The following is from CDC.gov:

Having diabetes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying holiday celebrations and travel. With some planning and a little work, you can stay healthy on the road and at holiday gatherings with friends and family.

The most important step in managing diabetes during holiday travel and festivities is preparing. Know what you’ll be eating, how to enjoy a few traditional favorites while sticking with a healthy meal plan, and how to pack necessary supplies for a trip, and you’re all set to celebrate!

Feasts and Parties

Before you go, take these steps to make sure you stick to your healthy meal plan.

• Eat a healthy snack to avoid overeating at the party.
• Ask what food will be served, so you can see how it fits into your meal plan.
• Bring a nutritious snack or dish for yourself and others.

You don’t have to give up all of your holiday favorites if you make healthy choices and limit portion sizes. At a party or holiday gathering, follow these tips to avoid overeating and to choose healthy foods.

• If you’re at a buffet, fix your plate and move to another room away from the food, if possible.
• Choose smaller portions.
• Choose low-calorie drinks such as sparkling water, unsweetened tea or diet beverages. If you select an alcoholic beverage, limit it to one drink a day for women, two for men, and drink only with a meal.
• Watch out for heavy holiday favorites such as hams coated with a honey glaze, turkey swimming in gravy and side dishes loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese or mayonnaise. Instead, choose turkey without gravy and trim off the skin, or other lean meats.
• Look for side dishes and vegetables that are light on butter, dressing and other extra fats and sugars, such as marshmallows or fried vegetable toppings.
• Watch the salt. Some holiday favorites are made with prepared foods high in sodium. Choose fresh or frozen vegetables that are low in sodium.
• Select fruit instead of pies, cakes and other desserts high in fat, cholesterol and sugar.
• Focus on friends, family and activities instead of food. Take a walk after a meal, or join in the dancing at a party.

Traveling for the Holidays

Leaving home to visit friends and family means changing routines. Make sure you remember to take care of your diabetes while traveling. Check blood glucose (sugar) more often than usual, because a changing schedule can affect levels.

Remember Your Medication

• Pack twice the amount of diabetes supplies you expect to need, in case of travel delays.
• Keep snacks, glucose gel, or tablets with you in case your blood glucose drops.
• Make sure you keep your medical insurance card and emergency phone numbers handy, including your doctor’s name and phone number.
• Carry medical identification that says you have diabetes.
• Keep time zone changes in mind so you’ll know when to take medication.
• If you use insulin, make sure you also pack a glucagon emergency kit.
• Keep your insulin cool by packing it in an insulated bag with refrigerated gel packs.

On the Road and in the Air

Get an influenza vaccination before traveling, unless your medical provider instructs otherwise. Get the flu shot, not the nasal spray.

• Wash hands often with soap and water. Try to avoid contact with sick people.
• Reduce your risk for blood clots by moving around every hour or two.
• Pack a small cooler of foods that may be difficult to find while traveling, such as fresh fruit, sliced raw vegetables, and fat-free or low-fat yogurt.
• Bring a few bottles of water instead of sweetened soda or juice.
• Pack dried fruit, nuts, and seeds as snacks. Since these foods can be high in calories, measure out small portions (¼ cup) in advance.
• If you’re flying and do not want to walk through the metal detector with your insulin pump, tell a security officer that you are wearing an insulin pump and ask them to visually inspect the pump and do a full-body pat-down.
• Place all diabetes supplies in carry-on luggage. Keep medications and snacks at your seat for easy access. Don’t store them in overhead bins.
• Have all syringes and insulin delivery systems (including vials of insulin) clearly marked with the pharmaceutical preprinted label that identifies the medications. Keep it in the original pharmacy labeled packaging.
• If a meal will be served during your flight, call ahead for a diabetic, low fat, or low cholesterol meal. Wait until your food is about to be served before you take your insulin.
• If the airline doesn’t offer a meal, bring a nutritious meal yourself. Make sure to pack snacks in case of flight delays.
• When drawing up your dose of insulin, don’t inject air into the bottle (the air on your plane will probably be pressurized).
• Stick with your routine for staying active. Make sure to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week. Ten minutes at a time is fine.

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This week  the American Dietetic Association (eatright.org) released the following article regarding a great new website provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that has helpful tools and information for consumers about nutritional guidance. Click here to view news coverage on the release of the website and what Michelle Obama had to say about the site.

Press Release:

New MyPlate Is a Useful Tool for Consumers to Follow Dietary Guidelines and Eat Healthfully, Says American Dietetic Association

CHICAGO – The U.S. government’s new graphic symbol of nutritional advice for consumers contained in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be a useful and intuitive way for people to eat well and improve their health, especially with the expert individualized advice provided by a registered dietitian, according to the American Dietetic Association.

