Coffee | How Big Is Your BUT? Blog

November 18, 2011

Superfoods to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk

Does diabetes run in your family? Has your blood glucose (aka blood sugar) been a little elevated? According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), approximately 35% of adults 20 and older, and 50% of adults 65 and older have pre-diabetes.

Have you heard the term pre-diabetes? It’s used to describe above-normal blood sugar levels that are not quite elevated enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Here’s the kicker: unless lifestyle changes are made such as weight loss, tweaks to the diet and more exercise, pre-diabetes typically progresses to diabetes.

But I like to focus on the good news. If you are pre-diabetic or diabetes runs in your family, you can take control now and help prevent diabetes. If you have diabetes, smart habits can reduce your blood sugar level enough that you may need less medication or none at all.

Joining me on the podcast this week to bust some diabetes myths and talk superfoods is my guest Regina Ragone, registered dietitian and Food Director at Family Circle magazine.

One of the most common diabetes myths is that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. You my eat very little sugar or few sweets and still develop diabetes. Weigh gain plays a big role in diabetes and it doesn’t matter what foods you eat or drink to put on the pounds.

Diabetes Superfoods to Add to Your Diet:

Leafy greens

Nuts

Herbs and spices: particularly cinnamon, oregano and turmeric

High Fiber Foods: Susan: such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal

New research is looking at both regular consumption of caffeinated coffee and a normal blood level of vitamin D as potentially protective against diabetes.

Be sure and try this month’s Family Circle recipe: turkey scaloppine with tarragon-mushroom sauce at the WDBO.com/healthcenter.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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October 27, 2011

Caffeine Keeps Perking with Good News

Do you get drink coffee everyday or get your caffeine thru other sources? Maybe a combination of both! You don’t want to miss this latest study…reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at data from the famous Harvard Nurse’s Health Study.

The study found an association between caffeine and depression. The women who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 15 percent less likely to develop depression compared to those who drank one cup. Women who drank at least four cups per day had a 20 percent lower risk of depression. This is potentially good news. According to an article on Huffingtonpost.com by Dr. Peeke, one in five American women may suffer from depression at some point in their lives.

Caffeine may also be a promising therapeutic tool for Parkinson’s disease. Plus caffeine does not appear to have the dehydration effect during a workout as once thought. In fact, caffeine may give you the boost you need to exercise a little longer.

An article in the journal, Exercise and Sports Sciences Review, found that moderate caffeine consumption (in this review, up to 500 milligrams per day) did not adversely affect exercise in terms of dehydration, assuming that adequate hydration and replacing lost fluids is a given during and after your workouts.

Speaking of workouts, The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that caffeine consumption increases physical performance during both short-term and endurance exercise. Caffeine releases glucose (our fuel source) into the blood stream, which can increase the amount of available fuel to the body.

So for the average person how much caffeine is safe? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) suggests that 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day is a fairly safe range for most people.

But if you’re pregnant, done miss this. Researchers with Kaiser Permanente in California, whose 2008 study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, analyzed information about caffeine consumption in over 1000 women early in their pregnancy.

Guess what they found out? Women who consume 200 milligrams or MORE of caffeine per day may double their risk of miscarriage. Picture 200 milligrams of caffeine as about 10-12 ounces of coffee or about 16-25 ounces of tea depending on the type (remember black tea has more caffeine than green tea). Different coffees and teas can vary quite a bit in their caffeine content.

Since there is no consensus on how much caffeine to consume during pregnancy, some doctors suggest switching to decaf or cutting caffeine from the diet at least during the first three or four months. Others suggest one cup a day and cut it off. The best bet is to discuss your personal health with your physician or health care provider and decide together the best course of action for you and your pregnancy.