During the holiday season we often eat many more meals away from our home than is typical.  This can be more difficult if you don’t know how to get exactly what you want and what  you need.

When you’re home, assuming your home is 100% gluten free, you are in your safe zone.  Nothing is brought in that contains gluten so you can roam around, nibble as you please without any repercussions to your body.  That doesn’t mean you won’t over indulge.  That’s another post entirely.  How to recover from over indulging.  Hmm,  I may have to share that soon too.

But back to eating away from your safe zone.  Let me share a little story with you to illustrate how diligent you must be.

The other night the gang was all here.  My oldest son Andy who lives in San Francisco and has written posts on gluten free beer and gluten free pop up restaurant in San Francisco, was down for the Thanksgiving holiday.  So my husband Scott, youngest son Brad, Andy and myself went out to eat.  We went to a local restaurant that has the name of a prominent figure in the health field.  We love this restaurant.  I go there a lot if I’m out walking errands or even want a treat or pick me up.  I love their gluten free pita and hummus and their kale aid drink.  Yum!!!

Sorry I get lost in food sometimes.  So their menu is marked which items are gluten free.  There are even many items that can be modified to be gluten free but those items are not marked, you have to find that out by asking questions. ****  Scott ordered what was presented as a gluten free meal on the menu.  He had roasted chicken with farrow.  *******  Yeah so those of you who read my blog or have worked with me know that farrow is wheat and wheat is definitely not gluten free.  Andy noticed the farrow in his dad’s bowl and asked him what he was eating.  Andy of course is a foodie and pays close attention to what living gluten free means.  Scott had a Steve Martin “waiter there are snails on her plate” moment.

The waiter apologized and brought him a new meal but he had already eaten some of the farrow.  Fortunately he does not have the same immediate sick response as I do where my abdomen blows up like Violet Beauregarde from Willie Wonka, I lose every ounce of energy and clear thinking I had.

I hope they are reprinting those menus as we speak.

So you see you have to know what you’re talking about when it comes to gluten free dining and not rely on what the waiter knows or remembers to tell you on your visit.

***** Tip #1  ASK LOTS of QUESTIONS

Can you accomodate a gluten free diner?

Do you have a gluten free menu or is your menu noted?

Are there items on your menu not marked gluten free that could easily be gluten free if the bun was omitted?

When you talk with your server ask them for help.  This will get them listening to you when really you are going to walk them through the help.  Tell them you have a severe gluten allergy.  No you don’t but when a restaurant hears allergy then their ears open up and they take notice.  This is what you want.  EVEN IF YOU ARE ORDERING FROM A GLUTEN FREE MENU, tell them you need a gluten free meal (hubby).  When it arrives at your table confirm that it is a gluten free meal.

Can you please ask the chef what they would recommend that would be safe for me to eat gluten free.  I often will look at the menu to see what proteins they serve and if there are any I don’t like I let them know.  So I’ll tell the waiter, I will eat whatever the chef would like to create that is gluten free but please do not use lamb but any other proteins are great.  I’m not a fan of lamb.  This works great if you are at a high end restaurant where the chef uses individual ingredients and they would rather create then be told how to cook the recipes they created.

Read through the menu and pick out a couple of possibilities that you can have the waiter check on if this is not a high end establishment.

If you are interested in a burger (100% meat and no fillers) or anything that is cooked on a grill or flat top, ask if it cooked on a surface where they place buns or anything with a sauce that contains gluten.*******  This would cause cross contamination.  Ask if they can cook your meal in a separate pan.  This usually is easy to accomodate.

If you are looking for french fries, read through the menu and look for anything that would also be deep fried with breadcrumbs like chicken or calamari.  Ask if they have a dedicated fryer for the fries or is it all cooked in the same fryer.  If they are all cooked in the same fryer you want to avoid them.  You can ask if they can cook them in a separate pan too.  Some places will do this.

Confirm any salad you order does not contain croutons and ask if the dressing is safe.

Stay safe while eating out and make sure they know of your needs and can accomodate them.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS thank the waiter for their help.  They are your allie and can help you.  If they can’t help ask to speak to the chef or manager.  If you are not satisfied that they are working to keep you safe, don’t eat.   Have a drink if you are with others and then eat later and always keep backup fruit or nuts on you.  It’s only one meal and there are usually so many others during the holidays that you’ll get food soon enough.