“Time will tell if this new icon helps people to better understand vital nutritional messages of balance, variety, moderation and adequacy,” said registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association President Sylvia A. Escott-Stump. “If MyPlate can assist people in effectively adopting the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines, it will be a success.”

The new MyPlate icon is a plate split into four sections, each representing a different type of food (protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables). The sections vary in size depending on the recommended portion of each food a person should eat. A circle shape next to the plate represents dairy products, especially milk. Viewing the icon online allows consumers to click on each section of the plate for more information.

Escott-Stump emphasized that no one symbol can serve as a stand-alone consumer nutrition education tool, and praised the government’s consumer education campaign that is accompanying the release of the new icon. “No matter how informative or intuitive the symbol, it needs to be combined with easy-to-understand messages, motivational and educational tools—all specialties of registered dietitians—that guide people toward healthy food choices,” Escott-Stump said. “A goal for this new icon must be to increase the ‘nutrition literacy’ of all people,” Escott-Stump said. “The visual representations on the plate can support nutrition messages provided by registered dietitians and ADA.”

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines, released in January, are based on a comprehensive review of the latest scientific literature conducted by an advisory committee that included five ADA members, including the committee’s chair, registered dietitian Linda Van Horn, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University. ADA previously announced its support for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, noting that, due to the epidemic of obesity in the United States, they are the first to address an unhealthy public, making their recommendations especially urgent for consumers and health professionals alike. ADA also called the Dietary Guidelines “a practical roadmap to help people make changes in their eating plans to improve their health.”

“As we have in past years, the American Dietetic Association was deeply involved in the development of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. And we will use the Guidelines and the new MyPlate to provide the unequalled advice and services of registered dietitians to individuals and communities alike. ADA and all our members look forward to working with the USDA, the Obama Administration, other health associations and food and nutrition policy makers to develop effective nutrition, research, education, food assistance, labeling and promotion programs that help people get and stay healthy,” Escott-Stump said.

Media Contacts: Ryan O’Malley, Allison MacMunn
media@eatright.org

June 2, 2011

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A gluten-free diet is a diet completely free of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. Gluten is also used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often hidden under “dextrin”. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition deratitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.

Additionally, a gluten-free diet may exclude oats. Medical practitioners are divided on whether oats are an allergen to celiac disease sufferers or if they are cross-contaminated in milling facilities by other allergens.

You can read more information about gluten and interesting facts about Celiac disease, a condition directly linked to gluten being in your diet, by clicking here.

The web is a great resource for people who are on gluten-free diets. When you switch over to this special diet, you may find it challenging because of the limitations of ingredients you can use, but after some research, you will find that food can taste just as good if not better than what you have been used to – and the important thing is you will be feeling much healthier! The following gluten-free recipe is from allrecipes.com:

Grilled Mexican Steak

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 5 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1 (3 pound) skirt or flank steak

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 5 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1 (3 pound) skirt or flank steak

Nutritional Information

Servings per recipe:  6

Amount Per Serving

• Calories:  548  
• Total Fat:  45.4g
• Cholesterol:  72mg
• Sodium:  675mg
• Total Carbs:  7.4g
• Dietary Fiber:  2.1g
• Protein:  29.1g

Click here for detailed nutritional information.

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From EatingWell:  June/July 2006

6 Servings – Active Time:  30 minutes – Total Time:  30 minutes

Nutrition Profile:  Low calorie – Low cholesterol – Healthy weight

The secret to a grilled pizza is having all your ingredients ready to go before you head out to the grill. Make it a meal: Toss the extra black beans, diced tomato and some avocado with pre-washed salad greens and a tangy vinaigrette and dinner is on the table in no time.

Ingredients

• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (about 2 ears)
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, preferably smoked mozzarella

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Combine tomato, beans and corn in a medium bowl. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Stretch the dough into about a 12-inch circle and lay it on top of the cornmeal, coating the entire underside of the dough.
3. Transfer the crust from the baking sheet to the grill. Close the lid and cook until the crust is puffed and lightly browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Using a large spatula, flip the crust. Spread barbecue sauce on it and quickly sprinkle with the tomato mixture and cheese. Close the lid; grill until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crust is browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 316 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 0 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 14 g protein; 4 g fiber; 530 mg sodium; 94 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (15% daily value).

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 starch, 3 medium-fat meat

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Below is a great article about foods that that can help you have healthier skin. Enjoy!

15 Foods That Fight Breakouts

By Lucy Danziger, the Editor-in-Chief of SELF magazine.

If you’re craving clear, smooth skin (and who isn’t?), you don’t have to spend a fortune on cleansers and creams. In fact, you might already have everything you need to battle blemishes in a surprising place: your fridge. Turns out, what you put in your mouth is as important as what you slather on your face when it comes to curing and preventing common complexion woes.

