pay tribute to, like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis and so many others. This blog site is mainly dedicated to health issues. I post entertainment videos occasionally for my own pleasure and to add some variety to my site. I hope you as my readers enjoy these video posts also.
When most people think of homemade acne treatments, they think of things like cocoa butter, shea butter, aloe vera and so on. But these types of remedies are temporary. You see. It’s like taking a pain medication for a backache. The pain may dissipate but the reason for the pain is still there. Same for homemade acne treatments. You may clear up the problem temporarily, but the cause is likely to still be there. That likely cause is usually your diet. Most people don’t think of diet when it comes to their skin problems. But it is the most likely reason for your acne problems. In fact, there are many acne programs that focus only on what you are putting into your body, OR, your DIET. But for now let us focus on your use of drinking water to help clear up your skin. Water is oh so important when it comes to having clear skin. The only way your body can get water is if you intake it. Whether it be from drinking or from food. Your body relies on water to do all of its functions. Your body knows how much to use, store and then eventually get rid of. So if you don’t drink a lot of water, your body will store more and you will sweat and urinate less. But that can lead to problems because then your body is using the same old water over and over. Therefore that water can be considered to be dirty. Hence, if the water your body is using is dirty, your sweat pores will clog and produce acne. So drinking water is one of the most important things you can do in your fight against acne. You also need water if you have acne scars. If you aren’t getting sufficient water (1 oz / per body weight a day) the process of rebuilding the scar tissue you have is much slower. So realize that diet plays a very significant role in how clear your skin is and how fast you get rid of your scars. Aside from drinking the proper amount of water everyday, you need to make sure you aren’t sabotaging your skin by eating the wrong foods. For example, let’s talk about milk. Specifically cow’s milk. About 80% of humans are allergic to milk or dairy and don’t even know it. The traditional allergy symptoms like hives don’t show up. But acne will. Now milk does other things to the body that aren’t good for you as well. But for the purposes of this article, we won’t get into that. Just know that cutting cow’s milk out of your diet can go a long way toward clearing up your skin. The good news is that the myth about chocolate causing acne is not likely to be true. In fact chocolate makes the brain raise its serotonin levels which in turn releases stress. And stress oftentimes leads to pimples. Just make sure it isn’t milk chocolate you are chowing down on.
Make sure to visit my blog Acne System for helpful tips and advice on what foods to avoid in order to help get rid of acne, treating acne scars, and much, much more.
Symptoms of Autism and Supplements That May Help Reduce Them
Posted June 25, 2009
By Donna Mason
The complications caused by autism are often the main concern of parents with autistic children. And parents and experts alike do not how to deal with these autism symptoms. Perhaps this has something to do with how people view autism. To a large number of people, autism is caused by a brain effect, a mental disorder caused by genetics. Since parts of the brain of an autistic child in inflamed, certain body functions are affected. Certain body parts do not function well, as demonstrated by the leaky gut symptom that most autistic patients suffer from. Their development is not normal, which is evident from their poor motor, communication, and social skills. Their immune system is also affected, as can be seen from their generally poor health. Children who suffer from autism do not respond to pain normally, since their pain receptors are blocked. Besides these, they also have poor sleeping habits. These symptoms do not only hinder the lives of children with autism; they also affect the lives of people around them. This is why parents and doctors are constantly on the look for the right treatments and medications that can cure these symptoms. The Autism Research Institute and their DAN (Defeat Autism Now) protocol are right on the spot—it cures the symptoms of autism by addressing specific problem areas with dietary supplements rather than using generalized medications. Most of the mainstream medications deal with autism merely as a mental ailment rather than a physical one. Therefore, while these medications treat the damages done by the ailment to the brain, it does nothing for the other physical limitations and deficiencies. This is why the DAN protocol promotes the use of supplements to provide autism patients with the necessary nutrients. Autistic children cannot always absorb the nutrients from the food they take in, due to their poor digestive capacity and abnormal metabolism, so they do not always get sufficient vitamins even with the right diet. Particular supplements treat problematic autism symptoms. These supplements are usually listed in detail by the DAN Protocol, since those who follow this movement adhere strictly to its rules as it aims to completely cure autism using natural treatments rather than those aimed to treat it as a mental disorder. For instance, melatonin, according to experts, helps autism patients with their sleeping problems, although it is a general prescription for everyone with sleeping problems rather than specialized one. Other particular supplements that can treat symptoms of autism include probiotics and enzymes, which help in the regularization of one’s digestive function. Colostrum can strengthen one’s immune system, while fatty acids can help in the improvement of their physical and mental development. Supplements can also generally cure the symptoms that are connected with mental development. The deficiencies could be an effect of autism, but they could also be the cause. Nonetheless, it has been said that improvements in these areas can boost the development of a person with autism. Many may view this with skepticism, but supplements are beneficial anyway, regardless if one takes them with the aim to cure autism or to boost one’s health.
