November is American Diabetes Month, a month-long event that was started by the American Diabetes Association.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes glucose, a type of sugar. With type 2 diabetes, the body either no longer produces enough insulin or no insulin at all, resulting in a high level of blood glucose or blood sugar. Too much sugar in your system can cause many health problems.

While the exact cause for type 2 diabetes is unknown, it is linked to obesity and an inactive lifestyle. If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it can be difficult because it requires you to make some big lifestyle changes. You may have to inject insulin and watch what you eat more carefully.

Many of our patients at Lifelong Metabolic are here to make some lifestyle changes, and some of them have been dealing with type 2 diabetes. Regardless of whether or not you have diabetes, it helps to have a list of healthy snacks to keep hunger at bay.

These snacks should be anti-inflammatory, low glycemic foods. 

The term glycemic refers to the amount of glucose present in food. This can be measured using the glycemic index (or GI), a tool that is used to measure how quickly a food can raise blood sugar levels. (Note that glycemic index is not the same thing as a glycemic load.)

The glycemic index is based on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest amount of glucose and 100 being pure glucose –— the highest amount of glucose in food. There are 3 glycemic index ratings:

• Low glycemic: 55 or less
• Medium glycemic: 56 to 69
• High glycemic: 70 or higher

Without further ado, here is a list of snacks for diabetics along with their estimated glycemic index ratings.

Yogurt with fruit

Glycemic index rating: 11–30

Most dairy products have a low glycemic index rating, though some products are better than others. With any foods you purchase at the grocery store, you should be reading the Nutrition Facts label.

When it comes to yogurt, we recommend yogurts that contain:

• 10g of sugar or less
• 15g of carbohydrate content or less
• a high amount of protein

Protein is very important because it can help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating. However, the protein source matters, too; red meat can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Plain yogurt usually falls under these recommendations.

Greek yogurt is another popular option that can contain double the protein and half the carbs of traditional yogurt.

For a bit more flavor, especially with plain yogurt, consider adding fresh, low glycemic fruit. Avoid buying prepackaged or canned fruits when possible, as they often have added sugars, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners were originally intended to help people manage their weight, but research suggests these sweeteners may change gut bacteria and contribute to weight gain.

We suggest adding fresh berries as a topping. Berries are high in fiber, which, like protein, can help you feel more full. They, too, are a low glycemic food. Plus, they have antioxidants that reduce inflammation, an unfortunate side effect of diabetes.

As much as you may like parfaits (and who doesn’t?!) and are tempted to include toppings like candies, nuts, or granola, you might want to cut these out, as these are not low glycemic foods. There are some great alternatives. Try almonds, chia seeds, or ground flax seeds instead of your favorite prepackaged granola or yogurts that come in a kit. This gives you greater control over the serving size and choices.

Apples and peanut butter

Glycemic index rating: 14-28

According to the National Peanut Board, peanuts and peanut butter are recommended foods by the experts at the American Diabetes Association, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the American Heart Association.

Peanuts and peanut butter have:

• a GI of 14
• low saturated fat
• high protein

Watch the amount of added sugar in peanut butter. The no-sugar-added brands are quite delicious. Also, measure carefully; a serving of peanut butter is typically 2 tablespoons. Measure out your serving and put the jar away to avoid temptation.

Peanut butter can also be used in many recipes, too, but one of the snacks it is most commonly used with is fresh apple slices. The GI rating for apples depends on the type of apple you’re eating, but because the highest GI for an apple is 28, it is still going to be considered low glycemic. Apples are a good source of fiber, too. Most important, though, apples taste delicious and have a lot of different flavors, so you’ll never be bored snacking on apple slices.

Like the berries, do not buy prepackaged sliced apples. If slicing apples is difficult for any reason, look into an apple corer slicer. It conveniently cuts the core out of the apple while cutting everything around the core into perfect wedge slices!

If you are allergic to peanuts, there are many other nut butters available that are similar in terms of nutrition. Just be sure to review the Nutrition Facts label before making your purchase.

