Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet.

It is loaded with antioxidants and various substances that are beneficial for health.

Many studies have shown that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight.

Let me explain how that works…

Green Tea Contains Substances That Can Help You Lose Fat

Green tea is more than just hot, flavored water.

The bioactive substances in the tea leaves dissolve in the water and make it into the final drink.

When you drink a cup of quality tea, you’re actually getting a large amount of beneficial substances with potent biological effects.

The best known of these is caffeine. A cup of green tea contains much less caffeine (24-40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100-200 mg), but still enough to have a mild effect.

Caffeine is a well known stimulant that has been shown to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in numerous studies.

But where green tea really shines is in its massive range of antioxidants… being loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins.

The most important of these is EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), a substance that can boost metabolism.

Keep in mind that these benefits can be derived both from drinking green tea as a beverage, as well as taking green tea extract as a supplement.

Green Tea Can Help Mobilize Fat From Fat Cells

In order to burn fat, it must first be broken down in the fat cell and moved into the bloodstream.

The active compounds in green tea can aid in this process by boosting the effects of some fat burning hormones.

The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases.

This hormone is used by the nervous system as a signal to the fat cells, telling them to break down fat. Therefore, more norepinephrine leads to a stronger signal being sent to the fat cell and more fat gets broken down.

Caffeine and EGCG (both found naturally in green tea) may actually have a synergistic effect, because caffeine enhances another step in the same pathway.

The end result is that the fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into the bloodstream and becomes available for use as energy by cells that need it, like muscle cells.

Green Tea Increases Fat Burning, Especially During Exercise

If you look at the label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat burning supplement, chances are that you will find some kind of tea there as an ingredient.

This is because green tea has been repeatedly shown to increase the burning of fat, especially during exercise.

In one study, men who took green tea extract and exercised burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t get the supplement. This study suggests that green tea can boost the fat burning effects of exercise.

Another study that went on for 8 weeks showed that green tea increased fat burning, both during exercise and during rest.

There are several studies that agree with this. Green tea selectively boosts the burning of fat, which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term.

Green Tea Can Boost the Metabolic Rate And Make You Burn More Calories Around The Clock

The human body is constantly burning calories.

Even when sleeping or sitting down, our cells are performing billions of functions that require energy.

Several studies suggest that green tea can make us burn more calories, even at rest.

In most studies, this amounts to about a 3-4% increase, although some studies show an increase as high as 8%.

For a person who burns 2000 calories per day, 3-4% amounts to an additional 60-80 calories per day, similar to what you might expect with a high protein diet.

Although most of the studies were very short in duration (1-3 days), there is also some evidence that the metabolism boosting effect persists in the long term.

In one study of 60 obese individuals, the group taking green tea extract lost 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) and burned 183 more calories per day after 3 months.

However, keep in mind that not all studies show that green tea boosts metabolism. The effect may depend on the individual

.

Can Green Tea Make You Automatically Take In Fewer Calories?

One way that green tea could help with weight loss, is by reducing appetite.

This would make us take in fewer calories, automatically, without any effort.

Several studies have looked at the effects of green tea on appetite, but most showed conflicting results.

There are also animal studies suggesting that green tea can reduce the amount of fat we absorb from foods, but this has not been confirmed in humans.

Overall, it seems that green tea exerts its effects primarily by increasing “calories out”… it makes us burn more fat, but it doesn’t appear to have any noticeable effect on how much food we end up eating throughout the day.

Green Tea Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially The Harmful Abdominal Fat

When it comes to actual pounds losts, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.

Although there are numerous studies showing that people do in fact lose weight, there are also some studies showing no effect.

Two review studies that looked at many controlled trials found that people lost about 3 pounds (1.3-1.4 kg) on average.

However… it’s important to keep in mind that not all fat is the same.

We have subcutaneous fat that lodges under the skin, but then we also have visceral fat, which is the belly fat that builds up around the organs.

It is this deep visceral fat that is harmful. It causes inflammation and insulin resistance, both of which are strongly linked to all sorts of serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies on green tea show that although the weight loss effects are modest, a significant percentage of the fat lost is the harmful visceral fat.

This should translate to a reduced risk of many killer diseases down the line… which may lead to a longer and healthier life.

