To my friends in the Racine, WI -
SOCKS
Thank you friends of Christ Episcopal Church (Whitefish Bay) for helping our sisters and brothers to hope and for warming feet and hearts.
Socks are disposable items for our sisters and brothers experiencing homelessness. If you are homeless, you wear socks until the socks wear out and then you hope for help.
Thank you to all of Christ Episcopal Church for the socks, socks and more socks, which offer hope and provide help to our sisters and brothers in need.
SHELTER
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine. Until then ----
The Hospitality Center provided food, safety and overnight shelter for the past three winter seasons for our sisters and brothers who called the streets "home." Unfortunately, the Hospitality Center is unable to again provide overnight shelter for many reasons. The Hospitality Center will continue to serve as a daytime "drop-in" center and will also continue to administer Racine's largest meal program.
When the Hospitality Center announced on January 4 of this year that serving as an emergency overnight shelter was beyond the Hospitality Center's capacity, the Racine community and beyond responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly. Persons interested in volunteering called; donations of food, clothing, and bedding arrived; and financial contributions were received.
A few days later, the Hospitality Center was pleased to announce that it would be able to continue operating the overnight shelter for the remainder of the winter season.
All funds received earlier this year were restricted and were used by the Hospitality Center for shelter needs. Unused funds were set aside at the end of the winter season in a restricted shelter provision account.
As made known on October 19, a few days ago, we learned that a motel voucher fund program in Racine ran out of money. The voucher program, administered under the Continuum of Care umbrella, was established to offer the growing number of our sisters and brothers in need of shelter with motel vouchers. Demand exceeded capacity. The voucher program's financial resources were exhausted before the first frost and people were out on the streets.
The Hospitality Center was in dialogue with Gai Lorenzen, Continuum of Care President, since learning about this pressing and life-threatening situation.
I am pleased to share that the Hospitality Center is releasing $38,879.17 (balance of the restricted shelter funds) to the Continuum of Care for the continuation of providing an immediate solution for our sisters and brothers in need.
We are indebted to the generous people of Racine and beyond who responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly in January of this year. That response - your response - allowed the Hospitality Center overnight shelter to remain open last winter and allows the Continuum of Care to continue to open doors of safety and shelter for our sisters and brothers in need now.
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine.
On behalf of all of the Hospitality Center, thank you Gai and thank you Continuum of Care. And thank you to each of you who made overnight shelter at the Hospitality Center possible in the past and assistance available through the Continuum of Care in the present.
http://racinecountyeye.com/hospitality-center-donating-39000-for-winter-hotel-vouchers/
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/hospitality-center-donates-for-emergency-shelter/article_3e05efe2-c398-514c-8363-bfd906cce20e.html
Gratefully,
Kevin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFbZv0r6Cto&feature=youtu.be
Monday, October 26, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Human Trafficking, Sex Offender Castration, and ?Hitting is Liking?
Here in the S.E. Wisconsin area, it is strange to see how things are looking so different in so many ways, I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. First off, the economy and the jobs situation here in Racine, WI is probably just as bad as what it is in Detroit. I did not research or study this, just going by what I read in the newspaper and such.
Anyway, I saw another advocate pushing awareness and such to help squash child sex abuse, had posted how 19 victims had been recovered from a national sting on human trafficking in Detroit, MI. Of course, this reminds me of how here in the Racine/Kenosha area, that 20 victims of ranging ages were recovered and helped. This is something we never heard about while growing up. So, is the situation worse, because it seems as if these rings are being busted open, that the numbers just grow, and the severity is astounding. Or, maybe because there is awareness and the social change made it so our law enforcement and judicial system made it a higher priority. I hope so.
The worrying thing about it, though, is while we are talking about this, you realize that these cities all over which used to be some kind of beacon of treasure as a successful city, not just here in the USA, but also as leaders around the globe, for success and inspiration for multiculturalism as well as prosperity. Detroit used to be known as the Motor City, because Ford, Chevy and American Motors (Primarily Chrysler) were in Detroit. At one point, as a younger adult, I remember the Chrysler came and opened up a factory in Kenosha. I remember thinking that it was bad for Detroit, but good for Racine/Kenosha. Several years later, the company decided to go back to Detroit. Bad for us, but, you can't blame the homecoming, can you? Then, they closed in Detroit, at least to the point that there were so many more that got cut, and I think a portion came (smaller than the last), back to Kenosha, then, skipped town altogether. As in left the Midwest. Boo. Racine was once called Tractor City, because of the J. I. Case farming tractors being manufactured. There were so many other factories here, that it was a boom. Jacobsen's, Horlick's Malted Milk, Dremel, and so many others... With this type of crash, and nothing to replace it, except part time, low paying jobs, and many are not getting that. But there have been studies that state that when unemployment and underemployment are high, so are the crimes.