Almonds and other nuts

Glycemic index rating: 0–20

Most nuts have very low GI scores, usually between 0 to 20. Cashews are estimated to have a score of 22, but even then, that is still considered to be low glycemic. 

With a GI of 0, plain almonds are perhaps the best option for diabetics and for prediabetics. In fact, a study found that eating almonds can increase insulin sensitivity in prediabetics.

You can eat almonds and other nuts plain as a snack or use them as toppings for salads or yogurts. You can combine almonds and other nuts with seeds and raisins and/or dried cranberries (*no sugar added brands) to make a homemade trail mix that’s healthier than the prepackaged options you’ll find in the grocery store. Not to mention you’re in greater control of your portion sizes when you make it yourself.

Vegetables and hummus dip

Glycemic index rating: 0–50

Hummus, a Mediterranean spread that’s made from chickpeas, pairs well with many things — especially vegetables!

If you don’t like vegetables all that much, well, the good news is there are so many varieties to try, and many of them are low on the glycemic index.

Try chopping up the following veggies and dipping them in hummus:

• bell peppers
• carrots
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• avocados
• radishes
• brussels sprouts

There’s no need to steam or cook any of these veggies, either. Raw vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than their cooked counterparts. 

Whole grain cracker sandwiches

Glycemic index rating: 10-55

As much as people love their white bread, it simply isn’t as healthy as carbs with whole grains in them. This is especially the case for people with diabetes. White bread has a high glycemic index score (73 on average, according to Oregon State). But if you’re missing your favorite sandwich, don’t worry — we have a delicious snack suggestion that is going to fill that craving.

All you need are whole grain crackers (rye crackers or multigrain crackers are acceptable options as well), low-fat cheese, and thin turkey slices from your deli — try to avoid prepackaged meats — to make delicious sandwiches that are great for snacking on.

Not all cheeses are low-GI, though, so once again you’ll have to review the Nutrition Facts label. Notably, provolone and parmesan cheese are better for diabetics, so those are two types you may want to try.

For more diabetic snack ideas and suggestions, contact Lifelong Metabolic Center

Lifelong Metabolic Center is dedicated to helping people from across the nation start living healthier lifestyles. Even if you’re not diabetic, eating these snacks as smaller meals throughout the day can truly impact your health for the better. Building a sustainable diet through meal planning is part of our weight management program. For more information, contact Lifelong Metabolic Center today.

Although the technology is not new, pedometers are easier to use than ever and perhaps more popular than ever thanks to devices like the FitBit and iPhone Watch. This also means it’s easier than ever to track the number of steps you walk in a single day.

These fitness tracking devices tend to suggest taking around 10,000 steps a day — but can walking that many steps actually make a difference for a person’s health?

Do you need to walk 10,000 steps a day?

While walking 10,000 steps a day certainly has its benefits, you can still receive health benefits from walking less than 10,000 steps each day. In fact, the 10,000 step recommendation is not rooted in science — it comes from a marketing campaign for the first commercial pedometer. This device, sold in 1965 in Japan, is the Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” The number apparently stuck, as it’s the same number the FitBit and other smartwatches and similar pedometer devices use to this day.

A Harvard Medical School study found that 4,400 steps a day can significantly lower the risk of death of women in their 70s compared to walking around 2,700 steps a day. This risk leveled off at 7,500 steps a day, with no other benefits from step counts higher than that number.

In sum: No, you don’t need to walk 10,000 steps a day, but getting about half of that famous 10,000 steps has its benefits.

Does 10,000 steps count as exercise?

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, low-intensity exercise still has its benefits. Taking daily steps can contribute to your 150 minutes of activity per week.

Has anyone lost weight walking 10,000 steps a day? Is walking 10,000 steps enough to lose weight?

People who walk 10,000 steps a day are more likely to lose weight than people who walk 3,500 steps daily — after all, they are burning more calories by adding a few extra miles to their daily routine. However, walking may not be the most effective means to lose weight on its own. Knowing your body composition and genetic information from a DNA test as well as eating a healthier diet can contribute to weight loss by walking daily. Keep in mind the intensity of how fast you walk can also determine how many calories you can burn from walking.

