Sugar Addicts Rejoice!

I read a forum posting that completely supports the reason my wife and I started Granola Gourmet. I did not know about this post until yesterday when out of the blue our website orders went from a few per day to 50 in just one day. This post may look like a shameless plug for our product but there is a point.

The forum I am referring to is Managing Diabetes at Everyday Health. There a Diabetic for 21 years reached out for help and said she was a sugar addict and binges on sugar every so often. Another person reached out telling her about Granola Gourmet and how it helps beat the sugar craving with a limited impact on blood sugar.

Inside of a few days this post became very popular and was highlighted by the editor. While you don’t have to be a Diabetic to enjoy the Granola Gourmet Energy Bars, if you are there are real benefits. The main one is that you will likely see a lower impact on your blood sugar. How will you know this? You will test your sugar fasting, then you will eat a bar and test 4 times in the next 2 hours.

Now, close your eyes for 5 seconds take a deep breath and imagine a delicious snack that does not cause your blood sugar to spike. What did you imagine cake, pudding, jello, celery or maybe the first thing that popped into your head is Granola Bars:)

How do you know your blood sugar won’t spike? You are testing your blood sugar fasting, during and after the digestion period. This is how you really know what a food product is doing inside your body. If you are satisfied that the impact is limited you will work our healthy delicious snack into your diet in moderation. If you are related to a diabetic you will give them Granola Gourmet for Mothers or Fathers day.

Look, I know a shameless plug when I see one so lets just call a spade a spade :) But, how can you not be interested in finding a snack that will not cause your blood sugar to spike especially when almost everyone that tries it including Diabetics and Athletes love it for the taste?

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Diabetes Symptoms

Most people just don’t know what the symptoms of Diabetes are. What is happening to their bodies that is different than usual. When I came down with Diabetes it was quite sudden. Within 2 weeks significant changes occurred in my body and I did not know what was happening.

The following 8 symptoms are common, my body’s reaction was not exactly textbook.

  • Excessive thirst and urination – my thirst was unquenchable, I’d drink 1 to 2 gallons daily.
  • Feeling very hungry frequently – I was always hungry.
  • Feeling very tired – I’d take a nap at 2pm and wake up in the morning.
  • Unintentional weight loss – always hungry and eating, I was happy to be losing weight (20 lbs. in 2 weeks) .
  • Frequent infections, or wounds that don’t heal – I didn’t have this problem in the beginning, but cuts and scrapes take much longer to heal today.
  • Blurred vision – after 3 weeks of uncontrolled blood sugar my vision degraded and was blurry.
  • Numbness or tingling in hands and feet – I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t had this problem in 15 years as a Diabetic.
  • Dry, itchy skin – on rare occasion my foot itches, I can’t explain it. I do know that it is annoying and still haven’t connected it to my Diabetes. Maybe I’m just in denial?

Do you have any of these symptoms, visit your doctor to be tested for diabetes, especially if you are 45 or older. The initial test is simple. In 5 seconds right in front of your eyes your blood will be analyzed by a meter. Many General Practitioners have old or outdated equipment but they should be able to give you a result in 30 seconds.

If you are dealing with someone that is not well educated about diabetes they will tell you that you should have this done while fasting. This is not necessary. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, your numbers fasting may not be much different than your numbers within an hour of eating.

When I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I had been ill for 2 weeks and had fallen asleep while driving home. Thank god for the bumps on the freeway lanes. They did the job of waking me up! I drove to a candy store thinking I was low on sugar and ate a candy bar. The placebo worked and I made a bee line to my Dr.

He said “lets check your blood sugar”. I said “does it matter that I’ve just eaten a candy bar?”. He said yes, go to the lab in the morning before you eat. My result came back 2 days later and my fasting number was 325, that’s 3 times normal. The test in his office may have come in at 350 or 400 and he would should have known immediate action was necessary!

