RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR NEUROPATHY

I was fortunate enough to find some research about red light therapy for the pain and lumps of lymphedema. I bought the red light unit at Amazon.com for $40, the Pretika Lightsonic.

Imagine my surprise when I found that, in addition to helping the pain and swelling of lymphedema, that red light therapy also helps diabetic neuropathy. It takes away the pain and tingling in my toes, and stimulates circulation.

I use the red light for about 10 minutes on each set of toes, daily. My toes tingle after the treatment, and feel much better.

So, diabetic neuropathy can be helped a lot with red light therapy. And since the price is so reasonable, most people can afford it.

And, in using it for lymphedema, the lumps go away within 24 hours of treatment, so I treat my arm and breast area every other day. It takes me about 1 hour to go over all the swollen and lumpy parts. The light also kills pain within just a few minutes of use.

So, this is a universal help for those fighting neuropathy and/or lymphedema.

WHAT ELSE CAN I HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?

Protein shakes are wonderful for the main breakfast meal. They lower insulin resistance because they have whey protein in them. But on these cold, icy mornings, it's hard to contemplate putting something frozen into your mouth.

So, since we know what my target numbers are for breakfast, we can aim for those targets by using other sources of protein. We can even make it look like a "normal" breakfast.

NORMAL BREAKFAST:

1 egg
2 pc low fat ham deli slices
2 pc Pepperidge Farm Oatmeal Bread

Fat: 7 gm Protein 30 gm Carbs 22gm

Now the only difference between the two breakfasts is that the shake will keep you losing weight faster. It gets around insulin resistance, so it helps with stabilizing blood sugar all morning. The normal breakfast does not give you this advantage, so whenever you feel like it, a shake is the best option.

ELDERBERRY CONCENTRATE LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR

I have just discovered a very nice way to reduce post-prandial highs: 2 oz of Elderberry Concentrate taken daily. My post prandial highs have come down by about 25% with this dosage.

Elderberry, along with blueberries and bilberries, contain myrtillin, the substance responsible for the blood sugar lowering effect.

The proanthrocyanins in these fruits also help with night vision, capillary strength, and immune system functions. Nice package.

You can buy Elderberry Concentrate from either Luckyvitamin.com or Vitacost.com at about $15 for a 16 ounce bottle.

As with all supplements that lower blood sugar, it is always FOOD FIRST, then supplements. The elderberry helps, but not as much as balancing protein and carbs. Learn to hit your target numbers, in the panel on the left labeled "DIET TO NORMALIZE BLOOD SUGAR" and then elderberry, and other supplements can come in and finish the job.

CRANBERRY ORANGE PROTEIN SHAKE

Just in time for the season, here is a delicious recipe for a cranberry orange protein shake. It has a few more carbs in it than my other shakes, but it has almost 6 gm fiber, so it is not too bad. Plus you get all the benefits of the antioxidants and virus fighting powers of cranberries.

CRANBERRY ORANGE PROTEIN SHAKE

1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2%
1 cup water
1 cup cranberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 packet stevia
1/3 cup mandarin oranges

Blend all in the blender. Add one cup ice and blend again.

Fat 3 gm, Carbs 40gm, Protein 35 gm, Cals 333

IT'S NOT WILL POWER

So many times I see people who need to lose weight, that think they don't have the willpower to stay on a diet. These people are missing one key piece of information: it is what you are eating that is making you hungry. Willpower has nothing to do with it.

When you eat protein grams equal to carb grams, every time you eat, you are controlling insulin levels in the body. Protein is a wonderful way to curb appetite. Most people just do not realize that if they change the food composition of what they are eating, their hunger disappears.

When we eat carbs by themselves, our pancreas puts out insulin to remove the sugar from the blood. Insulin is a fat storage hormone. So, carbs put on fat. But we have to have them to run our brains and our bodies - about 60gm per day for the brain alone. Anything less and our bodies start eating their own muscle and reducing calorie burning by doing that. But the real problem is that after eating carbs by themselves, you get even hungrier, because the insulin has driven your blood sugar so low that now you are starving.

This does not happen when you eat protein grams equal to carb grams every time you eat. What we used to think of as lack of will power is actually nothing more than the biological response to eating carbs by themselves. Stop doing that! Always eat equal grams of protein with your carbs, and you will begin to understand it is not will power at all. Your hunger disappears, your tiredness disappears, and you are full on many less calories. No more eating an entire bag of Oreo's - and no more blame for not being able to control yourself.

The preferred fuel mixture for the human body is roughly equal calories of fat, protein, and carbs. This has been outlined in great detail in the Zone Diet. You would not put diesel fuel into a gasoline engine. So, don't try to run your body on pure carbs. It is killing all of us, leaves you hungry, tired, and on your way to diabetes.

WHAT IS THE WHEY PROTEIN DOING?

As you may have seen from my previous posts, I get about half my protein daily from whey protein. For me, that is about 45 gm of whey protein daily. So why the emphasis on whey protein?

Whey protein is extremely important for a diabetic because it improves insulin sensitivity. On the days that I have my protein shake in the morning, my blood sugar is under control for the rest of the day.

Whey protein also builds muscle. And it is muscle that burns calories. Since diabetes is a disease of reduced calorie burning, adding muscle as you lose weight is very important.

Whey protein is the only source of protein with no fat and very few carbs. This means you can keep your calories low enough to lose weight because you are not spending many calories on fat, but you are still getting a very high quality protein.

Whey protein is the only protein that alkalinizes the body. This contributes to less insulin resistance.

And finally, whey protein kills appetitie. It is a marvelous deal to lose weight without hunger.

So, find the DIET TO NORMALIZE BLOOD SUGAR in the left side-bar and look up your height and sex. Learn to hit your daily targets. You will be losing about two pounds per week of fat, not muscle, and you will feel full the entire time. Marvelous, marvelous. Whey protein is our friend.

HERE IS MY DAILY MEAL PLANNING

I am a woman, 5'9" tall, and I have 100 pounds lean muscle. To normalize blood sugar, I eat one gm protein and one gm carbs for each pound of lean muscle mass. So, for me, that is 100gm protein daily, and 100 carb gm daily. Of course, we keep the diet low fat, so my target for fat is 25gm fat plus 6gm omega 3's supplemented from fish oil and flax. My target numbers are thus 25gm fat, 100gm carbs, and 100gm protein. Plus omega 3 supplementation.

So, here is a brief outline of what my day looks like in terms of meal planning:

6AM protein cocoa
9AM protein shake
12AM low carb tortilla with ham, turkey, beef, chicken, or fish as a wrap, and one piece of fruit
3PM protein bar or 1/2 cup cottage cheese and another piece of fruit
6PM 3 oz lean protein, 1/2 cup beans or sweet potato (no white potatoes), side salad, deep green veggie and 1/2 cup Blue Bunny ice ream for dessert.

You can look up the fat, protein, and carb content of any food at calorieking.com - but this plan works for a female, 5'9" - see the post to the left side bar for the diet to normalize blood sugar for people of other heights and sex.

I am full all the time because I am getting more than double the protein that most people get. Also, whey protein improves insulin sensitivity, so that protein shake in the morning helps my blood sugar all day long.

This is not a hard pattern to memorize. And it has helped me lose 125 pounds and get off insulin. Try it, you' ll like it!