What happens to your body when you walk 10,000 steps a day?

Increasing physical activity, such as adding more steps to your step count, is generally beneficial to your health. Benefits include:

Burning more calories and fat

Walking 10,000 steps a day can burn more calories. Research at the University of Texas suggests walking less than 5,000 steps a day negatively affects your body’s ability to metabolize fat from the following day.

Reducing risks of chronic illnesses and death

As mentioned earlier, walking anywhere from 4,400 to 7,500 steps per day can decrease the risk of death as we grow older. Walking helps strengthen and maintain our immune systems, therefore reducing the chance of developing dementia, heart disease, and some types of cancers. Walking can also improve conditions like type 2 diabetes.

Improving mental health

Walking every day doesn’t just improve your physical health; it can also improve your mental health. Adding some extra steps each day can be incredibly helpful for people struggling with anxiety and depression and other mental health issues.

Take the first step toward a healthier life with Lifelong Metabolic Center

Lifelong Metabolic Center is here to help you along your weight loss journey. We’ll help you keep the weight off for good, as our weight loss program goes deeper than most. We offer support through coaching and check-ins. Our program includes a DNA test and body composition analysis to determine how to shed those unwanted pounds and keep them off for life.

If you’re ready to take the step toward a healthier, happier lifestyle, contact us today for more information.

What is body composition analysis?

Body composition analysis is a measurement that divides the body into individual components — body fat, muscle, bone, lean tissue, and water — to determine exactly what makes up your body. Body composition analysis can help you better understand your body weight. For example, you may be gaining weight during parts of your weight loss journey, but it may not be for the reasons you think. You may be burning fat and gaining muscle. Because muscle weighs more than fat, the scale will read that you weigh more.

Body composition analysis is far more accurate than a body mass index (BMI) and can give you a clearer picture of where you are at in terms of making your weight loss goals. This also serves as a good reminder that gaining a few pounds on the scale does not necessarily mean you’re unhealthy or going back to where you started. 

The most effective weight loss programs are not focused on diets and losing weight — it’s about weight management and creating a healthier lifestyle.

How do you measure body composition?

The average bathroom scale cannot properly analyze your body composition. Thankfully, there are several different ways to do so.

Skinfold measurements

Skinfold measurement is a technique used to estimate how much fat is on the body. Specialized devices called calipers lightly pinch the skin in a few different places. Skinfold measuring is one of the oldest and most common body composition analysis methods; however, it is not the most accurate one out there. For the most accurate results with skinfold measurements, it’s important to have a health professional with a great deal of experience perform this method.

Bioelectrical impedance

Bioelectrical impedance sends a small electrical current through your body to measure your body composition. This measurement requires a specialized scale or handheld device. Fat, lean tissue, and water are read differently with the electrical current, meaning it gives you a general picture of your body fat index. However, it is still a more effective and far more accurate measurement compared to a BMI.

DEXA scan

A DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan takes bone density into consideration. This body composition analysis is performed in a doctor’s office and uses an X-ray. It can track changes in weight caused by issues like osteoporosis or weight management issues.

Hydrostatic weighing

Hydrostatic weighing requires you to fully submerge yourself under water. When you come back up from being underwater, the water will be move and be displaced. To calculate body composition from the water displacement, a professional measures the water displacement and combines your bone density measurement that is done prior to the hydrostatic weighing.

Air displacement

Similar to hydrostatic weighing, air displacement measures the displacement of air in a specialized medical pod.

What is the most accurate test for body composition?

For the most accurate results of a body composition analysis, you have to combine some of these methods. With hydrostatic weighing, you have to already know how much of your body weight comes from your bones. That information can be gathered from a DEXA scan or bioelectrical impedance. Likewise, you can’t get all of the information about your muscles or bones from skinfold measurements, as it measures fat.

