Sugar Turned On Me

High Fructose Corn Syrup, one of my favorite punching bags, has shown up again in a new study that connects the consumption of fructose, a gene called PGC-1 and insulin resistance.

As I’ve ranted before, HFCS is in everything and hard to avoid. It is a liquid sweetener that is easier to transport and use than granulated sugar and is used for its cost effectiveness. It’s also been linked with liver disease and the obesity epidemic, though not conclusively.

This recent study done by Dr. Gerald Schuman of the Yale College of Medicine dealt with the function of a gene called PGC-1 which in conjunction with another gene can trigger fat production by the liver.  Rats in the test were given a hight fructose diet with PGC-1 inhibited. These rats failed to develop insulin resistance, a condition that one would expect in rats consuming tons of fructose and also one of the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes.

The ramfications of this study are too far over the horizon to say with certainty, but if the results continue to prove true, then a missing link into HFCS and the rash of Type 2 Diabetes we’re seeing these days may no longer be missing.

Of a side note, Pepsi is getting ready to release sodas with real sugar again. Appears business is starting to listen to the demand for non HFCS sweetend products.

I went to visit some friends the other night for their weekly social gathering, which apparently involves snacks. When they put out two bowls of cookies, the host rattled off some numbers: the amount of carbs, the amount of calories and the serving size. He also pointed out that one bowl was wheat and gluten free, which would be more important for one of the guests with allergies than me.

I was struck by the consideration. I bring up that I’m diabetic to friends, but it’s not exactly featured in every conversation. It’s not even featured in every conversation about food. That someone would remember and give me a heads up was huge not to mention very gracious.

Most people with chronic illness don’t want to be the center of attention. Having a problem that doesn’t go away already makes one feel abnormal. Drawing attention to it raises it to sideshow freak levels. The desire to stay out of the conversational spotlight does make the desire to do things like share food a little complicated.

I do think that if you’re going to have people over for food, having a working knowledge of their allergies and restrictions is a good idea. That way you avoid serving the vegetarians meat or having to learn the fast and hard way how to administer an epipen. But the trick is making allowances without pointing a sign at the person you’re making the allowances for and shouting “this is the defective one!”

My friend did it right and I’m grateful for that. I hope that when I host my next soiree (well, when my wife hosts it and I stand there and look all host-y) that I can match the level of graciousness as well as the level of discreetion. Because the whole point is to make those you welcome into your home feel included, not singled out. After all, awkwardness is never a welcome guest.

I don’t know the actual statistics, but I’m betting that choclatiers find this one of their busiest times. It’s really hard to separate thoughts of Valentine’s day from heart shaped boxes full of decadent goodness. Being diabetic, though, can make said boxes of chocolate seem less than desireable.

As I’ve discussed before here, candies are not completely off the menu if you’ve got diabetes and a little chocolate daily may even be good for you. It does mean you need to watch your intake, pay attention to the serving size listed on the package and be sensible about it.

It’s best, also, to keep in mind that good chocolate is better for you that cheap chocolate. Chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa solids tends to cost a bit more, but more cocoa solids mean less other stuff, including sugar.  Your opinion may very, but well made dark chocolate I find to be a more pleasurable experience for the tongue as well, at least until we get up to around 85%+, at which point I find it better for baking and hot chocolate than simple nibbling.

At Target the other day, I saw a box of chocolates, a metallic heart shaped tin, that starteed at 60% chocolates and went up: The Ghiradelli Intense Love Heart Box .  I won’t say that this is exactly what every diabetic needs, but if chocolate is an option for your diabetic valentine, then I’ d recommend something like this over a box of random nougats. Lindt also makes a good collection of dark chocolate delights, including a 60% truffle.

No matter the quality of the chocolate though, know your limits. One square or truffle between meals may be okay for you. A stack is likely not to be.

Chocolate is one of the great joys in life and I was very happy when I found out that I could still have it in moderation. If you have the restraint to take it in a bite at a time, I recommend looking into the darker side of cocoa confectionry. There are few other places you have to give the excuse of “no, medically I need the good stuff”. Make use of the one’s you have.

There are parts of winter I like, when it’s cold and still and the whole world seems peaceful. There there are times when it warms up just to become wet. Even worse are when it become wet and bitingly cold.

This winter has had a lot of that last one.

Chilly weather leads to thoughts of how to get warm and very often those thoughts lead to comfort foods. The problem for me is that most comfort foods involve a lot of sugar or starch, like pot pies or pasta dishes. This doesn’t play well with my blood sugar.

There are options available, though. Three things that are warm and diabeties friendly:

• Oatmeal: Plain oatmeal has fiber and isn’t terrible calorie or carb wise. Flavorwise, it’s pretty boring, but makes for a good blank canvas and plays well with dried fruits and cinnamon .
• Vegatable Soup: While there is no one true vegetable soup recipe, the base concoction of a tomato-y broth plus assorted green, yellow and orange nibbles is a tried and true classic. It goes well with grilled cheese, if that’s acceptable to your diet, and it also allows for a lot customization. Add some beef chunks and you’ve got stew.
• Chili : Another high protein, low carb option. Also, the spices help with the whole feeling cold thing.

