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A. Since printing the book, we have decided to make the journal pages available to readers at no extra cost. You can find the journal under the resources tab of the main page. Type in the password located at the beginning of the book to locate exclusive reader resources, and click on the Daily Journal link to open the PDF file. You can print as many copies as you wish.
A. Before you are able to post comments on the blog or contribute to the forum, you must register as a member of the site (which is free of course!).
A. All you need to do to become a member of the site is create a username and password. To do this, click on the Support tab, then select the Join The Network option. At the top of the next window, there's a yellow tag welcoming you as a guest. Click on the Register Link. Fill in the appropriate information. It's best to have a username that is very easy for you to remember. Your password should likewise be easy to remember but hard for others to figure out. If you want the site to display your real name for forum/blog posts, type it in for the Screen Name. However, you may also use a "pen" name if you want your identity to stay private. It's imporant to give an email address that you frequent, because the site to send a link to your email which you much click in order to activate your membership. Once you click the site within your email, you will be redirected to the forum and you may use post your comments.
A. On the main forum page, click on the orange link displaying the forum name you wish to reply to. Select the topic title of choice. Click on the orange Post Reply tab. After filling in your message in the text box you have the option to spell check as well as add an attachment (for problems with attachments, see the attachment question). Lastly, you have the option to preview your post before submitting it. The atttachment will not be viewable. When satisfied with the comments you've made hit submit.
A. Select the Forum Name under which you'd like to post a new topic by clicking on the orange name link. Inside the next window the New Topic orange button is displayed. Click on it, and enter your information. Click submit on the bottom when the post is satisfactory.
A. On your posting page, under the text box there is an add attachment option. Click on the browse button to find the file you wish to attach from your computer. Note that the file cannot be greater than 75kb. If your file is greater you may need to compress it. If it is a picture, it will need to be resized (not cropped). The easiest way to do this is to select to shrink the picture by a set percentage until the sizing of the file is less than 75kb. Be sure to select the file, then hit open. When the post is ready, hit the submit button at the bottom.
A. Once you are logged in, click on the member list link on the "logged-in" title space. Once the list comes up, find the user you want to address, and click on the e-mail symbol. Fill in the required information and click submit. Your personal email address will not be shared with the recipient, either will theirs be viewable to you.
A. To comment to a blog entry, click on the orange comments link located below the entry title. Enter your comments in the text box and hit submit at the bottom.
A. We recommend that people check their sugar upon waking, 2 hours after meals, and before going to bed. Your post prandial (2 hours after meal) numbers are the most important as they are directly linked to the development of diabetes complications in the future. If your numbers are too high, learn how to lower them with exercise.
A. A stroll is a slow walk you take after a meal. This aids in digestion as well as in controlling sugar levels. Even though it burns calories, it shouldn't bring your heart rate up too much. A great time to exercise is 2 hours after eating, for about 20 minutes - this will aid in lowering high blood sugar levels. Try to bring your heart rate up, maybe even break a sweat. You can engage in any type of activity: swimming, biking, fast walking, jogging, dancing, etc. Check your sugar leves again after you have finished working out to see how much it's dropped.
A. Again, we stress the importance of embarking on this program with the aid of a physician. The book itself as well as the forum serves as a guide, but your doctor is the only one that should be changing the dosage or your medication/insulin and telling you when it is safe to stop taking either of those aids. For this purpose, be sure to meet with your doctor regularly and as your numbers drop, he will be more than thrilled to adjust the medications accordingly. DO NOT SELF MEDICATE YOURSELF AND CHANGE YOUR OWN DOSAGE. There are severe complications associated with medication side effects, not to mention spikes and drops in your sugar levels. So BE SURE TO CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN.
A. This question is related to the one above in that your physician should be contacted with any changes in your disease process. Be sure to contact him/her with if you experience anything strange and out of the ordinary. Again, some of the symptoms may be because the dosage of medication needs to be adjusted. Keep him/her in the loop always.
A. We recommend a plant-based diet for optimal health and the best results. Additionally we encourage people to limit their intake of fat (especially saturated fat) and eliminate trans fats from their diet. A plant-based diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, olives, limited amount of nuts, nut butters and seeds. You can limit intake of total fat by using primarity plant fats, especially monounsaturated fats such as olives, olive oil, canola oil, avocado and limited amount of nuts, nut butters, and seeds. To limit intake of saturated fat eat largely plant-based foods, because they have lower saturated fat content (exceptions: chocolate, coconut/coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil). It is possible to eliminate trans fats from your diet by eliminating the use of animal products, eliminating intake of fast food/or restaurant food (especially deep-fried items as they are cooked in partially hydrogenated oils), and avoiding the use fo food products which contain any of the following ingredients: partically hydrogenated oils, shortening or margarine.