For at-home body composition analysis, we recommend bioelectrical impedance. These scales are more affordable than you may think; they also are able to measure more than one part of body composition.

Contact Lifelong Metabolic Center for more information

At Lifelong Metabolic Center, we don’t just rely only on BMI, which can be an inaccurate measurement when it comes to weight. We use body composition analysis to create a fuller, clearer, and more accurate picture of your body. Body composition analysis, along with DNA testing, is just one part of what makes our weight management program effective. We don’t just focus on one aspect of weight loss. We focus on the whole picture, guiding you toward a healthier lifestyle that will keep the weight off.

For more information about our weight loss program, contact us today.

What is a nutritionist?

A nutritionist is an expert in the field of food and nutrition. Nutritionists work in several different types of settings, from clinical nutrition to community nutrition to high specific areas of study (i.e., sports nutritionists and pediatric nutritionists).

What is the difference between a dietician and nutritionist?

The main difference between a dietician and nutritionist is education. Dietitians undergo extensive training to earn the credentials of Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). These credentials are interchangeable, so dietitians can have one or the other. 

In the United States, RDs require an undergraduate degree in science that cover courses in biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and more specialized nutrition-related work, as well as a master degree to qualify for a board examination.

Nutritionists do not require certifications, but people who consider themselves qualified nutritionists do share some similar backgrounds with RDs. This means they, too, should have an undergraduate degree in science and study similar courses as RDs.

Dr. Amanda Borre, who runs Lifelong Metabolic Center out of Naperville, Illinois, has a degree in chiropractic. During her time studying chiropractic at Logan Chiropractic, she studied biology, chemistry, anatomy, and even nutrition. She, like other reputable medical experts in her field, is required to undergo 150 hours of education every 3 years, and nutrition is a large part of her education.

Do I need a nutritionist to lose weight?

No, you do not need a nutritionist or a dietician in order to properly lose weight. But it is a good idea to have a medical professional who has studied nutrition and weight loss strategies if you want to lose weight. Why? They can help you stay on track and make sure you are losing weight in a safe and healthy manner. Over the course of your weight loss journey, Dr. Borre will check in on you on a regular basis, encouraging you and making sure all is going smoothly.

Where can I find a weight loss coach or nutritionist near me?

If you’re located in Naperville, Illinois, or any of the nearby Chicago suburbs, Lifelong Metabolic Center is here to help! Even if you aren’t local, Lifelong Metabolic Center offers remote weight loss programs, too, so you can start your weight loss journey from anywhere in the world with us.

Although Lifelong Metabolic Center is owned and operated by Dr. Amanda Borre, a chiropractor with a doctorate from Logan Chiropractic (from which she earned nutrition credits), she has been specializing in nutrition since 2015. Her experience, however, goes further back than that. Following her graduation from Logan Chiropractor in 2002, Dr. Borre went on to work in private chiropractic practice from 2003 to 2012, where she worked with patients using several different forms of nutrition and weight loss.

Dr. Borre seeks to stay up-to-date with the most relevant and accurate nutrition and weight loss and furthers her knowledge with an additional 150 hours of education every 3 years.

For more information, contact Lifelong Metabolic Center today.

What is a calorie deficit?

A calorie deficit refers to consuming fewer calories than the number of calories your body burns in a day. When you are at a deficit, your body will burn your reserves, otherwise known as body fat.

Conversely, if you consume more calories than you burn, the excess calories will most likely be converted to fat and lead to weight gain.

Being at a calorie deficit is one of the facets of the Lifelong Metabolic Center weight loss program, and it helps people lose weight in a safe, healthy way. We combine being at a deficit with food cycling-periods of intermittent fasting coupled with periods of “grazing.”

A calorie deficit will only take you so far. The quality of food matters, too. You can eat 200 calories of chicken or 200 calories of Snickers, but they are processed very differently in your body. 

At Lifelong Metabolic Center, we give you high-quality, anti-inflammatory and low glycemic foods during our jump start program to help you lose weight and feel great!