********Tip #2 KNOW WHAT IS TYPICALLY IN THE DISHES YOU LIKE TO EAT.  IN OTHER WORDS THE MORE YOU COOK AT HOME THE EASIER IT IS TO EAT OUT.

This is one of the most helpful things I can pass along to you.  If you are cooking at home and reading recipes then you know what typically is found in dishes you like to eat.  You’ll know what comes with a sauce or is usually started with a sprinkle of flour.  This will help you in asking the question in an intelligent manner. If you are not cooking many meals at home find out why and then change that.  If you need help in that area please contact me.  I love helping people get back into the kitchen.

******Tip #3 KNOW THE MANY NAMES OF WHEAT and WHAT CONTAINS GLUTEN

• couscous
• farrow
• wheat berries
• semolina
• durum
• spelt
• soy sauce
• malt vinegar
• Tabbouleh made from bulgur wheat

There are many other foods that may contain gluten that you should be aware of.  Know what’s in the food you eat.

As a holiday gift to you I am sharing my Gluten Free Starter Guide usually reserved for my clients:  

Happy Holidays and please eat safely. 

This post originally ran on a blog that is no longer live, Celiacs in the House.  I wanted to share my kitchen with you and some news.  I will always be gluten free but this won’t always be my kitchen.  Next month I’m moving to Santa Monica, California.  It’s been a dream for 40 years to live in California and I’m very excited it’s finally happening.

My new kitchen will be a lot smaller than this one and with no pantry.   I will have to figure out what comes with me and what gets left out.  Once I get settled I’ll share how I downsized and still keep cooking our favorite meals.  I have to bring my Keep Calm dish for sure!

If you have any space saving tips I’d love for you to share them.  As you’ll see below I do have a fetish for kitchen appliances and tools.

For now I present, my gluten free kitchen.

My kitchen is truly the heart of my home.  I spend more time in that room than any other with exception of my bedroom.   I usually cook three meals a day starting with breakfast.  On the weekends I often will prepare for a busy week by making many meals and getting others prepped  to cook so during that week it’s a short time to getting meals on the table.

My kitchen is my refuge.   It’s the room where I have complete control over what is in there, where it’s placed and how it’s used.  I go there to relax from a busy day and to escape into the world of food.  I love to create recipes for my family, friends, clients, website and for companies that like to pay me for using their whole food ingredient.  My goal is to keep easy healthy gluten free living not just what I teach clients, but how I live my life everyday.

I have a lot of strong thoughts about where things go in my kitchen according to how I cook.  There are things that can be stored and then there are the things I want at my fingertips so I can grab them as I cook.  I’m one of those cooks who often likes to open the refrigerator, see what I have on hand and create a meal.  This means everything is a grab and go as I cook.

Starting in May we have been doing renovations in the house including a new granite countertop installed with a nice deep double sink.  I love that sink.  It’s really deep and it’s a double.

But before we dig into the kitchen I want to share my funky table where we eat our meals.  We had it made for us from Sticks Furniture.  There are pictures on this table that mean something to each of us.  Around the outer edge are sayings we choose:  Seize the day, Do you best, Smile, Follow you heart, Happiness depends upon ourselves, Rest, Choose wisely and many more.  These tables are a lot of fun to have made and a great snapshot of our family.

As you can tell I’m a quirky artist type so of course I had to have a glass ball curtain.  These are really cool and have sayings on the metals like Follow Your Bliss, Dream Big- Live Large and Live, Love, Laugh A Lot and Wish I May  - Wish I Might.    You can also see that the bottom of the table is also painted.

In the eating area I also have my cookbooks in a bookcase and on the shelf.  I have to keep giving some away as I get new ones all the time.  My husband keeps his wine stash here too.  Maybe someday we’ll have a real wine cellar or storage.

Each week I create a menu and write it on these cool Wallies peel and stick chalkboard squares.

Wallies Peel and Stick Chalkboard Decal, Squares

I don’t have room for a big board and I didn’t want something that would damage my walls.  These are also great for kids rooms to leave them messages or for them to keep track of school work or give them a helper list.  Love these.  Also my little step stool.  Great for a short gal like me.

