Why Health Professional are so excited!

May 14, 2008 by thecookieman

Diabetic? Ways To Help Yourself

May 14, 2008 by thecookieman

Maintain a Healthy Blood Sugar Level

There’s a secret to keeping your blood sugar in check: Be prepared.

Diabetes on the job

Talk with your doctor about how to manage diabetes at work. Be sure to:

  • Eat meals at about the same time every day. Try not to skip meals or snacks.
  • Take your medicines and test your blood sugar as directed by your doctor.
  • Describe the signs of low blood sugar to close co-workers. You may need their help if your blood sugar drops.
  • Keep sugar snacks or glucose pills in your desk, in case your blood sugar gets too low. Carry some with you.
  • Tell the company nurse that you have diabetes.
  • Keep tabs on your stress. Try deep breathing, relaxation, or take a short break from the office.

Dealing with sick days

A cold or the flu can make it harder to keep your blood sugar in check. It is recommended that people with diabetes get a flu shot every year. Also, you and your healthcare provider should make a “sick-day” plan. When you’re sick:

  • Check your blood sugar four times a day. If it’s higher than 300 mg/dL, use a home test to check your urine for ketones.
  • Keep taking your diabetes medicines.
  • Drink plenty of water or sugar-free drinks to stay hydrated.
  • Try to eat as usual. If your stomach can’t handle it, try clear soups or gelatin.
  • Check any over-the-counter medicines for sugar. Ask your pharmacist for sugar-free options.

Call your doctor if your blood sugar is lower than 70 mg/dL several times a week, or if it stays higher than 240 mg/dL. Also, call if you’ve been vomiting or had diarrhea for several hours, or if your urine has high ketone levels.

Diabetes on the road

To prepare for your vacation, follow these steps:

  • See your healthcare provider before your trip to go over your plans.
  • Plan for changes in meal patterns, time zones, and activity levels.
  • Take along twice as many medicines and supplies as you think you’ll need.
  • Always carry medicines and snacks with you, and wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace.
  • Wear comfortable, closed shoes, change them often, and never go barefoot. Check your feet every day for calluses, bunions, sores, or discolored skin.
  • Find out how to get healthcare where you’re going. Locate the nearest hospital or Red Cross center in advance.
  • Get any travel shots you need at least one month before you go.
  • Tell the airline and cruise-ship staff that you have diabetes. They can give you special meals.
  • If you’re traveling by car, test your blood sugar before you leave. Stick as close to your regular routine as you can.
  • Learn important phrases in the local language, such as “I need help” or “I have diabetes.” And words, like “sugar” or “orange juice.”

About your Cookie|Why are they so good?

May 14, 2008 by thecookieman


Chocolate Chip & Oatmeal Raisin

The Cookie That’s More Than A Cookie
Bite into an Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and the first thing you notice, not surprisingly, is that the taste is delicious. But this is more than just a tasty snack. The Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie provide all the nutritional support, energy and fullness of traditional ‘sports bars’ with the added benefit of more fiber—which is an essential to weight management, well being, and overall good health.* The Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Selected Benefits of the Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip(CC) and Oatmeal Raisin(OR) Cookie:

  • Convenient
  • Nutritionally Balanced
  • Fiber Benefits (elimination and colon health)
  • Benefits of both soy and whey Protein
  • Natural goodness of honey, oats, cinammon(OR), raisins(OR) and dates(CC)
  • Can provide energy for work, sports or school
  • Provides 12(OR)/13(CC) grams of “net carbohydrates”
  • Uses aluminum-free baking powder
  • Uses Non-GMO ingredients
  • Only 120(CC)/140(OR) calories
  • Natural, chemical free, mineralized, organic pure Brazilian cane sugar
  • 30%-35%(CC) & 40%(OR) of 14 vitamins/minerals
    additional antioxidant protection from chocolate(CC)
  • Voluntary compliance with “The Competitive Food Guidelines” of “The Alliance for a Healthier Generation”***
————- FACT ————–

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Cancer Institute and other organizations, a fiber rich diet offers a variety of benefits. Unfortunately, the American Heart Association estimates that the average adult gets just 15 grams of fiber each day, far short of the recommended 28 to 35. With children, the shortfall is just as pronounced. According to an article in Pediatrics Magazine, the typical dietary intake of children falls well below the recommended “age plus 5” formula.

———————————-
Why A High Fiber Cookie?

