Good Morning All Ye Faithful!
Today marks the first Sunday of Lent (the 40 day Christian observance from Ash Wednesday [which was four days ago] to Easter Sunday).
Don’t worry Flock, this is not a sermon on religion. But I do mention this “Season” because, as many of you know, those of Christian faiths traditionally give up certain “luxuries” during this time as a form of penitence (being sorrowful for one’s sins) in honor of the 40 days that Jesus endured Satan’s temptation by fasting in the desert before beginning His public ministry.
Now I can choose many “things” to suggest you give up temporarily, or even permanently, in order to better your health. But today I want to focus on Diabetes. Type II in particular. Why? Because complications from this disease include Heart Disease and Stroke, High Blood Pressure, Blindness, Kidney Disease, Neuropathy (Nervous System Disease) and Amputation.
Therefore, I am urging you to give up (at least for the next seven weeks or so) all foods that have been proven to cause Diabetes.
Refined Grains like enriched breads, cereals and pasta, instant rice, and snack foods that list enriched flour as a main ingredient. Because during the processing of these “foods” much of the grain’s vitamin, mineral, fiber, and protein content is lost, resulting in a high glycemic index. As a result, they cause your blood-sugar levels to rise rapidly and demand more insulin to be produced from the pancreas, which is a major contributor to the development of Diabetes.
Foods with Added Sugars like jellies, jam, pancake syrup, frosting, sugary cereals and commercially baked goods also provide few nutritional benefits and have a high glycemic impact.
High-fat Meats and Dairy Products, which are sources of saturate fat, are often overlooked as culprits to diabetes. Believe it or not, meats high in saturated fat like sirloin steak, dark meat poultry and pork, fired chicken and processed meats such as bacon, sausages, pastrami and hot dogs increase one’s risk. Whole milk, heavy cream, ice cream, butter and cheeses, such as cheddar, are just as guilty.
Lastly, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil which is created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to form a solid, longer shelf-life fat is even more damaging than saturated fat. This Trans Fat is often-times in foods that are consumed in large quantities at one sitting, such as french fries, chips, muffins and cakes.
I know you feel as though I am preaching to the choir this Sunday morning, but Diabetes (which is a direct result of Obesity) is a growing world-wide health issue and even with the strides in dietary guidelines and governmental mandates, there is no sign of it slowing down. More than 1/3 of the US population is obese and according a new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there has been a 15% increase of Americans afflicted with Diabetes in the last two years.
Did you know (according to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet – released Jan. 26, 2011):
25.8 million children and adults in the US – 8.3% of the population – have Diabetes
18.8 million have been diagnosed
7.0 million are undiagnosed
79 million are prediabetic
1.9 million new cases of Diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010
and more than 65% of all people who suffer from Diabetes die from Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke.
Needless to say, if there was an Oscar for The Disease Most Associated with CVD (the leading cause of death in America amongst men and women), the hands-down “winner” would be Diabetes.
Yes moviegoers, even though I don’t go to the “cinema”, I am aware that it’s Oscar Night! Surprised?
