Diabetic Digest - Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Readers:

Since becoming a father I have never felt more exhausted or more healthy in such a long time. Let me explain.

Parenthood has me being more active than ever before. I'm always moving, lifting, coming and going when it comes to the needs of my son.

So now that I'm more active I've been eating less junk, frankly, because I just don't have the time and when I can eat I eat health snacks like yogurt, apples, bananas, pretzels and low-fat string cheese, just to name a few.

Having my time occupied by a baby instead of junk food is a great way to get healthy, but it's not for everyone. Most people join a gym.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. Are you on Facebook? If you are, check out the Deal of the Day fan page. You get exclusive offers and a new deal every day. It is easy to become a fan, just Click Here and hit the like button...

Questions? Comments? Email Steve


*-- Diabetic News --*
Surgery May Cut Diabetic Heart Risk
From: dailyRx, Inc.

Obese type 2 diabetes patients had a lower risk of heart attack after bariatric surgery

Weight loss surgery has been shown to be an excellent treatment for obese people with diabetes. Since diabetes can raise the risk of heart disease, it is important to know the heart risks of weight loss surgery.

Weight loss surgery (also known as bariatric surgery) reduced the risk of heart attack among obese people with type 2 diabetes.

Patients who started the study with higher levels of cholesterol and blood fats benefited most from weight loss surgery.

Both obesity and type 2 diabetes increase the risk of heart disease. However, researchers are still unclear about how weight loss surgery may affect the risk of heart-related events in obese diabetes patients, according to Stefano Romeo, MD, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and colleagues.

Through their study of 607 obese people with type 2 diabetes, Dr. Romeo and colleagues found that weight loss surgery was associated with a reduced risk of heart attack. While there were 38 heart attacks among the 345 people who underwent surgery, there were 43 heart attacks among the 262 people who did not go through surgery (a hazard ratio of 0.56).

Weight loss surgery appeared to have little impact on stroke risk, however. There were 34 strokes in the surgery group, compared to 24 strokes in the non-surgery group (a hazard ratio of 0.73).

Surgery lowered the risk of heart attack most in participants with higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) at the beginning of the study.

Body mass index, or BMI (a measure of body fat using height and weight), was not related to the outcome of surgery.

The authors concluded that weight loss surgery may reduce the risk of heart attack in obese people with type 2 diabetes.

In the study, a total of 345 patients underwent surgery while the remaining 262 did not. Patients were followed for a mean of 13.3 years.

The research was published August 1 in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.

Original Article: Surgery May Cut Diabetic Heart Risk


*-- Diabetic Recipe --*
Planked Meatloaf
Servings: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Ingredients
cooking spray
1 small onion, minced
2 small zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
4 ounces mushrooms, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin beef
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
freshly ground (to taste)
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute
1/4 cup quick oats

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
2. Lightly coat a non-stick saute pan with cooking spray. Cook the onion for 3 minutes until it becomes transparent. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic and cook stirring over medium high heat until cooked through.
3. Place the meat in a bowl. Stir in the remaining
ingredients and blend until incorporated.
4. Stir in the cooked vegetables and form into a loaf.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, until done.
6. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Information
Per serving (meatloaf only): 216 calories (28% calories from fat), 30 g protein, 7 g total fat (2.8 g saturated fat), 9 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 75 mg cholesterol, 166 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 3 1/2 lean protein (meat), 2 vegetable

Original Recipe: Planked Meatloaf

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