Mission Statement

Welcome to Tridiabetes.org

The Tri-County Diabetes Alliance of Maryland welcomes everyone to Tridiabetes.org website. This web resource was developed by a group of health professionals from Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties in Maryland in coordination with the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association. This web resource focuses on educating, preventing, and guiding the local community of the Three Lower Counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland on their own individual risk of developing diabetes. The resources here can be used to help better inform everyone worldwide of the dangers of undiagnosed, and untreated diabetes. The website a is not intended as a substitute for actual medical treatment and diagnosis. The Information contained on this web site is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you feel you may be at risk for diabetes consult with your doctor or health care professional. 

 News | Announcements | Articles

Weight Loss Can Do Your Heart A World of Good!
Submitted by Kathy Wool, RD, LDN

Welcome to February 2010! What a great year to recognize how important our heart health is and to do everything we can to keep it healthy. February has been given the honor of being American Heart Month. Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation's No. 1 killer. To urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month."

There are so many thing s we can learn and do to protect our hearts. Doing them all is a great goal. But let’s concentrate on one aspect. And that is weight loss. By directing our energy and achieving one step, weight loss can do your heart a world
of good. Here are a few steps to take a look at and see if you can change that scale just a few pounds at a time.

1. Set a timer for 20 minutes and see yourself as a slow eater. Savor each bite and make it last. Enjoy the flavor sensations and notice how your portions get smaller and you feel fuller earlier so you do not overeat.
2. Serve three vegetables with dinner tonight, instead of just one, and you’ll eat more without really trying. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to lose weight. And season with lemon juice and herbs to enjoy their true flavors without added fats and calories.
3. Whole grains such as brown rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, and whole wheat also belong in your weight loss approach. They help fill you up with fewer calories and may improve your cholesterol level too. Whole grains are now in many products including waffles, pizza crust, English muffins, pasta, and soft "white" whole-wheat bread. Read the food labels to be sure.
4. Give up the two strips of bacon at breakfast or in your sandwich at lunch time. This saves about 100 calories, which can add up to a 10 pound weight loss over a year. .Maybe you can add tomato slices, banana peppers, roasted red bell peppers or mustard, to flavor the food without the extra fat and calories!
5. Choose vegetable toppings for pizza instead of meat and eliminate over 100 calories from your meal. Other pizza tricks to lower the fat and calories: go light on the cheese or use reduced-fat cheese and choose a thin, bread-like crust made with just a touch of olive oil, not those thick crusts or cheese filled ones.
6. Replace one sugary drink like regular soda with water or a zero-calorie seltzer and you'll avoid 10 teaspoons of sugar.
7. Eat home-cooked meals at least five days a week. A Consumer Reports survey found this was a top habit of "successful losers." Sound intimidating? Cooking may be easier than you think. Use foods such as pre-chopped lean beef for fajitas, washed lettuce, pre-cut veggies, canned beans, cooked chicken strips, or grilled deli salmon for shortcuts.
8. Chew sugarless gum with a strong flavor if you are tempted to give in to a snack attack. Making dinner after work, at a party, watching TV, or surfing the Internet can lead to mindless snacking. Gum with a strong flavor distracts you from other foods so they don’t taste as good.
9.  “Choose a 10" lunch plate instead of a 12" dinner plate to automatically eat less. Cornell's Brian Wansink, PhD, found in test after test that people serve more and eat more food with larger dishes. Shrink your plate or bowl to cut out 100-200 calories a day – and 10-20 pounds in a year. In Wansink’s tests, no one felt hungry or even noticed when tricks of the eye shaved 200 calories off their daily intake.”
10. Get the portions right! Stick with modest food portions at every meal, five days a week or more. After measuring portions a few times, it can become automatic. Make it easier by keeping serving dishes off the table at meal time.
11. When an occasion includes alcohol, follow the first drink with a nonalcoholic, low-calorie beverage like sparkling water instead another cocktail, beer, or glass of wine. Alcohol has more calories per gram (7) than carbohydrates (4) or protein (4). It can also lead you to mindlessly inhale chips, nuts, and other foods you’d normally limit.
12. Restaurant meals are typically fattening, so consider these tactics to keep portions under control:
    
    • Split an entrée with a friend.
    • Order an appetizer as a meal.
    • Choose the child's plate.
    • Get half the meal in a doggie bag before it's brought to the table.
    
    
13.  Eating vegetarian meals more often can become a habit for successful weight loss. Why? Legumes, lentils, bean burgers, and other legume based foods are high in fiber and can fill you up with far fewer calories.
14. Lose 10 pounds in a year without dieting by burning an extra 100 calories every day. Try one of these activities
    
    • Walk 1 mile, about 20 minutes.
    • Pull weeds or plant flowers for 20 minutes.
    • Mow the lawn for 20 minutes.
    • Clean house for 30 minutes.
    • Jog for 10 minutes.

February 13, 2010 Community Church of Ocean Pines

Women Don't Miss This Chance For Free Health Screenings and So Much More!
Click Here For More Information

Download Our  "Closing The Gap On Diabetes" Resource Guide by Clicking Here

Tri County Go Red: Saturday, February 13th, at Community Church of Ocean Pines 8:30-11:30 am FREE health screenings, presentations, demonstrations for more information or to register, please call 410-632-1100 extension 1102.