{Coconut Palm Sugar with Glycemic Index 35}

For quite a while now I am using Coconut Palm Sugar with a Glycemic Index of 35, compared to refined sugar that has a GI of 80. That does make quite a difference for the body.

This is my source, Trader Joe's where I get it for US $ 3.99 per pound.

Also Whole Foods Market does sell it and I must say, theirs is a little lighter in color.

For that you read the text: BLONDE but it cost you US $ 1.00 more per pound.

Yep, you read that right...
It's Official: Sugar is the New Crack
Swap your sweetener for these low-glycemic alternatives

Link: Coconut Palm Sugar - Glycemic Index: 35 with more information.

We always ought to be conscious of keeping our Glycemic Index lower by eating healthier substitutes.

If we increase the Glycemic Index (number that determines the rate at which sugar enters the blood) by overcooked potatoes or pasta... So it is not ONLY from direct sugar. Starches also do become sugar once they enter the body!

Related links:

{Diabetes Type 2, & Iranian Medicine about Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini} | previous post by me

Sugar: Addiction & Dangers | VERY informative site!

{THE SKINNY RULES + GIVEAWAY} | previous post by me GIVEAWAY ENDS OCTOBER 1st...

What Are the Benefits of Coconut Sugar | LiveStrong.com
Wholesome! Organic Coconut Palm Sugar | YouTube video about how Coconut Palm Sugar is being harvested and produced!
Sugar: The Bitter Truth | A very informative video with LOTS of information

{THE SKINNY RULES + GIVEAWAY}

As promised earlier, here is my GIVEAWAY for English speaking readers, since it is written in English.
 'THE SKINNY RULES' by BOB HARPER with GREG CRITSER.

Just LOVED this book; not for trying to lose weight but for EATING healthy and especially in regard to Diabetes type 2 and Pre-Diabetes.

What I learned from this book especially is Rule #18: Finish eating your meals by 8:00 PM for having a better and healthier sleep too. Makes sense! All babies are being fed on a very regular schedule, so where did we all get side-tracked?

Yes, BOB HARPER is a world-renowned fitness trainer and star of the NBC reality series The Biggest Loser, which finished its thirteenth season in 2012.

His way of writing is also full of humor!

Being Bob Harper appeared in the Costco Connection on June, 2012 (click it) on 

Pages 26, 27 and 28.

Page 27

Page 28

His book I only can highly recommend to anyone wanting to find out more about eating healthy!

The book also is full of practical, easy to follow recipes.

Harper's approach on Page 18, about going vegan...

'But after a few years, the benefits start to wane. I was fatigued. And I was getting... soft, which is not a particularly good thing if you are the trainer for a show called The Biggest Loser...

Page 55 - BE YOUR OWN SUGAR POLICE

Page 57 - We like potatoes so much we're beginning to look like them.

Page 65 - Let us now come to your pancreas and liver. Chronic eating of concentrated sugars and bad fats tells the organs to make more insulin and more blood fat, as your muscles become resistant to the insulin. This is called type 2 diabetes. 

Page 77  Salt - Puffy bags under the eyes...

Page 161 about PROTEINS

Protein helps keep blood sugar and insulin in check, making it easier to maintain weight loss and keeping chronic diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol at bay.

Guess this did give you a good insight into what type of book it is.

Very beneficial for all those that like to prevent Diabetes Type 2 or even Pre-Diabetes.

For the year 2050 it is said that one in three could end up having the disease. You can read more in my previous article, via link below. 

~~0~~

You can either order THE SKINNY RULES book at Amazon (click) or get a FREE copy as a GIVEAWAY if you manage the English language. 

How can you earn this FREE book?

Go to my website: Mariette's Back to Basics and click on my Google+ Page button and follow.

Once on my Google+ Page, leave a message there.

If you do Tweet about my Google+ Page let me know via: AngelsnRosebuds

From my website, you can have another entry when going to the top right and click on the FB Page logo. Click LIKE  and do leave me a message; making sure to do so UNDER any story that is on my Timeline.

If you again do Tweet about my FB Page, or share, let me know and that too counts as an entry.

THAT'S IT - GOOD LUCK

Ends September 30, 8:00 PM EST

Related link:
{Diabetes Type 2, & Iranian Medicine about Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini} | previous post

{Diabetes Type 2, & Iranian Medicine about Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini}

It does not matter if you are Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes or even Type 2 Diabetes but we all should educate ourselves about Healthy Living by Simple Lifestyle Changes...

Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini...

NO Sugars, NO Cholesterol and low Sodium are some great Nutricion Facts!

In Vietnam, Sesame is known as the king of oil seeds and all over the Middle East it is a very popular seed.

We ALL can learn from those healthier diets in the Far and Middle East, like from Persia!

Read more helpful information here: November 2013 Archives of Iranian Medicine about Sesame seed paste or tahini as it does lower the blood sugar level in Diabetes Type 2 patients.

Diabetes-proof for life Reduce your risk with simple lifestyle changes.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) estimates that 79 million American adults have pre-diabetes, defined by above-normal blood sugar levels. That's 35 percent of adults 20 and older, and half of adults 65 and older.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and a major cause of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness, so a diagnosis of pre-diabetes is serious.

For reading this on page 72 and 73 in the Pdf click here: Costco Connection November 2011 

Vitamine D is important!

Cinnamon is such a healthy spice...

Avoid low fiber 'white' carbohydrates such as white pasta, white bread and white rice.

Mayoclinic - Living with diabetes Kidney disease: No early symptoms. Just click this link to learn that unfortunately early kidney disease has no symptoms. Guess that's why I do have Chronic Kidney Disease stage II...
Being diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2, can be quite shocking, as I know from personal experience in 2007, but we can continue to live healthy!
Will share more posts on the subject as there are so many people facing this health issue.

Related links:

The Pre-Diabetes Diet Everyone Needs | Barbara Borcik (quoted in above Costco article): Pull back on portions. You still can eat many of the foods you like, just have smaller amounts of them. Borcik says, adding that this is especially true for starchy foods like white rice, white potatoes, and pasta.

Eating white rice daily ups diabetes risk, study shows | Study author Dr. Qi Sun, a diabetes researcher at Harvard School of Public Health, told WebMD that eating white rice could cause a sudden spike in blood sugar. White rice also doesn't contain as many nutrients as brown rice, which is packed in fiber, magnesium and vitamins. The researchers said not getting enough of these nutrients could contribute to type 2 diabetes risk.
Diabetes in Japan: a review of disease burden and approaches to treatment | In recent years there has been rapid growth in diabetes in Japan which now is one of the nations most affected by the worldwide diabetes epidemic.

{Yogurt Secret for my Size and Weight}

 Just have to share with you this Yogurt Secret for my Size and Weight. Well, since 2007 when I got diagnosed as being Diabetes type 2, both of us have been reading labels religiously. That was quite an eye opener as it is SO MISLEADING at times. If one does not pay any attention or just believes that any fat-free yogurt is a good choice, sugars and calories can be stacking up on you!

This is our Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt of choice; from Trader Joe's.

We have to drive long distance in order to stock up on this one but it pays off.
We eat it with FRESH seasonal fruit, nothing else!

NOTE the Serving Size = 1 cup or 227g!

Total Fat 0%

Saturated Fat 0%

Cholesterol 0%

Sodium 3%

Potassium 8%

Total Cabohydrate 2%

Dietary Fiber 0%

Sugars 6g

Protein 44%

Publications that TRICK you! Cream of the crop

This comparison is using a Serving size of only 6 oz!

So let us convert that: 

Our Trader Joe's Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt is 32 oz or 908 g = 27.375 g per ounce! 

So a 6 oz serving size would yield 164.25g versus a serving size of 227g! 

Which is 38%  MORE; thus a lot higher sugar etc!

The sugar for e.g Fage is NOT 7g but 9.66g when adding those 38%!

It is even worse for the rest down the list... with the added 38%!
Stonyfield Farm Fat Free Chocolate Underground Yogurt adds up to a whopping 48.3g... which is EIGHT times that of our Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt Nonfat Plain.  

Fage does list those 9.66g as only 9g... Would love to have a loan from them if they do their calculation like that!

But as a consumer you have to really study the labels and compare the same serving sizes!

Watch out for publications and advertisements that only mention Fatsecret as they love to bypass the sugar issue...

6 Best Foods You're Not Eating
Another benefit of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt is the fact that the liquid whey has been strained out which makes it thicker and creamier.
A BIG bonus is that it contains TWICE THE PROTEIN of regular yogurts!