As you will see throughout my kitchen I have a thing for aprons.  I have a huge collection and many are in drawers.  They hang on doors and are right out in view so you think I would wear them more often and protect my clothes.

I’m very lucky to have double ovens.  I hope wherever I live I always have double ovens.  They come in handy.  I keep a lot of extra pans in one so I have to pull them out when I’m using both.  It’s great when having company over so I can cook for a big party.  I hope you can see the sign over the ovens but just in case it says This is a drama free zone.  Every house needs one of these.

My pantry has always bothered me.  There seems to be more room in the walls than they actually used and could have had a double door and more room.  But I make good use of the space to the ceiling and the door.  I think it has more equipment than food in it.  I keep cans of beans around but we really don’t eat them anymore.  I guess I keep them in case we had nothing else to eat.  I have lots of nuts and seeds in jars.  I usually choose glass over plastic.    I also have an assortment of honey that I like to use as my sweetener, peppers  and mustards and different oils and vinegars.  It’s how I can change up the same ingredients into a different meal on a whim.

I do have a microwave which knowing about the studies that shown any food defrosted or heated in their can change the contents to carcinogens, I regretfully still use it.  I keep saying I’m going to stop but then forget and use it.  I think I need to put a sticker on the front that reminds me so I can at least make other plans.  I’ve heard people use theirs for storage to keep from using it.  I think I might try that but I’m sure my family will start throwing things at me.

My frig is so not exciting.  It’s usually so stuffed with vegetables that you can’t see anything else.  I keep my probiotics in there too along with some peppers, hot sauces, mayonnaise and a variety of mustards.  I keep a couple dozen of farm fresh eggs.  If you are lucky enough to live where you can get these or have your own chickens you will never go back.  The taste is so amazing that there is just no comparison. Whatever room is left we squeeze in any leftovers from meals in there.

I have more cold storage in the garage so I can keep my gluten free flours in there and stock up on organic meats from the farm as well as homemade bone stocks and seasonal finds I like to freeze for use later.

On my countertop I have an assortment of appliances that I use a lot.  The rest were in the pantry.  My Hurom Slow Juicer and Vitamix plus the electric kettle get the most use every day.  I currently have two different sizes of food processors and would love to have the Cuisinart that has multiple sizes in one appliance but just can’t justify buying something new.   I also have my KitchenAid mixer and my Breville Toaster/Convection Oven.  This oven is very handy when you don’t want to fire up the full sized oven or believe it or not, both are already in full use.

The closer you get to my stove the more you see in way of things I want to grab while cooking.  My collection of salts and peppers, many different oils and measuring cups that I hate to use all gather around this little crate.

As you can see I have 7 crocks full of utensils and gadgets.  There are lots of different spatulas both flat and those for scraping, wooden spoons, peelers, paring knives, scissors, and assortments of whips or whisks, my rolling pin and an assortment of knives.  I used to have a knife block but it seemed I always tried to put the knives away in the wrong slot.  I got really tired of that so I took one of my baskets and filled it with bamboo skewers.  Now I can put any knife any where in there and it fits.

In the bottom corner turn style I keep all of my spices.  That entire cabinet is filled with spices, arrowroot, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, vanillas and chocolate but mostly spices and herbs.   It looks like a Penzey’s or Spice House store display but I love having options.  I can change the same basic ingredients into so many different meals just by changing out the spice profile.

I added drawers and shelves that roll out and it makes a big difference.  In the heavy duty rack I have my assortment of Le Crueset pots and I keep measuring cups and strainers in there.

Under the stove top I have my assortment of cutting boards, some for fruit and vegetables, red for meat only and some for carving large pieces of roasted meats.    I use the doors too to keep the wraps and bags I use.

In this cabinet I have all of my frying pans from small to very large and a large pot that wouldn’t fit in the other cabinet.

I like the vertical cabinet to keep all my jellyroll pans and cooling racks.

In the other corner turn style cabinet I have my mixing bowls, baking dishes and glass leftover containers.  I tossed all the lids into the bread drawer since we don’t use it.