Warm drinks, like hot tea or coffee, are also good winter options as in addition to their benefits in upping your body tempature, recent studies have shown that just holding something warm will elevate your mood.

According to one article I read, people turn to carbs in winter because carbs boost the brain chemicals that tell you you’re feeling good, thus making gray and cloudy days seem less dreary. When you don’t really have the option to dive into the breads or potatoes, this doesn’t mean that food can’t be a comfort. It just means you need to work with it a little more.

Announcment:
After some thought, I’ve decided to stop trying to put up articles 5 days a week. Attempting to say that much about being newly diabetic has turned out to be a more ambitious goal that I’d first thought and as a result, I feel like some of my recent blog entries have suffered. So, beginning this week I’m going to regularly be posting on Teusday and Thursday. I may still be posting randomly at other times, but in order to put my thoughts forth more clearly I feel slowing down for the time being is the best option.

Thanks for reading and see you on Thursday.

While no one may be holding a spoon for you and making airplane noises, playing games with your food isn’t a bad way to form good habits. One example of this involves colors.

• When putting together a plate of food, have as many colors on your plate as possible.
• Jewel tones are best

Red peppers, yellow squash and orange yams all are on the list of things you should be more of. Even if you’re not into the striking presentation benefit that this sort of thinking can provide, there’s benefit to be had in terms of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamins from these foods.  Also, even if you do this just a little bit, it will help you pay more attention to what you’re putting into your body.

This has made me pay attention to how many things I eat that are brown.

In general, the American diet can stand to have more vegatables in it. Too few of us follow the ratio of 1/2 veggies, 1/4 starch, 1/4 protein. Little reminders like this one can make keeping good practices easier… and make foods that are worse for you look boring.

Dear Me,

There are a number of things I could write to you as you enter your 18th year that would be of great use to you by the time you hit your 37th. I could tell you which stocks to buy and when to sell them, but by doing so you’d likely negate the effect in the highly variable world of finance. I could tell you which relationships not to screw up and which not to get into, but each has taught you/me a lesson, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without it. What I will tell you about is how to avoid something that you’re doing to yourself.

Right now, you’re setting yourself up for Type 2 diabetes. No, you won’t be on insulin. Yes, it will still suck rocks.

If you wish to avoid this, start by drinking water. Straight. Without any caffiene, high fructose corn syrup or caramel coloring. At least one measure for every measure of that fizzy battery acid you push down your gullet. Start now and continue for the rest of your life.

Accept that two large orders of french fries do not constitute a meal. Yes, you can afford it now. No, you can’t afford it later.

For that matter, don’t rely on Burger King or McDonald’s too much for your food. When you get to be me, they will no longer taste good and in truth, probably don’t now.

Drink water. Yes I know I already said this one.

You like walking. Do that more. Everywhere. Never live somewhere you can’t walk to what you need. It will pay off, I promise.

Sleep regularly. Take off your clothes and brush your teeth beforehand.

Have you gotten a glass of water yet?

When you finally get around to taking martial arts, stretch before each session. It will keep you from injuring yourself and dropping the class. This will help you maintain the best health you will be in possibly ever.

Water helps with the stretching.

Do not fear salads. You will like them. Dressing is okay, but don’t overdo it. You will, but try to pull the amount back so that it doesn’t look like flakey soup in ranch broth.

With the salads, have water.

It does not make you more of a man or even more of yourself to kill a 2 Liter of soda in a sitting. Excess is excess, not a reward.

Follow these rules and maybe you won’t have to write this letter, which I realize will cause a time space paradox and such the universe into a singularity, but at least you won’t have diabetes.

So do this for yourself. Do it for your future self. And buy Google when it’s cheap oh god I can’t stop myself….

Sincerely,

Yourself

Some days, I shouldn’t watch TV.

It’s not just that television is the crack cocaine of entertainment. It’s not just that I have other things I’d be better applying my time to. It’s the commercials. Like the one’s for IHOP.

The International House of Pancakes was once a source of comfort and release. After I had to add hyperglycemia into the equation, IHOP became ground zero for carb bombs and territory that I should only enter if I was prepared for a great deal of hearbreak. Their menu has about 3 things on it that I enjoy that won’t spike my blood sugar. I’m not even going to talk about how many of those I like.

It’s not that I don’t know how to eat a restaurants: go for proteins over breads, eat half of my meal and take the other half home, order water and don’t add carbs with sodas or the like. But none of that trumps the tasty images of neverending pancakes or the promise of soft, fluffy crepes.

There are other restaurants that cook nothing but pain and fail. Applebee’s taunts me with their Weight Watchers menu, still in no way built for diabetics. In fact most “brass and fern” style restaurants take some careful navigation through their menus lest I trip on any sugary landmines.

