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Tips For Keeping Yourself and Your Family Risk Free From Diabetes

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Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin. There are two types of diabetes, as you may or may not be aware. The first type, Type 1 is only had by 5 to 10 percent of the population with diabetes. It is often genetic, but can develop in adolescence or into adulthood.

When people have diabetes it means that their pancreas, the organ which sits behind the stomach isn’t able to produce insulin, the hormone which tells the body to take food and use it as energy or transfer it into fat. Type 1 causes the immune system to attack the pancreas so it can’t do its job. This can be fatal if not monitored.

Type 2 diabetes is the kind that is often related to people with unhealthy lifestyles that are overweight or seriously obese. Type 2 is often only seen in adults, but can be seen in children as well. Diabetes is a serious condition and if you don’t have Type 1, you can keep yourself and your family risk free from contracting Type 2 by doing these things:

Don’t Raise Your Children On Processed Foods

Processed foods are responsible for so many of the health related crisis in the world, especially in the United States. Processed foods are often engineered to have a bliss point. This is when foods are just salty enough or just sweet enough that they leave you feeling unsatisfied and so you eat more. Because processed foods are often stripped of much of their nutrients as well, you’re left feeling hungry shortly after consuming a high amount of calories.

Processed foods are highly addictive, so if you’re raising your children on them, you’re potentially setting them up for a lifetime struggle with foods that could cause them to get diabetes. They can’t stop eating the foods, the body can’t process the foods, the body stores fat, the pancreas can’t handle the amount of sugar in the body, so it develops diabetes. That’s a stripped down explanation of what happens, but the best thing you can do is limit processed foods as your children are growing up.

Encourage Activity

Standard as it is, and you’ve heard the same message preached time and time again, diabetes is mostly linked to people who are obese or have a very unhealthy lifestyle that contains high amounts of toxic foods. Other than adjusting diet, you should encourage activity within your household. Limit the watching of television and get out with the family to encourage movement.

When you foster this lifestyle from a young age into your children, they’ll win the battle before it even begins. For yourself, teaching your kids the importance of food and activity in order to live a healthy life will help you practice the same theories for your own life. Type 2 diabetes ends when you take control of what you’re putting in and putting your body through.

Sugar Free Desserts for Everyone

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Sugar free food is often associated with diabetes which makes it difficult for people who have the disease to regulate their blood sugar levels. While this is true, non-diabetics can also consume sugar free food for other reasons. Some avoid sugar to lose weight, avoid dental caries, or simply to minimize sugar intake. We need not totally avoid consuming sweets altogether since total deprivation tend to backfire. Here are some sugar free desserts suitable for everybody.

vanilla ice cream

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Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream

This recipe is quite easy to prepare. Simply combine the ingredients well using the hand mixer or a whisk, then cover and refrigerate preferably overnight. The mixture is then placed in the ice cream making machine to be mixed until thick. At least two hours in the freezer will result to a firmer consistency.

sugarless bars

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Sugarless Bars

This recipe uses the combined flavors of dates, prunes, and raisins to provide the sweetness in lieu of sugar. The resulting fruity taste combined with nuts is just perfect to satisfy cravings for sweets without resorting to sugar overload. It is one of the easiest to prepare and will not require any special equipment or baking skill.

broiled mango

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Broiled Mangoes

This is by far the simplest sugar free dessert to prepare using fresh mangoes. The mangoes are to be broiled for about 8 to 10 minutes until some brown spots appear. Before serving, lime wedges are squeezed over them. The biggest challenge in this simple dessert is in its presentation so as to make it more appetizing.

pecan pie

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Sugar Free Pecan Pie

You can use a ready made pie crust as suggested in this recipe or you can make your own. The pie filling consists of the all the other ingredients plus the pecans which are stirred in last. The pie is baked for about 40 to 50 minutes and cooled completely before storing in refrigerator.

carrot cake

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Sugar Free Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is generally seen as a healthy dessert or snack. This recipe uses a sugar substitute for sweetening. For added sweetness, agave syrup can be drizzled on top.

