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Recently in Diabetes Category
Genetics is not the answer to "why" people develop Diabetes and yet literature on Diabetes (even pamphlets in doctor's offices) will point to biology. Mexicans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, have a greater biological propensity for this disease. I've often heard, "It's in our blood" from my Mexican family members, from doctors. But is it?
Michael Montoya's journey into the maze of the genome Diabetes project is an excellent response to this myth. His book, Making the Mexican Diabetic: Race, Science, and the Genetics of Inequality uncovers the contradictions inherent in placing race on biology without taking into consideration social, political, and historical constructions that are key to the "making" of a society afflicted with this disease.
"Indian ancestry," writes Montoya, "is a central ideological feature of the diabetes enterprise. Evidence of beliefs about blood-based heredity was easily elicited from field office staff when commenting upon the causes of diabetes. But so too were notions of social etiologies of diabetes. When explaining the causes of diabetes, staff members explain that genes and life conditions together explain diabetes . . . 'Genes are passed from one generation to another, but basically it's our way of eating'" (98). And how can populations of Mexican descent along the border or in working class neighborhoods take the time to exercise or have the means to maintain a healthy diet when a half dozen tacos or a hamburger with fries and a coke is half the price of a pound of organic spinach?
T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell's book The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health supports Montoya's findings. In this book, Campbell and Campbell look at how our fast food industry is slowly making us seriously ill. But the genome project and the contradictory findings don't help clarify the problem of Diabetes. It is not enough to simply say, "It's in the blood."
"Genes do not cause chronic disease," Montoya writes. "Genes in certain bodies under certain conditions contribute to disease susceptibility" (187). This may explain why in a family of 3 children, two have diabetes and one will not develop the disease. It is not simply about blood but about a number of other factors (diet, exercise, living conditions, etc.) having to do with societal and political constructions.
Montoya's book which was just published (University of California Press) is an excellent study in how our society is creating a population highly susceptible to chronic disease-- whether or not you are of Mexican or Indian descent!
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 This is Stevia or "stevia rebaudiana" or maybe you've heard of it as "sweetleaf," or "sugarleaf." Take a bit of a leaf from the plant and taste it. Your mouth will be filled with an intense sweetness but without the aftertaste of other types of artificial sweeteners. And it is much safer than the processed artificial chemical sweeteners. Stevia is an herb that is native to South America and can grow in any subtropical and tropical region from western North American as well as South America.
You can grow it in a pot (as seen above -- and look at how tall the plant gets) or you can also plant it in your vegetable garden. Stevia plants prefer, since they are subtropical, full sun and heat. This is why in Nebraska, they do so well during the summer months but must be taken indoors during the winter. By fall, it is good to harvest the leaves and dry them on a screen in full sun for about an hour. Then you can place the dried leaves in a coffee grinder or food processor to be used throughout the year as a sweetener. You can also eat the leaves fresh if you so wish--placing them in drinks or in yogurt or salads. Just remember that a small amount is all you need. These leaves have about 40 times the sweetness of processed sugar. Just take a taste of a leaf, and you'll see!
Stevia is a perfect natural low-sugar food alternative. It has no effect on blood glucose levels and therefore is an excellent food for those with Diabetes or anyone who is counting their carbohydrate intake.
You can also purchase already processed stevia liquid or powder at your local co-op/health food store.
The "SweetLeaf" company has created a number of stevia products with natural flavoring. Above is the Vanilla Creme. I personally like the cinnamon.
But how much more fun to grow your own organic stevia during the summer months and have it for the rest of the year! I encourage you to grow your own stevia and have fun doing it! In the picture below I'm holding the Stevia and below the plant you can see what looks like daisies but they are not daisies--they are echinacea -- another excellent herb to use for tea and, like stevia, it is also a healing herb.
Some history: The Guarani tribe of Paraguay included Stevia in their diet. They called it ka'a he'e ("sweet herb"). They used stevia in their "yerba mate" and other medicinal teas. Of late, stevia is being recommended to individuals with hypertension as well as diabetes.
One of my chapters in my book, _The Diabetes Chronicles_ is devoted to organic farming (urban farming!), focusing on foods to grow that are excellent nutrition for individuals with diabetes.
The act of growing your own herbs (medicinal, etc.) is so enjoyable, healing, and good for the earth. I wish you much enjoyment with your time in the garden and in your kitchen creating new and exciting, health-filled dishes! Wising you good health and much cooking pleasure!
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Imagine being able to diminish the miserable symptoms that come with allergies: the sneezing, the sinus infections, the runny nose, the itchy eyes and throat. For the very first time this spring, I can attest to being allergy free and I am attributing this miracle to something not so magical: it's simply about my food choices.
Since I was diagnosed with Diabetes, I've dramatically changed my eating habits. I have cut out all grains and instead have daily portions of almonds, pecans, some walnuts and Brazil nuts (these particular nuts are low in carbohydrates as opposed to nuts like cashews). Soymilk (unsweetened), tofu, lots of garlic, egg whites are included in my daily diet as well as lots of vegetables (kale, spinach, arugula, chard, asparagus, red bell pepper, jalapeños).
For snacks, I eat half to a whole apple, berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries), a half of a not-so-ripe banana.