So, back to the crimes in distressed areas and human trafficking... It seems as if some things are still mixed up. Here is an article about how the charges of human trafficking were dropped, because the victim had probably spent time in Minnesota, trafficking victims there... So, because she wasn't a victim for the full 3 weeks, she is now not a victim? And, what if part of the deal that she was to aid in trafficking or get killed? So the perpetrator gets to get out for free? That is just so not right...
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/trafficking-charge-dropped-against-city-man/article_742b1ec4-ccf7-5a84-ba12-6baa420eb6a3.html
Speaking of human trafficking leading into a discussion for how to handle sex offenders... California, Florida, and now Oklahoma have these crazy punishments for convicted sex offenders to go through with chemical castration. Because it is considered a sex crime, the logic behind it is, lower the sex drive, and end the cycle. While on the surface, it makes sense, because this is a crime that sex is used as a tool. But. Yes, there is a but, and a huge but, it is, not to be made light of, because sex crimes are not about sex. Rape is 100% a power and control issue. Really. Sex is the tool, it is the means, not the end. So, just because it's being treated to lower the libido, it has no bearing on the psyche, because it's only taking away the best power tool, but, who needs a power tool, when other forms of intimidation is just as worthy, such as threatening to kill you by shooting you through your private area? Or using a bottle, their own hand, what ever it is... the lack of interest in actually using your body as the tool may be the best offensive action, but, when it is about power and control, this has no bearing on what can be done to sexually abuse another person. What do you think?
http://viralsurvival.com/2015/10/13/one-state-just-announced-plans-to-castrate-sex-offenders/
As long as we are on this topic, we need to stop treating situations like this where girls are supposed to be demure, and to treat sex as a special gift, while we playfully punch our boys in the shoulder as an "atta boy" compliment, and then blame the girls for being a single parent, or that abuse is okay because boys are supposed to have play toys available, even if she is a fellow human being, and that girls are supposed to accommodate their husbands, after being told it's special, just to have the first time be such a total dud, that there was nothing special about it.
Okay, and look. I am not saying sex is bad or terrible. Sex also should not be taboo, and this is one of those things that should be celebrated as a gift, because we can share it in ways other species cannot, and brings intimacy to new levels when we share that gift with each other. But, here is where it gets sticky. Here is a little girl, who was told while she was getting stitches from a boy hitting her in the eyeball, that he likes her. So, what, it is okay that boys beat up on their girl classmates, girl friends, and eventually the women they marry because he likes her so much he punches hard enough for her to go to the hospital? So wrong... And if these hospital members are supposed to be mandatory reporters of abuse, what kind of message are we sending our kids? That hitting the cute kid because your child likes that kid is okay, because she's cute? No. And it's just as wrong to do it because someone is ugly to you.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/10/442877-toddler-went-hospital-hit-boy-clerk-said-outrageous/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM17&ts_pid=2&utm_content=inf_10_74_2
We need to do a better job to protect our children. Seriously. For more information on helping to make the changes necessary to protect children, all children, from all forms of abuse, please email the founder of Youth Voice Initiative at lika.yvi@gmail.com - put YVI in the subject, to help it get noticed.
Anyway, I saw another advocate pushing awareness and such to help squash child sex abuse, had posted how 19 victims had been recovered from a national sting on human trafficking in Detroit, MI. Of course, this reminds me of how here in the Racine/Kenosha area, that 20 victims of ranging ages were recovered and helped. This is something we never heard about while growing up. So, is the situation worse, because it seems as if these rings are being busted open, that the numbers just grow, and the severity is astounding. Or, maybe because there is awareness and the social change made it so our law enforcement and judicial system made it a higher priority. I hope so.