The Appetizer Diet® incorporates a high fiber cookie for excellent reasons. In addition to the various boosts fiber offers, including proper elimination, bowel cleansing and circulatory benefit, research shows that fiber-rich carbohydrate sources may foster cholesterol within the normal ranges.* According to the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee—reported in a statement titled “The Heathcare Professional”—studies show that LDL cholesterol was impacted by between 10% and 15% with oat and/or psyllium fiber.*

The same study also points out the importance of fiber to gastrointestinal health*, highlighting the correlation between fiber intake and lower mortality rates from all causes.* This report cites research on the positive interaction of fiber and circulatory issues and of fiber and reduced risk of obesity.*

Fiber also has a tendency to make you feel full and thus control your tendency to overeat.* The study also addresses “high-fiber” food intake on glycemic control in diabetic individuals.*

The benefits of fiber include:

  • Better Digestion*
  • Bowel Health*
  • Weight Management*
  • Better Circulation*
  • Cholesterol and Blood Sugar Control*
———————————-
Oats/Oat Bran: Oat bran is the edible, outermost layer of the oat kernel. Oats are both food and herb. Like whole oats,oatbran contains B complex vitamins, protein, fat, minerals and heart healthy soluble fiber.* Both whole oats and oatbran,when eaten regularly, impact circulatory health.*There are studies that show oats/oat bran impact blood sugar health, immune response and athletic performance( studies show that oats/oat bran favorably alter metabolism and enhance per formance when ingested 45 minutes – 1 hour before prolonged endurance exercise( greater than 2 hours)of moderate intensity.* The FDA allows this claim for products containing at least .75grams of oat/oat bran fiber (although they said the amount of fiber needed to impact cholesterol was about 3 grams per day.

The Appetizer Diet Cookie contains 3.54 grams of whole oats and .82 grams of oat bran**.) The claim:”Soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.**

**Taken from “FDA TALK PAPER” T97-5 January 21,1997, “FDA ALLOWS WHOLE OAT FOODS TO MAKE HEALTH CLAIM ON REDUCING THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE”

In addition to fiber, the Appetizer Diet® Cookie provides important nutrients, including 30%-35%(CC) & 40%(OR) of the Daily Value of Vitamins A,C, D, E,B 1, B 2, B 12, Niacin, B 6, Biotin, Zinc, Pantothenic Acid and Iron. It also contains calcium.

More Goodness Inside the Cookie

The Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie both include quality protein, too: soy protein isolate is packed with branched-chain amino acids and glutamine, which are both invaluable to sports performance.* Soy protein provides health and immune enhancing antioxidants due to its amazing isoflavones and soy impacts heart health.*

Whey protein, another source of protein in both the Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, is considered excellent for babies, children and pregnant and nursing women (since it contains the same components found in mother’s milk).* For active teens and healthy adults, whey proteins are complete and provide the body with all the essential amino acids. Athletes appreciate whey protein for its branched-chain amino acids, which impact the body’s ability to repair and rebuild.*

The Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies contain expeller pressed Canola Oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats, and includes alphalinoleic acid, a heart-healthy Omega III essential fatty acid.* The cookie uses a fat source that is low in saturated fats and avoids hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats.

Naturally Sweet

The Appetizer Diet® Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie use organic sugar produced in Brazil from unburned “green cane” grown by the Green Cane Project, the producers of the world’s finest organic sugar cane. They take advantage of the most advanced processing techniques available to produce completely pure, natural sugar, free from the harmful chemicals found in some refined sugars, such as phosphoric acid, sulphur dioxide, preservatives, flocculants, surfactants, bleaching agents or viscosity modifiers.
This organic sugar is non-GMO. It retains most of the mineral content inherent prior to processing, which allows it to be digested and recognized by the body as a food. Of course, organic sugar is still sugar and its intake should be regulated.

Adding to the goodness of the Chocolate Chip Appetizer Diet® Cookie are lots of dark chocolate chips that offer great taste and some good nutritional benefits(1). Recent scientific research has shown chocolate to be relatively high in antioxidants, which help the body fight free radicals that damage body tissues.* Dark chocolate has almost twice the antioxidants of milk chocolate.


How to Use the Appetizer Diet® Cookie

The Appetizer Diet® Cookie is a convenient snack or meal that provides the nutrition, energy and tastiness you crave in this fast-paced world. Eat an Appetizer Diet® Cookie 15-45 minutes before your meal, or combine it with the Appetizer Diet® Shake to provide a nutritious, low calorie [210(CC)/230(OR) calories combined with Strawberry or Vanilla, or 231(CC)/251(OR) calories combined with Chocolate shake ], high fiber (10 grams combined) meal replacement.

A Day in the Life of a Fat Cell

May 14, 2008 by thecookieman

PART #1: Breakfast

By Clair Francomano, M.D.

