One of mankind’s favorite reasons for living is good food and drink. Holidays are usually surrounded by delicious treats, communities come together over comforting feasts, and recipes become legacies, passed down generation to generation. However, sometimes that traditional apple pie can be a danger, and for diabetics (and those trying to prevent diabetes) looking after their weight and blood sugar, it’s especially important to be diligent and healthy. Adult men and women over a certain age gain weight more easily, and it can be difficult to break old habits and treasured traditions.
Happily, there are many ways to fight diabetes through food. From spices to fruits to meat alternatives, you can still experience great taste and variety while fending off diabetes.
Beans for Your Blood Sugar
A humble everyday food is amazingly good at helping to control diabetes and prevent the complications of this deadly disease—yet many diabetes patients ban it from their diets.
I’m talking about legumes—beans, chickpeas, lentils—which truly are close to magical when it comes to their health effects, particularly for folks with type 2 diabetes.
So if you’re among the crowd of bean holdouts, you should try to give beans and other legumes a place of honor in your daily diet. Your life could depend on it!
BEANS AND YOUR BLOOD SUGAR
For diabetes patients, keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible is crucial, but controlling those fluctuating levels can be a real challenge. Many patients take antihyperglycemic drugs for this purpose, yet diet remains a major factor in diabetes management.
A lot of people with diabetes focus on high-fiber foods such as whole grains to help avoid problems like heart disease. And fiber does help (though the exact mechanism is unknown). But now a new Canadian study shows that beans and other legumes do the job even better.
The secret behind legumes’ awesome power lies in their low glycemic index (GI) status. The GI is a scale from 0 to 100 that ranks foods based on their immediate effects on blood glucose levels. The lower its GI, the less of a blood sugar spike a particular food causes.
BEANS BEST THE COMPETITION
The study included 121 men and women with type 2 diabetes. Participants were divided into two groups and assigned to follow one of two healthful diets that were fairly equal in total calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates consumed.
As part of their diet, the first group was told to consume about 190 grams (two half-cup servings) of beans or other legumes each day. The second group’s diet included an equal amount of whole grains, such as whole-wheat cereals and breads and brown rice. Each group also avoided the alternate food—in other words, the bean group avoided whole grains and the whole-grain group avoided beans.
After three months: The whole-grain group did benefit from their diet—but the bean eaters benefited even more.
Hemoglobin A1C values—indicated by a blood test that measures average blood glucose levels for the previous three-month period—dropped significantly more in the legume group than in the whole-grain group.
Using an equation that calculates risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), researchers found that the legume group’s CHD risk score fell from 10.7 to 9.6. This was largely the result of the legume eaters’ decrease in systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) from 122 to 118. In contrast, in the whole-grain group, neither the CHD risk score nor blood pressure decreased significantly.
Also: In the legume group, the average weight loss and waist-size reduction slightly exceeded those of the whole-grain group.
GIVE A HIGH FIVE FOR LOW GI
The study’s lead author, David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, says that his team purposely chose study participants who already had reasonably good diets. “We wanted to see how people doing well could make further improvements,” he explains.
And in fact, both the legume group and the whole-grain group did improve. On the hemoglobin A1C test, for instance, both groups got their levels down below 7.0—a benchmark that often allows patients to eventually decrease their diabetes medication.
Still, the legumes came out ahead for several reasons. Unlike whole grains, beans are a very good source of protein—and protein does not cause blood sugar to fluctuate the way carbs can. Beans also provide plentiful potassium, which may reduce blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium. But the primary factor in beans’ favor, Dr. Jenkins says, is that they are among the lowest-GI foods, because their complex carbohydrates are digested slowly.
WHO SHOULD GIVE A HILL OF BEANS?
Legumes are particularly good for diabetes patients, but just about everyone can benefit from better blood sugar control. Are you hesitant because you don’t care for the taste or texture? There are many types of beans and other legumes to choose from—so keep experimenting until you find some you enjoy!
It’s easy to incorporate one cup of these potent orbs into your daily diet since they are so versatile.
Tasty suggestions: Add white beans to vegetable soups and meat stews; use black or kidney beans plus tofu as the basis for chili; top salads with edamame (boiled green soy beans); serve lentils as a side dish or salad; enjoy the many varieties of hummus, made from chickpeas; or purée any type of bean to make dip, adding what tastes good to you—olive oil, pepper, and/or other spices you love.
And don’t worry about gas. Despite the “musical” reputation of beans, the study participants registered few complaints in this department. However, if you are concerned about bloating or flatulence, Dr. Jenkins advises starting with just one-half cup per day and increasing gradually over several weeks to give your digestive system time to adjust.
›David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, professor, department of nutritional science, and Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Toronto, Canada. He is also director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, and lead author of a study on legumes and diabetes control published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Control Blood Sugar and Keep Fit with Prebiotic Sunchokes
The sunchoke looks like the love child of a potato and a piece of ginger. But this gnarled and knobby root vegetable has its own irresistible flavor—slightly nutty, crisp like jicama or water chestnut, with a hint of artichoke flavor that becomes more intense when cooked. If you’re a veg-head, it’s a fun addition to your daily menu.
Although nutritionists know that the sunchoke—a root vegetable also known as the Jerusalem artichoke—is great for glucose control, scientific studies to back up this idea have been few and far between. Now, a team of researchers from Japan has demonstrated that sunchokes may help prevent type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease (a condition that often goes with diabetes and that can lead to life-threatening liver cirrhosis and hepatitis). But even if the researchers’ claim is too ambitious, there are plenty of reasons to get familiar with sunchokes, their many health benefits, and delicious recipes.
LESSONS FROM FAT RATS
The Japanese researchers fed rats a diet that was either 60 percent fructose (fruit sugar) or 60 percent fructose and 10 percent sunchoke powder to see whether sunchokes could prevent diabetes in the rodents. That is, they regularly fed the rats lots of sugar to get their blood sugar levels to spike (hyperglycemia) and their innate blood sugar controller—their insulin-producing pancreas—to malfunction. After four weeks of these diets, the blood and livers of the rats showed that, although signs of diabetes and fatty livers developed in all of them from all that fructose, the effects were milder in the rats that were also eating sunchokes. The sunchoke eaters did so much better, in fact, that the researchers suggested that at least 10 percent of the daily diet of people at risk for diabetes and fatty liver disease should consist of sunchokes.
A 10 percent-sunchoke-per-day diet seems a bit much. Tamara Duker Freuman, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and clinical preceptor for the Dietetic Internship Program at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, agrees, noting that similar tests would need to be performed in humans to really know whether eating sunchokes could similarly lessen risk of diabetes in people, and if so, how much would be needed to cut off diabetes at the pass. Besides, rather than overloading your diet with sunchokes in quest of glucose control, it would be more reasonable to simply add them, in moderation, to the list of healthful nondrug food and remedies that you already know help prevent diabetes.
“Sunchokes have a low glycemic index, which is why they are considered to be a great food choice if you have diabetes—they don’t cause blood sugar to spike. The new research from Japan, however, is suggesting that sunchokes work on a metabolic level to help prevent diabetes and fatty liver disease,” Freuman explains. “That’s an ambitious claim.” Until human studies can confirm the findings of these Japanese researchers, Freuman offers these health-boosting reasons to enjoy the little tubers.
A PREBIOTIC POWER FOOD
Sunchokes are the tuberous root of a type of sunflower that’s native to North America. They provide generous amounts of iron and potassium and help the body absorb certain minerals, such as calcium, and they are rich in fiber, which helps prevent certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer.