We all heard this advice as teenagers—to try to fight breakouts by swearing off french fries or chocolate chip ice cream (I know, painful then and now!). But researchers are beginning to hone in on exactly which foods have acne-fighting powers, and lucky for me, they happen to be some of my favorites (Nuts! Spinach!). So if it’s flawless skin you seek, don’t think about what you can’t eat—toss these yummy bites in your shopping cart and try SELF’s delicious recipes to be your most beautiful inside and out.

Nibbles with Zinc

My go-to snack, almonds are rich in zinc, which may help banish existing blemishes and prevent new ones from forming. The mineral works to reduce inflammation to shrink bumps, and it also slows sebum production to reduce shine and prevent more breakouts from forming. Munch on a handful, or toss them into a savory Almond-Pear Galette.

Great sources of zinc:

1. almonds
2. baked beans
3. beef
4. chickpeas
5. oysters
6. pumpkin seeds

Snacks with Carotenoids

Mangopacks powerful pigments called carotenoids that turn into vitamin A inside your body. Think of A as kryptonite for acne. It attacks blemishes in three ways: reducing inflammation, encouraging cell turnover (aka natural exfoliations) and strengthening your skin’s defense against bacteria. All of that can add up to clean, clear pores that are less prone to pimples. Spoon up some mango sorbet, or try this refreshing Mango and Melon Dessert.

Great sources of carotenoids:

 7. mango
 8. cantaloupe
 9. carrots
10. spinach
11. sweet potatoes
12. tomatoes

Fare with Fiber

If you really want to clear up unsightly spots, it’s time to give up the white starches: When people cut refined carbs from their diet in favor of high-fiber grains like brown rice, they had half as many blemishes after 12 weeks, an American Journal of Clinical Nutritionpaper reports. Eating unhealthy carbs, such as white bread, cookies and pastries, signals the pancreas to send out a surge of insulin. This triggers a hormone-level change in your body that increases oil production and tells cells to multiply, all of which jams pores. But the fiber in whole grains helps your body absorb and burn carbs more slowly, which keeps blood sugar and insulin levels steady. Experiment with brown rice in Sweet and Sour Chicken With Short-Grain Brown Rice and Baby Spinach.

Great sources of fiber:

13. brown rice
14. whole-grain bread
15. popcorn

Take us on your next grocery run! Print out our shopping list of over 35 foods for clear, glowing skin.

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Why put the cheese on top of the burger when half of it just melts off? Instead, form the burger around the cheese so you can char the meat and safeguard the more delicate flavors. Use any mixture of hard or semi-hard cheeses–Emmentaler and Gouda or Asiago and Parmigiano-Reggiano also pair well.

4 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Diabetes appropriate / Low calorie / Low carbohydrate / Low sodium / Healthy weight

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
2. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl.
3. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.
4. To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they’ll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes

• To oil a grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Nutrition

Per serving: 250 calories; 15 g fat (7 g sat, 6 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 2 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 0 g fiber; 164 mg sodium; 264 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (37% daily value), Calcium (15% dv), Iron (15% dv).

Exchanges: 3 1/2 medium-fat meat

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The Super Bowl is the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving! Super Bowl menus are full of salt, sugar, fat and all the other bad things you can think of. But oh…they are so good right? “It’s only one day”, you may say. But you can actually put  on five pounds in one day of eating fattening foods…the types of foods that may be at that Super Bowl party you are going to this Sunday.

I heard this following information on the radio the other day looked it up on Dietdetective.com. It really put things into perspective and may make you think twice before taking that next bite!

• 1/2 A DIGIORNO PIZZA CHEESE STUFFED CRUST LIMITED EDITION BACON/SAUSAGE/PEPPERONI = 299 TOUCHDOWN DANCES IN THE END ZONE

That’s 975 calories per half.  Each dance should last for 15 to 20 seconds.

Fit Tip: There are frozen and delivery pizza choices with a lot fewer calories. If you choose thin crust and avoid meats and extra cheese you can drop the calories down to about 720 for half a 12-inch pizza.

• SIX T.G.I. FRIDAY’S LOADED POTATO SKINS = DOING “THE WAVE” 6,389 TIMES

Each potato skin (half a potato) is 218 calories. That’s a lot when you consider that an entire potato is 160 calories. But these potato skins are deep fried and topped with cheese, bacon and even sour cream.

Fit Tip: These are so easy to make yourself. Microwave the potato, then cut it in half and put it in the toaster oven with some cooking spray.

• LARGE MEATBALL SUB FROM QUIZNOS = CLIMBING THE STADIUM STAIRS FOR 109 MINUTES

It has meatballs, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce on a hero roll, adding up to 1,020 calories.

Fit Tip: How about turkey meatballs (made with breast meat), low-fat mozzarella and a whole-grain hero.