Desserts Not Only for Diabetics

If diabetics are not able to consume sweets like an average  person,any one can still eat sugar free desserts usually associated with the former. One doesn’t have to be afflicted with any disease to enjoy these. What’s more, you get to enjoy health protection by limiting sugar intake early on.

 

What Makes Stevia So Popular in Japan?

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The Japanese people are known to be conscious of their diet and this is why the country has the longest life expectancy. Most are lean because they don’t overeat and more importantly, they often eat vegetables, seaweeds, tofu and fish which are all rich in vitamins and minerals. Just ask yourself if you’ve seen any overweight Japanese in person or on TV and the movies apart, of course, from the sumo wrestlers.

One concrete proof of this population’s healthy diet is their use of natural ingredients. As an example, they use a natural sweetener in their food instead of the usual sugar. This is the stevia, a plant that grows abundantly in the Americas and parts of Asia, notably in the subtropical and tropical regions.

Since the 1970s, Japan has used stevia as a sweetener. This was after reports claimed that cyclamate and saccharin were carcinogens which can affect the health of people. From that time on, this Asian country has cultivated the plant to supply the needs of its people for an alternative ingredient that can sweeten a wide range of food products and even drinks.

Today, however, the use of stevia has gone beyond just being a food and drink sweetener. Owing to its steviol glycoside which is present in the plant’s leaves, this ingredient is now being used in making medicines including vitamins and supplements.

Some of you may not be aware of this yet but stevia actually contains a number of minerals that provides a lot of benefits to the human body. These are chromium, manganese, potassium, selenium, sodium, iron, niacin, phosphorus and zinc. Chromium plays a significant role in regulating blood sugar levels and as such, is beneficial for people suffering from diabetes.

Medical and nutrition experts agree that the use of this small plant provides double benefits to consumers. Besides making food and drinks sweet, it also gives out vitamins and minerals essential in promoting good health.

Photo via japan-stevia.com

What not to eat: Foods Diabetics Should Avoid

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Image by Ana Ulin

Here’s another installment of Foods to Avoid, this time for Diabetics. When one thinks about Diabetes, they often automatically think about sweets. Things like chocolates, candies, cakes and ice cream go out the door. In truth, there are several other food that contain a lot of sugars but don’t necessarily taste sweet.

White Rice – Rice might not be sweet but it is packed with sugar. How is this possible? Well, rice and other starchy foods like pasta and bread are loaded with carbohydrates. When carbs are broken down, they become glucose. Now, this is very bad for Diabetics. Choose brown rice, wheat bread and wheat pasta whenever possible.

Starchy Vegetables – Sure vegetables are part of a healthy diet, but for Diabetics starchy vegetables like potatoes, beets and beans should be eaten as little as possible. For the same reason as White Rice, starchy vegetables should be avoided.

Fruits – OK, so fruits are sweet but most people think that since fruits are healthful then it’s alright to feed them to diabetics. While this is true for some fruits, avoid those with higher sugar content. Examples are grapes, strawberries, bananas, peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges and grapefruit.

Packaged foods – Packaged foods are best avoided in general, even without the added complication of diabetes. Look at the labels and watch out for foods that have high-fructose corn syrup,  or anything ending in -ose. These sweeteners are used in most packaged food and are not good for diabetics.

The most important thing to remember when dining as a diabetic or preparing food for one is portion control. Lessen the portion of carbohydrates and sugars and replace it with more fiber.

Apple Tarte Tatin Recipe

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Tarte tatin is an upside down apple tart, but feel free to use other fruits like pears, peaches, apricots or even a mixture. Just like the classic apple pie, it is best served within minutes of baking topped with ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. Firm Apples

2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

3 oz. Butter (room temperature)

Butter for baking dish

A little Lemon Juice

Crust:

11/3 cup Flour

2 Eggs

4 oz. Chilled Butter

1 tbsp. Granulated Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Prepare the crust by mixing salt, sugar and flour in a bowl.

Slice the butter into small chunks and combine with the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, mash the small slices of butter into the flour. Work with the batter until it becomes sand like.