Take Home Message

Of course… let’s not forget that green tea goes way beyond just body weight. It is also extremely healthy for various other reasons.

Excerpt:  Authority Nutrition

Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet.

It is loaded with antioxidants and various substances that are beneficial for health.

Many studies have shown that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight.

Let me explain how that works…

Green Tea Contains Substances That Can Help You Lose Fat

Green tea is more than just hot, flavored water.

The bioactive substances in the tea leaves dissolve in the water and make it into the final drink.

When you drink a cup of quality tea, you’re actually getting a large amount of beneficial substances with potent biological effects.

The best known of these is caffeine. A cup of green tea contains much less caffeine (24-40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100-200 mg), but still enough to have a mild effect.

Caffeine is a well known stimulant that has been shown to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in numerous studies.

But where green tea really shines is in its massive range of antioxidants… being loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins.

The most important of these is EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), a substance that can boost metabolism.

Keep in mind that these benefits can be derived both from drinking green tea as a beverage, as well as taking green tea extract as a supplement.

Green Tea Can Help Mobilize Fat From Fat Cells

In order to burn fat, it must first be broken down in the fat cell and moved into the bloodstream.

The active compounds in green tea can aid in this process by boosting the effects of some fat burning hormones.

The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases.

This hormone is used by the nervous system as a signal to the fat cells, telling them to break down fat. Therefore, more norepinephrine leads to a stronger signal being sent to the fat cell and more fat gets broken down.

Caffeine and EGCG (both found naturally in green tea) may actually have a synergistic effect, because caffeine enhances another step in the same pathway.

The end result is that the fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into the bloodstream and becomes available for use as energy by cells that need it, like muscle cells.

Green Tea Increases Fat Burning, Especially During Exercise

If you look at the label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat burning supplement, chances are that you will find some kind of tea there as an ingredient.

This is because green tea has been repeatedly shown to increase the burning of fat, especially during exercise.

In one study, men who took green tea extract and exercised burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t get the supplement. This study suggests that green tea can boost the fat burning effects of exercise.

Another study that went on for 8 weeks showed that green tea increased fat burning, both during exercise and during rest.

There are several studies that agree with this. Green tea selectively boosts the burning of fat, which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term.

Green Tea Can Boost the Metabolic Rate And Make You Burn More Calories Around The Clock

The human body is constantly burning calories.

Even when sleeping or sitting down, our cells are performing billions of functions that require energy.

Several studies suggest that green tea can make us burn more calories, even at rest.

In most studies, this amounts to about a 3-4% increase, although some studies show an increase as high as 8%.

For a person who burns 2000 calories per day, 3-4% amounts to an additional 60-80 calories per day, similar to what you might expect with a high protein diet.

Although most of the studies were very short in duration (1-3 days), there is also some evidence that the metabolism boosting effect persists in the long term.

In one study of 60 obese individuals, the group taking green tea extract lost 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) and burned 183 more calories per day after 3 months.

However, keep in mind that not all studies show that green tea boosts metabolism. The effect may depend on the individual

.

Can Green Tea Make You Automatically Take In Fewer Calories?

One way that green tea could help with weight loss, is by reducing appetite.

This would make us take in fewer calories, automatically, without any effort.

Several studies have looked at the effects of green tea on appetite, but most showed conflicting results.

There are also animal studies suggesting that green tea can reduce the amount of fat we absorb from foods, but this has not been confirmed in humans.

Overall, it seems that green tea exerts its effects primarily by increasing “calories out”… it makes us burn more fat, but it doesn’t appear to have any noticeable effect on how much food we end up eating throughout the day.

Green Tea Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially The Harmful Abdominal Fat

When it comes to actual pounds losts, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.

Although there are numerous studies showing that people do in fact lose weight, there are also some studies showing no effect.

Two review studies that looked at many controlled trials found that people lost about 3 pounds (1.3-1.4 kg) on average.

However… it’s important to keep in mind that not all fat is the same.

We have subcutaneous fat that lodges under the skin, but then we also have visceral fat, which is the belly fat that builds up around the organs.