• 6 KFC HONEY BARBECUE WINGS WITH DIPPING SAUCE = PLAYING PRO FOOTBALL FOR 59 MINUTES

Keep in mind, this is 59 minutes of actual playing time — standing on the sidelines or in the huddle doesn’t count. Each wing has 90 calories, and the dipping sauce is about 50 calories per container.

Fit Tip: You can certainly make your own chicken wings. Go skinless and bake instead of deep frying them.

• ONE PINT OF BEN & JERRY’S CHUBBY HUBBY ICE CREAM = CLEANING THE STADIUM AFTER THE GAME FOR 322 MINUTES

That’s almost 5 1/2 hours of cleaning — no breaks. And yes, that pint has 1,320 calories.

Fit Tip: There are so many very tasty low-calorie ice creams. For instance, Breyers All-Natural Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry is 110 calories per 1/2 cup or 440 calories for a pint, so you save nearly 900 calories.

• 6 WHITE CASTLE SLIDERS = RUNNING 129 FOOTBALL FIELDS

In case you don’t know, a slider is a small hamburger — and people eat many of them. They’re about140 calories each and weigh just a bit more than 2 ounces each.

Fit Tip: Could you eat just one or two?

• LARGE HANDFUL OF PLANTERS MIXED NUTS AND 2 GULPS OF BEER = 44 MINUTES OF FOOTBALL TRAINING CAMP

The combination of beer and nuts is a football natural, but it’s costly — especially if you keep taking handfuls and gulps. Just one handful and a couple of gulps mean loads of push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, sprints and more. Just so you know, 1 ounce of mixed nuts has about 170 calories. And the beer — about 35 calories per gulp.

Fit Tip: Nuts are healthy if you eat them in small portions — maybe seven to 10. More than that is a mistake. As for the beer, there’s Beck’s Premier Light, Budweiser Select 55, MGD 64 and several others — do a taste test.

• 1 TORTILLA CHIP WITH A SCOOP OF MEXICAN REFRIED BEAN DIP = DANCING TO THE WHO DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW FOR 8.5 MINUTES

Just one chip requires some serious rocking out. Two tablespoons of the bean dip is about 30 calories, and the chip itself is about 14 calories.

Fit Tip: The answer is salsa — it’s very low in calories. And pick baked, low-calorie chips at about 120 calories per ounce. If you’re eating the chips, have one at a time, and don’t put out huge bowls of them. Make sure you have to get up each time you want more than six chips.

• EIGHT POTATO CHIPS WITH DIP = BIKING TO THE GAME FROM YOUR SOUTH BEACH HOTEL

It’s about 18 miles from South Beach to Dolphin Stadium, which is what it would take to burn off the chips and dip. Each chip is 14-15 calories. For each scoop of Ruffles French Onion Dip add another 55 to 60 calories. Grand total: as many as 600 calories.

Fit Tip: Try a low-calorie dip or make your own with nonfat yogurt or mayo. And use Popchips.

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Fettuccine With Shrimp – Serves 4

Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon, crumbled
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated reduced-fat Parmesan
8 oz whole grain fettuccine, cooked

Preparation
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup water with wine, basil, bouillon, cornstarch and oregano in a bowl. Add tomatoes and shrimp to skillet. Cook until shrimp begin to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in wine mixture. Cover; simmer until shrimp are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in parsley, cheese and pasta. Divide among 4 plates; serve immediately.

Health Facts
404 calories per serving
8.4 g fat (1.7 g saturated)
55.1 g carbs
6.7 g fiber
33.5 g protein

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 1/2 tsp dried
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped shallots
4 lettuce leaves
8 slices toasted whole-grain bread

Preparation
Combine mayonnaise, tarragon, lemon juice and pepper in a bowl. Toss chicken, celery, cherries, walnuts and shallots in another bowl. Stir in mayonnaise dressing. Place 1 lettuce leaf each on 4 slices of bread. Divide chicken salad among sandwiches; top with remaining bread.

The skinny
454 calories per serving
14.3 g fat (1.2 g saturated)
49.4 g carbs
11.2 g fiber
34.8 g protein

Thirty billion a year — that’s about how much Americans spend on slim-down products, many of which don’t even work. A better way to get real weight-loss results? Go grocery shopping. New research points to more than a dozen foods, from beans to beef, that can help you fight hunger, kick your candy addiction, boost your metabolism-and ultimately shed pounds. And some of these superfoods deliver health bonuses too.

Eggs, Beans, Salad, Green Tea, Pears, Soup, Lean Beef, Olive Oil, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Vinegar, Tofu, Nuts, High Fiber Cereal & Hot Red Pepper.

See the full article for the reasons these 15 foods help you lose weight and keep you healthy.