In fact, sunchokes are packed with an important type of fiber called inulin, which is a prebiotic. “Inulin is a carbohydrate, but because your body can’t digest it, it doesn’t affect your blood sugar,” says Freuman. This characteristic gives the sunchoke its low glycemic effect. But even though you can’t digest inulin, the healthful probiotic bacteria in your gut feast on it and, in fact, need it to provide their health benefits to you, explains Freuman.
But inulin does have one unfortunate downside—which also puts a crimp in the advice of the Japanese researchers to load your daily diet with sunchokes. Eating too much inulin—more than ten grams a day—can make you gassy. Since one-half cup of sunchokes has eighteen grams of inulin in it, Freuman suggests eating no more than one-quarter cup at a time if you are new to this root vegetable but want to add it to your diet. Within six to eight hours—the amount of time it takes for the sunchokes to travel from your mouth to your colon—you’ll know whether your body tolerates the inulin well or not. As your body gets used to this new food, you may be able to increase how much you eat without the gassy side effect.
DELICIOUS WAYS TO EAT SUNCHOKES
Freuman also finds that cooking sunchokes, rather than eating them raw, lessens the inulin’s gassy effect. So instead of chomping on your first chokes raw, try some of these ways to prepare them (no need to peel the sunchokes—just scrub them well):
•Roasted sunchokes. Roughly cut sunchokes into one-inch chunks, and toss them in olive oil and salt. Roast at 400°F for about forty minutes until they are tender and golden brown.
•Sunchoke chips. Slice the chokes thinly using a mandoline or sharp knife. Toss the slices in oil, salt, pepper, and any of your favorite spices—these are especially yummy with garlic powder and thyme—and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for fifteen minutes, flip them over, and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes or until crisp. These chips are addictive, so don’t dive into a giant batch until you’ve made friends with inulin!
•Sunchoke mash. Steam or boil sunchokes as you would potatoes, and season them with butter, salt, and pepper. Or boil and mash them with potatoes to add a new taste sensation to an old standard.
•Sunchoke soup. After roasting sunchokes, simmer them in a saucepan with onions and garlic sautéed in olive oil along with broth or water. Season with thyme or rosemary. Stir in one-quarter cup of milk, cream, or yogurt. Then purée.
•Sunchoke salads and snacks. Slice or shave raw sunchokes, and add to salads (toss them in lemon juice or vinegar first, since the cut sides will discolor), or just eat out of hand.
So certainly, if you are looking for new healthy foods to keep your blood sugar on an even keel as well as optimize the health of your friendly gut bacteria, look for sunchokes at farmers’ markets and your grocery store (they are in season from late fall to early spring).
›Tamara Duker Freuman, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian in private practice and a clinical preceptor for the Dietetic Internship Program at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, both in New York City. TamaraDuker.com.
Cinnamon—Cheap, Safe, and Very Effective
Insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Cinnamon is its twin. Says Richard Anderson, PhD, a researcher at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland and the coauthor of more than twenty scientific papers on cinnamon and diabetes, “Cinnamon stimulates insulin receptors on fat and muscle cells the same way insulin does, allowing excess sugar to move out of the blood and into the cells.”
Several studies provide proof of cinnamon’s effectiveness in preventing and controlling diabetes:
•Stopping diabetes before it starts. In Britain, researchers studied healthy men—one group received three grams of cinnamon a day and the other a placebo.
After two weeks, the men taking the cinnamon supplement had a much improved glucose tolerance test—the ability of the body to process and store glucose. They also had better insulin sensitivity—the ability of the insulin hormone to usher glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells.
•Long-term management of diabetes. In a study by a doctor in Nevada, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups, with one receiving one gram of cinnamon a day and one receiving a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a 0.83 percent decrease in A1C, a measure of long-term blood sugar control. Those taking the placebo had a 0.37 percent decrease. (A decrease of 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent is considered a significant improvement in the disease.)
“We used standard, off-the-shelf cinnamon capsules that patients would find at their local stores or on the internet,” says Paul Crawford, MD, the study’s author, in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
Important: He points out that the drop in A1C seen his study would decrease the risk of many diabetic complications—heart disease and stroke by 16 percent; eye problems (diabetic retinopathy) by 17 to 21 percent; and kidney disease (nephropathy) by 24 to 33 percent.
•After a bad night’s sleep, include cinnamon in your breakfast. Several recent studies show that sleep deprivation increases the risk of diabetes.
Solution: Writing in the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers in the Human Performance Laboratory at Baylor University recommended the use of cinnamon to reverse insulin resistance and glucose intolerance after sleep loss.
•Oxidation under control. Oxidation—a kind of biochemical rust—is one of the processes behind the development of diabetes. In a study by French researchers in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition of twenty-two people with prediabetes, three months of supplementation with a cinnamon extract dramatically reduced oxidation—and the lower the level of oxidation, the better the blood sugar control.
ONE TEASPOON DAILY
“Try to get one-quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon daily,” says Dr. Anderson. Sprinkle it in hot cereals, yogurt, or applesauce. Use it to accent sweet potatoes, winter squash, or yams. Try it with lamb, beef stew, or chilies. It even goes great with grains such as couscous and barley and legumes such as lentils and split peas.
Or you can use a cinnamon supplement. Consider taking one to three grams per day, says Dr. Anderson, which is the dosage range used in many studies that show the spice’s effectiveness.
Best: Cinnulin PF—a specially prepared water extract of cinnamon—is a supplement used in many studies showing the spice’s effectiveness in supplement form. It is widely available in many brands, such as Swanson and Doctor’s Best.
The dosage of Cinnulin PF used in studies is typically 250 mg, twice a day.
›Richard Anderson, PhD, lead researcher at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maryland.
Eat Walnuts…Prevent Diabetes
We’ve been losing the fight against diabetes—the prevalence of this deadly disease has increased by more than 175 percent since 1980.
Good news: There’s an easy and economical way to help guard against type 2 diabetes. Just eat a particular type of nut—the walnut.
The news comes from a huge Harvard study that looked at data on nearly 138,000 women.
Every two years, participants answered detailed questions about their health and lifestyle. Every four years, they completed lengthy questionnaires about their diets, indicating how often they consumed each of more than 130 foods, with answers ranging from “never or less than once per month” to “six or more times per day.”
At the start of the study, none of the women had diabetes. By the end of the ten-year follow-up, nearly six thousand had developed the disease.
The researchers performed a careful analysis that adjusted for age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, smoking, menopausal status, and other factors that affect diabetes risk. They also adjusted for consumption of various unhealthful foods (such as sugar-sweetened drinks and processed meats) and healthful foods (whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, and various types of nuts).
What they found: Women who ate two or more ounces of walnuts per week, on average, had a 24 percent lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Those who ate just one ounce of walnuts per week had a 13 percent lower risk.
Other types of nuts conferred some benefits, but mainly through weight control, the researchers say. The walnut, however, has a number of properties that make it a winner in the fight against diabetes.
For one thing, of all the common tree nuts, walnuts are highest in polyunsaturated fats, containing 47 percent of these fats by weight—and there is good evidence that polyunsaturated fats have favorable effects on how the body uses insulin. Walnuts are also the richest of all nuts in a particular type of healthful polyunsaturated fat called alpha-linolenic acid. What’s more, walnuts are high in fiber and plant protein and have been shown to decrease total cholesterol and LDL “bad” cholesterol. These nuts are also loaded with vitamin E and polyphenols that have antioxidant properties.