The amount of sugar/carbohydrates I eat is about 100 to 110 carbohydrates a day. I end the day with 3 TBLSP's of apple cider vinegar to avoid the "Dawn Phenomenon" which is known among those with Diabetes as a high glucose blood count in the morning. My friend, David Mendosa, who is a freelance journalist and consultant specializing in Diabetes has written about this (click here for his article) and I can attest to the power of vinegar! (A look through David's website will also inform you on so many aspects regarding Diabetes. David is also quite strict on carbohydrate daily counts. He will tell you my 100-110 carbohydrate count can stand for further trimming. I'm working on that).
Gentle Reader--I'm writing you about this because I'm completely amazed that for the first time EVER-- I am not experiencing any kind of hay fever allergies right now. Between the beginning of April and the beginning of June--I have horrible allergies here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Some years it's been so bad, I've developed a sinus infection that took two weeks to clear up with antibiotics (and you know how antibiotics wreak havoc in the body as a side effect).
But this spring, lo and behold, I am allergy free. I am doing the unimaginable: riding my bike, walking outside at this time of year when every year prior to this one, I have kept myself indoors, been on all kinds of drugs, etc. What we choose to eat is vital to our health in so many ways!! I so wish I had been eating like this years ago.
My discoveries continually encourage me to question our national diet, our continual penchant for processed foods which contain such high amounts of carbohydrates and processed grains. Fructose is now in every processed food we buy.
I also wanted to send you an article that coincides with what I have discovered:this article (click here) discusses the connections between food and allergies.
Carbohydrates (sugar, fructose, glucose, etc.) are so very dangerous. But food corporations will continue to sell us processed foods, will continue to work toward manipulating your palate so that your body craves more sugar all the time. And once they have you craving carbohydrates, it's hard to stop. And then you get sick and then your money is going toward medicines, doctor bills. They want us to be sick.
Fight it. I say read David Mendosa's website whether you have Diabetes or not. Diabetes is genetic (that's why I have it) but Diabetes is now becoming an epidemic. People are developing Diabetes without the genetic inclination for it. Why? Because we are exhausting our pancreas with the overwhelming amount of carbohydrates embedded in every processed food you buy at the store.
Unless you have stopped buying prepared food and are cooking your own food, you are eating too many carbohydrates.
It's tough to stop eating processed foods. It's a huge commitment to learn to cook in a much more healthy way. But it's worth it. It gets easier and your sense of taste is more alive. I send you good wishes for much more healthy eating!
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At the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Conference today, Professor Luz Calvo (Cal State East Bay); Professor Catriona Rueda Esquibel (San Francisco State University); and McNair Scholar, Alberto Valdivia (Cal State East Bay) all spoke on the connections between health and food.
The title of the panel: "Decolonize Your Diet: From Theory to Practice." At the panel, an audience member said that her nutritionist could not understand the importance of beans in the audience member's diet.
And this is my entry today: about diet and understanding individual cultures when re-thinking one's eating habits in the face of disease (specifically diabetes) which has everything to do with diet.
I grew up with beans (primarily pinto beans--sometimes black beans) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even snacking)! Beans are a staple in Mexican and Chican@ diets. So how does one adjust to a low carbohydrate diet and still enjoy beans? A cup of pinto beans is 42.5 grams of carbohydrates. This is high but when you take into consideration the 14 grams of dietary fiber in pinto beans, the "net" carb (digestible carbohydrates) lowers the number to 28.5 grams of carbs. So if you have 1/2 cup of beans (about 14 carbs) it seems more manageable especially when your carb limit is 30 grams for each meal of the day (15 carb limit for a snack). Black beans are worse. One cup of black beans is 40.8 carbs and only 4 grams of dietary fiber which makes for a 36.8 gram serving--much higher carb count than one should have in one sitting.
ENTER the TEPARY BEAN!!-- Phaseolus (genus) acutifolius (species) literally means "wild bean" or "twining bean." It's a beautiful name for a bean that has been around much before the conquest. And it is a bean that can be of so much use to us now--especially those of us who suffer from diabetes and cancer. The tepary bean is native to the Southwest and is one of the most drought resistant beans. A cup of tepary beans is 31 grams of carbs and when you subtract the 9 grams of fiber--it makes for a much lower carb serving at 22 than pinto (28.5) and black beans (36.8). And it's chock full of potassium, protein, calcium, and iron!
I purchase the tepary bean from a farm in Idaho: Purcell Mountain Farms. They grow the old variety of tepary, excavated in the 1900's from the Los Muertos prehistoric site in Arizona.
The bean itself is smaller and has a nutty flavor. I've cooked it in a stew (minus potatoes and carrots of course), with kale, broccoli, green bell peppers, shallots, and lots of garlic. Delicious!
Eating the tepary bean is indeed "decolonizing your diet" on various levels. And it's delicious. Mother Earth News magazine has a wonderful article about the tepary and it's hardiness and Seeds of Change also offers the bean (for planting) and has an excellent article about it as well.
I thank Professors Luz Calvo, Catriona Esquibel and McNair Scholar Alberto Valdivia for making sure there is conversation, debate, much needed sharing about what we are placing inside our bodies. It is only after being diagnosed with Diabetes, have I come to a profound understanding of the fragility of our chemical balancing--how processed food is destroying us on so many levels. Case in point: just yesterday the Center of Science in the Public Interest announced the dangers of food additives (processed foods!) and how these additives are causing havoc in children's bodies.
Now that I am following a careful diet counting carbohydrates and eating local foods, preparing my own food -- I see a huge difference. We need to look deeper/in a more historical way at our own culture and the foods we eat. Nutritionists have a lot of work to do!
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