It is this deep visceral fat that is harmful. It causes inflammation and insulin resistance, both of which are strongly linked to all sorts of serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies on green tea show that although the weight loss effects are modest, a significant percentage of the fat lost is the harmful visceral fat.

This should translate to a reduced risk of many killer diseases down the line… which may lead to a longer and healthier life.

Take Home Message

Even though green tea can mildly increase metabolism and fat burning, the effects are modest when it comes to actual pounds lost.

However, every little bit adds up and it may work even better when combined with other effective weight loss strategies like eating more protein and cutting carbs.

Of course… let’s not forget that green tea goes way beyond just body weight. It is also extremely healthy for various other reasons.

Excerpt:  Authority Nutrition

Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet.

It is loaded with antioxidants and various substances that are beneficial for health.

Many studies have shown that green tea can increase fat burning and help you lose weight.

Let me explain how that works…

Green Tea Contains substances that can help you lose fat

Green tea is more than just hot, flavored water.

The bioactive substances in the tea leaves dissolve in the water and make it into the final drink.

When you drink a cup of quality tea, you’re actually getting a large amount of beneficial substances with potent biological effects.

The best known of these is caffeine. A cup of green tea contains much less caffeine (24-40 mg) than a cup of coffee (100-200 mg), but still enough to have a mild effect.

Caffeine is a well known stimulant that has been shown to aid fat burning and improve exercise performance in numerous studies.

But where green tea really shines is in its massive range of antioxidants… being loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins.

The most important of these is EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), a substance that can boost metabolism.

Keep in mind that these benefits can be derived both from drinking green tea as a beverage, as well as taking green tea extract as a supplement.

Green Tea Can Help Mobilize Fat From Fat Cells

In order to burn fat, it must first be broken down in the fat cell and moved into the bloodstream.

The active compounds in green tea can aid in this process by boosting the effects of some fat burning hormones.

The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.

When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases.

This hormone is used by the nervous system as a signal to the fat cells, telling them to break down fat. Therefore, more norepinephrine leads to a stronger signal being sent to the fat cell and more fat gets broken down.

Caffeine and EGCG (both found naturally in green tea) may actually have a synergistic effect, because caffeine enhances another step in the same pathway.

The end result is that the fat cell breaks down more fat, which is released into the bloodstream and becomes available for use as energy by cells that need it, like muscle cells.

Green Tea Increases Fat Burning, Especially During Exercise

If you look at the label of almost every commercial weight loss and fat burning supplement, chances are that you will find some kind of tea there as an ingredient.

This is because green tea has been repeatedly shown to increase the burning of fat, especially during exercise.

In one study, men who took green tea extract and exercised burned 17% more fat than men who didn’t get the supplement. This study suggests that green tea can boost the fat burning effects of exercise.

Another study that went on for 8 weeks showed that green tea increased fat burning, both during exercise and during rest.

There are several studies that agree with this. Green tea selectively boosts the burning of fat, which may lead to reduced body fat in the long term.

Green Tea Can Boost the Metabolic Rate And Make You Burn More Calories Around The Clock

The human body is constantly burning calories.

Even when sleeping or sitting down, our cells are performing billions of functions that require energy.

Several studies suggest that green tea can make us burn more calories, even at rest.

In most studies, this amounts to about a 3-4% increase, although some studies show an increase as high as 8%.

For a person who burns 2000 calories per day, 3-4% amounts to an additional 60-80 calories per day, similar to what you might expect with a high protein diet.

Although most of the studies were very short in duration (1-3 days), there is also some evidence that the metabolism boosting effect persists in the long term.

In one study of 60 obese individuals, the group taking green tea extract lost 7.3 lbs (3.3 kg) and burned 183 more calories per day after 3 months.

However, keep in mind that not all studies show that green tea boosts metabolism. The effect may depend on the individual

.

Can Green Tea Make You Automatically Take In Fewer Calories?

One way that green tea could help with weight loss, is by reducing appetite.

This would make us take in fewer calories, automatically, without any effort.

Several studies have looked at the effects of green tea on appetite, but most showed conflicting results.

There are also animal studies suggesting that green tea can reduce the amount of fat we absorb from foods, but this has not been confirmed in humans.