The worrying thing about it, though, is while we are talking about this, you realize that these cities all over which used to be some kind of beacon of treasure as a successful city, not just here in the USA, but also as leaders around the globe, for success and inspiration for multiculturalism as well as prosperity. Detroit used to be known as the Motor City, because Ford, Chevy and American Motors (Primarily Chrysler) were in Detroit. At one point, as a younger adult, I remember the Chrysler came and opened up a factory in Kenosha. I remember thinking that it was bad for Detroit, but good for Racine/Kenosha. Several years later, the company decided to go back to Detroit. Bad for us, but, you can't blame the homecoming, can you? Then, they closed in Detroit, at least to the point that there were so many more that got cut, and I think a portion came (smaller than the last), back to Kenosha, then, skipped town altogether. As in left the Midwest. Boo. Racine was once called Tractor City, because of the J. I. Case farming tractors being manufactured. There were so many other factories here, that it was a boom. Jacobsen's, Horlick's Malted Milk, Dremel, and so many others... With this type of crash, and nothing to replace it, except part time, low paying jobs, and many are not getting that. But there have been studies that state that when unemployment and underemployment are high, so are the crimes.
So, back to the crimes in distressed areas and human trafficking... It seems as if some things are still mixed up. Here is an article about how the charges of human trafficking were dropped, because the victim had probably spent time in Minnesota, trafficking victims there... So, because she wasn't a victim for the full 3 weeks, she is now not a victim? And, what if part of the deal that she was to aid in trafficking or get killed? So the perpetrator gets to get out for free? That is just so not right...
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/trafficking-charge-dropped-against-city-man/article_742b1ec4-ccf7-5a84-ba12-6baa420eb6a3.html
Speaking of human trafficking leading into a discussion for how to handle sex offenders... California, Florida, and now Oklahoma have these crazy punishments for convicted sex offenders to go through with chemical castration. Because it is considered a sex crime, the logic behind it is, lower the sex drive, and end the cycle. While on the surface, it makes sense, because this is a crime that sex is used as a tool. But. Yes, there is a but, and a huge but, it is, not to be made light of, because sex crimes are not about sex. Rape is 100% a power and control issue. Really. Sex is the tool, it is the means, not the end. So, just because it's being treated to lower the libido, it has no bearing on the psyche, because it's only taking away the best power tool, but, who needs a power tool, when other forms of intimidation is just as worthy, such as threatening to kill you by shooting you through your private area? Or using a bottle, their own hand, what ever it is... the lack of interest in actually using your body as the tool may be the best offensive action, but, when it is about power and control, this has no bearing on what can be done to sexually abuse another person. What do you think?
http://viralsurvival.com/2015/10/13/one-state-just-announced-plans-to-castrate-sex-offenders/
As long as we are on this topic, we need to stop treating situations like this where girls are supposed to be demure, and to treat sex as a special gift, while we playfully punch our boys in the shoulder as an "atta boy" compliment, and then blame the girls for being a single parent, or that abuse is okay because boys are supposed to have play toys available, even if she is a fellow human being, and that girls are supposed to accommodate their husbands, after being told it's special, just to have the first time be such a total dud, that there was nothing special about it.
Okay, and look. I am not saying sex is bad or terrible. Sex also should not be taboo, and this is one of those things that should be celebrated as a gift, because we can share it in ways other species cannot, and brings intimacy to new levels when we share that gift with each other. But, here is where it gets sticky. Here is a little girl, who was told while she was getting stitches from a boy hitting her in the eyeball, that he likes her. So, what, it is okay that boys beat up on their girl classmates, girl friends, and eventually the women they marry because he likes her so much he punches hard enough for her to go to the hospital? So wrong... And if these hospital members are supposed to be mandatory reporters of abuse, what kind of message are we sending our kids? That hitting the cute kid because your child likes that kid is okay, because she's cute? No. And it's just as wrong to do it because someone is ugly to you.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/10/442877-toddler-went-hospital-hit-boy-clerk-said-outrageous/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM17&ts_pid=2&utm_content=inf_10_74_2
We need to do a better job to protect our children. Seriously. For more information on helping to make the changes necessary to protect children, all children, from all forms of abuse, please email the founder of Youth Voice Initiative at lika.yvi@gmail.com - put YVI in the subject, to help it get noticed.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
A Rant, Our Children, and a WTF Moment
Okay, so anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows I am all about the children. You don’t even have to know me well, to know that yes, I am always about protecting our children. This isn’t just a pet peeve. My pet peeve is stupid people, who have no reason except that they choose to be ignorant, and refuse to learn or better themselves. Fighting for the children is, for me, a believe system, a way of life. Their lives, everyone’s future. And this is what is disturbing.