I hope you liked the tour of my kitchen.  Now you know why many of my friends think I’m too attached to my kitchen.  No matter the size or equipment you have or don’t have, get into your kitchen.  This is key!  Decide what you want at your fingertips and easy healthy gluten free living will the way you describe your life too.  Cooking food for you and your loved ones is the best thing a person can do.

How’s you’re eating plan coming along?  Are you eating what your body loves?

Sometimes by this time of year some of my New Year’s Eve resolutions have worn off and what I said I was no longer going to eat has crept back into my diet. Has that happened to anyone else? OR, maybe you’ve done great with those resolutions and you’re ready to take the next step, a detox!

It’s time to start planning that spring time detox.  It will have to be this month for 2 weeks.  I’m thinking the last two weeks of this month starting on March 19th.  That will give us a little time to get prepared get and maybe clear out a few things from the refrigerator and freezer (anyone want a few bags of chocolate chips). Maybe I’ll throw in a little spring cleaning for my house during those two weeks too.  Yeah, that’s what I’m doing for sure.  Spring Detox for the body and spring clear out for my house.  Getting rid of all the junk that accumulates in both places.

OK, so will you be joining me for the spring detox?  Maybe the spring clear out of the house too?  Don’t be scared to detox but also don’t jump into one without knowing your body.  You might want to talk with your doctor to make sure your body can handle it.  I don’t do radical detox process.  I start with really just getting rid of the things we know can adversely affect our bodies.  If you know your body, design your own detox.  Think about the things that you know if you didn’t put into your body would make your body very happy.  That’s a great start.

My wonderful nutritionist friend Melissa McLean Jory works on this with her clients.  She has shared some in her post Spring Renewal and Detox.  I’ve taken that and made it work for me.

Diane’s Spring Detox:

No chemicals- this means eating organics and what people refer to as clean foods

No sugar unless in fruit and not much of that either

No processed foods from a box, bag, wrapper, can or anything manufactured

No alcohol

Not very much meats, condiment size portions and only organic poultry or wild caught seafood

Lots of organic green vegetables – love that fiber!

Lots of organic colors like beets, red cabbage, blueberries, pomegranates, radish and radiccho to name a few

Green smoothies daily- green juices if I had a juicer

Only green tea and no black tea with caffeine

Of course no gluten or dairy (easiest part for me) but I’m extending this to no grains or starches like potatoes, peas and beans

Daily movement to include dancing, yoga, walking

Daily meditation- I use a 5-10 minute meditation to reduce stress, longer some days

Drink lots of filtered water

Sleep 7-9 hours – this let’s the cleaning crew come in at night and clean up my body  (wish they would do my windows)

This list may be too much or not enough depending on your current habits.  Don’t be overwhelmed but pick which ones you can try and if you have more to add let me know!

I know at first I may be a little tired as my body is processing out the yuck but that’s what I want out and that is why I do a detox.

Be kind to yourself during this detox.  Grab a friend and encourage each other.  Make sure you get your rest.  Take that nice long hot bath you keep threatening to take.  Wrap yourself in those comfortable huggable clothes.  And speaking of hugs make sure you’re giving and getting those daily too.

OK ready, set, go!  Monday March 19th and we’re off and running!  During these two weeks I’ll be sharing recipes of what I’m eating and resources for other recipe ideas.  If you make a great smoothie or meal, please share it!  I’ll also share a few extras in my newsletter this month, The WHOLE-istic Life so make sure you’re on the list.

Now I’d like to hear from you!

Have you tried any type of detox before?

What was it and how did you feel?

Which items on my list are you willing to give a try for just the two weeks?

Update with related posts for Diane’s Detox

Weekend Prep

Vegetable Stock Recipe

I am excited to share with you a wonderful new book and a guest post that I know will help so many people, The Blood Sugar Solution written by Dr. Mark Hyman.