Overall, it seems that green tea exerts its effects primarily by increasing “calories out”… it makes us burn more fat, but it doesn’t appear to have any noticeable effect on how much food we end up eating throughout the day.

Green Tea Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially The Harmful Abdominal Fat

When it comes to actual pounds losts, the effects of green tea are relatively modest.

Although there are numerous studies showing that people do in fact lose weight, there are also some studies showing no effect.

Two review studies that looked at many controlled trials found that people lost about 3 pounds (1.3-1.4 kg) on average.

However… it’s important to keep in mind that not all fat is the same.

We have subcutaneous fat that lodges under the skin, but then we also have visceral fat, which is the belly fat that builds up around the organs.

It is this deep visceral fat that is harmful. It causes inflammation and insulin resistance, both of which are strongly linked to all sorts of serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies on green tea show that although the weight loss effects are modest, a significant percentage of the fat lost is the harmful visceral fat.

This should translate to a reduced risk of many killer diseases down the line… which may lead to a longer and healthier life.

Take Home Message

Of course… let’s not forget that green tea goes way beyond just body weight. It is also extremely healthy for various other reasons.

Excerpt:  Authority Nutrition

Fancy something a little different for dinner this evening?  Then this is one tasty recipe the entire family will love.

Ingredients

• 4 exotic brinjals
• 1⁄3 cup coconut oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g free-range beef or venison mince
• 1 x 400 g Italian tomatoes in juice can
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 cup good-quality beef stock (low sodium)
• ½ cup Mozarella grated, for sprinkling
• Cauliflower mash for serving
• Baby spinach leaves, to garnish

Cooking instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Thinly slice the brinjals lengthways, then place in a bowl and mix by hand with the coconut oil. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until tender. Season lightly.

Meanwhile, gently cook the onion in 2 T coconut oil, then stir in the garlic. Increase the heat and add the mince. Keep stirring to break up the mince until the meat changes colour.

Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher, then add to the meat with the oregano and season to taste. Add the stock, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring now and again, for 40 minutes, or until very tender. Check the seasoning.

Remove the mince using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat until thick.

Increase the oven’s temperature to 200°C. To assemble, place a layer of brinjal – about a third – in a 1-litre-capacity, oiled baking dish. Cover with a layer of mince. Repeat with the remaining brinjals and mince. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid and sprinkle with mozarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Serve with cauliflower mash and garnish with baby spinach.

Fancy something a little different for dinner this evening?  Then this is one tasty recipe the entire family will love.

Ingredients

• 4 exotic brinjals
• 1⁄3 cup coconut oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g free-range beef or venison mince
• 1 x 400 g Italian tomatoes in juice can
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 cup good-quality beef stock (low sodium)
• ½ cup Mozarella grated, for sprinkling
• Cauliflower mash for serving
• Baby spinach leaves, to garnish

Cooking instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Thinly slice the brinjals lengthways, then place in a bowl and mix by hand with the coconut oil. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until tender. Season lightly.

Meanwhile, gently cook the onion in 2 T coconut oil, then stir in the garlic. Increase the heat and add the mince. Keep stirring to break up the mince until the meat changes colour.

Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher, then add to the meat with the oregano and season to taste. Add the stock, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring now and again, for 40 minutes, or until very tender. Check the seasoning.

Remove the mince using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat until thick.

Increase the oven’s temperature to 200°C. To assemble, place a layer of brinjal – about a third – in a 1-litre-capacity, oiled baking dish. Cover with a layer of mince. Repeat with the remaining brinjals and mince. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Serve with cauliflower mash and garnish with baby spinach.

Ingredients

• 4 exotic brinjals
• 1⁄3 cup coconut oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g free-range beef or venison mince
• 1 x 400 g Italian tomatoes in juice can
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 cup good-quality beef stock (low sodium)
• ½ cup Mozarella grated, for sprinkling
• Cauliflower mash for serving
• Baby spinach leaves, to garnish

Cooking instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Thinly slice the brinjals lengthways, then place in a bowl and mix by hand with the coconut oil. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until tender. Season lightly.

Meanwhile, gently cook the onion in 2 T coconut oil, then stir in the garlic. Increase the heat and add the mince. Keep stirring to break up the mince until the meat changes colour.

Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher, then add to the meat with the oregano and season to taste. Add the stock, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring now and again, for 40 minutes, or until very tender. Check the seasoning.

Remove the mince using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat until thick.

Increase the oven’s temperature to 200°C. To assemble, place a layer of brinjal – about a third – in a 1-litre-capacity, oiled baking dish. Cover with a layer of mince. Repeat with the remaining brinjals and mince. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Serve with cauliflower mash and garnish with baby spinach.

Fancy something a little different for dinner this evening?  Then this is one tasty recipe the entire family will love.

Ingredients

• 4 exotic brinjals
• 1⁄3 cup coconut oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g free-range beef or venison mince
• 1 x 400 g Italian tomatoes in juice can
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 cup good-quality beef stock (low sodium)
• ½ cup Mozarella grated, for sprinkling
• Cauliflower mash for serving
• Baby spinach leaves, to garnish

Cooking instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Thinly slice the brinjals lengthways, then place in a bowl and mix by hand with the coconut oil. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until tender. Season lightly.

Meanwhile, gently cook the onion in 2 T coconut oil, then stir in the garlic. Increase the heat and add the mince. Keep stirring to break up the mince until the meat changes colour.

Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher, then add to the meat with the oregano and season to taste. Add the stock, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring now and again, for 40 minutes, or until very tender. Check the seasoning.

Remove the mince using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat until thick.

Increase the oven’s temperature to 200°C. To assemble, place a layer of brinjal – about a third – in a 1-litre-capacity, oiled baking dish. Cover with a layer of mince. Repeat with the remaining brinjals and mince. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid and sprinkle with mozarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Serve with cauliflower mash and garnish with baby spinach.

Eating Homemade Meals Cuts Diabetes Risk, Study Says

Meals made at home are better for your blood sugar, a new study has established. But research shows people are spending less time cooking than ever.

When Harvard researchers tracked more than 99,000 people for up to 36 years, they found that those who ate homemade lunches and dinners at least 11 times a week were 13% less likely to develop diabetes than people who ate home-prepared meals less often.

“Cooking with whole unprocessed food would be better than ready-to-eat, processed, or packaged food or snacks,” lead researcher Geng Zong, Ph.D., a research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, told Diabetic Lifestyle.

In contrast, “the nutrient composition of out-of-home food tends to be worse,” Zong says. Away-from-home meals, studies show, usually feature less fruit, vegetables and whole grains—all sources of fiber and nutrients that may help reduce diabetes risk. And they deliver more calories, carbohydrates, sugar and fat.

Zong analyzed the eating habits and health of nearly 58,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 41,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study between 1986 and 2012. None of the volunteers had type 2 diabetes at the start of the study. Risk for diabetes was 13% lower in people who had 11 to 14 home-made lunches and dinners weekly, compared to those who had less than six. The study was presented earlier this month at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015 in Orlando, FL.

But Zong acknowledges that finding time to cook can be tough. “The trend for eating commercially prepared meals in restaurants or as take-out has increased significantly over the last 50 years,” he says. “Action is needed to improve the quality of foods available from commercial sources, which should not only be quick, but also healthy.”

Until that happens, incorporating healthy convenience foods and easy cooking techniques into your kitchen repertoire is the best way to turn out fresh meals that are blood sugar-friendly, says registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Gretchen Scalpi, RD, CDN, CDE, author of The EVERYTHING Guide to Preventing and Managing Prediabetes, 2nd edition (Adams Media, 2011). “It’s a mind shift to stop thinking of lunch or dinner as something you get at a restaurant, a fast-food place or from a package you heat up in the microwave,” Scalpi says. “But eating more home-prepared meals is the one step that can really make or break efforts to lose weight and improve blood sugar control. And with a little planning and the right ingredients, success is easier than people think.”

The Kitchen Versus the Clock

Recent studies show that Americans spend less time preparing meals than ever before – and that while we eat eight out of ten meals at home, less than half are actually made in our own kitchens according to a 2014 report from The NPD Group.  And a recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study of more than 38,000 people found that the amount of time Americans spend on food prep has shrunk by more than 40 minutes since the 1960s.