Bonus: Even though walnuts (like other nuts) are high in calories, they don’t seem to cause weight gain in a balanced diet—perhaps because they are so filling and satisfying.
Do men get similar protection against diabetes from eating walnuts? Research will have to prove it, but odds are good that they would.
Going nuts: The best part is that walnuts aren’t some specialty product you have to go out of your way to buy, and you don’t have to drown yourself in walnuts to get the benefits. Two ounces is only twenty-eight walnut halves per week. That’s just four halves per day.
Walnuts are a great snack to have on the road or at work because they don’t need to be refrigerated (though if you’re going to store them for a while, putting them in the fridge or freezer will keep them fresher longer). While this new study did not look at whether the participants ate their walnuts raw, roasted, or otherwise cooked, you can certainly use them in cooking if you like, because heat won’t significantly affect their health benefits.
To increase your intake, try adding chopped walnuts to cereal, salad, rice, or soup, stirring ground walnuts into a smoothie or yogurt, and spreading walnut butter on celery sticks or apple slices.
›Frank Hu, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, all in Boston. His study was published in Journal of Nutrition.
Onions—Big Flavor, Bigger Benefit
Chances are you eat onions all the time without giving them a second thought. What you might not realize about this vegetable (yes, onions are vegetables) is that they offer much more than flavor. Onions are rich in antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Even the onion’s famous eye-watering effect is the result of volatile gases, many of which are also antioxidants. Raw onions provide slightly more health benefits than cooked onions, but cooked onions are nothing to sniff at. Find out what onions can do for your health:
•Provide cancer protection. An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that people who eat a lot of onions (more than one cup of onions daily) have an 80 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who eat very few onions. Eating onions frequently was also found to provide protection against colorectal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers.
•Reduce blood sugar. Within four hours of eating three-quarters of a cup of chopped onion, study participants with diabetes had reduced blood sugar levels, according to a study by Sudanese researchers published in Environmental Health Insights.
•Minimize scars and ease bug bite itch. Onion extracts may reduce scar formation on the skin. In a study conducted by Korean researchers, the antioxidants in onions were found to reduce scarring by increasing the activity of an anti-inflammatory enzyme. Creams containing onion extract, such as Mederma (sold at most pharmacies), can reduce scarring. You can also slice an onion in half and rub it on a bug bite to relieve the itch.
IN THE KITCHEN
Add onions as an ingredient in omelets, salads, and sauces—or let them take center stage, as in the delicious side dish described below. It features sumac, a Middle Eastern spice, available in the spice section of some grocery stores and online.
SAUTÉED ONIONS IN SUMAC
Chop two large red or sweet onions. Sauté in olive oil until soft. Sprinkle with sumac, a mild spice with a lemony flavor.
›Mark A. Stengler, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. Dr. Stengler is author of the Health Revelations newsletter, The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies, and Bottom Line’s Prescription for Natural Cures. He is also the founder and medical director of the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine in Encinitas, California, and former adjunct associate clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. MarkStengler.com.
Vinegar for Weight Loss (and It Lowers Blood Sugar!)
We tend to think of vinegar mostly for salad dressing, but it actually has a long history as a folk medicine to ease such conditions as headaches and indigestion. Now, several studies highlight vinegar’s benefit for weight management and blood sugar control. Mark Stengler, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor and founder and medical director of the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine in Encinitas, California, tells why this common product is so uncommonly helpful—and how to use it for better health.
Researchers believe that it is the acetic acid in any type of vinegar (apple cider, balsamic, white or red wine) that produces the health effect, interfering with enzymes involved in the digestion of carbohydrates and those that alter glucose metabolism (so that insulin does not spike).
One study found that mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed up to 10 percent less body fat than those not given acetic acid. Another study found that having small amounts of vinegar at bedtime seemed to reduce waking blood glucose levels in people.
Adding vinegar to a meal slows the glycemic response—the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream—by 20 percent.
Reason: Again, the acetic acid in vinegar seems to slow the emptying of the stomach, which reduces risk for hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), a risk factor for heart disease, and helps people with type 2 diabetes manage their condition.
Ways to add vinegar to meals: Use malt vinegar on thick-cut oven fries; marinate sliced tomatoes and onions in red wine vinegar before adding the vegetables to a sandwich; mix two parts red wine vinegar with one part olive oil, and use two tablespoons on a green salad; mix a tablespoon or two with soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, and herbs for a meat marinade.
For blood sugar balance (for those with diabetes or on diabetes medication) or for weight loss, dilute one to two tablespoons (some people start with teaspoons) in an equal amount of water, and drink it at the beginning of a meal.
›Mark A. Stengler, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. Dr. Stengler is author of the Health Revelations newsletter, The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies, and Bottom Line’s Prescription for Natural Cures. He is also the founder and medical director of the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine in Encinitas, California, and former adjunct associate clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. MarkStengler.com.
›Carol S. Johnston, PhD, RD, associate director, nutrition program, Arizona State University, Mesa, and coauthor of a study published in Diabetes Care.
Great “Whey” to Control Blood Sugar
For people with type 2 diabetes, eating isn’t the problem. It’s what happens after eating that can be dangerous. Glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, where levels go way up after a meal. This phenomenon, called spiking, irritates blood vessels and throws your metabolism out of whack, increasing risk for cardiovascular disease, eye and kidney damage, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease and cancer too.
A short, brisk exercise session before meals helps prevent postmeal blood glucose spiking. Here’s another, even easier (and surprising) trick for keeping your blood sugar where it should be—it involves using whey.
WHEY TO GO!
It turns out that whey protein—yes, that stuff you see sold in giant tubs in the bodybuilder and sports section of health-food stores—is a great premeal tonic for glucose control. Whey protein products are powdered, concentrated milk protein—made from the watery stuff that accumulates and rises to the surface of containers of cottage cheese and yogurt that you probably drain off. Studies have shown that beginning a meal with a whey protein drink helps get postmeal insulin secretion into action, which, in turn, helps reduce glucose spiking.
This effect was recently confirmed in a small international study that also pinpointed how whey protein does its magic. The study took fifteen people with type 2 diabetes, divided them into two groups, and fed them a sugary breakfast—with the difference being that one group drank 50 g (about three and a half tablespoons) of whey protein dissolved in water before eating breakfast, and the other group drank just plain water. Each group took a turn at drinking the whey protein on different days so that the effect could be gauged on every participant.
Results: When participants drank whey protein before breakfast, they accumulated an average 28 percent less blood glucose after the meal. And the whey had a strong and protective impact—insulin levels nearly doubled in whey drinkers within the first half hour after eating and remained high. This happened because, in the whey drinkers, an insulin-stimulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) didn’t degrade as quickly as it normally would. The presence of additional GLP-1 gave insulin a better chance of doing its job.
Here’s the kicker: The researchers pointed out that the effect of whey on glucose control and insulin secretion was better than what would be expected from using diabetes drugs such as glipizide, glyburide, and nateglinide.
Whereas the side effects of diabetes drugs can include headaches, joint aches, nasal congestion, back pain, and flu-like symptoms, whey protein is well-tolerated in doses of up to 50 g per day.
