An Easy Recipe

Fat is burned by exercise. Stored fat in the body causes you to feel more fatigued and makes you less apt to work to rid yourself of excess weight. Even if you eat moderately, but feel you don’t have the energy to a little bit of exercise, you are likely to continue to keep those extra pounds. Don’t think that you have to exercise at the gym for 3 hours a day, four or five times a week to lose some of that weight. It’s gradual exercise that is the best for you to get started with. Break that cycle of fatigue and weight by starting a little bit at a time.

Balanced meals are the key. Plan your meals to provide a balanced diet and plan your daily exercise habits to use more calories than you take in. I used to be a meat and potatoes man, myself. With a little fear factor (the idea of being diabetic), I started using a smaller plate and figuring half the portion on the plate should be vegetables. Eating 1200 calories daily and expending 1400 calories will lead to gradual weight loss. The same theory goes for eating 2400 calories and expending 2700 calories. The gradual weight loss is the important factor for healthy weight loss.

There’s always been a battle between those people who feel it’s better to eat raw vegetables and those who prefer the taste of cooked vegetables. While adding spices to the cooking process may improve flavor, the simple fact that you are cooking them kills some of the beneficial enzymes. Raw fruits and vegetables can provide enzymes your body needs. Vegetables are beneficial because they have fewer calories and provide fiber to your diet. Many vegetables, like lettuce and carrots help you to feel full while having limited the number of calories you’ve taken in.

While you’re becoming more physically fit, you might consider adding juice to your diet. You’ve got options . . . store bought or fresh squeezed. Store bought is convenient, of course, but the packaging process kills not only bad bacteria, but a lot of the good things you get from juices. Using a blender at home to prepare your own (without added sugar) is much better for you. Sometimes you have to develop a taste for fresh squeezed juices because they have less sugar in them, but this is a benefit to your diabetic concerns. Try red grapes and guava. Both are good at controlling blood sugar.

Doctors say we are an obese society. (My wife types doctors’ notes. I remember when she was typing a report the doctor noted a person being obese and she said, “He better NOT say that about me when I go in!”). Well, it’s true. Fast food restaurants pour on the fat and the sugar and then want to know if we want to “super-size” it. YOUR objective is to balance the things you eat.

A lot of vegetables are rich in fiber that helps clean fats and blood glucose from your body. This helps you lower blood sugar levels. A lot of people eat salads (frequently) to maintain their diabetic diets. The real confusing part of this plan is that salad dressings many times contain mayonnaise and sugars to improve flavor. While the flavor is improved, the sugar level of the salad skyrockets to concerning levels. The main thing to consider here is either low calorie salad dresings or moderation. Moderation can be used as a control factor.

While the pancreas produces insulin to regulate the sugar level in the blood, one of it’s main purposes is to produce enzymes to help with digestion. Over time, it loses the ability to function properly in most people. Then come the problems associated with diabetes. Our job at that point is to help the body digest foods and regulate sugar levels. We may add acidophilus to help digestion. Then we regulate the diet to reduce the need for insulin production.

Four of the fat-fighting compounds you can always count on are calcium, fiber, omega-3s and vitamin D. Calcium is found in dairy products. When considering dairy keep in mind it’s best to use fat-free or soy milk products. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are high in fiber. Walnuts, flax seed and fish contain a lot of omega-3s while vitamin D is found not only in dairy products, but also in eggs and fish like tuna, salmon and sardines.