I am a fat cell, and I can just tell that today is going to be a great day. Breakfast today is my favorite, pancakes. Yummy! Oh, pour on that maple syrup. I really love maple syrup. Listen to the sizzle of the bacon on the stove. That bacon fat really snaps. And the orange juice – please, no pulp. I don’t like those funny little bits of pulp in my juice.


Here comes the first bite. That maple syrup taste is so sweet! It sends a signal to the command center of this operation (the brain) that something really good is coming down the old hatch. Time to rev up the system for digesting something sweet. Even before the first bite of pancake hits the stomach, the message goes to the brain: send out the insulin!


Once the pancakes and maple syrup arrive in the stomach, other hormones called GIP and GLP-1 are put out by the body. These hormones increase the release of insulin, affect the rate at which the stomach empties, influence appetite and feeding behavior, and affect the function and size of beta cells (the cells that secrete insulin) in the pancreas.

Insulin is our very best friend as fat cells, because it is the key to filling us up with more and more fat. And we love getting fatter and fatter! Okay, all that sugar has been absorbed by the blood stream now and it’s heading toward the liver. There are sensors in the vein leading to the liver that sends more instructions: Start storing that sugar in the liver and other tissues! Stop, repeat, stop, eating! Insulin, let’s go!


In the liver cells, called hepatocytes, biochemical reactions get started that will convert the sugar into glycogen, which can be used for short-term energy needs. The liver has only a limited capacity for glycogen storage, so once it is filled up, the rest of the sugar is converted into fat. That makes today my lucky day. This breakfast will exceed the glycogen-storage capacity of the liver by several hundred calories of sugar, so we fat cells are going to get pumped up!


Some of the glucose is chemically changed into xylulose-5-phosphate ( a slightly different sugar with a phosphate molecule attached). That guy is really our friend, because it moves into the nucleus of the cell and turns on genes that will ultimately make fatty acids. Fatty acids are the molecules that move into us fat cells and plump us up.

The Cookie Man wishes You a Health breakfast. Eat a low calorie cookie.

How a low calorie cookie saved my life!

How a Low Calorie Cookie Saved My Life

May 8, 2008 by thecookieman

Has anyone ever asked you, what are your two biggest health concerns?

Well, this was asked of me. I knew that a hanging waist line and low energy level was not a good sign. I found out later I had Type 2 Diabetes. This means I had more than two health concerns! A big wake up call.

So I said to myself, as so many before me have promised, “I’ll start working on my health tomorrow, I’ll buy a sweat suit, jump into my running shoes, put on a head band with matching wrist bands and make it official. Tomorrow I’ll work on getting in shape. This is my new year resolution.”

Oh no, before I know it, it was October and I haven’t done a thing. I had good intentions. What happened?

I found out that the biggest problem was starting out trying to do too much. It was overwhelming. My failing health didn’t just happen over night. It took years of bad lifestyle habits, poor nutrition and lack of exercise to get me where I am. The task of change seemed so overwhelming. My solution was to start out with things I could do that wasn’t so overwhelming. My first step was to stop eating the wrong types of foods (like processed foods filled with high levels of salt), stop eating between meals, start taking walks and start drinking more water and less sodas.

As I told a friend about my plan, she shared with me about a cookie that can help. “Right,” I laughed. “I thought you were going to help me! How can a cookie help me?” She told me about taking baby steps to lose weight. Ah, her story about this appetizer diet cookie started to make sense. I started eating cookies and I was really enjoying the change. I was loosing weight and had a lot more energy. I enjoyed compliments I got from my wife. I rediscovered the person I use to be. By the way, my A1c came down from 12 to 5.5.

Well, let me tell you about this cookie, and yes it’s diabetic and weight watcher friendly.

Low Calorie Cookie

It’s Time for an Answer

April 27, 2008 by thecookieman

The whole world is on a diet! Everyone wants to lose weight, and to look and feel better. When you consider the statistics, it’s no surprise why: according to the latest numbers, obesity in men, women and children has reached alarmingly high percentages.

Medical research links obesity and excess fat to a number of serious physical and psychological concerns—in fact, the obesity problem has become one of the most serious health threats facing us today. Why is this trend on the rise? Why are we gaining weight? There are plenty of theories:

  • We don’t get enough exercise.
  • We eat too much.
  • We eat too much “fast food.”
  • We eat the wrong kinds of food.
  • We have a malfunctioning metabolism.
  • We eat processed foods with chemical additives
    that may impact metabolism.
  • ——– FACT ——–

    In spite of the fact that we have been obsessing over diets for more than a decade, Americans are heavier than ever: as many as 60-70% of us are overweight, and as many as 40% are obese (more than 20 pounds overweight).

    Whatever the causes, it’s time for a solution—and that’s exactly what the Appetizer Diet® offers.

    My story