WHEY FOR YOU
Although 50 g per day taken before breakfast was looked at in the research study, how much daily whey protein do you need in an ordinary life setting to control blood sugar spiking? Naturopath Andrew L. Rubman, ND, founder and director of the Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines in Southbury, Connecticut, recommends using up to 800 mg per kilogram of body weight. That’s a daily dosage of about 44 g for a 120-pound person, 54 g for a 150-pound person, and 91 g for a 250-pound person. These dosages refer to products that are whey isolate, not whey concentrate. Whey isolate provides more protein and significantly less lactose than whey concentrate, Dr. Rubman says.
The daily dosage should be adjusted so that you are taking the least amount you need to best control symptoms associated with blood sugar spiking—and this will differ from one person to another, says Dr. Rubman. People who have chronic kidney problems should seek medical supervision before supplementing their diets with any dose of whey protein.
Side effects of whey were not reported in the study, but high doses of more than 50 g per day, particularly of whey concentrate, can cause digestive troubles such as increased bowel movements, nausea, thirst, bloating, cramps, and lack of appetite, says Dr. Rubman. These effects are mostly caused by the lactose in whey products. Other possible side effects include tiredness and headache, low blood pressure, and low blood sugar. So everything in moderation if you decide to include a whey protein supplement in your diet.
Also, people with allergies to milk should avoid whey (it is milk protein, after all). It can also interfere with certain drugs, such as levodopa for Parkinson’s disease, alendronate for osteoporosis, and quinolone antibiotics and tetracycline antibiotics such as doxycycline—so if you take any such drug, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for guidance on whether (and when) you can safely take whey protein and at what dosage.
›Study titled “Incretin, Insulinotropic, and Glucose-Lowering Effects of Whey Protein Pre-Load in Type 2 Diabetics: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” published in Diabetologia.
The “New” Superfood: Prunes…Yes, Prunes
Prunes are amazingly good for us. They are nutrient-rich and inexpensive, they can satisfy a sweet tooth without the horrid effects of processed sugar, and they can even help you get going with a healthy, slimming diet. But there’s a lot more to this simple, inexpensive superfood—yes, superfood—that could make you healthier and get you thinking about prunes in a whole new way.
A MAGIC INGREDIENT
“Prunes have a unique combination of nutrients that aren’t found in other foods, not even other dried fruits,” Maria Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis, PhD, says. She would know. She’s been dedicated to research on the health benefits of prunes since 2000 and has authored two scholarly reviews on research done on them. Prunes are very high in a sugar alcohol called sorbitol, which is the key magic ingredient to the prune’s health benefits, she says.
On its own, too much dietary sorbitol can cause gas and unwanted laxative effects, and 50 g or more a day is considered excessive. In fact, the FDA makes companies add warning labels about the laxative effect of sorbitol to food products that contain it. But you’d have to eat more than half a pound of prunes in one sitting to total 50 g—and if you do try that at home, you sure will be “sitting.” Dr. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis goes on to explain that five prunes contain a modest 7 g of sorbitol and that the sorbitol in prunes combines with other nutrients in the fruit to pump up its nutritional and health-enhancing powers.
According to Dr. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis, two daily servings of prunes (that’s ten to twelve) can help your body do the following:
•Lose weight. Despite the fact that they average twenty-five calories each, snacking on prunes can help you lose weight. Research recently reported at the European Congress on Obesity found that dieters who ate prunes lost more pounds and more inches and felt fuller longer than dieters who didn’t eat them. The finding on satiety matched earlier research that found that eating prunes as a midmorning snack can help you eat less at lunchtime.
•Regulate blood sugar. Although prunes are sweet, they rate relatively low on the glycemic index scale, which measures how fast and how much a certain food raises blood sugar levels. This makes prunes a good food choice for folks with hyperglycemia or diabetes. Sorbitol itself has a low glycemic value, which may explain why something that tastes so much like candy keeps blood sugar levels on an even keel instead of making them spike.
•Strengthen bones. Prunes contain several nutrients, including boron, copper, vitamin K, and, as mentioned, potassium, that help prevent bone loss. Plus, sorbitol—that secret ingredient—increases absorption of calcium from prunes and other foods.
•Prevent or slow arteriosclerosis. Studies in animals and humans suggest that compounds in prunes can lower blood levels of cholesterol and thereby prevent or slow the progression of arteriosclerosis—or hardening of the arteries—caused by buildup of cholesterol and other debris on artery walls.
•Prevent colon cancer. The fiber, phenolic compounds (which are antioxidant substances found in fruits), and sorbitol help prunes move waste through the colon quickly enough to keep bile acid by-products from injuring the lining of the colon, which can be cancer causing.
THE BEST WAYS TO EAT PRUNES
Is drinking prune juice just as good as eating prunes? Dr. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis recommends the latter. “If you eat the whole fruit, you get the benefits of all the great nutritional compounds in prunes. Some of these compounds become lost in prune juice,” she says. But if you have never eaten prunes and now have an interest in adding them to your diet, start slowly with four or five a day, Dr. Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis recommends. Once you’re sure that your body can tolerate them without an unwanted laxative effect, work up to ten to twelve each day. That racks up 240 calories, but you’ll feel full longer than if you ate the same amount of calories in the form of, say, bread and cheese.
And prunes can be a lot more than wrinkled things you pluck from a box. Consider these tasty ways to enjoy them:
•Homemade no-bake energy bars. Place a handful of prunes in a food processor along with any combination of your favorite nuts and seeds, such as almonds, walnuts, and sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds. You can add some shredded coconut too, maybe even sprinkle in some unsweetened cacao to sate a chocolate craving. Process the ingredients into a paste, and then press the mixture into a baking dish. Chill until firm, and cut into squares for a perfect on-the-go energy boost and healthy sweet-tooth satisfier.
•Prunes in a blanket. Wrap individual prunes in paper-thin slices of prosciutto—or do the same using turkey bacon if you prefer—then roast at 400°F until crisp on the outside, sweet and gooey inside. Bet you can’t eat just one!
•Spicy Moroccan-style stew. Simmer prunes with lamb, beef, or chicken and aromatic Moroccan spices, such as ginger, saffron, cinnamon, and pepper, to serve up a traditional Moroccan stew called tagine.
Bon appétit and healthy eating with prunes!
›Maria Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis, PhD, professor emerita, department of kinesiology and nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago.
The Fruit That Fights Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a dangerous condition commonly associated with diabetes in which blood sugar levels fall below 70 mg/dL. It can happen periodically to some people with diabetes when the drugs used to treat the condition, such as insulin, work too well and cause an excessive drop in blood sugar.
Best food: Apricots. Seven to eight dried apricot halves provide 15 g of a fast-acting carbohydrate when you have a crash in blood sugar. Fresh apricots will also help, but the carbohydrates (sugars) aren’t as concentrated. And dried apricots are easy to store and take with you.
What to do: Eat seven or eight dried apricot halves as soon as you notice the symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as fatigue, dizziness, sweating, and irritability.
Also helpful: Anything sugary, including a small amount of jelly beans. When your blood sugar is crashing, you need sugar immediately. Toby Smithson, RD, LDN, a nutritionist who has had diabetes for forty years, always carries jelly beans. They’re even mentioned on the American Diabetes Association website.
Other sources of fast-acting sugars include honey and fruit juices.
›David Grotto, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and founder and president of Nutrition Housecall, LLC, a Chicago-based nutrition consulting firm that provides nutrition communications, lecturing, and consulting services, along with personalized, at-home dietary services. He is author of The Best Things You Can Eat.