A. If you decide to continue consuming animal products but want to get the best results that you can, avoid eating red meat, processed/lunch meats, liver, pork and shellfish. Have a 3-4 oz serving (about the size of a deck of cards) of skinless chicken, skinless turkey, or fish 2-3 time/wk, NOT deep fried. Limit intake of dairy products to 1 serving or less per day of either fat-free or low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese or milk. Use 1% milk instead of whole or 2% milk. Skip butter, lard, and shortening and instead use Smart Balance Light (found at WalMart). To help lower cholesterol, use egg white's only. If entire egg is more desirable, limit to 1-2 a week.
A. The uncomfortable sensations of intestinal gas are caused by sugars that aren't digested in the small intestine continuing on to the large intestine where their fermentation by bacteria creates gas. The aim is to remove the gas producing sugars. When cooking with canned beans, be sure to rinse and drain the beans thoroughly, until all of the colored liquid becomes clear. If cooking with dry beans, presoak the beans before cooking. The soaking water needs to be thrown out prior to cooking the beans. The beans need to be cooked until butter soft - test this by placing bean between thumb and forefinger and squeezing. When the bean is completely soft and offers no resistance, the beans are thoroughly cooked. Additionally the body creates more enzymes that are able to break down the sugar particles of a particular food over time. A shortcut way is to use Beano for a while. You can find it at your local Wal-Mart and it works like a charm.
A. All beans are beneficial and have their own unique composition of nutrients. We recommend using a variety of beans, nto all at once, but rotating among different types. The table below is a sample of the different kinds of nutrients that beans posess.
|
1 cup, cooked |
Black-Eyed Peas (mature) |
Kidney Beans |
Navy Beans |
|
Calories |
200 |
225 |
258 |
|
Carbohydrate (g) |
35.7 |
40.4 |
47.9 |
|
Dietary fiber (g) |
11.2 |
11.3 |
11.6 |
|
Protein (g) |
13.3 |
15.3 |
15.8 |
|
Potassium (mg) |
478 |
713 |
670 |
|
Calcium (mg) |
41 |
50 |
127 |
|
Magnesium (mg) |
91 |
80 |
107 |
|
Iron (mg) |
4.3 |
5.2 |
4.5 |
|
Selenium (mcg) |
4.3 |
2.1 |
10.6 |
|
Folate (mcg) |
357.8 |
230.1 |
254.8 |
Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 18th ed.,
Pennington, JAT, Douglass, JS
A. The pulse rate indicates the frequency at which your heart is pumping. Learning to count your own pulse is a very positive step towards becoming active in your own healh care. Pulse monitoring is especially important when performing exercises or undertaking any new activity so that you do not overtax your heart.
Count your pulse at regular intervals to determine the intensity of your activity. Find your pulse quickly to get a fair representation of your working heart rate. Count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply it by 6 (remember the first beat is 0; it is a reference beat). Adjust your activity accordingly to obtain your target training range.
Two common places where you can probably feel your pulse easily are the wrist and the neck. Wrist Pulse: The radial artery is located on the inside of the wrist at the base of either thumb and is best felt by the pads (not tips) of two or three fingers of the opposite hand. Pressing the artery too hard may cut off the pulse whereas a light, but firm, pressure should allow you to feel it well. Neck Pulse: The carotid artery is found no eiher side of the windpipe. It is one of the largest arteries in the body and one of the most easily felt. It is probably easier to feel this artery by placing both the index and middle fingers just to the lateral side of the "Adams Apple." Do not press both sides of the artery at the same time as that may cause you to faint. Do not press in the carotid near the jawbone as that can stimulate some sensitive nerves and slow the heart rate. Feel one carotid artery only in the middle of the neck.
A. We've had quite a few questions on how to use the daily journal, so we've filled in a sample journal for you. To view the page, click here.
Fasting blood sugar is taken after at least 8 hours of no eating. Your first morning blood sugar reading (before eating or drinking) is thus considered fasting (unless of course you have had a snack at night). For help calculating an accurate pulse rate, see question above.