If you go in and have a sugar reading greater than 120 fasting or on a full stomach you need to dig in with your Dr. and get more information. Have an HBA1C test done. This test gives you a look at the average blood sugar reading your body has over 3-4 months. If you go to an Endocrinologist they may do it in the office (it takes 6 minutes for the meter to provide the result), however your GP will need to send it out as they don’t usually carry Diabetic supplies and tests.

The number one recommendation I have is – if you have just been diagnosed with Diabetes…WHATEVER IT TAKES, GO TO AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST ASAP!

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Your Diabetes Diagnosis

You’ve just found out that you have diabetes and don’t really understand it yet. That’s exactly what happened to me 15 years ago, yet today when I meet newly diagnosed diabetics they don’t understand it either. What does it really mean to have diabetes and why should I be afraid enough to change my lifestyle?

Diabetes is a disease that can kill you. It doubles the risk of heart attack and affects every system in your body. This is because elevated blood sugar impacts every organ, muscle and nerve that needs blood. That is why you change your lifestyle! That is why doctors take it seriously when you are diagnosed.

But, if you are not seeing a specialist you are making a HUGE mistake! I know, when I was diagnosed my sugar was 325 that’s 3 times normal. My HMO’s Dr. prescribed a pill that the insurance company declined to fill. At the time I was angry with the HMO, but they were right it was the wrong treatment for me. I asked for a referral to an Endocrinologist and it took 2 weeks but I finally got in. By that time I had blurred vision, and overall was very ill.

Immediately I was given insulin. My sugar was normal within a week. I stayed on insulin for 3 months and was able to manage my diabetes with diet and exercise for the next 4 years. Eventually I switched endocrinologists to Dr. Michael Harris, Director of Diabetes at Cedars Sinai. He is a type 1 Diabetic which I’ve found to be a big plus for me. He gets it and personally knows the impact diabetes has on me.

Our company Granola Gourmet sells products at the Newhall Farmers Market every Thursday. Recently I met a woman that said, “I’ve just been diagnosed with Diabetes, how does your product help with that?” There are a lot of ways the product helps Diabetics, but I asked her to tell me about her situation. She just found out that her blood sugar was 275 and her Dr. had prescribed 500mg of Metformin 2 times per day. She does not know what her sugar reading is today because they did not provide a meter yet, but she is being referred to a nutrition class to learn how to eat.

Something is very wrong with this picture. I asked if she was on a PPO or HMO…”I have an HMO she said.” Ugg, HMO’s haven’t changed in 15 years I thought to myself. I told her that she needed to ask for a referral to a specialist. I’m not a Dr. but my personal experience tells me that she needs a meter to measure her blood sugar immediately! She probably needs an aggressive treatment to bring her sugar under control and then can go on a maintenance program. But since I’m not a Dr. I told her to go back to her HMO and get a referral AND Blood Glucose meter.

I am regularly amazed about how much more I know about my diabetes than my General Practitioner. Having an Endocrinologist for the last 15 years I have found some real benefits. A few of them are:

  • They know more about Diabetes than General Practitioners
  • They will do an HBA1C test while you are in the office (THIS IS HUGE!)
  • They treat Diabetes aggressively & know about the latest advanced in treatment
  • The pharmaceutical reps that call on them, give them samples and supplies the General Practitioners DON’T get
  • They can usually give you a blood glucose meter immediately

Why don’t HMO’s send you to an Endocrinologist? Money, they cost money. It’s not a big expense individually, but since 1 in every 14 people have Diabetes and 1 in 5 people have Pre-Diabetes they need to control their costs. You need to advocate for yourself and get to an Endocrinologist. In time with the right support you’ll know your body, what it needs and how to manage your blood sugar. For now get the right help.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

