Its All About the Portion Size

The obesity epidemic in the United States can be blamed in part on ever increasing portions of food served at restaurants. We start to expect our burgers to have 2 patties of meat and our salads to be at least the size of a small vegetable garden (and smothered with bacon, cheese and heavy dressings). Even when we try to eat right and cook at home, the weight may not come off. This is in large part due to the fact that we have lost all sense of proper portion size and control.

I worked with a dietitian five years ago when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It was amazing to consider the fact that most meals - even those I created at home - were wildly out of proportion. Fortunately, there are a few rules of thumb that are easy to consider and helpful for you to use in determining proper portion sizes. Coupled with a knowledge of the food pyramid, you could easily start to lose weight, just by being more aware of your portions (no carb counting or low-fat meals required)!

A single serving of cheese is the size of a deck of playing cards (and is not as thick as the entire stack!) Your fist is the approximate size of a serving of lean meat - about 4 ounces. For fruits and vegetables a serving is that which can fit in your cupped hand. Sauces, dressings and spreads usually fall in the category of fats, which is the tiny portion of food at the top of the pyramid. Go easy on these, and consider switching fat-laden dressings for light olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

You should be aware of alcoholic drink serving sizes too, not only for your health, but also safety on the road. A serving of beer is 12 ounces (a pint is more than this); for wine it is only 5 ounces. Of course, hard liquor is a mere 1.5 ounces per serving. Be careful not to over-pour.

Are you ready to make a healthy change to your diet? Start here and get to know the food pyramid, build a solid foundation with high fiber grains and add many fresh fruits and vegetables. Drink up too - as long as it is fresh, healthy water. Before long, you'll start to realize what was weighing you down.

Diabetes 101

I have diabetes. I've lived with the disease since 2003 when I was expecting my twins. The doctors promised that my high blood sugar levels and the need for insulin would resolve itself after the delivery. Unfortunately, I was one of the rare people who continued to suffer with the disease. After a few blood tests, my diagnosis was confirmed: Type 1 diabetes. I was 34 years old at the time.

Diabetes is reaching epidemic levels in the United States, due in large part to poor diet and exercise habits. True, the disease is hereditary, but those that are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have the opportunity in most cases to change lifestyles to ward off high blood sugar levels. Unlike Type 2, people who develop Type 1 diabetes have suffered from an auto-immune reaction. Something goes haywire in the patient's body and it literally attacks itself, killing off all of the beta cells in the pancreas that make natural insulin. As a result, the patient must self-administer insulin (through shots and or the use of an insulin pump) for the rest of their life, or die.

With Type 2, the patient's body becomes stressed over time as a result of having to create too much insulin to counter large amounts of ingested carbohydrates (sugars). In other cases, the patient's pancreas simply struggles to put out adequate levels of insulin. Oral medications, and a sensible diet and exercise program will be prescribed. Some Type 2 diabetics may eventually have to take insulin shots.

Warning signs of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are similar: (1) increased thirst; (2) increased hunger; (3) unexplained weight loss; (4) exhaustion; (5) blurred vision; (6) numbness in the extremities. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, please see your doctor as soon as possible!

If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you can definitely lead a normal life. You will have to regularly monitor your blood sugar levels and watch what you eat, but for the most part, life can be similar to the way it was before. In fact, the more active you are, the better the management of the disease will be! For more information on how to improve your diabetes health, see this article.