But IHOP is on TV every ten seconds, trying my willpower, offering me another affordable way to damn near kill myself.

Today, I went. I did not have neverending pancakes, though I did have crepes. I haven’t tested my bloodsugar yet and I only feel a little guilty, but at least the service sucked and I’ll have something to bolster my resolve when next I see their ads on TV.

Because I can resist pancakes.

Neverending pancakes? The tool of Satan.

One of the things that started to frustrate me about shopping for food, even before I got diagnosed as diabetic was bread. It was next to impossible to find bread without High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydroginated oils or anything I couldn’t pronounce without a help from a vocal coach. Post diagnosis, it became a little less of an issue as bread starting to register poison. Now that I’ve got a better idea how to manage carbs, bread is back on the menu again but the need for a brand without the aforementioned evils is even more of a necessity.

This is why I went “squee!” at the sight of Arnold’s Soft Naturals .

The Arnold’s bread company has been shooting for the health conscious sector of the bread buying market for some time. I hadn’t really looked at their products because I am less enthused about bread that crunches without toasting; peanut butter sandwiches don’t need seeds.

Their Soft Naturals line, though, is suspiciously similar in appearance to any other loaf sandwich bread. The texture is a little different, a little more al-dente than others but aside from that difference, it’s just regular old bread. I’ve tried the white and wheat and both are suitable for sandwiches, though the taste of the bread alone is a little more flat than some others, but that may just be because I’m not used to bread without all of the junk that other bakers put in it.

Arnold’s boasts on the package proudly about what’s not in the bread: No HFCS, no Trans-Fats. They also point out that it’s made with whole grains and has fiber, 3g per serving.

So as this is a review and not an advertisement, would I recommend this to friends and family: Yes. It’s a solid product for everyday use. The carbs are about the same as any other packaged sliced bread, but the things that aren’t in it that might raise cholesterol or stress my liver are enough to make me keep this as a pantry staple.

I remember that when I was a kid in science class, I was amazed that you made vitamin D just by standing in the sun. Later, when I got older, I got more of it from milk as I’d not yet developed a taste for leafy greens but had gotten used to being nocturnal. I may be spending more time in the sun soon, though.

A recent study at Chicago’s Loyola University has shown that Vitamin D may prevent diabetes and helps reduce symptoms in those already with the disease. Apparently, Vitamin D has been the subject of a fair bit of research lately, connecting its lack to stunted growth in pubescent girls and breast cancer. It’s become what one article called the “it” nutrient, which thankfully doesn’t mean what it does when they talk about “it” girls, but rather that it’s getting a lot of attention.

While I’m always a little hesitant to jump on any health research until at least one person cries “balderdash!”, I won’t deny that this is a little exciting. Aside from the potential for another natural weapon in my anti-diabetes armory, it doesn’t suck that the research may help people avoid Type 1 diabetes altogether (fingers crossed).

I think I’ll go celebrate with a glass of milk. Or brocolli. But not in the same cup.

Like many Americans with ties to the south (or married to someone with ties to the south who cooks), I had black eyed peas, greens and corn bread on New Year’s day. As it goes, this is a pretty good meal for a diabetic: black eyed peas have fiber and protein, greens have vitamins. Corn bread isn’t so bad in the carbs department and even ham can and was done healthily.

Let’s hear it for soul food.

Soul Food is by and large the product of being poor in the American Southeast. It comes primarily out of African-American culture in that region but is pretty much embraced by anyone who’s ever seriously uttered the word “y’all”. Ham hocks, red beans and rice along with okra and fried catfish is as ingrained in the pallette of the region as pastrami on rye is to the denizens of New York city or good seafood to those who live in Maine.

The upside of soul food is that a lot of it was based on how to make a meal with not that much meat. Meat was expensive and you had to work with what you had. As a result, ribs and oxtail and other cuts that were as much bone as muscle found their way into the cuisine. Lots of greens, corn and beans supplimented the meager protiens and as a result, you end up with a diet rich in iron and fiber.

The downside is the fat. Fat equals flavor in a lot of Southern Cooking. As without a bit of attention, many of the items on the soul food menu just don’t taste that good. A little pork fat, a lot of butter and then you’re talking. You’re also promoting heart disease.

Today, meat is less of a luxury in America and more a requirement before we’ll call any collection of food “dinner”. If soul food gets any bad rap these days, I think this is why. The meats are more plentiful and so are the fats and some of the healthier items that once just meant you didn’t walk away hungry now are left to the side in favor of items that are more rich in flavor and sweetness.

Diabetic or not, I recommend trying soul food preferably from a restaurant run by a man or woman who has been doing it since Jesus was a boy and has the same set of cast iron that they got from their grandmother. If you do, try the meat and two vegtable special and make sure one of them is green and not overcooked. While many dishes will come with a side of heart attack if you over do them, there’s a lot to be desired coming from a tradition borne in necessity and celebrated for turning a slim budget into a feast for body and soul.