The Miracle of Zero Trans Fat

Marketing is awesome. Find one simple way to improve a product and suddenly you have a new claim. When Trans-Fat was given a bad name and went public, food makers took it out and suddenly we started buying products that claimed they had Zero Trans Fat.
In big bold letters on the package you’ll be attracted to Zero Trans Fat and buy it. Can you tell me what Trans Fat is or does for you? Well I had to look it up! Wikipedia says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat) among other things, “Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats are neither essential nor salubrious[1] and, in fact, the consumption of trans fats increases one’s risk of coronary heart disease[2] by raising levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.”
So it is good to buy products that have no Trans Fat! Now what kind of crap is in products you buy that have Zero Trans Fat?
Recently, my wife and I attended the huge Natural Products Expo in Anaheim. While there we met a manufacturer of an additive that is widely used in baking that claims Zero Trans Fat. That was the big claim Zero Trans Fat. So I looked at the label and there was a large amount of sugar in a serving.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Why my blood is so sweet?

For most people, (13 out of every 14 people) blood sugar issues are non-existent. They live their normal lives not concerned if they can or can’t eat sweets, carbs or other foods and drinks.

At 31 my body stopped working. To be more specific, it was really my pancreas. I had a sudden and noticeable issue. Within 2 weeks I had the following symptoms:

  • an unquenchable thirst (drinking 1+ gallons per day)
  • extreme weight loss (20 lbs. in 2 weeks without changing my eating habits)
  • constantly needing to pee
  • blurred vision after a while
  • sleep, I’d nap at 2pm and wake up in the morning

Now I know that these are classic symptoms of Diabetes, but not then. In fact I kept putting off a Dr. visit not thinking that there was really a problem.

Finally, I went to my HMO when I fell asleep while driving home in the afternoon. Thank goodness for the speed bumps which woke me up. I figured I must be low on blood sugar so ate a candy bar. When I arrived at the HMO and told my GP this he decided not to check my blood sugar until I was fasting the next day. At the time a 30 second test would have shown my sugar was 3 times normal.

So why was my blood so sweet? My Pancreas seized. Insulin production became very limited and since insulin is required to unlock the door to the fat cells for sugar to convert to fat I had a problem.

I’ll post some other time about the HMO problems I had at the time, but if you have any of these problems and can see a specialist I’d highly recommend it. My family Dr. is great, but an Endocrinologist specializes in Diabetes. I’m lucky enough to have one that is also a Type-1 Diabetic. That makes a difference too.

How did you determine you were diabetic?

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

The CRAP they put in our food!

I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it ANY MORE. I went to the Natural Food Expo representing my company Granola Gourmet last week. We attend these shows looking for innovative ways to improve our products quality. With an eager eye, I was looking for more ways to reduce the glycemic impact of the Granola Gourmet Energy Bars.

Already we know that Granola Gourmet Bars have a low impact on blood sugar but there are always things you can do to improve. We looked at many other snack bars and read the ingredients and tasted them. Many of them we tasted and spit out once we got the texture and flavor and found them unremarkable (so I won’t comment).

SOOO many of them use Brown Rice Syrup for sweetening and to keep the product together. Not educated on the product we went to see a manufacturer of the syrup and discussed the benefits of using the product. The man I spoke to was a knowledgeable scientist (that’s what interested me so much in the first place). He said the product was a great product for diabetics.

I even found a bar that used it and claims it is also good for diabetics. So, I thought I was safe to test the product. WRONG!!! My blood sugar shot up quickly and in a controlled situation I was able to conclude that this product was not good for me. I looked on line and found a posting at Wikipedia. I was shocked by this quote:

“Brown rice syrup is not suitable for consumption by diabetics, as the glucose and maltose cause rapid rise in blood-sugar.”

Read it for yourself at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rice_syrup

Bottom line, if you are going to take a chance on a new food product do your homework. Try it under a controlled situation and don’t trust anyone but your own blood sugar readings. Your results may be different than mine or that of other diabetics.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Diet and Exercise

One of every 14 people has Diabetes. One in every 5 has Pre-Diabetes. With numbers like this it is likely that Diabetes impacts you or someone you know. As a diabetic for the past 15 years I have been thought the ups and downs of managing this problem.

