Blood Sugar Balance

 

Balancing blood sugar with a whole-food, low-glycemic diet is a top priority for diabetics. Each meal should contain fat, fiber, and protein—this powerful trifecta helps slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream and keeps you full for longer. A well-balanced meal might include a piece of wild-caught salmon (protein) with quinoa (fiber) and spinach (fiber) sautéed in coconut oil (healthy fat). Foods to avoid include genetically modified organisms (GMOs), refined grains, simple sugars, hydrogenated oils, cow’s milk, alcohol, and gluten. These are inflammatory, immunosuppressant in nature, and lead to cellular damage, hormone imbalance, and altered metabolic function.

When making food choices, refer to the glycemic index. This ranking system assesses the impact that a higher carbohydrate food will have on blood glucose levels. High-fiber foods that are less processed and lower in starches and sugar have a lower glycemic index—i.e. brown rice (whole grain, low glycemic) vs. white bread (flour product, high glycemic). The lower the glycemic index, the better energy, brainpower, hunger control, and mood you’ll have after eating them. If a portion of food is higher in sugar, even if just a piece of fruit, we recommend pairing it with fat or protein to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream.

Diabetic superfoods include wild-caught fish, dark leafy greens, almonds, and legumes. The omega-3 fats in wild fish, especially salmon, have anti-inflammatory properties that are helpful for blood vessel and nerve health. Almonds, legumes, and dark leafy greens such as kale, arugula, parsley, and cilantro are alkalizing, and rich in B vitamins and fiber. They also contain magnesium, a calming mineral that’s responsible for up to 800 different functions within the body including blood sugar balance.

Happy world coffee Day

Coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks, but it didn’t get there through its health virtues. I love started drinking my cup of Joe to feel more alert and awake. My friends and hubby says I'm addicted :).
I tried so many different variety but nothing better than roasted Arabic coffee.There are some hidden health benefits of the liquid lighting.

Coffee has a long history beginning in Ethiopia, Africa. History of coffee in India dates back to the 17th century, when Baba Budan, went to Arabia for his 'Hajj' pilgrimage to Mecca. On the way back, he came via Yemen. There he encountered a strange drink which he wanted to take home. Trade in coffee was tightly controlled by the Arabs. They wouldn't let anyone take fresh seeds out to plant in their own country; they could only take the roasted beans. But, Baba Budan managed to get hold of seven seeds, which he hid in his dress and raised them successfully in the hills, which are now named after him. A century later, British manager J.H. Jolly realised the commercial potential of the coffee plants which were growing without much attention in the hills and started exporting the seeds to different parts of the world.

1.Longer Lives-  people who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had a 10 percent chance of living longer than their coffee-abstaining peers. Coffee protected against various forms of death with the exception of cancer.
(Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the AARP, led by Neal D. Freedman)

2.Alzheimer's Disease-In older adults, people who drank three cups of coffee daily had lower instances of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

3.Skin Cancer- Jiali Han, PhD, an associate professor at Harvard conducted a study with her colleagues that found that coffee decreases the risk of developing the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

4.Heart Failure-Researchers had been more equivocal about the link between coffee consumption and heart health.

5.Risk of Stroke - Investigators at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute and Harvard University found that drinking coffee – even decaffeinated coffee – can decrease the risk of strokes, because coffee is filled with beneficial antioxidants.

6.Parkinson's Disease - Dr. Ronald Postuma from McGill University and colleagues found, in a study published this month, that coffee can lessen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

7.Decaf Benefit-The Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that decaffeinated coffee helped to ward off, and possibly treat, cognitive decline.

Enjoy your guilt free cup with this piece of history.

Happy World coffee day!

Monsoon

"Monsoon" - The word itself makes me cool. I love rain a lot. From childhood itself I never missed my first monsoon shower even after my mom's shouting. And after that, hot pakora/samosa/kachori with Masala chai - wow! In India one's diet is related to seasons. With Monsoon lots of festival come and every  festival is unique with its staple food. Its also different from community to community and region to region.

But Pakoda/Samosa and Chai during rain  is same all over in India may be recipe varies from simple pakoda to onion or chilli or veg pakod. There are lots of recipes with variation I love onion, methi and chilli pakoda.

Recipe as I learn from my aai (mom) 

Oil for frying, 
1 cup Gram flour, 
1 medium onion chopped, 
3 chilli chopped, (I love very hot pakoda)
1 tsp coriander leaves chopped, 
Methi leaves (fenugreek) 
salt, sugar  
water for making batter.
Make batter  with all the ingredients (except oil). Once the oil is heated, carefully place in heaping tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. fry them 3/ 4 min until crispy golden brown. Drain oil and serve with chtani /curd and hot Masala chai.