One of the reasons we need our children to be safe and happy children, is because if they are too stressed about their home lives, they cannot do well in school. Part of our young being a big part of our future, is to ensure they can get the education they need to be successful as adults. So, here is an article, about a bus driver who was arrested for taking drugs before clocking into his afternoon shift to take children home from school.
I know that the area isn’t very big, and I’m not sure the ages of the kids, but still... Why would you drive a school bus as a druggie? And, don’t tell me this is the first time he has been caught, because, at the age of 38 years old, he didn’t JUST become a druggie yesterday. With that knowledge in hand, how is it, that the bus company, whose #1 priority is safety, that they didn’t find anything? Well, no matter, people are supposed to be normal, and it wasn’t the bus company that fed him the drugs. But seriously... Stop driving children around, if you are going to be that STUPID!
The next bit, just as big, in a different way, is the editorial for The Racine Interfaith Coalition. Anyway... This is a group of people, most of them who are in leadership positions with a religious facility, and a diverse group ranging from Lutherans, to Episcopalians, to Catholics, to Jewish, to Muslim, to AME, Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, and others, who get together to help develop and manage various social programs to help those who truly need help. The philosophy is, that by being social connections within the community, they are better able to connect those in need directly with the services in need, and tackle the issues that are facing the people getting the help. Great organization, have a look for your self - http://www.ricracine.org/Issues.htm...
The biggest thing they’re working on (as far as I know with my limited knowledge), is a project to reduce the amount of people going into our already over crowded prisons, and ensure that nonviolent people are not getting incarcerated as much, and the fact that yes, our black population is arrested, charged, and imprisoned more often and longer than the rest of the population. Also, not to mention, that youthful offenders who did not commit a violent crime should not be tried as adults, and our young people and those coming out of prisons need a second chance, as stated here in this Commentary in October 8, 2015 of the Journal Times - http://journaltimes.com/print_speci...
Good causes, and for the right reasons, these have merit. Thing is, we also have the Racine Vocational Ministry who helps those coming out with job placements; the HOPES Center to help with counseling, AODA, and what ever else; The Hospitality Center, who helps everybody to an extent and the neediest of the needy in huge ways; amongst the Workforce Development Center, and more. I understand, especially with our young people, because so many other programs may be getting cut due to budget system, and youth need the most help. All great, right?
Well, yes, but, there are those of us who fall in the cracks of everything, and if I weren’t so pathetic in my own situation, I’d have a difficult time believing it myself. But, seriously, sometimes I wonder what is going on with some things, and after a certain point, some of us just have nowhere else to go, and there is no agency who puts us first, because there is always a person or family out there that are worse off, or have other extenuating circumstances, etc... So, what, do we, as honest people have to lose everything with extenuating circumstances before we are to be helped, and have to start with literally NOTHING? It’s crazy... And, trust me, there are a lot more than me. And as much as we try to network, we are unsuccessful, and have little to no options. It shouldn’t be this hard to find a job that fits, at a rate we don’t have to worry about expenses. Yet, who is out there advocating for us? Why does it have to be exclusive?
The biggest kicker for me... is this couple, who took in a young girl, and wanted to teach her about sex, and made her take part in their bedroom from the time she was about 9, to about 13 years of age. Are they f*c%!ng serious? A little girl learns about sex from partaking in adult sexual relationships? That is so disgusting! Sex education does NOT include actually having sex with others, and most definitely NOT with a couple where the man is old enough to be her grandfather!
The sickening part, more than disgusting... For 4 years of sex abuse for the man being a pedophile, is 10 years behind bars, and 15 years extended supervision. Seriously? I don’t care if he’s 56, and will be out of prison by the time (maybe before) he’s 66, and 81 when off papers. The girl, no matter how mature, how big her heart is, will have a life time of repercussions to some extend or another. These aren’t just with nightmares, depression, or PTSD. This girl is possibly going to have difficulty building a normal relationship with an intimate lover, and may reject him because she doesn’t feel as if she is lovable, or clean enough, or what have you, for this potential young man might have for her. Or, maybe she can love, but, when it comes to intimacy, cannot participate in her own relationship because of the bad memories that come back. The rest of her life. Do the judges understand this?
