Posted by Fleming Turner in Healthy Food Guide

Acid reflux, also known as gastro esophageal reflux disease and heartburn, occurs when acid from the stomach is trapped in the esophagus. Acid reflux does not have anything to do with the heart but rather the digestive system. The acid from the stomach rebounds into the esophagus sphincter causing a burning sensation. Acid reflux can cause chest pains, difficulty swallowing, breathing problems, and coughing.

If left untreated, acid reflux can cause serious damage to the esophagus. It affects any age especially those who are overweight, pregnant, and those who suffer from haital hernia. Acid reflux is usually treated with antacids but the best way is through an acid reflux disease diet. An acid reflux disease diet eliminates the foods that cause potential heartburns.

First, let us clear up a couple of myths about acid reflux disease diets. It was once thought milk relieved heartburns but milk provides only temporary relief .It may produce more acid in the stomach and worsen the condition. Another common myth is that spicy foods, coffee, and acidic fruit caused acid reflux but recent studies show this to be untrue.

Some foods should be completely avoided on an acid reflux diet. These include chocolate, sodas, onions, garlic, tomato-based products, and cream- based soups. It is also wise to avoid oils and high fat and fast foods on an acid reflux disease diet because these stay on the stomach longer. Avoid alcohol as it doubles the acid content in the stomach.

On an acid reflux disease diet, apples, bananas, egg whites, pretzels, broccoli, peas, green beans, and baked chips are good choices. Include more complex carbohydrates like pasta, rice and whole-grain breads that are easier on the acid. For breakfast, try eating low-fat foods like oatmeal. Avoid eating large meals and remain upright for forty-five minutes after eating. Different foods affect everyone different ways so keep a diary of foods that cause heartburns and take it to your doctor.

Posted by Fleming Turner in Diabetes Relief

No one likes the cold and flu season, but diabetics have more reason to dread it than most. A person that is relatively healthy can anticipate to be out of commission for about three to four days. A person with diabetes could end up in the hospital, especially if they do not keep close tabs on their blood sugar levels.

Those with diabetes are encouraged to receive flu shots to defend themselves from coming down with the flu. The common cold or the flu increases stress on the body causes the blood glucose levels to rise. The majority of medications being sold to relieve symptoms connected with cold and flu have elevated levels of sugar. A diabetic needs to get into the habit of reading labels on commonly sold medications and looking for ones that are free of sugars or low in sugar. These medicines will not shorten the amount of time that is spent sick with a cold or the flu. A diabetic needs to take into account whether feeling better outweighs the danger of elevating blood sugar levels into the danger zone.

The next problem that cold and flu presents for the diabetic is they’re probably not eating properly. It is widely known that a diabetic must eat a healthy diet, however with illness such as cold or flu it is quite likely that’s not an option due to vomiting and nausea. Doctors advocate eating 15 grams of carbohydrates per hour, but due to the circumstances know that this might not be feasible. They will also usually advise the diabetic to continue taking their medications as they normally would.

Lack of fluids is one more threat that a diabetic can face. Taking in copious amounts of liquids is vital. Water, tea, and broth are excellent if the blood sugars continue inside the normal and high range. But if the blood glucose levels plunge, sipping a half cup of apple juice or other like sugared juice is counseled.

Monitoring blood sugar levels very closely during illness is imperative. Blood sugar levels can rise or fall dramatically and quickly. If a diabetic is already feeling icky they may not notice the signs that their sugar levels are out of control. Ketones should also be monitored. Ketones are the end product of excessive fatty-acid breakdown and are found in the urine only when ketone levels in the blood reach a certain point. Should a urine test prove positive for ketones, alert your doctor immediately. A high level of ketones could lead to a coma.

While no one can prevent getting the cold or flu 100%, they can take steps to reduce their risks. Getting a flu shot and encouraging those around them, like friends, loved ones and co-workers, to get one as well is a good begin. Flu shots can’t guarantee that one will not get the flu, however for about six months it makes it more difficult to get it.

A pneumonia shot is one more method to defend oneself from becoming gravely sick. Pneumonia shots are offered to any person over the age of two who is at an elevated threat of dying from pneumonia (an infection in the lungs), for example diabetic patients. Pneumonia shots are also 60% successful in averting additional serious diseases like meningitis (infection in the brain) and bacterernia (infection in the blood).

Finally, the best way to steer clear of getting sick is merely by washing one’s hands regularly and carefully. The easy action of hand washing gets rid of germs and bacteria, stopping them from gaining entrance to one’s body by way of the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Speaking with a physician before becoming ill and learning what to anticipate and when to contact them is important.

Posted by Fleming Turner in Diabetes Relief

Neuropathy is a mysterious disease. The Neuropathy Association calls it the most prevalent disease most people have never heard of. In fact, more than 20 million Americans suffer from some form of neuropathy. Neuropathy results from damage to peripheral nerves, often from diabetes. Symptoms might include pain, numbness, tingling, and inadequate balance. It appears in your hands, fists, hip and legs. The earlier it is diagnosed, the superior it can be treated.