With a spatula, form a well with the batter and pour in eggs. Mix well. Form a ball with the batter. On a floured surface, knead the ball for 10 seconds. Reshape into a ball then flatten with a rolling pin. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 400°F.

Peel the apples and slice. Soak them in lemon juice to avoid brownness and keep them looking fresh.

In a pot, combine sugar and 3 Tbsp of water. Under low heat, allow sugar to melt until it turns honey brown. Stir from time to time.

Add butter to the caramel and mix until it melts. Take the caramel and pour into a buttered pie dish.

Place apples in pie dish, so that they are squeezed tightly together. Do this as quickly as possible to avoid the caramel from turning hard. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.

Take tatin out of oven, and let apples cool off a bit. Once cooled, place crust on top, tuck the edges into the dish, and bake for 30 minutes or until crust has browned.

Remove from oven and let cool. Then, place a serving dish on top of the tarte and carefully flip over, so that the apples are facing up.

Serve warm, with crème fraîche (or vanilla ice-cream) on the side.

Photo Courtesy Of: joyosity

Agave Chocolate Cake

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Chocolate Cake Slice

I recently posted about Agave, and how it’s made my life as the wife of a diabetic so much easier. See, with Agave syrup you don’t get the nasty aftertaste that artificial sweeteners leave. And while I cook with Stevia, another natural sweetener, quite frequently, it has a bitterness that doesn’t do well with baked goods and desserts.

As I previously mentioned, though, Agave is a fructose sugar- so it will raise your blood sugar, but slowly. And slow is good.

This Agave chocolate cake has become one of our staples here at home- even if you’re not diabetic, it just tastes great. Try it out, and let me know what you think:

Agave Chocolate Cake Recipe
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup agave syrup/nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, whip the butter until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by agave syrup and vanilla extract. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the milk, before stirring in the remaining flour mixture. Mix only until just combined.

Bake for 22-28 minutes, until a toothpick comes out dry or with some moist crumbs attached. Do not overbake.

Frost with a Ganache made with sugar-free or low-sugar chocolate.

All About Agave

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Agave

It isn’t easy being married to a diabetic, especially when you run a home baking business and are up to your elbows in granulated sugar on most days. I’ve posted several diabetic recipes before, but today I want to talk about one of my favorite ingredients ever, and something that’s made life so much easier for my dear husband: Agave syrup.

Agave syrup is a natural sweetener- which means that it’s not artificial like Splenda or Aspartame- from the Agave, a succulent plant common to Mexico (see photo above). Also known as Agave “nectar”, it’s similar to honey- but, as we soon discovered after receiving our first bottle, so much better.

It’s better because, unlike honey, Agave is sweeter in taste- so you need less of it. It also tastes less “floral” than honey, giving it a flavor closer to real sugar. It’s also better than honey because it has a much lower glycemic load.

It’s important to note, though, that Agave will affect your blood sugar levels. It’s made up mostly of fructose, so it’s definitely not a free-for-all food for diabetics. What is is is a worthy alternative for diabetics like my husband.

Sweet but sugar-free Apple Pie

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sugarfree-applepie

Having a diabetic husband makes preparing our sweets just a little bit harder- I say that because while I used to moan about not being able to make any desserts we could both enjoy, I’ve developed an absolutely delicious, comforting, mouthwatering Apple Pie recipe that’s sugar-free! And I’m here today to share it with you:

Sweet Sugar-Free Apple Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds tart apples (I use Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 packets splenda sweetener
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 double piecrust, unbaked

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream

Preheat oven to 425F. Make sure rack is in the bottom third of the oven. Peel and core apples. Cut each half into 6 wedges. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add splenda and spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg) and salt. Stir over heat until well mixed. Add apple wedges, lower heat and let simmer for around ten minutes.

Prepare your piecrust. I make my own, but storebought will do. When your filling’s ready, fill bottom crust. Cut vents (I use a small fondant cutter) in the top crust, and cover pie with it. Brush with mixture of egg yolk and cream. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.