For being a part of the marriage and what have you, the wife, who also willingly took part, damn it, that the excuse is she was a victim since 9 herself, was taught not to stand up to men? What kind of crap IS that? Yes, she could have done something, and not waited until AFTER the court case started. And, for being a grown woman who survived so much abuse herself, that *I* expect that she do the right thing, but, because she is a “sympathetic perpetrator”, so deserves some stupid sympathy, is only getting 10 years behind bars and 5 years extended supervision.
Before going on about being in someone elses’ shoes, yes, I have been in a similar situations as the teenage girl whose innocence and everything was stolen from her, and will never be able to be given back to her. For being a woman, how did her maternal instincts not start ringing warning bells inside her head? And I suppose for the 20 months behind bars, will probably be counted toward her time.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Come see how YOU, can make an impact. - https://sites.google.com/site/youthvoiceinitiative/home
Friday, October 9, 2015
October is Diabetes Awareness Month
Being diabetic can be confusing, especially since there are basically two different kinds. And, they are not what they used to be. Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called “juvenile onset diabetes”, is when your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin. While it mostly affects younger people more, it can happen at any time. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be “adult onset diabetes”, though, with the growing epidemic of obesity, there are different angles of type 2, that your pancreas still makes insulin, but, is affected by one or more of these - A) your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin B) the insulin is inefficient, and your body doesn’t know how to use it, because of that C) the insulin receptors that grab the insulin to process carbohydrates is somehow out of the loop in doing their jobs
If you have type 1 diabetes, you cannot be cured. Your body doesn’t make it’s own insulin, so you will have to inject insulin for the rest of your life. But, luckily for type 2, if you can lose the weight and actually be able to reverse diabetes to your pre-diabetic state, if you can do it as early as possible. Losing weight and eating a healthy diet is key, and maintaining the lower weight and healthy eating. To read more, here is an article on Web MD - http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/featu...
Part of eating healthy, is to ensure that you get enough vegetables in your diet. Well, duh, right? First Lady Michelle Obama has the right idea with her “My Plate”, where your dinner plate should have non starchy veggies on half of the plate. The suggestion of eating 5 fruits and vegetables is to have 3 servings of veggies and 2 fruits each day. Eating them is better for you than drinking them. Some of the foods that are really good for you if you are diabetic is listed here in this article - http://www.healthline.com/health-sl...
To keep a check on how many carbohydrates in your diet, first, have your doctor in charge of your diabetes on how many calories you should eat in a day. Your gender, height, weight, BMI, age, and a couple of other things will factor into how many calories vs. how many carbs you should eat in a day. Carbohydrates come from 3 different food groups, and dessert or snack food. First, is your starches - which include pasta, tortillas, breads, rice, barley, cous cous, potatoes, cereals, and if it’s a grain of any sort, it is a starch, or a carbohydrate. Second, is from fruit. Fruit contains natural sugars called fructose, and out of all of the sugars out there, this is probably the healthiest one. Because of the sugar content, it’s better to eat the fruit, so you get the fiber along with it, also, and fiber helps slow down the rate of absorption to keep your blood sugars down lower. Drinking fruit juice actually goes straight into your blood stream. Third, is from dairy products, from the lactose contained within milk products. Dairy includes milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. 1 point, or 15 grams, is considered a serving, and a serving would be a slice of bread, a SMALL tortilla (such as for tacos, NOT fajitas or burritos), 1/3 cup of rice or pasta, a small potato, 1/2 of a bun. Your doctor or diabetic dietician will go over a plan with you, and will decide if you should eat 3 meals a day, or 5 or 6 mini-meals a day, and how many carbs you can eat with each one. With snacks like potato chips, but especially cookies, cakes, brownies, etc, it’s processed sugar cane, which has a lot of calories but almost no nutrition, so keep these at a minimum. No, do NOT try to say you will never eat these... When you make them taboo, they will become more delightful, so, include a baby portions of your favorites to have one a day, or just one every other day is fine, and you’re more likely to not binge eat on the foods that are bad. Meats and vegetables have such miniscule amounts of carbohydrates that they don’t count as being starchy.
The next issue to tackle is calories. These are different from counting carbs. Calories come from 3 different categories. Meat, because of the density and whatnot, has plenty of calories, so when choosing, choose a leaner cut, and then also take off excess fat by trimming it off before cooking, or taking the skin off of the poultry. Baking, steaming and grilling are the healthiest ways to cook. I know, boring.... But, this is for your health, right? Next is from fat. Obviously. But, make sure that you know the difference between good fats and bad fats, and the healthier ones can help making a HUGE difference in how many calories are being consumed. Lastly, calories come from carbohydrates, which are complex, but, they get digested down into a sugar, which adds weight if you eat too much. When we eat the right amount of calories, we will not gain weight, or lose if we are over weight. The extra calories you eat will convert to storage fat, regardless of where the calories come from. Your body needs carbs/sugars, to function properly. So you should eat some. But, if you eat too many, the carbs break down and tell your body to store the extra calories as fat.