How can I achieve a calorie deficit to lose weight?

During the jump start portion of the program we give you a specific food list to choose from. All of the foods are anti-inflammatory and low glycemic. This keeps you at a deficit but also maintains your blood sugar and insulin levels for a nice steady stream of energy to get you through the day.

What are some of the biggest obstacles to getting a calorie deficit?

Snacking

It’s easy to slip back into old habits and snack on things we shouldn’t. Lifelong Metabolic Center can help you stay on track with daily text check-ins, regular phone calls or Facetime visits, and make sure you’re eating the right things for you with a list of recommended foods. Our supplements help you feel fuller so you’ll be less likely to indulge in those tempting snacks.

Not food journaling

If you’re not keeping track of the foods you have eaten, then you will not know for sure if you are truly on track. But a food journal can help! In fact, a recent study showed the group that journaled lost twice as much weight as the group who did not. It’s a powerful psychological tool and so easy to do.

There are many calorie counting calculators and apps out there that can help you keep track of how many calories you’ve consumed and can give you an idea of how many you’re burning each day, but it’s also important to get the right foods in, not just the calories.

Please do your best to keep track of your daily food intake if you’ve been asked to do so. If you’ve slipped up, be honest about it! It can help us make sure we can get you back on track with your program and lose weight as quickly and safely as possible.

Contact Lifelong Metabolic Center today

If you need help on your weight loss journey or want to start getting on the weight loss path, Lifelong Metabolic Center is here to help! We have weight loss programs that are personalized based on your needs, including a DNA test for lifelong maintenance. You don’t have to be in the Naperville, Illinois, neighborhood to participate in our weight loss program; it can be done from anywhere. We’ll keep you motivated and on track. We are here to support you 100%. For more information about Lifelong Metabolic Center’s weight loss program, contact us today!

Weight loss myths and questions we hear from clients

Although weight loss seems simple at first glance, there are many myths and misconceptions about the weight loss process.

Here are a handful of weight loss myths and questions we’ve heard at Lifelong Metabolic Center and our explanations of why they’re myths and answers to questions.

I’m too old to lose weight.

Nonsense! You are never too late to start losing weight, and thankfully our program works for anyone at any age.

My metabolism is all messed up, so I can never lose weight.

Our weight loss program resets your metabolism through the use of all-natural supplements and food cycling, so your metabolism won’t be “messed up,” and you’ll have an easier time losing weight as a result.

I eat right and exercise, but I never lose any weight.

Don’t fret! Even if you are eating healthily and exercising regularly, it’s possible you aren’t eating the right amount for your body to successfully lose weight and maintain the loss of that weight. 

That’s why we do a 4-phase jump start system that involves DNA testing to help you determine a custom set of macros for lifelong healthy weight maintenance. 

Is losing weight a linear process?

Sometimes, but not always. That’s why a coach is important. All along your weight loss journey, we check your weight (daily in phases 1 and 2, weekly in phase 3, and monthly in phase 4) and make modifications based on your rate of weight loss and what your body is showing us you need in order to make your weight loss goals.

Sometimes we don’t need to make changes, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need someone to encourage you, especially if you start to plateau.

Can supplements help you lose weight?

Absolutely! Lifelong Metabolic Center’s supplements help you feel great while you’re on our program so you’ll want to continue. Not only will you feel great, you’ll also lose weight. Our supplements help with energy, sleep, appetite suppression, and digestion.

Do carbs make you gain weight?

As long as you’re eating the right amount and right types of carbs, no, they do not make you gain weight. But the wrong amount — and especially high amounts of processed carbs — can certainly contribute to weight gain.

Start Your Weight Loss Journey with Us Today

At Lifelong Metabolic Center, we strive to make our weight loss program easy to understand. It’s created to be effective for anyone at any age or stage of life. Whether you’re 21 or 81, we will build you a one-of-a-kind weight loss program using DNA testing, supplements, and coaching.

Contact us today for more information about our program and how to get started.

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