For more information on Supplements for Autism, please visit Autism-Supplements.com where you will find a Supplement Guide for Autism.
Fela Kuti was not only a genius musician but also a advocate for social change in his native Nigeria and wanted to bring social change to the whole African continent. Many people around the world say his message and musical genius was quite similar the American born musical genius, James Brown. The name of this song is “Teacher Don’t Teach Me No Nonsense”.
The rate of childhood obesity is on the rise. Unhealthy habits have led to overweight children having obesity-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and elevated blood pressure. These diseases were previously seen only in adults. Obesity is a threat to the health of children in many ways. Obesity impacts multiple systems of the body including: * Cardiovascular system * Pulmonary system * Gastrointestinal system * Orthopedic system Over 12 million children in the United States suffer with childhood obesity. This is an alarming statistic and a frightening one for parents. The incidences of childhood obesity increased 100 percent over the last ten years. The reasons for obesity are a societal as well as physical. There are two major forces that have created this phenomenon of overweight children in our society. The first major impact on the weight of our children is the amount of fast food that is eaten on a daily basis. The fast food industry has changed the American diet into a junk food melee that lacks healthful options. Fast food consumption combined with the sedentary lifestyles of kids who play expensive video games rather than playing outside contributes to the high incident of overweight children. These activities contribute directly to the causes of obesity in children and to unhealthy parents. Children need at least 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Parents need at least 30-45 minutes of exercise. Children need a nutritious diet for adequate growth and development. Unfortunately, fast food does not provide the nutrients that children need. Healthy eating is almost a lost art for the normal family. Take out menus and fast food has become the normal way to get the family fed. These lifestyle choices lead to obesity, high blood pressure and a myriad of other health issues for not only adults but for our children. A summary of the basic problems with the eating habits of a nation are summed up by Eric Schlosser in his book “Fast Food Nation” “A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants — mainly at fast food restaurants”. A hamburger and french fries is the quintessential American meal … thanks to the promotional efforts of the fast food chains. The typical American now consumes approximately three hamburgers and four orders of french fries every week.” These facts reveal the problem. Some ways to correct this problem are in the hands of adults. Some short-terminterim solutions are offered below: * Focus the family’s diet on healthy foods. * Encourage an increase in physical activity. * Have a wide variety of healthy snacks on hand for snacking. * Prepare a nutritious meal plan for the family. Parents can take more proactive steps to prevent childhood obesity by preparing and serving nutritious meals at home. Taking the family on a hike or a bike ride after supper is a fun option for the whole family. Let children decide on some activities. Kids can get involved in their own health improvement by making physical activity an after school priority. The goal is to follow healthy lifestyle suggestions as close as possible. Make baby steps until you can achieve the goal of good eating habits for the whole family. It is hard to change entrenched bad eating habits. The rules will always get broken some of the time - allow for flexibility. The problems that keep us from doing all the right things is usually lack of time. No one has enough of it.
For healthy recipes for children check out http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com
Michael Pollan visits Goole’s Mountain View headquarters to discuss his book, “In Defense of Food.” This talk took place on March 4, 2008 as part of the Authors@Google series. This talk gives some real insight on how our nutrition is affected by the marketing strategies of the food industry.