There is so much wonderful information in this book including some great gluten-free recipes.  I really like how this book is broken down into easily digestible information on the problem and then a step by step guide to a solution.  But don’t just take my word for it, here is more outstanding praise for The Blood Sugar Solution:

“Dr. Hyman has done it again with a lucid description of the causes of the diabesity epidemic and a powerful treatment program.  The Blood Sugar Solution is a must-read for anyone anywhere on the spectrum between mild insulin resistance and full-blown Type-2 diabetes…a ground-breaking, science-based, easy-to-follow prescription.  Start your journey to healing now!” —Mehmet Oz, MD

“The Blood Sugar Solution is spot-on accurate. This is a blueprint for restoring the health of our nation!” —Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

“Are you desperate to feel better but don’t know where to begin? Has your doctor prescribed a quick fix pill, but no solid game plan? This is your lucky day. Dr. Mark Hyman’s revolutionary work has the power to radically transform and uplift your life. He is the shining, break-out voice of a new breed of functional medicine doctors who treat root causes rather than the symptoms. Let Mark be your guide and your teacher as you create a happy, healthy body filled with sustainable energy and balance. I can’t say enough about this brilliant pioneer, and once you read his book, I know you will agree.” —Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Diet

Dr. Mark Hyman was co-medical director of Canyon Ranch for ten years, and is now the chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine and founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Ultrametabolism, The The UltraMind Solution, and The UltraSimple Diet, and coauthor of Ultraprevention.

I’m sure by now you can’t wait to read what Dr. Hyman shares here.  Make sure you follow the links below to gather more information along with how to claim your free gifts from Dr. Hyman.   I’d also love to hear your feedback here in the comments section.

Diabesity – A Reversible Epidemic

by Mark Hyman, MD

What life threatening, life sapping, energy robbing condition affects one in every two Americans (that is EVERY OTHER person) including 80% of those overweight and up to 40% of normal weight people?  What condition is responsible for more deaths from heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia than anything else?  What condition also causes acne, infertility, sexual dysfunction and depression?

What condition accounts for more then 70% of our $2.4 trillion annual health care bill and will account for most of the $47 trillion we will spend globally over the next 20 years to deal with chronic disease?  What is responsible for nearly twice as many deaths every year as infectious disease, even in the developing world?

And what condition is not even diagnosed in over 90% of those who suffer from it?

What condition are doctors not trained or reimbursed to diagnose, treat or prevent, yet makes up the majority of health care visits and costs?

And what condition is nearly 100% preventable, treatable and reversible?

Diabesity.

It is the single biggest health challenge facing us individually, as a nation and as a global community.

Diabesity is the continuum of metabolic disturbances from mild blood sugar and insulin imbalances to pre-diabetes to full blown type 2 diabetes.  It occurs in about 40% of people of normal weight – these are the skinny fat people who look thin but are metabolically fat and have all the same risk factors for disease and death as those who are overweight.  And it occurs in 80% of overweight people.

Since it affects every other American, watch this video to see if you have it.

The solution is not coming from our health care system or doctors, not from our government, or from most corporations.  There are too many people vested in maintaining the status quo or worse profiting from making us fat and sick.  We need a solution.

That is why I wrote, The Blood Sugar Solution.  It has a bold central goal: to address and begin to reverse a global epidemic. It is a personal guide and plan, as well as a program for helping people get healthy together, based on functional medicine, and it is a blueprint for us to take back our health as a society.

Obesity, pre-diabetes and diabetes or what I call diabesity, which now affects one in two Americans arises out of existing social, economic and political conditions. In fact obesity and diabetes are social diseases and need a social cure and collective action on many levels to reverse the tide.

Over 10 years, these conditions will cost America over $3.5 trillion in direct costs, not including lost productivity and the costs in quality of life.  From 1983 to 2008, worldwide diabetes rates increased seven fold from 35 million to 240 million. In just 3 years from 2008 to 2011, the roll call for diabetes increased another 110 million.

Children less than 10 years old now get type 2 (or adult onset) diabetes, and have strokes and heart attacks by age 15 or 20.  One in three children born today will have diabetes unless we do something differently.

I wrote The Blood Sugar Solution to tackle this problem head on.

It is a personal plan that breaks through myths about obesity and diabetes that keep us sick and fat. And lays out the seven key steps to preventing, treating and reversing diabesity by dealing with the underlying causes. It is an eight-week plan that takes you through step by step how to reboot your metabolism, lose weight, reverse type 2 diabetes.

It is a plan for us to be more successful by working together to get healthy.  We do twice as well and lose twice as much weight when we get support from others in community. We are better together.