Though house hold food is more hygienic but I love to eat this on street with loved ones in the rain. 

Green salad

Have you had your salad today? Eating salad almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt -- and one of the simplest. Salad is actually a variety of vegetables in addition to fruits, by using as well as without the outfit. Salad retains are also used minor pieces in addition to thrown with the other person to create any done Salad. Additional vegetables which might be regular in the Salad tend to be onion, promote, early spring reddish colored onion, The town seedlings, broccoli, tomato facilities, carrots, relatively sweet corn, radish, mushroom, oranges in addition to avocados. Unique alternative activities which might be additional tend to be olives, noodles, steaks, organized carrots,  cheese, meats in addition to artichoke.

Consuming Salad after daily foundation is a healthiest routine. You will discover big many benefits regarding Salad, they are higher within nutritional fiber and they are an awesome supply connected with minerals and vitamins. Nutrient-rich fertilizer is good for general well being regarding body.

Salad azines tend to be the most essential element of that eating habits. They are healthy, effortless construct, light source round the stomach in addition to complete with many benefits. In addition to they are no more constrained to dreary tomato in addition to lettuce retains.

Ingredients are : lettuce, carrot , broccoli (blanched), Capsicum, tomato, Cottage cheese and Green chilli without any salad dressing.

 

 

Easy lazy Break fast

 When you wake up in the Sunday morning what first comes in mind "What’s for breakfast?" ??????????

and here is my solution for EASY and LAZY Sunday Break fast!

Red Flags of High Blood Sugar

RED FLAG #1: Ready to Nap Right After a Big Meal?
This is a normal response to an influx of carbs (think of that post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling). A diet that's high in simple carbs like sugar, white flour, and sweet beverages -- especially when consumed in large quantities at one sitting -- overwhelms it.
What helps: Fenugreek aids carbohydrate metabolism and helps regulate blood sugar levels after meals. Fenugreek contains a specialized type of fiber that slows the absorption of glucose in theintestines and reduces the amount of fat that is absorbed.


RED FLAG #2: Craving Carbs
Find yourself reaching for quick-hit snacks like candy bars or chips? Simple carbs such as sugars and white flour break down very quickly, providing a fast hit of energy. Soon, however – this energy boost is followed by a dramatic drop in blood sugar. The body is caught in another wave of fatigue. So, before you know it, you're reaching for a pick-me-up guzzle of soda, another handful of chips, a second cookie (or three).
What helps: Chromium may be the answer for those who have intense cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods. When your blood sugar is low, your appetite for sugars and starches is amplified. Chromium helps stabilize blood sugar and diminish the desire for carbohydrate-laden foods.

RED FLAG #3: Being Overweight -- and Unable to Lose Extra Pounds
Most diabetics carry excess weight, says Duke University's Beth Reardon. Stubborn weight loss despite best efforts can be the result of mixed messages that our cells are receiving, Reardon says. "The cells are starving because the fuel they need (in the form of glucose) is not being absorbed at the insulin receptor site on the cell. In the face of a perceived fuel shortage, the body will hold tightly onto existing stores of energy -- fat," she says.
What helps: Gymnema Sylvestre is a potent weapon against obesity due to its ability to regulate blood sugar, slowing the absorption of glucose and supporting insulin sensitivity. When blood sugar levels are kept in the normal range, hunger is kept at bay.

RED FLAG #4: Looking More Like an Apple Than a Pear
Weight gain is weight gain, and all of it risks moving you down the path toward elevated blood sugar. But added pounds in one particular area -- the midsection -- are especially associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. For men, the danger point is considered to be a waist circumference of 40 inches or more; for women, the dangerous measurement is a waist of 35 inches or more.
What helps: Cinnamon is an essential addition to your diet if you struggle with blood sugar imbalances or store weight around the stomach and midsection. Insulin is known as the “fat storage” hormone and Cinnamon allows the body to maintain healthy blood sugar levels while producing less insulin.

RED FLAG #5: High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is linked to many different conditions. But insulin resistance is a common cause when it appears in tandem with excess weight gain (especially around the middle), fatigue, and other negative numbers on a medical workup (abnormal cholesterol levels and high triglycerides). The numbers to beware: blood pressure equal to or higher than 130/85, an HDL "good" cholesterol level below 40 mg/Dl for men and below 50 mg/Dl for women, and triglycerides of 150 mg/Dl.
What helps: Bilberry supports optimal blood pressure by making the blood vessels easier to stretch and expand, thus increasing blood flow. Also remember that high blood sugar makes the blood cells “stickier” causing the heart work harder to pump this thickened blood throughout the body.

