Eating For Health

At the gym this week a friend shared that their A1c was 8.7 and that he was now reading food labels and was cutting back on sugar.   So many Americans are finding their fasting blood glucose levels are higher than normal and their A1c level is high.   Many Americans have either prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.   How many Americans have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?   Prediabetes is becoming increasingly common with 97.6 million Americans (38%) with prediabetes meaning they have blood sugar levels above normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.   Those with higher levels have type 2 diabetes.   According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) an estimated 34.2 million Americans (10.5%) have type 2 diabetes as of 2020.   Can prediabetes be reversed?   Prediabetes can be thought of as a warning sign for type 2 diabetes.   The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed with lifestyle changes su...

Have you noticed the ingredients on some packaging?   In place of sugar some manufacturers are using high fructose corn syrup to sweeten foods.   So much so that now you can find packages with bold letters stating, No High Fructose Corn Syrup.    What is high fructose corn syrup and how does this sweetener affect your health? What is high fructose corn syrup?   High fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch.   After processing it is a liquid composed of 55% fructose and 45% glucose.   How is high fructose corn syrup used in foods ? One doesn’t go to the store to buy high fructose corn syrup, rather manufacturers use high fructose corn syrup in place of sugar to sweeten foods as high fructose corn syrup is cheaper.   High fructose corn syrup not only adds sweetness to foods, it also is used for other reason such as surface browning, giving “moisture, structure, and texture” to foods.   In foods like bread, jellies, and jams it is...

So much confusion and misunderstanding about carbs.   This week my dentist said he had a patient trying to eat 3,000 calories of protein a day and skipping the carbs. My dentist told him his kidneys wouldn’t like all that protein.   I just heard a commentator on TV say they are eating a lot of protein and skipping the bread.   What is the truth about carbs ?   Do carbs really make you gain weight, make you fat?   Should you go on a low carb diet to lose weight?   In 2017 researchers reviewed 32 clinical trials of patients eating the same calories and protein but on high or low carb diets.   Those on a low carb diet lost the same amount of weight as those on a high carb diet.   Other researchers looked at weight loss differences in those on a high protein diet or a high-carbohydrate diet.   Surprise, surprise, there was no difference in pounds lost.   Marilyn Holmes, a registered dietitian at Vanderbilt University says, “Weight gain...

Food dyes are in the news a lot lately.   Robert F. Kennedy wants to work with the food industry to get artificial food dyes out of our food including out of the National School Lunch Program.   My husband showed me an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, Removing Artificial Food Dyes Will Be Difficult .   Why?   Because artificial food dyes are in so many of our foods.             1 in 10 foods contain artificial food dyes           40% of food items containing artificial food dyes contain 3 or MORE food dyes The article notes artificial food dyes are in popular foods such as Pop-Tarts and Doritos.   And in foods that even I was unaware of.   I told my daughter that some pickles have artificial dyes.   She didn’t believe me, opened her fridge and looked at her jar of pickles.   Not one but two artificial yellow dyes in the pickles.   I pulled out our pickle relish and it...

Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee or two to start their day?   I often get asked, “Is coffee good for one’s health?”   What does the research show?     My sister sent me an article describing the latest health benefit of drinking coffee. What are the health benefits of drinking coffee? Johns Hopkins notes 9 reasons coffee is good for you.   What are some of the benefits? Coffee is loaded with healthful antioxidants .   These may lower inflammation and help protect against several diseases. Coffee lowers one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes . Coffee lowers one’s risk of heart failure.   Enjoy those 2 cups of coffee a day as it makes your heart stronger. Coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease .   Coffee drinking is good for your liver .   How?   Coffee drinking promotes good liver enzymes. Coffee drinking reduces your risk of colon cancer – a condition now on the rise in those younger than 50.   (See...

Colon cancer was always a concern for people over the age of 50.   But now, it is becoming increasingly more common for people under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with colon cancer.   While colon cancer has been declining for older adults, since 1990 colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults (under 50) with rates increasing 2% a year.   What is the incidence of colon cancer in younger adults? Among those younger than 55 years of age, the proportion of cases increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.  Although the overall rate dropped by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021, the drop was mostly in older adults, those 65 and older.    Why is the incidence of colon cancer increasing in younger adults? Research is investigating the reasons but factors being explored are diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and even changes in the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut.  (See:  Healthier gut for a healthier you )  Other factors i...