How Full Fat Helps Diabetes
Surprise! According to a study from Harvard published in Annals of Internal Medicine, people with the highest circulating levels of a type of fatty acid that is found only in whole-fat dairy are one-third as likely to get diabetes as those with the lowest circulating levels. Higher levels of the fatty acid—called trans-palmitoleic acid—were also associated with lower body mass index (BMI), smaller waist circumference, lower triglycerides (potentially harmful blood fats), higher levels of HDL “good” cholesterol, less insulin resistance, and lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for general inflammation.
How the study was done: At the study’s start, researchers began with baseline measurements of glucose, insulin, inflammatory markers, circulating fatty acids, and blood lipids (such as triglycerides and cholesterol) from stored 1992 blood samples of 3,736 participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–funded Cardiovascular Health Study. Those data were compared with the same participants’ dietary records and recorded health outcomes (including the incidence of diabetes) over the following ten years. During this period, 304 new cases of diabetes were recorded. When the participants were grouped according to their circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid, the researchers discovered that those with higher levels had the lowest rates of diabetes.
HOW MUCH DAIRY?
While other studies have suggested a similar phenomenon with dairy consumption, this is the first to have used objective chemical markers in the blood to determine the relationship between this specific fatty acid and the onset of diabetes. The participants with the highest levels averaged about two servings of whole-fat dairy foods a day.
This is not a license to indulge yourself in a daily serving of strawberry shortcake with extra whipped cream or a giant ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery, but you might want to consider switching from skim milk to whole milk with your morning cereal and selecting full-fat yogurt over low-fat or nonfat. The difference in calories isn’t great—and you may be getting some real metabolic and cardiovascular benefits.
›Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, associate professor, division of cardiovascular medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, department of epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.
Better Than Meat! Here Are Other Proteins You Should Try
When it comes to getting enough muscle-building protein, most people do just fine by having a juicy steak, a generous chicken breast, or a tasty fish fillet a few times a week.
The problem is, most Americans need to get more protein from other foods and a little less from animals, since research suggests a more plant-based diet decreases risk for diabetes, as well as other chronic health problems like heart disease and obesity. Balancing animal protein with protein from plants and other foods is one of the simplest ways to improve your diet. Of course, you don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to enjoy meat-free protein foods.*
FOR BREAKFAST
If you want protein in the morning, here are alternatives to eggs and sausage:
•Quinoa. Often used as a dinner side dish, quinoa can also be eaten as a great nutty-tasting grain for breakfast. Technically a seed, quinoa has 8 g of protein per cooked cup. It’s also naturally gluten-free.
For a great protein-packed breakfast: Have a bowl of quinoa with chopped fruit and nuts, or top it with sautéed spinach and a poached egg.
•Cottage cheese. It is not a plant-based food, but it’s an excellent source of protein. In fact, you may be surprised to find out that a half cup of 1 percent milk fat cottage cheese contains more than twice as much protein (14 g) as an egg.
Caution: Most cottage cheese is high in sodium, so be sure to stick to the low-sodium variety if you are on a low-sodium diet.
Not a fan of curds? Puree it. Make “whipped cottage cheese” in your blender, and flavor it with cinnamon for a delicious spread to smear on apple slices, or add chives and basil for a veggie dip.
FOR LUNCH OR DINNER
Want a quick and easy protein for lunch or dinner? Tofu or beans are excellent choices, but you may want to try something new. Here’s what I suggest:
•Split peas. Dried peas have four times more protein than brown rice—and four times more fiber. If you don’t want to cook your own split pea soup, certain prepared varieties are worth trying.
•Spinach. Most people don’t realize that cooked spinach—at 4 g per half cup—offers more protein than most other vegetables. It also contains antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E and is a rich plant source of iron and calcium.
To get a lot of spinach, buy it frozen. Since frozen spinach is precooked, it’s easier to eat more than if you are downing it raw in, say, a salad. Toss it into soups, pasta sauce, bean burritos, or lasagna. Frozen spinach is picked at peak season before freezing, so it retains its nutrients for months. And it’s a great value!
›Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a registered dietitian in private practice in Chicago. She is author of The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life and the nutrition consultant for the Chicago Cubs. As a flexitarian expert, she gets most of her protein from plants. DawnJacksonBlatner.com.
Beyond Broccoli: Healthy (Weird) Foods That Can Stop Diabetes and More
Have you ever heard of bilberry? Enoki? What about noni or goji berry? When it comes to being loaded with nutrients and healthful phytochemicals, these unheard-of foods stand side-by-side with the likes of blueberries and broccoli. Here’s a list of seven unfamiliar foods that are worth knowing about:
BILBERRY
Bilberries are high in phytochemicals, including a class of compounds known as anthocyanins. A 2010 laboratory study published in Journal of Medicinal Foods found that bilberry extract inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells. The berries may also improve blood glucose levels, helping to prevent diabetes. During World War II, British pilots who ate bilberries before evening bombing raids noticed improvements in their night vision. Some compounds in bilberries may help prevent macular degeneration, a common cause of blindness.
Helpful: You can substitute fresh bilberries for blueberries. Or look for bilberry juice. It won’t provide the fiber that you would get from fresh berries, but it still has the phytochemicals. Bilberries are available online and in health-food stores.
TROUT
Salmon gets all the publicity, but like salmon, trout is a fatty fish with large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These good fats have been linked to a reduced risk for heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, and other chronic conditions. In 2009, scientists discovered that a peptide (short strands of amino acids) in trout reduced both cholesterol and triglycerides in rats. It may do the same in humans. Trout is also high in vitamins B-6 and B-12, selenium, thiamine, and riboflavin.
Helpful: Trout is just as easy to prepare as salmon, because the fat keeps it tender, making it less likely to suffer from overcooking than a leaner fish.
One delicious recipe: Combine the juice of three lemons (about six tablespoons of bottled lemon juice) with three tablespoons of olive oil, one-quarter cup of chopped parsley, and ground pepper to taste. Dip trout fillets in the mixture, place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 400°F for about fifteen minutes.
BITTER MELON
Also known as goya, bitter melon is a fruit that is often combined with pork or other meats and used in stir-fries in Asian restaurants. Many people love it, but its bitter taste takes some getting used to. The payoff is worth it. A report in Nutrition Review noted that a diet high in bitter melon (three or more servings per week) helps reduce insulin resistance, a condition that can progress to type 2 diabetes. Also, bitter melon is high in antiviral compounds, which can keep you healthier in cold and flu season. And bitter melon is among the best sources of vitamin C, with about 60 mg in a one-cup serving, about the same amount as in one orange. It is available in Asian grocery stores.
Helpful: The bitterness can be tempered by adding sweetness to a recipe. For example, you could add dried cranberries or one tablespoon of apricot jam to a bitter melon stir-fry.
JICAMA
This crunchy, juicy vegetable (the j is pronounced like an h) is as popular throughout Mexico and Central and South America as iceberg lettuce is in the United States. In 2002, researchers in Thailand identified antiviral activity in jicama. It is rich in vitamin C and potassium and also high in fiber, with 5.9 g supplying 24 percent of the recommended daily amount.
Helpful: Jicama is usually eaten raw—it’s the best way to preserve the vitamin C content. You can add slices or cubes to a garden salad or serve it alone, drizzled with lime juice (and chili powder if you like), as a tangy counterpoint to richer dishes.
ENOKI
Unlike the standard white button mushrooms sold in every American supermarket, enoki mushrooms have long, threadlike stalks, each topped by a delicate white dome. A Singapore-based study found that enoki contains a protein that boosts immune function. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that can suppress free radicals, important for reducing inflammation in arteries, joints, and other parts of the body.
