Many people go into denial when they get the news. Not Barry, who immediately took control of his condition with a low-carb diet, stepped up exercise, and the medication that his doctor prescribed.
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The raw food people tell us that cooking food destroys its enzymes. “Raw food is better for you,” they say.

Maybe sometimes. But now scientists have learned that cooking can make at least some vegetables better. This is something of great importance to everyone who has diabetes — even those of us who are following a low-carb diet.

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Omega-3 fatty acids are all around us. Yet few of us get enough of them.

Even those people who think that fats are bad make an exception for the omega-3s. These polyunsaturated fats are essential to our good heart health, something that everyone with diabetes needs to take seriously. The most important of the omega-3s are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

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When I began to eat a very low-carb diet in December, I was in for several surprises. The biggie was how easy low-carb eating is for me. I had long thought — and written — that it was hard to be satisfied without a heavy load of carbs. Experience taught me otherwise.

Another surprise was how many veggies I eat now. Like most folks, I assumed that a low-carb diet meant going veggie-less.

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I was fortunate to start my journalistic career in sports and to move on to small business and now to write about health, specifically diabetes. So I avoided the cynicism that seems to come with the territory. Until now.

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You might think that everyone who has diabetes would know about a seed that is superior to other plant and marine sources of essential omega-3 oils. It is also high in antioxidants and fiber. Besides that, it is high in protein and lipids, is low in sodium, and has fewer net carbs than most other grains. [Read more →]

Who would have thought that we can think better after eating whole grain barley for breakfast?

We knew that barley kernels cause our blood glucose levels to rise much less than any other grain. Whole pearl barley has a glycemic index of 25; the next lowest whole grain tested, rye kernels, has a GI of 34. [Read more →]

When I returned from a hike in the mountains yesterday, I was tired, cold, and wet and had food on my mind. I wanted pasta as a variation to my recent diet of salad for lunch and beans (as in chili) for dinner. [Read more →]

The biggest puzzle for those of us with diabetes – and anyone who cares about his or her health – is what to eat while we are away from civilization on the trail. [Read more →]

One of the advantages of having diabetes is the chance to try all sorts of different, new, and exciting foods. Maybe you haven’t experienced that yet, but people all over the country keep sending me diabetes-friendly products to try.

Most of them are healthy and tasty. Anyway, none of them have poisoned me yet. One of the most surprisingly good foods that I’ve had the pleasure of eating arrived a couple of days ago. [Read more →]