We recently did a “beta test” of this program with about 150 people. Their results were astounding:

• The group lost a total of 1,536 pounds in just eight weeks. That’s an average weight loss of over ten pounds per person!
• More than half the group lost more than ten pounds. Some lost as much as 28 pounds.
• Average waist size decreased by 1.5 inches, and some people lost so much of their waist that they had to go out and buy new clothes. One woman lost eight inches from her waist. Imagine, eight inches in eight weeks. No medication can help you do that.

But The Blood Sugar Solution is about far more than weight loss; it’s about taking back your health and your life. People who completed the program reported an average reduction of 14 points on their systolic blood pressure, their fatigue evaporated and they had more energy than they had felt in years, their joint and muscle pain vanished; the program improved their mood and sleep, eliminated their brain fog, and a provided a deep sense of well being. The Blood Sugar Solution gave these people a new lease on life, here are a few of their stories.

The Blood Sugar Solution is a plan for each of us to take back our health as a society. Our health has been hijacked from us, taken from us slowly, quietly, over the past century. Our current food, social, family, school, work, faith-based, and community environments, health care institutions, and government policies make it hard for us to make healthy choices. We are presented with choices that foster bad habits. But together, getting and staying healthy is possible given the right information, tools, support, and collective action to take back our health.

Navigating the Terrain of Disease: Getting to the Root of the Problem

To effectively treat diabesity we must shift our focus away from the symptoms or risk factors of the disease and begin taking a hard look at the causes. All of our attention is on treatments that lower blood sugar (diabetes drugs and insulin), lower high blood pressure (anti-hypertensive drugs), improve cholesterol (statins), and thin the blood (aspirin). But we never ever ask the most important question:

Why is your blood sugar, blood pressure, or blood cholesterol too high and why is your blood too sticky and likely to clot?

Put another way: What are the root causes of diabesity?

Answering that question must be the focus of our diagnosis and treatment of the disease if we are going to solve this global epidemic.

The good news is that the answer is shockingly simple.

The Real Causes of Diabesity

The entire spectrum of diabesity including all of its complications—diabetes, elevated blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol—are simply downstream symptoms that result from problems with diet, lifestyle, and environmental toxins interacting with our unique genetic susceptibilities.

Those are the real causes of diabesity.

And the reason these dietary and lifestyle factors lead to diabesity is because they create a condition known as insulin resistance. Contrary to what most people think, type 2 diabetes is a disease of too much, not too little, insulin. Insulin is the real driver of problems with diabesity.

When your diet is full of empty calories and an abundance of quickly absorbed sugars, liquid calories,^[i] and carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes), your cells slowly become resistant to the effects of insulin and needs more and more to do the same job of keeping your blood sugar even. Thus you develop insulin resistance. A high insulin level is the first sign of a problem. The higher your insulin levels are, the worse your insulin resistance. Your body starts to age and deteriorate. In fact, insulin resistance is the single most important phenomenon that leads to rapid and premature aging and all its resultant diseases, including heart disease, stroke, dementia, and cancer.^[ii],[iii]

As your insulin levels increase it leads to an appetite that is out of control, increasing weight gain around the belly, more inflammation and oxidative stress, and myriad downstream effects including high blood pressure; high cholesterol; low HDL, high triglycerides;^[iv] weight gain around the middle; thickening of the blood; and increased risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression. These are all a result of insulin resistance and too much insulin. Elevated blood sugar is not the source of the problem.

And because insulin resistance (and diabesity) are a direct outcome of diet and lifestyle, the condition is 100 percent reversible in the vast majority of cases. Most people just need to eliminate the things that are sending their biology out of balance and include what’s needed to help the body rebalance itself. For most the interventions required are extremely simply and extraordinarily effective.