Health Alert: Diabetes is fast reaching epidemic proportions. New statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that cases of type 2 diabetes in the U.S. have gone up 90% since 1997. This disease often goes undiagnosed for years. Make sure you get your blood sugar checked annually.



Source: http://diabetichealthinfo.com

Soul soup for Family-Healthy Chicken seaweed soup

Two days ago, my daughter was suffering from common cold and was refusing to eat anything. She asked me to prepare something tasty preferably salty. So I prepared this soup that comprises chicken with herbs, Seaweed, vegetables, and noodles (which are any kids favorite). The result was amazing she ate two bowlfuls.

Chicken with Black pepper, Ginger soup is always using as cold remedy so added other herbs which en-corporate soup to enhance taste and reduce common cold symptoms. other herbs are Turmeric which is well known medicine in Aurveda for cold (My Mom used to give hot milk with turmeric when there is first symptom of common cold or some times garlic bulb boiled mashed and mixed with honey, Jagger and turmeric) . Seaweeds and Anchovies for good taste and to add some more nutrition.
Ingredients:
Chicken 300 gm
8/10 Dried Anchovie (Small Asian Fish)
1 cup carrots
1 cup cabbage
1 tsb butter
2 tsb cut seeweeds (I used Ottogi)
1 tsp Black pepper
1 Tsp Turmeric
1tsp grated fresh Ginger
3/4 cloves of garlic
salt according to taste
water 8 cups
one pack of Ramen (Instant noodles)
1 boiled egg
few drops Lemon juice

Method:
1. Add butter in a pan the add chicken cook it nicely for 7/ 8 min then add water and boil it for 10 min.
2. While boiling add Anchovies. This fish are very delicate and broke when comes in contact with hot water so I put them on sieve and all it to boil with chicken.
3. now add all other ingredients except Noodles and cook for another 6/7 min.
4. Remove Anchovies (I throw them, do not like to eat broken anchovies)
4. Add noodles, salt and cook for further 3 min .

while serving shred chicken and add pinch of black pepper and few drops of lemon juice on top.
Color of soup comes so ravishing one cant hold his hunger to gulp it. its easy to prepare and full of nutrition.

Crispy and Tangy Tofu

Tofu is good source of protein but I personally dont like its taste and no need to say my baby always keep aside wherever I added tofu in any veggie or salad. So this time I gave twist in recipe, I marinate tofu in spices and in lemon juice for more than half hour and then I fried it. Taste was so delicious. I prepared it as side dish for lunch but before lunch my baby finish it.


Ingredients:
Tofu (cut according to desired shape)
lemon juice 2 Tbs
soya soauce 2 tbs
salt (according to taste )
sugar 1/2 Tsb
black pepper 1/2 Tbs
corn flour
ChatMasala* 1 tbs.
oil to fry

Method:
Marinate tofu in lemon juice, soy sauce, salt, sugar and black pepper for more than half hour.
remove from marination and dip in dry corn flour and dip fry.
then sprinkle chat Masala.

*To make spicy version add some chilli powder to marination.

(*Substitute for - chat masala add 1/4 spoon dried citric powder, salt and same amount powder sugar mix well and sprinkle )

Lahmacun

Last week I visited a Mediterranean and Turkish restaurant. Earlier I had never had any Turkish food, so, when menu came up, all foods were alien to me and were nothing more than beauiful and yummy looking pictures. There was no English translation for the menu available and the waitress was unable to explain what the ingredients were for the dishes. It was lunch time and I was so very hungry. So, I thought of playing safe and ordered a pizza like dish . It took a long time to come, but when it arrived its aroma spoke for itself. It was a thin piece of dough topped with minced meat sprinkled with lemon juice and wrapped around vegetables. The dish was delicious. It was called LAHMACUM - turkish pizza.

Though I had not tried its recipe at home but will surely try, its very simple, quickly made recipe, so when I'll try it, I shall definitely upload some snaps... till then happy and healthy eating :)

Happy Valentine day

Happy Valentine day Friends..... Its long time that I didn't blog, It doesn't mean that I gave up my experimenting with new food n new restaurants... not at all I'm true Foodeterian By nature. I have bunch of recipes and good food taste stories with me, slowly I'll post them all. Have a nice and chocolaty day!