Related link:
{SUGAR is your #1 enemy!} | previous post by me

{Belgian Endive Salad with Chia Seeds}

Another recipe for those that like to know the SECRET FOR MY SIZE AND WEIGHT... Belgian Endive Salad with Chia Seeds, the Antioxidant SuperFoods item that is good for Iron Boost and Good for Blood Sugar Level. 

We both LOVE any type of salad...

Trader Joe's did sell these 2-colored Belgian Endive as a pack of 3.

My Dad as well as husband Pieter's Dad used to grow Belgian Endive during the winter season but at that time there only was one color, no red ones yet. They look a lot like Radicchio.

Important to remove the often bitter end part, with a pointed knife...

A very quick and easy dressing with Reduced Fat Mayonaise from Trader Joe's and I added some brown rice vinegar but you can use any type you like!

With Chia seeds being added you have to keep in mind that they work gelatinous. Best to make this dressing right before serving!

Sorry for the poor photos, made them real quick with my iPad (still not having a new camera at the time...)

But here you can see how I kind of hollowed out the often bitter end part of the Belgian Endive.

Cutting them first length wise... than slicing them up.

Those ends will brown easily so also here it's best to go ahead and add them to the dressing at once.

And voilà: a very healthy and tasty Belgian Endive Salad with Chia Seeds!

Have you ever made Belgian Endive Salad before?

Related links:

{Healthy & Quick Vegetarian Supper} | previous post by me showing you the reduced fat mayo from Trader Joe's

{CHIA for Iron Boost and Good for Blood Sugar Level} | previous post by me

{CHIA for Iron Boost and Good for Blood Sugar Level}

Are you already aware of the great benefits of using CHIA seeds in your daily diet? Use CHIA for Iron Boost and it is also Good for Blood Sugar Level. That are two big reasons for me to embrace these powerful seeds! Being Diabetes type 2 and also having had on and off bouts of anemia, sure made CHIA a permanent item in our kitchen! Are you using it too?

CHIA seeds can be used in a number of ways. Here I added it to some cole slaw, together with dried cranberries and a dressing of Trader Joe's reduced fat mayonaise with some brown rice vinegar and CHIA Seeds. You can find below post a link from previous post with photos of this mayonaise.

Daily we both add CHIA Seeds to our Trader Joe's 0% Greek Yogurt with some fresh fruits. Chia seeds work gelatinous so keep that in mind when adding to certain dishes. Best is to do it right before being served.

So again, I did reveal another Secret for my size and weight...

For USA, Canada and Mexico citizens you can find CHIA SEEDS from Carrington Farms  at Costco Wholesale 

More you can read about Carrington Farms below my post.

Healthy Foods for a Healthy Soul

This sure belongs in the group of Antioxidant Super Foods!

CHIA SEEDS The Costco Connection, July 2013 (click link for Pdf format)

Combat Diabetes

Get More Fibre

Stock Up On Omega-3

Stronger Teeth And Bones

Don't Forget Manganese

Plenty Of Phosphorus

Pack In The Protein

Fight Belly Fat

Get Full. Faster.

Improve Heart Health

Chia Seed Benefits: 10 Reasons To Add Chia To Your Diet (link from above 10)

So are you using CHIA already?

Related links:
{Healthy & Quick Vegetarian Supper} | previous post by me showing Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Mayonaise

Carrington Farms Healthy Foods for a Healthy Soul | FB Fan Page
11 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds - Eco Watch info about Chia Seeds

{2011 Pink Moscato delle Venezie - ONLY 5 percent of Alcohol}

Having worked and lived in the Venice, Italy area, of course we are very fond of anything from that region. For my health, controlling my blood sugar level, alcohol is of course not a good thing. In 2007 I got diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 and since than I have avoided most sugars. It is a joy for being able to toast around New Year with something in your glass. Already during our flights on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, back and forth to work in Indonesia, I came to appreciate Moscato d'Asti wine with its 5.5 percent of alcohol. That was a great bonus when being upgraded into business class. I would skip wine with the meal but enjoyed it after. So this 2011 Pink Moscato delle Venezie with only 5 percent of alcohol is another find. 

Using my Japanese tray; gift from my host family in Osaki City, from my visit to Japan in July of 2007 as a chaperon.

This Pink Moscato has a fine “frizzante” effervescence as you can see in our French Baccarat crystal glasses.

At the top you just barely can read: Delle Venezie - 2011 Mochetto Delle Venezie Moscato Rosa

We found ours at Cost Plus World Market 

Cheers to 2014 and to good health!