Helpful: The mushrooms have a mild, almost fruity taste. In Japan, they’re added to miso soup. Or you can eat them raw, sprinkled on salads or in side dishes. They are available in Asian grocery and specialty stores.
NONI
This is not a fruit that you want to take a bite out of—in its unadulterated form, it has a singularly nasty taste. (Its nickname is “vomit fruit.”) It’s usually juiced and then combined with other fruit juices. After it’s blended, it adds a sharp but not unpleasant taste, similar to the taste of unripened pomegranate. Noni is rich in many phytochemicals, including some with potent antioxidant effects. A 2010 animal study found that noni may help to lower blood pressure. It also appears to inhibit the growth of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.
Helpful: In health-food stores, look for a product that is 100 percent pure noni juice. Then mix one to two ounces of noni juice with other fruit juices, such as apple or pear juice. Experiment to determine what tastes best to you.
GOJI BERRY
Dried goji berries are popular in Australia and Asia, where they are enjoyed as a slightly tangy-sweet snack. Goji can also be used to make juice or a fruity spread. Gojis are high in antioxidants. In a 2009 study published in Nutrition Research, participants who drank four ounces of goji juice daily for thirty days had significantly reduced free radical activity in the blood. The berries are also thought to help protect against diabetes and atherosclerosis. And they’re high in fiber, with 3 g in one-quarter cup. They are available online and in some health-food stores.
Helpful: Munch them as a snack, or add them to muffins or other baked goods.
Caution: If you’re taking a blood-thinning medication such as warfarin, talk to your doctor before eating goji berries. They may change the drug’s effects.
Unless otherwise noted, these foods are available at most supermarkets.
›Tonia Reinhard, RD, a registered dietitian, professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, and author of Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet.
Calling All Carnivores: You Can Become a Veggie Lover
Let’s say you are given the choice of a thick, juicy steak for dinner or a heaping plate of yellow squash, spinach, and other brightly colored vegetables. What will it be?
If you’re a hard-core meat eater, there’s no contest. But if you don’t like vegetables, the sad truth is that you are depriving yourself of proven health-promoting nutrients that help fight everything from heart disease to cancer.
Surprising: Even though nutritionists recommend that we eat three to five servings of vegetables each day, only 21 percent of men are meeting that goal. And the average woman isn’t doing much better—just 31 percent consume that many veggies in their daily diets, and that’s largely because women tend to eat more salads (mostly lettuce) than men do.
Why don’t we eat more vegetables? Americans have traditionally been big meat eaters with vegetables thrown in only as side dishes. And some people just don’t like the taste of vegetables. Fortunately, there’s a way to conquer one’s aversion to veggies—and gain the amazing nutritional benefits of these foods.
A TASTE EXPLOSION!
It’s old news that boiling vegetables is not the way to go—too often, you end up with veggies that are limp, mushy, and relatively tasteless.
What’s a better choice? Steaming brings out the natural flavor of fresh vegetables and gives them the kind of crunch and texture that greatly increases their mouth appeal.
But there’s an even better alternative that gives vegetables the meaty texture that meat lovers crave. And by choosing ingredients carefully, you can also make the veggies more aromatic and flavorful. Try these ideas to make veggies more appealing.
ROASTING OR GRILLING
If you roast or grill your veggies, their natural sugars will caramelize, which kicks up the flavor. For roasting, in particular, it helps to toss them in an aromatic oil such as pumpkin oil (this oil provides a hearty, full flavor that appeals to most meat lovers).
Good choices for roasting or grilling: Carrots, leeks, onions, butternut squash, potatoes (whole or wedged), peppers (sweet and hot), turnips and other root vegetables, and tomatoes, eggplant, and other vine-grown veggies.
What to do: Mix two cups of coarsely chopped veggie chunks with one tablespoon of cooking oil, such as pumpkin oil. You can place veggies on cookie sheets or racks lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. For root vegetables, roast at 400°F for about forty to forty-five minutes, stirring at the halfway point. For the last five to ten minutes, you can add more fragile vegetables, such as thin asparagus or cherry tomatoes.
If grilling, use a veggie grill basket or wrap vegetables in foil packets. Start with four to five minutes of direct heat. Add another four to five minutes if needed.
SPICE IT UP!
Herbs (preferably fresh to provide maximum flavor) and spices are great ways to not only make vegetables taste delicious but also add even more disease-fighting nutrients.
Flavorful, health-promoting herbs: Rosemary, sage, tarragon, and basil.
Best spices to try: Cinnamon, cumin, and peppercorns.
For the die-hard meat lover, you can also add a saucy, bold flavor to your veggies by using condiments that are commonly associated with meat—for example, try some Worcestershire sauce on mushrooms such as baby portabellas.
Other good condiments: Horseradish, Pickapeppa sauce, or any hot sauce of choice.
WHERE TO SHOP
One of the best ways to boost your veggie quota is to shop at local food co-ops, farmers’ markets, or pick-your-own farms for a wide selection of in-season locally grown vegetables and fruit.
Resource: To find a farmers’ market near you, check the USDA’s website at www.usdalocalfooddirectories.com.
IRRESISTIBLE QUESADILLAS
Black bean quesadillas are a great way to slip in veggies.
What to do: Spread refried black beans (or canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained) on a whole-wheat tortilla. Cover with onion and/or green/red bell peppers, salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese, and top with another tortilla. Heat flat in a skillet until hot, turn over, and heat again until the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges, and serve with guacamole.
Helpful: Add a little chili powder or cumin to the beans to perk up the flavor!
›Susan Mitchell, PhD, RD, a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist based in Winter Park, Florida. The coauthor of three books, including Fat Is Not Your Fate, she speaks nationally on nutrition, health, and wellness issues. She also hosts the podcast “Straight Talk About Eating Smart” at www.GrowingBolder.com.
Magnesium-Rich Foods Protect Against Type 2 Diabetes
When researchers studied 4,497 healthy adults’ diets for twenty years, those who consumed the most magnesium (about 200 mg per one thousand calories) were 47 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who consumed the least (about 100 mg per one thousand calories).
Theory: Magnesium enhances enzymes that help the body process blood sugar.
Self-defense: Eat more magnesium-rich whole grains, nuts, legumes, and green leafy vegetables to reach the recommended dietary allowance of 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men.
Examples: One-quarter cup of wheat bran contains 89 mg of magnesium; one ounce of dry-roasted almonds contains 80 mg; one-half cup of cooked frozen spinach, 78 mg; one ounce of dry-roasted cashews, 74 mg; three-quarters cup of bran flakes cereal, 64 mg; one cup of instant fortified oatmeal, prepared with water, 61 mg.
›Ka He, MD, chair and professor, epidemiology and biostatistics, Indiana University, Bloomington. Environmental Nutrition. EnvironmentalNutrition.com.
How to Juice for Healing Power
Juice has gotten a bad rap. We’re often advised to eat whole fruits and vegetables—for the fiber and because they are lower in calories than an equal amount of juice. But for the many Americans who don’t eat the recommended three to five servings of vegetables and two to three servings of fruit daily, juice can be a lifesaver—literally. Juice is loaded with nutrients that protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and other chronic conditions.
We can pack in a day’s worth of fruits and vegetables in just twelve to sixteen ounces of juice. How to do it right:
•Opt for fresh juice, not packaged. Packaged juices, whether in a can, bottle, carton, or frozen, are lower in nutrients. And packaged juices have been pasteurized, which destroys health-giving compounds.
