Jul 2, The benefits of fatty acids - Essential Fatty Acids - EFAs

Fatty acids is one half of the Fats and Simple Sugars group which makes 7% of a balanced diet.

Fat is ESSENTIAL for our health.
It's an important, truthful point. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

So what are fatty acids?

It is simply the specific term for the 4 types of fat. Thats right there are 4 types, not 3 types of fat! Only 3 of them tend to be labelled on food. I've talked about each of these below.

But if you'd like to know more about food labels click here. Why are some types of fatty acids essential?

To name just a few reasons, we need fat to absorb nutrients, protect our organs, produce sex hormones AND regulate our metabolism, something all diabetics could benefit from!

Of the essential fatty acids (or EFA's) are Omega's 3, 6 & 9 which are found in Mono-Unsaturated and Poly-Unsaturated fats.

What's the deal with Omega 3, 6 & 9?

Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 have scientific properties that maintains healthy skin and nails, balance your hormones (to improve your mood and prevent things like depression) and can also help prevent diseases - including diabetes!

Many more foods are promoting the benefits of Omega's 3 6 and 9 but did you also know that many of them can be found in cooking oil?

Of all the cooking oils on the market, one of my favourites and most versatile cooking oil has to be extra virgin olive oil.

Olive oil contains many EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids) that can help prevent and control diabetes and since you can add it to so many foods you could be one step away from discovering its benefits.

Why should we acknowledge the fat in our foods?

Like carbohydrates, Fatty foods provide a big source of energy. In comparison, if I have the same portion of carbs on one plate as I have fat, on the other, the carbs would give me considerably less energy. This is because it has less than half the calories of fat.

So if you're on a low-carb diet, you might want to reconsider. Click here for reasons why diets fail to see if you should.

If we eat an UNBALANCED diet and eat more fat than the "grains" or "fruit and veg" groups we would easily put on weight EVERY SINGLE DAY! You would have to do a ridiculous amount of excersize to burn off that weight.

This is why this group only accounts for 7%! REMEMBER, you are at an increased risk of havng diabetes if you are obese. In fact around 80% of people in the UK with diabetes ARE obese!

Surely, many of these people have tried dieting? Worringly though, that percentage is increasing so their diets probably aren't working. Are you one of these people? Does this remind you of anyone? I urge you to read my top reasons why diets fail.

So what should I eat?

There are four types of fats (fatty acids). Here is a list from the worst type (top) to the best type (bottom):

TransSaturatedMono-unsaturated (one of which is Omega 9)Poly-unsaturated (Two of which are Omegas 3 & 6)

Trans

Avoid the trans fatty acids AT ALL COSTS. This can turn good fats into bad fats. Example: Making a stir fry in a wok of full fat margarine

Trans fats can be found in:

Processesed foods.
Especially meaty products from the fast food places. You don't need them, they need you. So don't be seduced by those "happy meals".Cakes.
These are also high in simple sugars which i'll get to in a sec.And margarines and butter.

Saturated

This gets a lot of negative press and so it should. This type of fatty acid is generally easy to spot. Look at the packaging for the nutritional info. Look under the fat section for "of which saturates". Always read down from the "of which 100g or 100ml" columns. This way you can easily compare products.

NOTE: Saturated fats are found in many things. You don't have to worry too much if the amount is much smaller than the other good types.

Mono-unsaturated

This type is good for us but isn't an EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) as long as we eat enough of the best type. Our bodies can make this acid from poly-unsaturates.

Many foods that contain this type of fat will contain the best type.

Poly-unsaturated

Some of us know about Omega 6 and we all should know Omega 3. These are EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids) as they help our bodies grow, protect our brains from diseases and are helpful for our immune systems.

Poly & mono-unsaturated fatty acids can be found in:

Vegetable oils.
Especially corn, olive, rapeseed, safflower and soya.Oily fish.
Sardines, mackerel and herrings to name a fewAnd nuts seeds & some grains like flaxseed and quinoa(keen-wah)

Nov 19, The Glycemic Index & Its Benefits - Blood Sugar Levels

Low Gi Pasta Dish image uploaded to flickr by PhyrePh0X

Many diabetics successfully base their diabetic diets on the Glycemic Index (or Gi) but does that mean you can benefit from the Glycemic Index too?