The Effect Of Cinnamon On Blood Sugar (Glucose) Levels And Its Ability To Help Control Diabetes
Posted June 23, 2009
By John Bradstreet
What is the Cause of Diabetes? In type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar levels occur when glucose is prevented, to a significant degree, from entering cells of the body, notably liver, muscle, and fat cells. This is caused by a “short circuit” in the insulin signaling pathway, a cascade of highly specific chemical reactions that allow insulin to fulfill its role as the facilitator of glucose transport through the cell walls. Insulin is produced by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose levels; once it enters the blood, it signals the body’s cells to take up the excess glucose until normal levels are restored. When insulin molecules bind to the insulin receptors on cell walls, tiny molecular “gates” open up and allow glucose molecules to pass through. If this system is impaired, the gates don’t respond adequately to the insulin signal, thus preventing the glucose from entering the cell. This condition, which is a common consequence of obesity, is called insulin resistance, and it’s both a harbinger and a symptom of diabetes. With insulin resistance, glucose levels in the blood remain high, a very dangerous condition in the long run. The pancreas tries to compensate by making more insulin, but this works only for so long. Eventually, the pancreas becomes overburdened and starts making less insulin. That’s when things go from bad to worse. One of the most exciting recent discoveries in health is cinnamon and its effects on blood sugar (glucose) levels. The positive effect of cinnamon on blood sugar were discovered by accident at the USDA testing center in Maryland where scientists were testing the effects of various foods on blood sugar (glucose) levels. They were surprised when good ol’ apple pie actually helped lower glucose levels. Although cinnamon bark and cinnamon flowers are used medicinally, Chinese cinnamon, or Cinnamomum aromaticum, is the form used for diabetes. Specifically, hydroxychalcone may work on insulin receptors to increase insulin sensitivity and help promote glucose uptake into cells and tissues and promote glycogen (the storage form of glucose) synthesis. Several Studies Confirm the Positive Effects of Cinnamon In a December 2003 Diabetes Care study, cinnamon was found to improve glucose and lipids in people with diabetes. Sixty patients with type 2 who were taking a sulfonylurea (glyburide) were given one of three doses of cinnamon (1, 3 or 6 grams per day) or a placebo for 40 days. Fasting blood glucose declined by 18 to 29 percent after 40 days in all three cinnamon treated groups. Specifically, 1 gram per day decreased glucose from 209 to 157 mg/dl, 3 grams per day decreased glucose from 205 to 169 mg/dl and 6 grams per day decreased glucose from 234 to 166 mg/dl. Patients then went without any cinnamon for 20 additional days, but their fasting glucose was still lower than at baseline for the previously cinnamon-treated groups, indicating that cinnamon had a sustained benefit. Furthermore, total cholesterol decreased by 12 to 26 percent, triglycerides decreased by 23 to 30 percent, and LDL (”bad”) cholesterol also declined from 7 to 27 percent. Another study was done by the University of Hannover in Hannover, Germany and published in a recent issue of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. This was the first study evaluating the effect of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on glycemic control and the lipid profile of Western patients with type 2 diabetes. The results further add to a growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating supplementation with a water-soluble cinnamon extract may play an important role in managing blood sugar levels and improving insulin function. Cinnamon is not Advised Benefiting from this discovery may not be as simple as increasing cinnamon intake in your diet. Cinnamon contains volatile oils and when taken consistently in high doses may be toxic. This is why high quality supplements are recommended. In conclusion, cinnamon reduced serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Because cinnamon would not contribute to caloric intake, those who have type 2 diabetes or those who have elevated glucose, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, or total cholesterol levels may benefit from the regular inclusion of cinnamon in their daily diet. In addition, cinnamon may be beneficial for the remainder of the population to prevent and control elevated glucose and blood lipid levels.
World Vitamins Online provides it’s readers with pertinent information on vitamins and health supplements, how they work, and why. We feel that a well informed consumer will be one that benefits from this knowledge and will be able to make better decisions about their health and the health of their families. To learn more on this subject and for additional links on this topic at bottom of page please visit us at http://worldvitaminsonline.com/cinnamoncinnulinpf60capules.aspx Or subscribe to our blog for our latest post at http://worldvitaminsonline.blogspot.com/