Here are your serving sizes and approximately how many servings a day you ought to eat.
Vegetables - 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. Corn, peas, parsnips, squash, zucchini are examples of starchy vegetables, so count them in that category. For those of you who are meat and potatoes types, go slow and try the veggies that are the most appealing. It’s okay if it’s tomatoes, or baby carrots. You can always expand later, to try other good ones, and just because some veggies such as canned spinach can leave a bad taste in your mouth, look up some recipes to where you can use fresh or frozen spinach to make your own good side. I personally like to use fresh spinach on my sandwiches, and mix spinach and romaine lettuce for salads. Ice burg is mostly water. Eat 3 servings a day! And, because of the low calorie content, when ever you’re hungry, have more veggies. They are the same as “free food”, because they’re almost “free” of calories.
Fruits - 1 medium size piece of fruit, which is about the size of a baseball. Be careful with bananas, since many of them are huge. 1/2 cup of juice is a serving, and no, the fruit roll ups don’t count. Eat 2 a day! Again, start with what you think you will like, if you’ve never been one to eat much fruit. Maybe pears, or various berries, or what have you... For the taller people or those with bigger frames, 3 servings of fruit is probably better.
Fats - Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and such are better for you, because they may raise your good cholesterol, and 1tsp is a serving, not much, but, better than other ones. Limit the butter you put on your toast, and when cooking, if something calls for a 1/4 cup of butter, use 1/8 of each butter and olive oil. Olive oil has a creamy flavor, which blends nice with your butter, and you won’t miss the extra butter. Avocados, mayo, bacon and olives are also considered fats. Because mayo and bacon are so high in saturated fats, it’s better to go with the others, and another trick is, use an avocado and blend smooth with olive oil, and you can use that in place of butter or mayo on your sandwich. Dressings for your salad also is a fat, and use it sparingly. Use as little as you can stand, and draw back from there. Also, when grilling skinless meat, canola oil is good to brush on to help lock in the juices. A serving is 1 tsp, (there are 3 tsp in a TBS), and don’t exceed 2 TBS of fat. in a day.
Meats - chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and legumes such as pinto beans, navy beans, lima beans, black beans, and all forms of beans except green, wax, etc are considered proteins. Eggs and cheese, also. Because how much of this you need depends on being a man or a woman, your age, and how active you are, so, please check it through to your doctor or diabetic nurse educator to figure out how much, and next time will talk about how legumes, which are the beans that often come in a can or a bag of dried, are to be considered tricky to count, because it’s a combination of protein and starch. Up to 7 eggs daily, depending, and cheese is a meat, so watch that on sandwiches.
Dairy - Low fat milk is best, but, come down slowly. If you like the whole milk, start by drinking 3 parts whole, and 1 part 1%. Gradually make it closer to 1%, but, if you can’t seem to get past it, try it with 2% to see how it goes. Growing children need the whole milk from when they turn 1, to 2. Switch to 2% at age 2, and keep it there until they go to kindergarten, and switch to 1%. Kids should be getting 3 cups, adults 2 - 2.5, depending. Keep it low, and if you’re hitting a plateau, switch to almond milk. I like the Blue Diamond brand of the original almond, not sweetened, not vanilla. It’s good for you.
I love to cook at my house. We love all ethnic foods. But, what surprised me, is that diabetes runs higher in Hispanic, African American, and Asian Americans here in the US are diagnosed with diabetes fastest. We love all foods with flavors, and I have been successful in modifying some Asian foods to be a whole lot healthier. What I want to ask you, all of my peeps and readers, is if you have your own legitimate ethnic recipe, I’d like you to post it, whether here or message me, so I can see how I can modify it without making it taste so American that it’s no good for you, anymore. Maybe we can turn it into a cookbook, I don’t know, but, I’d love to develop authentic ethnic foods w/o having to spend a lot for them.
I hope this helps for now, and feel free to ask me any questions, and I will answer, either privately or with the post Thank you.
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