Several studies have shown that the Glycaemic Index has a beneficial effect on your blood sugar levels and can therefore, help to improve your diabetes control. So keep reading to discover how you too can benefit from Gi Foods...

So what's so special about the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index is basically a ranking system for carbohydrates, foods that break down into glucose when they're digested.

Foods with a High Glycemic index - or High Gi - will release sugar into your bloodstream rapidly and will spike your blood sugar levels (which could lead to hyperglycemia).

But if your food has a Low Gi, it will gradually release sugar over time, making you feel fuller for longer and will help stabalise your blood sugar levels and prevent a Hypoglycemic Attack.

In a nutshell, following the gylcemic index in your diabetic diet will help you understand how your blood sugar levels will react to certain foods and can help you improve your diabetes control.

This is why many diabetics successfully use the Gi diet to control their blood sugar levels and even lose weight.

Can the Glycemic Index really help me lose weight?

Eating foods that are broken down slowly will give you a steady release of energy. This way you won't feel hungry so often. Making it easier to avoid the cookie jar :^)

Combine this with a balanced diet - as seen in the Food Groups page - and you'll find it easier to improve your weight control, helping you to lose weight!

How is it measured?

The Glycemic Index scales from 0-100 and is split into 3 groups:

Anything with a high GI get absorbed into our bloodstream faster than other Gi foods. Some of these foods can still be healthy in a balanced meal, but when eaten on their own, high Gi foods tend to spike your blood sugar levels.
These foods scale from 70-100, Glucose being at 100.

Example of high GI foods: Most of the foods in the Simple Sugars food group.

Foods with a medium GI are scaled from 56-69. Eating these foods won't necessarily benefit your blood sugar levels but generally won't spike them.

Example of medium GI foods: Some beans, pulses and tofu have low-medium GI's making them great vegetarian meals in combination with other low GI foods.
Also, most of the foods in the Fruit and veg food group have medium GI's. You don't have to worry too much about this unless you have huge portions.

Foods with a low GI are digested slowly, meaning they release energy and sugar, slowly (maintaining your blood sugar levels) and keep you fuller for longer. Wholesome foods are an example.
These foods scale from 0-55.

Example of low GI foods: Most of the foods in the Grains food group.

Alternate measurement: Glycemic Load (GL)

Whilst this isn't as common as the GI, it is sometimes better.They are GI values that take into account the typical portion size.

For example, fruit and veg moves from medium on the GI scale, to low on the GL scale. I won't say anything else about it as it can get confusing. Also, it is harder to get used to. But if you'd like more information on the GL keep reading.

Do I have to avoid all high GI foods?

Not really. There may be a time when you might need a high GI snack to quickly recover energy. I referred to this here, on the Simple Sugars page.

But there's even more flexibility to Gi foods. High Gi foods aren't necessarily unhealthy. Brown rice and baked potatoes fit this bill as they have high Gi values.

But you wouldn't normally eat a plain baked potato or brown rice by itself would you?

So the rest of the food on your plate can reduce the average GI of your meal and that's what's important.

If you combine high GI foods with low GI foods the overall GI rating is reduced. So you can eat sweet and savoury dishes with little worry, at any time of the day.

How will I know the GI/GL of a food?

Supermarkets are getting good at labelling own-brand foods with a low GI label. So you can pick up similar, branded foods as they will have a similar GI.

Glycemic Index (and sometimes Glycemic Load) values will usually appear on the back/side of the package underneath the Food Label and may sometimes have a Gi logo.

Overtime you will easily be able to tell whether a food as a low, medium or high GI. Until then, here's a list of many foods and their GI values.

A complimentary food database that can help you manage your diabetic diet is the Calories in food Gadget. It will give you the real food labels for any food you type in, giving you useful nutritional information on its calories, cholesterol, sugar content and more.