A SPOT OF TEA

Tea can be a wonderful friend to anyone who is fighting blood sugar issues. There are many types, but some are worthy of note for lowering blood sugar.

Ginger tea can act as fast as 30 points postprandial in 30 minutes. It opens up deep skeletal muscle insulin receptors. You acutally feel warm when you drink it, and that means you are burning calories with it. Because it acts directly on the body's insulin receptors, it is a great tea for bringing down blood sugar that is too high, so it is best used after you eat.

Mulberry tea acts as a carb blocker, so it is best used before you eat. The top leaves of the mulberry trea contain phytochemicals that block the digestion of carbs. Tastes great, too!

If you type "sugar controller tea" into Google, you can find outlets for a nice tea that is good, and lowers blood sugar. You want to drink this one before meals, too.

Mostly, I use ginger tea. A cup of ginger tea is equivalent to a half hour walk for someone my size. But exercise anyway!

CHICKEN TOSTADAS

CHICKEN TOSTADAS

6 Mission Carb Balance Tortillas
PAM cooking spray

1 lb chicken, cooked and deboned
3 oz cheese
2 cups refried beans, canned
tomatoes
onions
lettuce
salsa

Spray tortillas with PAM spray and bake at 425F for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Spread refried beans on tortillas, dividing into six. Add chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and salsa. Top with cheese.

Fat 9 gm, Carbs 28 gm Protein 33 gm Fiber 12 gm, Cal 335

STRAWBERRY MALT

Remember the old fashioned malts you used to get at the corner drugstore or hamburger stand? Delicious, but they had so much sugar they were actually POISON.

But times have moved on, and there is a totally new way to get that old fashioned strawberry malt - with only a few carbs, and lots of protein.

STRAWBERRY MALT

1 scoop strawberry whey protein
1 tbs Carnation malt
8 oz water

Mix all three ingredients. Serve over ice.

Fat: 1 gm Carbs 10 gm Protein 15 gm Cal 109

CHICKEN POT PIE

Chicken Pot Pie

3 cup chicken breast, cooked
1 cup carrots, raw
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup celery, raw
1/2 cup peas, frozen green
1/4 onions, raw
2.5 cup Cream of Chicken Soup, Fat Free
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
3 English muffins

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chopped carrot, mushrooms, celery, peas, and onion. Saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine 1 1/2 cans fat free cream of chicken soup with water, pepper, and thyme in a medium bowl; stir well. Add vegetables and cooked chicken, stirring well. Spray 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour into baking dish. Split 3 English muffins in two halves. Top chicken and vegetable mixture with 6 halves, one half muffin per serving. Bake at 425F for 15 to 18 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Fat 5.2 gm, Carbs 28 gm, Protein 26gm Calories 261 Fiber 4 gm

YES, YOU CAN HAVE CEREAL

-But because the carbs in cereal are high glycemic, you must limit the amount, and always balance the carb grams with equal amounts of protein. This will control the blood sugar spike.

For most women over 5'7", you can have about 25 gm of carbs along with 25gm of protein. To get the protein, don't use milk. Milk doesn't have enough protein, and it has too many carbs. Instead, stir 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein into water, and use that with your cereal. You can also use stevia to sweeten it.

So, you are shooting for a breakfast of 30 gm protein and 20 to 25 carb grams. If you are using 15 gm scoops of whey protein in water, that means 2 scoops.

There are lots of cereals that have around 25 gm of carbs per serving. I like Life Cereal (made with oats) and other whole grain cereals. Just look at the nutrition label carefully, and match any carb grams with equal grams of whey protein.

You can also use whey protein along with oatmeal, but be careful of the type of oatmeal. Quaker Oats makes a high protein oatmeal, (Banana Nut) that has 7 gm of protein. When combined with 1 scoop of whey protein in water, the carbs and protein balance out.