8 Steps to Reversing Diabesity

In my new book The Blood Sugar Solution I outline a comprehensive 8-week plan for overcoming diabesity in all its forms. Here is a sneak preview of the steps outlined in the book:

1. Get the right tests. Most doctors focus on fasting blood sugar. This is actually a poor indicator of diabesity. The best test to tease out the condition is an insulin response test where insulin levels are measured fasting and then 1 and 2 hours after a glucose drink. Demand this test from your doctor.
2. Get smart about nutrition. Despite the media hype and the seeming confusion amongst doctors, the basics of nutrition are extremely simply. Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates, include whole real foods like lean protein (chicken or fish), veggies, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.
3. Get the right supplements. There has recently been a frenzy of negative reports about supplements. Most of them are unfounded. Supplements are an essential part of treating diabesity. A good multivitamin, vitamin D, fish oil, and special blood sugar balancing nutrients like alpha lipoic acid, chromium polynicotinate, biotin, cinnamon, green tea catechins, and PGX (a super fiber) should also be included.
4. Get relaxed. Stress is a major unrecognized contributor to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance. Push your pause button every day with deep breathing, visualization, yoga, and other relaxation techniques.
5. Get moving. Aside from changing your diet, exercise is probably the single best medication for diabesity. Walk for at least 30 minutes every day. For some, 30-60 minutes of more vigorous aerobic exercise 4-6 times a week may be necessary.
6. Get clean and green. Environmental toxins also contribute to diabesity. Filter your water, look for green cleaning products, and avoid plastics when you can.
7. Get personal. While the steps above will address 80 percent of the problems with diabesity, some may need to take additional steps to optimize key areas of their biology. Remember, the medicine of the future is personal medicine. Seek out your own biological imbalances and look for ways to address them.
8. Get connected. Research is beginning to show that we get better more effectively when we get together. Invite your friends, families, and neighbors to change their diets and lifestyle along with you. Together we can all take back our health.

I hope that my book The Blood Sugar Solution will be the beginning of a larger transformation – for individuals, communities and for society.  In the book I outline all of the social, economic, biological, and medical underpinnings of this health epidemic and provide an 8-week, step-by-step system that will allow you to dig deep into your own biology and heal even the most severe cases of diabesity.

Get a book, get two and give one to someone you love  – you might be saving their life. When you purchase the book from this link you will automatically receive access to the following special bonuses:

• Special Report—Diabetes and Alzheimer’s: The Truth About “Type 3 Diabetes” and How You Can Avoid It.
• More Delicious Recipes: 15 Additional Ways to Make The Blood Sugar Solution as Tasty as It’s Healthy!
• Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Nutrition Coaching – FREE for 30 days!
• Hour 1 of The Blood Sugar Solution Workshop DVD

For more on diabesity, join us on www.drhyman.com

[i] Chen L, Appel LJ, Loria C, Lin PH, Champagne CM, Elmer PJ, Ard JD, Mitchell D, Batch BC, Svetkey LP, Caballero B. Reduction in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight loss: the PREMIER trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1299-306.

[ii] Bhashyam S, Parikh P, Bolukoglu H, Shannon AH, Porter JH, Shen YT, Shannon RP. Aging is associated with myocardial insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007 Nov;293(5):H3063-71.

[iii] Ryan AS. Insulin resistance with aging: effects of diet and exercise. Sports Med. 2000 Nov;30(5):327-46. Review.

Last April in the New York Times one of the most emailed articles was What’s The Single Best Exercise?   The people they asked all had their own idea of what was the best.  They gave their reasons and I think some were really totally convinced they were right.

Is there a right answer to this question?  What is your favorite exercise?  Do you like yoga or maybe a hula hoop?  That is up for debate amongst some of my peeps.  I’ve recently been having a ton of fun doing both Masala Bhangra that was created by Sarina Jain and the video game DDR2 – Dance Dance Revolution 2.  They are both fun moves to music and they both give you encouragement along the way.  Of course if you are a self competitive perfectionist like me you can spend an hour on DDR2 trying to get a better score or miss fewer beats and not even realize an hour has passed.

Then one of the wisest people I know shared her thoughts.   She’s not the first to say it but when I hear it from her it just makes so much sense.  Melissa from Gluten Free For Good says “the best exercise is the one you’ll actually do”.

What exercise are you doing?  How are you moving?  Activity is one of the key components in life.  What will you actually do?

Here is a video that shares Sarina Jain’s story and shows you what Masala Bhagra workout is like.  I use her DVD’s as there are no classes near me.  Click Here to see video if it does not show up below.