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An international study has determined that the diet a woman follows during pregnancy can actually alter the DNA of the baby in the womb.  The study, published in the journal Diabetes, showed that by eating LOW levels of carbohydrates during pregnancy,  bits of DNA changed, resulting in children that were not only fatter, but  who also had a higher risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes later in life.

 Dr. Peter Gluckman of the Liggins institute at Auckland University said that "Children with a high degree of this epigenetic change, caused by the diet,  were about three kilograms heavier than their peers by the time they were aged six to nine."  ''That's a hell of a lot of extra weight at that age,'' he said, adding that the extra fat was likely to be carried into adulthood, raising the chances of diabetes and heart disease.

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Joan Yankowitz  on healthylivingtimes.com suggests that there are 7 changes that you can make to your daily lifestyle that may prevent you from developing Type 2 diabetes:

1) By putting less food on your plate, you will gradually eat less and start to lose weight. Drink a glass of plain water or a sugar-free drink before eating to lessen your hunger pains.

2) Reduce your fat intake by grilling or baking foods instead of frying.

3) Read food labels and check the Glycemic Index of the food you are eating to make better choices.

4) Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Keep a bottle of water with you and sip frequently  throughout the day.

5) Choose a healthy snack rather than a chocolate bar.

6) Use skimmed rather than full-fat milk in hot drinks.

7) Exercise is good for health. But, if you are not used to exercising,  then start in moderation by walking each day for 15 minutes until you gradually get into a regular exercising pattern.

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Do want to remember your wedding anniversary next year? Go on a diet!

The first link between calorie-restricted diets and improved memory in people was seen in a study published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although the study was small, involving 50 people ages 50 to 72 who ranged from normal weight to overweight, the calorie-restricted group averaged 20 percent improvement in memory performance. The other groups showed no significant change.

Dr. Agnes Flöel, of the University of Münster in Germany, and a researcher in the study, said the memory improvement might be linked to a decrease in insulin and inflammation in the calorie-restricted participants, who lost four to seven pounds.

In my opinion, maybe those who lost weight had better blood flow to the brain and therefore more nourishment and oxygen helped memory.

In either case,  if you want to do well on Jeopardy or remember your kid's birthday or recall all of the words to the Star Spangled Banner, go on a diet and lose weight. You may feel better as well!

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A recent study published in Diabetes Care showed that older men who take Vitamin K supplementation for 36 months, at doses that can be achieved through dietary intake, may be able to reduce the progression of insulin resistance.

US researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, report their top 10 Vitamin K food sources:

1. Kale

2. Collards

3. Spinach

4. Turnips greens

5. Beets greens

6. Dandelion Greens

7. Mustard Greens

8. Brussels sprouts

9. Broccoli

10. Spring Onions

Drink your Green Smoothies, eat your salads and stay healthy and strong.

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So So there's been a study that shows that people who live in neighborhoods where there are more fast food restaurants have higher rates of diabetes and obesity. Is it me or is that a no brainer?And, what's more, this rate increase goes across all racial lines, all ethnic lines, AND all income lines! 

The study found obesity rates to be 20% higher in neighborhoods with five or more times as many fast-food outlets as produce vendors, compared with those with three or fewer and Diabetes rates were 23% higher! That's quite significant. It's been suggested that all restaurants post caloric and nutritional content for all of their food like what New York was just mandated to do. That's ok but I have a better idea. Why doesn't someone set up a MAXIMUM healthy caloric content figure per sandwich, snack, side order, etc and if a food goes over that, a CAUTION NOTICE must be posted and/or printed on wrappers or boxes of take out food saying the following:

CAUTION: THIS FOOD IS OVER THE RECOMMENDED CALORIC INTAKE LEVEL PER MEAL AND REPEATED INGESTION MAY LEAD TO OBESITY AND/OR DIABETES.

Kind of similar to a label on a package of cigarettes. Nah, it won't work.

People still smoke and that can lead to CANCER!

(Picture from http://www.obesity-experts.com/Fast-Food-Obesity.html)

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Dr. Neal Barnard claims that the approach of the American Diabetes Association and its diet is all wrong when it comes to preventing and treating diabetes. In his new book, Dr. Barnard comes up with an alternative that may be much more effective at preventing, treating and even reversing diabetes   Click here for more

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