Two things impact my blood sugar–Diet and Exercise. Funny you hear people talk about D&E for weight loss and physical fitness too. Today, let’s look at how similar D&E issues are for both diabetics and the people that love them J

Diabetics need to walk. Moving helps your metabolism operate more efficiently…
Healthy people need to walk. Moving helps maintain a strong heart and overall fitness…funny, that’s also important for diabetics.

Diabetics need to cut back on sugar and foods that convert to sugar quickly in the body. Pasta and bread are no no’s for diabetics; cake and candy are off the list as well.

Healthy people are cutting back on sugar, pastas and bread too. Insulin levels rise with these foods causing them to convert to fat faster than other foods. Who needs the love handles anyway?

Diabetics need love. Keeps the stress down and reduces glucose control problems.

Who doesn’t need love? Seems like we are all looking for love there must be some benefit for healthy people too.

Conclusion, healthy people or those that aspire to be healthy need to eat and exercise just like diabetics do. It’s not that Diet and Exercise is a unique issue for health and especially for diabetics, it’s that most people just aren’t focusing on these issues enough. The tide is turning, more and more of us are focusing on Diet and Exercise, are you one of us?

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Managing Diabetes with Diet and Exercise

One of every 14 people has Diabetes. One in every 5 has Pre-Diabetes. With numbers like this it is likely that Diabetes impacts you or someone you know. As a diabetic for the past 15 years I have been thought the ups and downs of managing this problem.Two things impact my blood sugar – Diet and Exercise. Funny you hear people talk about D&E for weight loss and physical fitness too. Today, let’s look at how similar D&E issues are for both diabetics and the people that love them J

Diabetics need to walk. Moving helps your metabolism operate more efficiently…
Healthy people need to walk. Moving helps maintain a strong heart and overall fitness…funny, that’s also important for diabetics.

Diabetics need to cut back on sugar and foods that convert to sugar quickly in the body. Pasta and bread are no no’s for diabetics; cake and candy are off the list as well.
Healthy people are cutting back on sugar, pastas and bread too. Insulin levels rise with these foods causing them to convert to fat faster than other foods. Who needs the love handles anyway?

Diabetics need love. Keeps the stress down and reduces glucose control problems.
Who doesn’t need love? Seems like we are all looking for love there must be some benefit for healthy people too.

Conclusion, healthy people or those that aspire to be healthy need to eat and exercise just like diabetics do. It’s not that Diet and Exercise is a unique issue for health and especially for diabetics, it’s that most people just aren’t focusing on these issues enough. The tide is turning, more and more of us are focusing on Diet and Exercise, are you one of us?

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

 

One in Five of us have Blood Sugar Issues!

At 31 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (adult onset). Until that time 15 years ago I never even knew what diabetes was. Now diabetes is a well known problem and it is very likely that you or someone you know has it. Over 20 million people in this country have diabetes and about 1/3 of them don’t even know it.

That means that 1 out of every 14 people in this country have diabetes! Every day, everywhere you go we are there.

Some of the challenges I faced were more difficult than others but the main one was trying to maintain my “normal” life and not impact my family’s habits. After 15 years, I can say there is no way to maintain your health without impacting your families eating habits.

The very most important thing you can do is watch what you eat. When I say watch, I mean be religious about taking your sugar readings when you eat something that you do not know how your body will react with.

Reading the labels is not enough, and if you are suspicious about an ingredient than take your blood sugar reading more religiously if you eat it. I have found that the “net carb” counts are not accurate for me.

Sugar alcohol in my body acts just like sugar, so this trick is something that is probably fine for some people but when I test my sugar after treating myself to that “sugar free” chocolate I find my numbers raise well over 200 and that proves to me that this is not a safe treat.

Look to see if there are studies or Glycemic Index numbers for the foods you eat. And measure your blood sugar whenever you treat yourself. Diabetes is very manageable if you and your family are on top of it.

 

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general informational purposes only. Granola Gourmet does not treat, cure or prevent diabetes or any disease, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.