“People I work with who have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes often say they just don’t have time to cook, “notes Scalpi, of Beacon, NY. “Simple steps like keeping boneless, skinless chicken breasts and sliced fresh or plain frozen vegetables in the fridge or freezer makes fast dinners possible. Add low-sodium diced tomatoes, some onions if you’d like and you have a meal.”

An electric pressure cooker or a slow cooker also make home cooking simple and fast. “You need little to no fat and you don’t have to stand over the stove,” she says. “For lunches, bring leftovers or rely on healthy convenience foods like bagged salad greens, tuna from a pouch or a carton of low-fat plain yogurt and a fresh fruit.”

Written by Sari Harrar

Eating Homemade Meals Cuts Diabetes Risk, Study Says

Meals made at home are better for your blood sugar, a new study has established. But research shows people are spending less time cooking than ever.

When Harvard researchers tracked more than 99,000 people for up to 36 years, they found that those who ate homemade lunches and dinners at least 11 times a week were 13% less likely to develop diabetes than people who ate home-prepared meals less often.

“Cooking with whole unprocessed food would be better than ready-to-eat, processed, or packaged food or snacks,” lead researcher Geng Zong, Ph.D., a research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, told Diabetic Lifestyle.

In contrast, “the nutrient composition of out-of-home food tends to be worse,” Zong says. Away-from-home meals, studies show, usually feature less fruit, vegetables and whole grains—all sources of fiber and nutrients that may help reduce diabetes risk. And they deliver more calories, carbohydrates, sugar and fat.

Zong analyzed the eating habits and health of nearly 58,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 41,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study between 1986 and 2012. None of the volunteers had type 2 diabetes at the start of the study. Risk for diabetes was 13% lower in people who had 11 to 14 home-made lunches and dinners weekly, compared to those who had less than six. The study was presented earlier this month at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015 in Orlando, FL.

But Zong acknowledges that finding time to cook can be tough. “The trend for eating commercially prepared meals in restaurants or as take-out has increased significantly over the last 50 years,” he says. “Action is needed to improve the quality of foods available from commercial sources, which should not only be quick, but also healthy.”

Until that happens, incorporating healthy convenience foods and easy cooking techniques into your kitchen repertoire is the best way to turn out fresh meals that are blood sugar-friendly, says registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Gretchen Scalpi, RD, CDN, CDE, author of The EVERYTHING Guide to Preventing and Managing Prediabetes, 2nd edition (Adams Media, 2011). “It’s a mind shift to stop thinking of lunch or dinner as something you get at a restaurant, a fast-food place or from a package you heat up in the microwave,” Scalpi says. “But eating more home-prepared meals is the one step that can really make or break efforts to lose weight and improve blood sugar control. And with a little planning and the right ingredients, success is easier than people think.”

The Kitchen Versus the Clock

Recent studies show that Americans spend less time preparing meals than ever before – and that while we eat eight out of ten meals at home, less than half are actually made in our own kitchens according to a 2014 report from The NPD Group.  And a recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study of more than 38,000 people found that the amount of time Americans spend on food prep has shrunk by more than 40 minutes since the 1960s.

“People I work with who have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes often say they just don’t have time to cook, “notes Scalpi, of Beacon, NY. “Simple steps like keeping boneless, skinless chicken breasts and sliced fresh or plain frozen vegetables in the fridge or freezer makes fast dinners possible. Add low-sodium diced tomatoes, some onions if you’d like and you have a meal.”

An electric pressure cooker or a slow cooker also make home cooking simple and fast. “You need little to no fat and you don’t have to stand over the stove,” she says. “For lunches, bring leftovers or rely on healthy convenience foods like bagged salad greens, tuna from a pouch or a carton of low-fat plain yogurt and a fresh fruit.”

Written by Sari Harrar

TAKE YOUR MEDS

In many cases, lifestyle changes such as improved diet, stress reduction, increased physical activity, and weight management will help you control your blood sugar and prevent prediabetes from turning into diabetes.

But if you are obese, under 60 years old, or have a history of gestational diabetes, your healthcare provider may recommend oral medication, such as GluControl, as the first best step toward managing your condition.

If you feel you would benefit from medication, ask your doctor if you are a candidate, alternatively use our PreDiabetesPacks with GluControl.