Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Today is Registered Dietitian Day!

It's the 40th anniversary of the RD credential! Learn about how a Registered Dietitian can be beneficial to your health:

Top Ten Reasons Why Consulting with a Registered Dietitian Can Benefit You


Check out some fun nutrition related games from the American Dietetic Association:

Nutrition Sudoku for Kids & Adults

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so cool Preventative nutrition and all things health related are my passion too. So nice to find such a great blog. I am very happily following through MBC Follw Me. I'm Melodie from Breastfeeding Moms Unite! Look forward to seeing you around.

Jennifer said...

Hi Dina! Great site! Came over from MBC/Follow Me group. Just wanted to let you know I subscribed to your blog. Have a great day!

Veronica Lee said...

Hi again, Dina! Thanks for following my blog. I'm following yours too and looking forward to more visits to your fab blog.

Dina said...

Thanks so much for all the nice comments :)

My computer isn't working, so I'm not able to update too much. I'm borrowing my husband's laptop for now.

Hope to get more posts out soon!

Veronica Lee said...

Hi again, Dina! Thanks for following my blog. I'm following yours too and looking forward to more visits to your fab site.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dina! Very informative post. Cherrie here from follow me club. Just started following you. Have a great day!

Theresa C said...

I love your site and was wondering if you could enlighten me about the effects of caffeine and insulin levels, I heard Jillian from The Biggest Loser mention something about even diet pop causing metabolic syndrome (which I think I have but am not officially diagnosed with), Thanks in advance for any info, Theresa

Dina said...

Hi Theresa!

Thanks so much! I'll answer your question to the best of my ability. Make sure you go to your doctor and get an official diagnosis though.

Caffeine may reduce the body’s sensitivity to the actions of insulin. This can make insulin less effective at moving glucose into the cells where it’s burned as fuel. When this happens, the pancreas will start to release additional insulin to break down carbohydrates. Since diabetics don’t have extra insulin reserves, it’s hard for their bodies to manage the increased glucose levels brought on by caffeine consumption. There is a study that shows caffeine had less of an affect on glucose and insulin levels when consumed in between meals, but caused increased glucose levels after having a meal. It’s not confirmed that cutting caffeine out completely will improve glucose control and help prevent diabetes. However, eliminating caffeine might be worth trying if insulin levels and glucose levels are of concern. Those with diabetes or at risk for diabetes should consider limiting their caffeine consumption. Always check with your doctor or Registered Dietitian so they can assist you and help you make the right decision.

Nutrition is tricky and can be confusing to consumers (and often to me) because there are so many conflicting studies and theories. Some studies actually show that Coffee has antioxidant effects which could benefit diabetes. Coffee also contains magnesium which can help improve insulin function.

First of all, go to your doctor before you diagnose yourself with metabolic syndrome.

You may have metabolic syndrome if you have 3 or more risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, low HDL levels and diabetes or pre-diabetes. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke.

About diet soda and metabolic disease

One study that was in the January 2009 issue of Diabetes Care says that consuming soda on a daily basis is associated with greater risks for some components of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dc08-1799v1

The study conclusion states that “Although these observational data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of select incident MetSyn components and type 2 diabetes.”

Another study study by the multicenter Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) states that artificial sweeteners may lead to increased intake of the soda because they may interfere with the body's ability to properly assess caloric intake, leading to overeating.

There may be a link between diet soda drinkers and metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. This link could also be due to other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol use, etc. More research still needes to be conducted on the role of diet soda and metabolic syndrome.

My recommendation is to limit your use of diet soda and artificial sweeteners. Try to drink more water, nonfat milk or soymilk and 100% fruit juice (watch portions). Try sparkling water with a little fruit juice added or squeeze a fresh lemon or lime in it.