If You're Diabetic, Eat More of This and Less of That

So, your doctor told you that you are either pre-diabetic, or diabetic.  Maybe it's a loved one who's got the diagnosis.  Don't panic, take control.  It's time to get educated and I hope the following will be a good start for you.

I can not stress enough how imperative it is for your longevity and quality of life to take the steps necessary to control your sugar.  Diabetes affects every organ in your body.  I'll avoid the scare tactics for now, but if you really want them, post a comment and I'll be glad to paint the horrific picture of the future you with uncontrolled diabetes.  That however is not what I want this blog to be about.  I want to empower you with some basic knowledge on what to eat to control your sugar now.

First, I will give you the most basic nutritional education.  Everything you eat is comprised of three things, carbohydrates, fats, and protein.  These are the foundation of your diet.  All three are important to include in your diet.  Only one of them affects your blood sugar levels and that is carbohydrates.

Having established that carbohydrates are what affects your blood sugar, not fats or protein, I want you to understand that all carbohydrates were not created equal.  I'm sure you have heard the terms simple and complex carbohydrates.  The difference is fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate, but its a good one.  

Like fats and protein, fiber will not raise your sugar but it is listed as a carbohydrate on your food labels.  A simple rule of thumb when reading labels is to subtract the grams of dietary fiber from the grams of carbohydrates to get an accurate picture of the amount of simple carbohydrates that will affect your blood sugar levels.

I highly recommend that you keep a food and blood sugar diary for a few reasons.  first of all, there is no one size fits all diet for anyone.  You need to learn how what you eat affects your blood sugar.  Second, it will help your doctor make informed decisions and recommendations for you.

The symptoms of high and low blood sugars vary among individuals, but the common expected symptoms are these:

Symptoms of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can include:

• Being very thirsty
• Having blurry vision
• Having dry skin
• Feeling weak or tired
• Needing to pee a lot

Symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can be different depending on how low your blood sugar level drops.

• Mild hypoglycemia can make you feel hungry or like you want to vomit. You could also feel jittery or nervous. Your heart may beat fast. You may sweat. Or your skin might turn cold and clammy.
• Moderate hypoglycemia often makes people feel short-tempered, nervous, afraid, or confused. Your vision may blur. You could also feel unsteady or have trouble walking.
• Severe hypoglycemia can cause you to pass out. You could have seizures. It could even cause a coma or death.

Having established that Fats, proteins, and fiber will not raise your sugar, you should eat them daily.  Having established that a blood sugar too high or too low is detrimental, and that simple carbohydrates will raise your blood sugar, you will eat these in moderation.

• You can eat all lean meat, fish, seafood & eggs
• You can eat all non-starchy seasonal vegetables
• - artichoke - asparagus
• - beet greens
• - beets - bell pepper
• - broccoli
• - brussels sprouts
• - cabbage - carrots
• - cauliflower - celery
• - collards - cucumber
• - dandelion - eggplant
• - endive - green onion
• - kale - kohlrab
• - lettuce - mushroom
• - mustard greens
• - onions - parsley
• - parsnip - peppers
• - pumpkin - purslane
• - radish - rutabaga
• - seaweed - seaweed
• - spinach - squash
• - swiss chard - tomatillos
• - tomato - turnips
• - turnip greens
• - watercress
• You may eat beans which have lots of fiber without added sugar
• Eat Moderate Amounts of Carrots
• Be wary of high simple carbohydrate vegetables such as
• Corn
• - cassava root
• - manioc - potatoes
• - tapioca
• Be wary of grains
• If you must consume grains, consume whole grains in small amounts
• Moderate healthy fats
• Moderate nuts and seeds
• Moderate Dairy products
• Cheese is low carbohydrate
• Milk will raise your blood sugar
•  Moderate amounts of seasonal fruit
• Whole fruit with its natural fiber intact is preferable to juice
• Avoid fruit juices which are all simple carbohydrates if you must drink them, try diluting them with water.
• Avoid processed foods – make it yourself so you know what is in it.
• Avoid sugars.  
• Stevia is a natural sweetener which is healthy and will not raise your blood sugar.
• Avoid Agave, organic honey, and molasses which are all simple carbohydrates.
• Artificial sweeteners are not food!  They are chemicals.  They will not raise your blood sugar, but I highly discourage consuming them.  I will gladly tell you why if you ask in a comment.
• Drink Water, and coffee, tea, and lemonade sweetened with stevia.
• Cinnamon has been known to help control blood sugar.
• Check it out here

The most sensible changes are ones you can live with.  Try making reasonable changes by consuming more of the foods highlighted in green, a moderate amount of the foods highlighted in yellow, and reduce your serving sizes of the foods listed in orange.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY  

The information contained in this site is intended to be used for general health care information purposes only, and should not be considered complete or used in place of a visit, call, consultation or advice from a physician and/or healthcare provider.

It is recommend that all decisions regarding medical conditions or patient care be made by a qualified healthcare provider who can evaluate your signs and symptoms.