Great Ways to Improve your Blood Circulation

In neuropathy, three types of nerves can be affected. The sensory nerves, obviously, are in charge of sensation. Autonomic nerves control the function of internal organs. Motor nerves affect the muscles. Because the nervous system is the communication network within your body, neuropathy might best be understood as a malfunction of communications.

Most neuropathy patients are aged, and the care for their disease costs Medicare $3.5 billion each year. Many people experience subtle sensations that come and go. For others, the disease may be severe. There are more than one hundred types of neuropathy, including autonomic, cancer-related, compressive, hereditary, and diabetic. Few of these can be cured, but for those which cannot be, there are lots of ways of managing the symptoms and eliminating pain.

If you suffer from neuropathy, the best thing you can do for yourself is to become an energetic advocate for your own health. Do your own information search. Learn as much as you can about your symptoms and the different treatment options for Neuropathy which are available. Be very trustworthy with the physician concerning the rate of your symptoms. Insist that he be up front with you about your disease and what you can expect as it progresses. Also, make sure your physician has a file with your full medical history and is updated with each single medication and supplement you’re taking. Be proactive: ask your physician if there’s anything you should be doing to help yourself. Finally, you may benefit from speaking to others who suffer from neuropathy. Find out if there are any support groups nearby.

There’s no alternative for teaching yourself. Being familiar with neuropathy gives you a certain amount of control you may not otherwise have, and knowledge has a way of making opening up doors.

Posted by Fleming Turner in Healthy Food Guide

Friday night, I pulled a tiny roast (1 lb.) out of the freezer. We finished dinner last night, and what was going on in my mind? Dinner for tomorrow, of course! Since I was lucky enough to think about this early, and the roast was mostly thawed by now, I pulled out the crock pot.

Hmmm… I wasn’t sure how to cook it. I had a head of lettuce in the fridge that I forgot to use the other day for my lunchtime salad, so I decided to make some kind of shredded beef salad. I’ve heard in the past that the meat shouldn’t touch the bottom of the crock pot dish if it can be avoided, so used two quartered onions to “hold up” the meat. Not yet prepared to make a taco salad, I covered the meat with Season-All and called it “good”.

I put the thing on HIGH and planned to turn it down to LOW when I went to bed, which I amazingly remembered to do. We planned to eat our healthy dinners at noon and probably 6PM. Because it was Sunday, I figured we’d have the big “to do” first, then eat the same thing or other leftovers later in the day. It would be nice to get the harder meal out of the way.

Time to eat! Here’s what I grabbed and threw on the table – forget the fancy serving dishes and keep it easy! (This was also when the meal turned into TACO salad.):

- The crock pot of meat. My hubby shredded it with a fork.
- Lettuce.
- Cheese and the cheese grater.
- Fat-free sour cream. We had bought this for chili that I plan to make on Monday, so hopefully we don’t use too much of it.
- A tomato. I had this left over from my planned lunch salads, and it was getting very ripe.
- We opened a can of kidney beans.
- Salsa.
- Corn. We had this in the freezer, already half-gone from other similar meals, and we just nuked like 3/4 cup of it for our salads for 2 minutes.
- Chips. Seriously, we had like 1/2 cup left from taco salads a month ago. I’m glad I didn’t try eating them as a midnight snack some other time! Now, my taco salad will be complete.
- Tortillas. Really, there were not enough chips, so we’ll see who gets what!

So, I was successful at figuring out how to make a healthy taco salad. I ended up counting 3 Points for the meat (that thing had NO fat, and it better not, for only being 1 pound in size), and I got to have a lot of meat flavor mass due to the onion overload. Mmmm… those onions were surprisingly good on the salad. I counted 2 for the cheese because I put more on about halfway through, 1 for the sour cream, 1 for the chips, 1 for the beans and corn together, and that is it! It’s another one of my healthy lunch ideas and for some reason my salads always end up being 8 Points or less.

Oh! I must mention that one of the boys had a salad, too. My wife and my middle son made some PHAT burritos with all the same stuff in them, minus the chips. It was amusing to see my 5-year-old holding the over-stuffed tortilla, but he ate more than half of it!

Posted by Fleming Turner in Healthy Food Guide

I planned to make these, so I had the ingredients on hand. I had bought onions and two bell peppers at the store. I happened to get one green and one red because it’s a bit prettier. I boiled a 4-pack of chicken for a meal last week and used two of them. I froze the other two, and I took them out last night, so they’d be thawed in time for dinner.

I put the following into a hot wok pan:

- 2 bell peppers (chopped into 1-inch pieces);
- 1 very large onion (equivalent of the 2 peppers, chopped into 1-inch pieces);
- 1 Tbsp (added after about 5 minutes of cooking, so I wouldn’t scorch the oil.

It took about a total of 10 minutes to get the peppers and onions cooked good enough to eat. I proceeded to cut up the chicken in to 1-inch pieces and added them to the hot veggies. I shook on a lot of Worcestershire sauce, a bit of soy sauce, and a bit of mustard.

Time to serve it up! On the table I set out some large tortillas and small tortillas. I put out some sour cream and salsa. I skipped the cheese this time. I love love love cheese, but by keeping it off the table for this meal, we’ll save on both calories and money.

We made this even better by serving it with corn on the cob. These healthy dinners are great!