Guest Post on Diabetes Prevention

Since the kids are on Spring Break this week, they have gone to spend their time off with their grandparents. That leaves me with not a lot to talk about. But fear not, I have a guest post from Carolyn at Full on Fit. She's going to talk to us a little bit about diabetes prevention for our kids.

Take it away Carolyn:

Encourage Type II Diabetes Prevention All Year Long

Only a few short months ago, one of my youngest cousins was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  We were shocked and scared when we found out, but this quickly turned into a great desire for our family to start working together to become healthier in order to beat diabetes, and prevent anyone else in our family from developing it.

 

Talking to different doctors, I found out that Type 2 has many serious consequences. Information from Syracuse’s St. Joseph’s Cardiac Hospital   points out that one type of serious consequence is heart disease. As February was National Heart Month, and we are now getting closer to nice summer weather, what better time is there than now to start working with your family to develop healthy habits for life? Here are some things to consider:

 

Nutrition Tips

1. Make Smoothies to Get Recommended Daily Allowance of Fruits and Vegetables

Smoothies are a great way to get kids to eat enough fruits and veggies. They can be used for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert! Furthermore, if your kids are resistant to eating fruits and vegetables, make them  smoothie that combines both, but tastes delicious!

2. Avoid Eating Refined Sugars

Refined sugars are empty calories and lack any natural minerals that actually come from the cane. While many recipes call for sugar, you can use substitute products such as honey, or use a substitute sugar product.

 

Here’s a great banana bread recipe we like to use that uses sugar substitute:

- Combine 2 cups of whole wheat, oat, rice, or chick pea flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large bowl

- In another bowl, mix 1 cup of Splenda or Stevia and ¼ cup of margarine with a mixer

- Add 2 eggs, one at a time and blend with a mixer

- Add 3 ripe bananas, 1/3 cup of non-fat plain yogurt, and 1teaspoon of vanilla

- Add the flour mixture and blend until moist. Spoon the mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 1 hour in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Let it cool. Enjoy!

3. Incorporate Lean Proteins

Lean meat or vegetable-based proteins are recommended to prevent obesity, which is known to lead to diabetes. Examples of lean protein include quinoa, oatmeal, and white mean chicken, among others.

4. Avoid Junk Food

Junk food is really just that… junk. It’s not natural and therefore has no nutritional value. The more you can avoid it the better. Although it might be hard to quit it altogether, let alone the time it can save, if you plan ahead for meals and snacks with healthy foods you will soon find that the craving you once had for the bad stuff slowly fades away.  Not only will your health be better, you will have more energy and feel better too!

 

Exercise Tips

1. Exercise for 30 Minutes Daily

A great goal would be to push to exercise for 30 minutes per day. Of course, there may be days where this just doesn’t happen, but the most important thing is to at least get 4 days in of this kind of exercise. Whether it’s a full-out run during the day, to walking on the treadmill while dinner is in the oven – whatever it is, push for regular exercise as much as possible.

 

2. Get Active as a Family

The more you exercise as a family, the healthier you all will be and the more you will be sending the message to your kids that exercise is an important part of daily life. If you push them to exercise but don’t do it yourself, they are going to view exercise as a punishment. If you do it together, and make it fun, you are able to instill healthy habits in them they can use their whole lives.

3. Mix Up Your Activities

To keep motivated and interested in exercising, make sure to mix up the kinds of activities that you do. Take turns letting each family member pick the activity of the day. Some great activities my family likes include:

            - hiking in the woods on different trails

            - biking to and in the park

            - rollerblading around the neighborhood

            - skiing and ice skating during the winter months

            - yoga and Pilates in the basement

            - swimming at the local pool or lake

4. Get Kids Involved in Organized Sports

If your kids are interested in playing sports, joining an organized team can be a great way to get them to exercise regularly. In addition, other important life skills can be learned while playing organized sports, such as teamwork, how to lose gracefully, persistence, etc.

 

 

Carolyn is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well-being. She is an avid cycler, golfer and has been known to bust some serious moves on the dance floor. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com/! 

 

Thanks so much to Carolyn, and y'all be sure to head over to her blog and check it out for more great information on being fit and a whole lot of other great things.....and tell her I sent you.