Individuals are encouraged to contact their own private physician or healthcare provider regarding continuation or changes in their symptoms.

Should you have any questions about the information found on this site, please call your physician or healthcare provider.

Please do not disregard your physician or healthcare provider's advice or delay seeking treatment based upon information found on this site. The use of information provided on this site does not create a doctor/patient or hospital/patient relationship.

Johns Hopkins Scientist Raises Serious Vaccine Questions

Johns Hopkins Scientist Raises Serious Vaccine Questions

Eat What You Store... I do, and It's All Good!

When most people think of food storage, they have visions of going into debt to buy a ton of 30 year shelf life foods that even the zombies wouldn't eat when they finally come to get us all.

I think of food storage more in the way our depression era ancestors did.  They were some very smart and resourceful people who made it through some very hard times.  Food storage should be a way to save on groceries, not go into debt. Your food should taste good and be good for you.  There is no reason you can't store the foods your family eats every day, use it, and save money in the process.

I regularly cook from foods stored in my basement.  I use a lot of canning jars not just for canning, but to vacuum seal dry goods such as pasta, rice, oatmeal, dry beans, spices, chocolate chips, sugar, flour.... you get the picture.  When something you use is on sale, buy more of it to store away for future use, and you will always have it for the sale price.  I can't tell you how nice it is to go down to the basement to "shop" for the ingredients to make dinner.

To vacuum seal your dry goods, you will need a vacuum sealer with a tube, and would also need the jar sealer accessory.  The jar accessories come in wide mouth and regular mouth sizes.  I don't recommend getting a handheld vacuum sealer, it wont have the power to get the job done long term.  Go on a buy a good counter top one.  It will definitely pay for itself in the long run.  You can probably find a good used one on ebay.

This is one of the Jar accessories

This is one of the counter top vacuum sealers with the tube, but mine is different. I have an older version.

I cook with my food storage daily.  It is so much easier.  Here is a video I took a while back that shows how I cook with my food storage.  The pork was frozen.

Like our Depression era ancestors, I garden, do a lot of canning, and I make a lot of my own mixes which only makes meal preparation that much quicker and easier.  When you make your own mixes, you know exactly what is in it.  It's cheaper, and it's the stuff you use regularly.  I buy my ingredients in bulk from Sam's Club to make my mixes with.  Below is a jar of Onion Soup Mix, Ranch seasoning mix, and taco seasoning mix.

I even buy meats on sale and can it for later use.  A pint jar of ground beef is about equal to a pound of ground beef and it's cooked and ready to go into your chili, tacos, spaghetti sauce... whatever.  The other benefit to caning your meat over freezing it is that when you lose power for extended periods of time, you wont lose your meat storage... and it's already cooked!  It takes a lot less energy from your precious generator to warm it up.  If you decide to can meat you need to be sure to use a pressure canner and follow the instructions carefully.  You don't need a fancy pressure canner.  This is the one I use.  You can probably find a good used one online.  I prefer the simple stove top kind that I would still be able to use in the event of a power outage.

Here are the recipes for the above mixes:

*Double them for a pint jar, and Quadruple them for a quart jar*

Taco Seasoning:

1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt

Put ingredients into a jar and shake.

Dry Onion Soup Mix:

2/3 cup dried, minced onion

3 teaspoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake.  I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use. 

Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix.  Store this in a dry, cool place. 

Ranch:

5 tablespoons dried minced onions

7 teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

For dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.

For dip:  Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt.

Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend.

Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit...

I made some muffins for breakfast yesterday and again today using the same basic recipe (different add ins) with one very healthy and frugal adaptation.  I replaced the oil with bean puree.

I made the bean puree from dry navy beans I cooked in my crock pot over night.  This morning, I threw them in the blender and added just enough water to make them a pour-able consistency.  The recipe called for 1/4 cup of oil which was replaced with 1/4 cup of the bean puree.

Just place the unused bean puree in a jar in your refrigerator for all your baking needs, and replace the amount of oil the recipe calls for with an equal amount of bean puree.

The only difference I notice is that the muffins are much more filling and stick to your ribs.  My family did not suspect a thing.  The only thing they said was that the muffins were good.

Soaking then rinsing your beans before cooking them eliminates that uncomfortable gas problem.

You can use any type of beans to make your puree.  I just recommend matching the color of beans to the desired finished product. Black beans may work in chocolate cake, but wouldn't work in this recipe.  

Even canned beans would be healthier and more filling than oil.   Dry beans of course would be your most frugal and healthy option.

Here is an easy basic Muffin Recipe:

Basic Muffins

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (or bean puree)

Mix ingredients together. Spoon into greased muffin cups, 2/3 full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 12-15 muffins.

Add In's

Bacon or Ham – Reduce sugar to 2 Tbsp. and add 1/2 cup chopped bacon or ham
Blueberries – 1 cup
Cherries or cranberries – 2/3 cup of cherries or cranberries, mixed with 2 Tbsp. of sugar first
Dried fruit – 1/2 cup apricots, currants, peaches, figs, prunes, raisins or dates
Nuts – 1/3 cup chopped
Cheese – 1/2 cup grated cheese and 1/8 tsp. paprika 

If you are using dried fruit in you muffins there is no need to reconstitute it before adding it to your batter which causes the fruit to disintegrate in your muffin.  The batter reconstitutes your fruit just fine and gives you a much better end result.