Example: Fresh apple juice contains ellagic acid, an anticancer nutrient that shields chromosomes from damage and blocks the tumor-causing action of many pollutants. In contrast, commercial apple juice contains almost no ellagic acid.
•Use a quality juicer. If you juice once or twice a week, try a high-speed centrifugal juicer. They’re relatively inexpensive, starting at one hundred dollars or so. (Examples: Juice Fountain Duo or Juice Fountain Elite, both from Breville.)
•If you juice more frequently, consider investing in a “slow juicer” (three hundred dollars and up) that typically operates at 80 revolutions per minute (RPM), compared with the 1,000 to 24,000 RPM of a centrifugal model. (I use the Hurom Juicer.) A slow juicer expels significantly more juice and better preserves delicate nutrients. And because the damaged compounds produced by a centrifugal juicer taste a little bitter, a slow juicer provides better-tasting juice.
Follow this basic juice recipe: Use four unpeeled carrots and two unpeeled, cored apples cut into wedges as a base for creating other juice blends by adding such things as a handful of kale, spinach, radishes, and/or beets. Ideally, use organic fruits and vegetables. If not, be sure to wash them thoroughly.
•Keep blood sugar balanced. Fruit and vegetable juices can deliver too much natural sugar, spiking blood sugar levels, a risk factor for diabetes.
What you need to know: The metabolic impact of the sugar in a particular food can be measured using the glycemic index (GI)—how quickly a carbohydrate turns into glucose (blood sugar). But a more accurate way to measure this impact is with the glycemic load (GL)—a relatively new calculation that uses the GI but also takes into account the amount of carbohydrate in a specific food. Beets, for example, have a high GI but a low GL. Charts providing the GI and the GL are available on the internet. I like those at www.mendosa.com.
Bottom line: Limit the intake of higher-GL juices such as orange, cherry, pineapple, and mango. You can use them to add flavor to lower-GL choices such as kale, spinach, celery, and beets.
›Michael T. Murray, ND, a naturopathic physician and leading authority on natural medicine. He is author of The Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality. DoctorMurray.com.
Five Cups of Coffee a Day Can Be Good for You!
Even coffee drinkers find it hard to believe that their favorite pick-me-up is healthful, but it seems to be true. People who drink coffee regularly are less likely to have a stroke or get diabetes or Parkinson’s disease than those who don’t drink it. There’s even some evidence that coffee can help prevent cancer, although the link between coffee and various cancers is preliminary and still being investigated.
FOR LOWER DIABETES RISK
More than twenty studies have found that coffee drinkers are less likely to get diabetes than those who don’t drink coffee. When we analyzed the data from nine previous studies, which included a total of more than 193,000 people, we found that those who drank more than six or seven cups of coffee daily were 35 percent less likely to have type 2 diabetes (the most common form) than those who drank two cups or less. Those who consumed four to six cups daily had a 28 percent lower risk for diabetes.
Some of the studies were conducted in Europe, where people who drink a lot of coffee—up to ten cups daily—are the ones least likely to have diabetes.
Both decaf and regular coffee seem to be protective against diabetes. This suggests that the antioxidants in coffee—not the caffeine—are the active agents. It’s possible that these compounds protect insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The minerals in coffee, such as chromium and magnesium, have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity.
CAUTION
Some caveats about coffee:
•Moderation matters. Some people get the jitters or have insomnia when they drink coffee. In rare cases, the caffeine causes a dramatic rise in blood pressure. It’s fine for most people to have three, four, or five cups of coffee a day—or even more. But pay attention to how you feel. If you get jittery or anxious when you drink a certain amount, cut back. Or drink decaf some of the time.
•Hold the milk and sugar. Some of the coffee beverages at Starbucks and other coffee shops have more calories than a sweet dessert. Coffee may be good for you, but limit the add-ons.
•Use a paper filter. Boiled coffee, coffee made with a French press, or coffee that drips through a metal filter has high levels of oils that can significantly raise levels of LDL, the dangerous form of cholesterol.
Better: A drip machine that uses a paper filter. It traps the oils and eliminates this risk.
›Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist, nutritional specialist, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, both in Boston. He is codirector of Harvard’s Program in Obesity Epidemiology and Prevention.
Green Tea Fights Diabetes
Green tea has remarkable powers to combat disease. I think we all should include green tea in our daily health regimen.
The leaves of the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis are used to make green, black, and oolong tea—but green tea contains the most epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG (a type of plant compound called a polyphenol, flavonoid, or catechin) is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Research shows that chronic low-grade inflammation (produced by an immune system in overdrive) and oxidation (a kind of internal rust that damages cells) are the two processes that trigger and advance most chronic diseases. Evidence shows that green tea can prevent and treat many of these diseases.
TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can lead to many other disastrous health problems, including kidney failure, blindness, and lower-limb amputation.
In a study of sixty people with diabetes, those who took a daily supplement of green tea extract for two months significantly reduced hemoglobin A1C—a biomarker of blood sugar levels.
How it works: People with diabetes who drank green tea for twelve weeks boosted their levels of insulin (the hormone that helps move sugar out of the blood and into muscle cells)—and decreased their levels of A1C.
THE RIGHT AMOUNT
To guarantee a sufficient intake of EGCG, I recommend one or more of the following strategies. You can safely do all three.
•Drink green tea. Five to ten eight-ounce cups a day of regular or decaf.
Best: For maximum intake of EGCG, use whole-leaf loose tea rather than a teabag, using one teaspoon per cup. Steep the tea for at least five minutes.
•Take a supplement of green tea extract.
Minimum: 400 mg a day of a supplement standardized to 90 percent EGCG.
•Add a drop of green tea liquid extract to green tea or another beverage. Look for a product that is standardized to a high level (at least 50 percent) of EGCG, and follow the dosage recommendation on the label.
Example: HerbaGreen from HerbaSway, at 90 percent polyphenols, 50 percent from EGCG.
SAFE USE
Talk to your doctor if you use:
•An antiplatelet drug (blood thinner), such as warfarin, because green tea also thins the blood.
•A bronchodilator for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, because green tea can increase its potency.
•An antacid, because green tea can decrease the effect.
›Patrick M. Fratellone, MD, executive medical director of Fratellone Medical Associates in New York City, attending physician at St. Luke’s Hospital, Roosevelt Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, former chief of medicine and director of cardiology at Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, and coauthor of a comprehensive review article on the health benefits of green tea in Explore. FratelloneMedical.com.
Good News! Even More Health Benefits from Dark Chocolate
About twenty-nine million Americans, including one in four people over the age of sixty-five, have diabetes or chronically high blood sugar—a disease that raises the risk of dying from heart disease by 70 percent. Long-term complications can include kidney failure and blindness. Studies show that chocolate can prevent diabetes and help prevent complications in those who have the disease.
In a recent study of nearly eight thousand people published in Clinical Nutrition, those who ate one ounce of chocolate two to six times weekly had a 34 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with diabetes than people who ate chocolate less than once a month.
Prevention of diabetic complications: In a study of ninety-three postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes published in Diabetes Care, those women who ate flavanol-rich chocolate every day for one year not only had better blood sugar control, they also had an eleven times lower risk of developing heart disease, compared with women who ate low-flavanol chocolate.
More research: Cellular and animal studies show that cocoa flavanols can protect the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas (insulin is the hormone that ushers blood sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells), the kidneys (diabetes is the cause of nearly half of all cases of kidney failure), and the retina (nearly 30 percent of people with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy, a cause of vision loss and blindness).