I served grapes with my muffins this morning.  Where I live, it is difficult to get organic grapes so to remove the pesticides, I soak the fruit in a pot of cold water with about a cup of white vinegar in it and swirl it around for a few minutes.  Then, I rinse the fruit in cold tap water and let it drain before serving.  You would not believe the grime left in the water when your done.  This picture doesn't show it, but trust me, the water was grimy!

Post note on Nov 6th... my cornbread came out awesome using beans instead of oil!

Mommy Civil Disobedience

This Mom is done. I'm done spinning my wheels working for a piece of paper with nothing of real value to back it up. I'm done investing in a retirement account with a dollar that only depreciates as I age. I'm done being forced to invest in a Social Security Ponzi Scheme which will likely not be there when I need it.  I'm done paying for foreign wars and lining the pockets of greedy men.  I'm done investing my knowledge, talents, blood, sweat, and tears into the greedy and corrupt corporate machine. I may be a pawn, but I'm a free pawn!

I'm angry and I've been angry for a long time. I've been angry because I've been spinning my wheels for 20+ years as a working Mom. I've sent my children off to babysitters, public schools, and even charter schools to do the job that I should have been doing all along. I've neglected my home, my family, and even myself to earn a worthless pay check.

Chasing the all mighty dollar is not the reason that any of us exist. The dollar exists because we exist, not the other way around. It has no value. People have value.  The important things in life are not things and I sure don't need anymore dollars to buy more things.

The only thing that gives the dollar value is consumer confidence which is quickly fading. It's value is no longer tied to silver or any other concrete thing that keeps it honest. Hell, it's not even a dollar anymore. It's a Federal Reserve Note which is not Federal at all. The Federal Reserve is a group of private banks which are not even overseen by congress. The "dollar" is a figment of some Bankers imagination... a computer blip... a way to control the masses.

Our founding fathers warned us of the dangers of Central banking;

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered...I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies... The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."~Thomas Jefferson

Protections were placed in the Constitution to prevent a central banking system such as we have now. 

 "The Congress shall have Power To...coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin...."~ ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, CLAUSE 5

I am all for equal rights and Liberty for everyone but I can't help but notice that before the Women's Liberation movement, families seemed to be a lot better off.  Until recent history, men were the providers and women were the caretakers.  A man could support a family making a modest income and a mom could focus on what is truly most important to her, her own children.

Today, it takes two incomes to survive and the only people who benefit are those who benefit from taxing two or more incomes per household.  We can argue all day about who benefits, but one thing I know for sure is that it isn't me or my family.  Sadly, the more money we make, the more the government takes.  This will be even more evident now that the "Affordable" Care Act otherwise known as Obama care is being implemented.  Families no longer benefit from the higher income that two wage earners provide. So, Why do it?

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy 
out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another 
person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to 
anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody 
else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work 
because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other 
half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is 
going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of 
any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ~  Dr. Adrian Rodgers

The above quote articulates well how I feel.  I'm not against charity, but forced charity isn't charity... that's called stealing.  I assure you that you and I know who and what to spend our money on so much better than the government does.  I'm willing to bet that you can even balance your checkbook which is more than we can say for our government or even the non governmental Federal Reserve as evidenced by repeated quantitative easing.  I'd much rather feed a hungry family member than bomb people overseas (which is a whole other bandwagon).   Unfortunately, I'm not given the option of how the government spends what it takes form me... so I'm done.

I'm done earning an income in the traditional sense.  I'm done working for an over regulated, greedy, warmongering, corporate, soul sucking system and I'm done Nursing for a company who places more value on the almighty imaginary dollar than it does the people they serve.  I'll still be a nurse just as I was a nurse long before I ever got a licence to do so.  I take care of people, it's what I do.  Now, I'm going to do it on my terms.  How's that for woman's liberation?

As for the almighty imaginary dollar, I know I'll still need some to survive.  I'll be working under the table in stealth mode and caring for my family. My husband will once again be the main bread winner. This is my civil disobedience.  I may fail miserably, but my conscience will be better off knowing I've tried.  I will tighten my belt, and become resourceful.

I plan to blog regularly as I chart new territory for myself and share my tips, opinions and struggles along the way.  This blog will be about independence and self sufficiency. I will post about gardening, food storage, health, Homeschooling resources and a ton of frugal do it yourself tips.  If I think it will help someone be more self sufficient and free, I'll blog about it.  I hope you will find something useful in my blog and I hope you will join me in my endeavors even if in spirit only.

I will leave you with this last quote to ponder...

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility 
of servitude better than the animating contest of 
freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not 
your counsel or your arms. Crouch down and lick 
the hands of those who feed you. May your chains 
set lightly upon you. May posterity forget that ye 
were our countrymen." 
- Samuel Adams