WHICH CHOCOLATE IS BEST?
Nearly every client in my health-coaching practice gets a recommendation to consume a daily dose of about 400 mg of cocoa flavanols—the amount used in many of the studies that show a therapeutic effect.
Important: Higher doses don’t produce better results.
And the healthiest way to get those flavanols is with unsweetened cocoa powder that delivers all the flavanols of dark chocolate without burdening your daily diet with extra calories and sugar. Using cocoa powder also helps you control your intake—it’s notoriously easy to consume an entire three-ounce bar of chocolate even though your optimal daily “dose” is only one ounce.
Red flag: Do not use “Dutch” cocoa powder, which is treated with an alkalizing agent for a richer color and milder taste—a process that strips cocoa of 98 percent of its epicatechin.
My advice: Mix one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in an eight-to-twelve-ounce mug of hot water or milk (nondairy milks such as coconut, almond, soy, and rice milk are delicious alternatives) and add a no-calorie natural sweetener, such as stevia.
Good products: I recommend CocoaVia, the powder developed by Mars, Incorporated. The Mars Center for Cocoa Health Science has conducted extensive scientific research on cocoa flavanols for two decades, and one stick of its powder reliably delivers 375 mg of cocoa flavanols, standardized for epicatechin. You can mix it with cold or warm milk, coffee drinks, smoothies, yogurt, or oatmeal. Another high-quality cocoa powder is CocoaWell from Reserveage.
Dark chocolate bars don’t reliably deliver a therapeutic dose of cocoa flavanols. But if you prefer to eat dark chocolate, look for a bar with 70 percent or more cocoa, and consume about one ounce (28 g) per day. According to a report from www.ConsumerLab.com, dark chocolate brands with high levels of flavanols (about one-quarter to one-half the amount in the best brands of cocoa powder) include Endangered Species, Ghirardelli, and Lindt.
›Bill Gottlieb, CHC, founder and president of Good For You Health Coaching. He is author of HealthDefense: How to Stay Vibrantly Healthy in a Toxic World and The Every-Other-Day Diet: The Diet That Lets You Eat All You Want (Half the Time) and Keep the Weight Off, with Krista Varady, PhD. BillGottliebHealth.com.
Spirulina Slows Aging and Prevents Chronic Disease
When you think of a superfood, you probably think of salmon or blueberries—not the algae that floats on the surfaces of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs.
But there’s a type of blue-green algae that has been used for food and medicine in developing countries for centuries, that NASA has recommended as an ideal food for long-term space missions, that is loaded with health-giving nutrients, and that might be a key component in a diet aimed at staying healthy, reversing chronic disease, and slowing the aging process.
THAT ALGAE IS SPIRULINA
Spirulina grows mainly in subtropical and tropical countries, where there is year-round heat and sunlight. It is high in protein (up to 70 percent), rich in antioxidants, and loaded with vitamins and minerals, particularly iron and vitamin B-12. And it has no cellulose—the cell wall of green plants—so its nutrients are easy for the body to digest and absorb.
GREEN MEDICINE
Dried into a powder, spirulina can be added to food or taken as a tablet or capsule. And ingested regularly, spirulina can do you a lot of good. Scientific research shows there are many health problems that spirulina might help prevent or treat:
•Anemia. Researchers from the University of California at Davis studied forty people age fifty and older who had been diagnosed with anemia (iron deficiency), giving them a spirulina supplement every day for three months. The study participants had a steady rise in levels of hemoglobin, the iron-carrying component of red blood cells, along with several other factors that indicated increased levels of iron.
•Weakened immunity. In the UC Davis study mentioned above, most of the participants ages sixty-one to seventy also had increases in infection-fighting white blood cells and in an enzyme that is a marker for increased immune activity, in effect, reversing immunosenescence, the age-related weakening of the immune system. Immunosenescence is linked not only to a higher risk for infectious diseases such as the flu, but also to chronic diseases with an inflammatory component, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.
•Allergies. Spirulina has anti-inflammatory properties and can prevent the release of histamine and other inflammatory factors that trigger and worsen allergic symptoms. Studies also show that spirulina can boost levels of IgA, an antibody that defends against allergic reactions. In one study, people with allergies who took spirulina had less nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal congestion, and itching.
•Cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Taking spirulina can double blood levels of zeaxanthin, an antioxidant linked to a reduced risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, reported researchers in BMJ.
•Diabetes. In several studies, researchers found that adding spirulina to the diets of people with type 2 diabetes significantly decreased blood sugar levels.
Caution: Spirulina has not been approved by the FDA for treating diabetes, so consult your doctor before taking it.
•Lack of endurance. In a small study, men who took spirulina for one month were able to run more than 30 percent longer on a treadmill before having to stop because of fatigue, reported Greek researchers in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
•Heart disease. Nearly a dozen studies have looked at the effect of spirulina intake on risk factors for heart disease, both in healthy people and people with heart disease. Most of the studies found significant decreases in negative factors (such as LDL “bad” cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, and blood pressure) and increases in positive factors (such as HDL “good” cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1).
IDEAL DOSE
A preventive daily dose of spirulina is one teaspoon. A therapeutic dose, to control or reverse disease, is about one tablespoon.
Spirulina has been on the market for more than a decade, and it’s among the substances listed by the FDA as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS).
Caution: If you have an autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus, talk to your doctor. Spirulina could stimulate the immune system, making the condition worse.
BEST PRODUCTS
Like many products, the quality of spirulina varies. Look for the following:
•Clean taste. Top-quality spirulina tastes fresh. If spirulina tastes fishy or “swampy” or has a lingering aftertaste, it’s probably not a good product.
•Bright color. Spirulina should have a vibrant, bright blue-green appearance (more green than blue). If spirulina is olive-green, it’s probably inferior.
•Cost. You get what you pay for—and good spirulina can be somewhat pricey.
Example: Spirulina Pacifica, from Nutrex Hawaii—grown on the Kona coast of Hawaii since 1984 and regarded by many health experts as one of the most nutritious and purest spirulina products on the market—costs fifty dollars for 360 1,000-mg tablets. Store it in the refrigerator.
•Growing location. The best spirulina is grown in clean water in a nonindustrialized setting, as far away as possible from an urban, polluted environment. If you can, find out the growing location of the product you’re considering buying.
HOW TO ADD IT TO FOOD
There are many ways to include spirulina in your daily diet, including the following:
•Put it in smoothies. Add between one teaspoon and one tablespoon to any smoothie or shake.
•Add to juice. Add one teaspoon or tablespoon to an eight-ounce glass of juice or water, shake it up, and drink it.
•Sprinkle it on food. Try spirulina popcorn, for instance—a great conversation starter at a potluck. To a bowl of popcorn, add one to two tablespoons of spirulina powder, three to four tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, two or three tablespoons of olive oil, one-half teaspoon of salt, and one-eighth teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
•Add it to condiments. Put one-quarter teaspoon in a small jar of ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, or salad dressing. This way, you’ll get a little each time you use these products.
›Jennifer Adler, MS, CN, a certified nutritionist, natural foods chef, and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University, Kenmore, Washington. She is the founder and owner of Passionate Nutrition, a nutrition practice with offices throughout the Northwest, and cofounder of the International Eating Disorders Institute. PassionateNutrition.com.
*Adults over age nineteen should consume 0.37 g of protein per pound of body weight, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Example: If you weigh 150 pounds, you need about 55 g of protein daily.