There are over 26 million Americans who have diabetes. You’d think in this technological age, with an app for everything under the sun, it would be easy for diabetics to manage their blood sugar and insulin levels.

But this often is not the case. Although people with diabetes have been using self-monitoring tools for several decades now, and were arguably the first collective of those with a chronic health condition to self-monitor, pricking your fingertip is still a pain in the … finger.

The technology to make it easy to record blood sugar and insulin levels has not yet caught up to other fitness- and wellness-tracker type apps.

Diabetics still need to draw blood, although it hopefully won’t be too long until a bloodless glucose monitoring device, which can communicate via Bluetooth technology to help tracking on smart phones, arrives on the market.

It would be one thing if diabetics only had to self-monitor once a day, but having to do it at least a few times a day can become a drag.

It’s no wonder that even though the American Diabetes Association recommends self-monitoring, this study concluded that only 5 percent of diabetics self-monitored daily.

Though doctors recommend self-monitoring, medical professionals are assuming that those with diabetes have the nutritional literacy to modify their dietary intake to bring blood glucose and insulin levels in balance.

[Insert shameless promotional plug here: Of course, Miracle Noodle allows diabetics to fall back in love with pasta again without fear or the noodles raising blood sugars or elliciting a heavy insulin release. Just make sure to add low-sugar sauce to the noodles so you don’t spoil the health benefits of the Miracle Noodles.]

But not everyone has the time, or frankly the interest, to learn about nutrition. Some may think that drinking apple juice is healthy, because, well, apples are generally regarded as healthy. Some may also think that eating a bowl of fruit and granola in the morning is healthy because both contain no cholesterol. People who assume this are ignorant to the fact that consuming large amounts of fructose (fruit sugars) and grains (such as granola) raise blood sugar levels.

Thus, until nutritional literacy is improved, doctors should give their patients a crash course in foods to avoid, such as often-regarded-as-healthy, fruit (in moderation fruit is ok, say a handful of blueberries and half an apple a day).

Self-monitoring, not just occasionally, but several times per day can be downright depressing. In fact, diabetics are twice as likely to suffer from depression. Having to manage a chronic condition for the rest of your life in what many consider an invasive way can get you down.

Does that mean it’s not worth it to self-monitor? Hardly. Learning to manage your diabetes by eating less foods that raise blood sugar levels, coupled with exercising is the most powerful tool to fight diabetes. Miracle Noodle can help, but it’s up to you to have the drive to improve your diabetes, even if it means self-monitoring a few times a day.

But hopefully, medical device companies will soon create a better self-diagnostic tool that require no blood sample. It’s about time medical device manufacturers help the diabetic community, by catching up to the rest of the diagnostic technology that’s out on the market.

This blog was inspired by a fantastic article in The Atlantic by Thomas Goetz, who recommends Ginger.io, an app that helps diabetics manage their condition in a social-sharing type setting.

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Of all the dozens of recipes that have been cooked with love and documented on our recipe page--both Miracle Noodle’s own and those supplied by our loyal customers--which low-calorie shirataki pasta creation do you think is most popular?

Fettucini Chicken Alfredo?  Maybe….

Pad Thai? Perhaps….

Ricotta & Sun-Dried Tomatoes? Drool. Yum. Definitely a strong contender….

Mac ‘n’ Cheese …… Hungry yet?

And the winner is ….

Truth be told, all the above are in the running for “Most Popular Miracle Noodle Recipe of All Time.”

But if we had to pick one, based on our following on Facebook, Instagram, other social media hangouts and emails we get, if you held a pack of low-calorie noodles to our head and made us choose the most popular….

Hot or Cold Sesame Noodles is the winner!

Pictures often speak louder than words, so the saying goes, especially true with gourmet food.

We think this Instagram photo says it all.

Looks delicious, does it not?

Here’s the recipe. Eat well and never feel guilty again...the Miracle Noodle way.

Ingredients (serves 4):

Approved Diets: Atkins, South Beach

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 cube Dorot Crushed Garlic

4 tablespoons sesame seed paste

3 cubes Dorot Chopped Chili

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bag of Miracle Noodles

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the peanut oil, garlic, sesame seed paste, chili, soy sauce and sugar.

2. Rinse the Miracle Noodles in cold water and combine with sesame oil to prevent them sticking together.

3. Add the Miracle Noodles to sauce and mix well.

4. Ready to serve.

Nutrition Info:

food item; fat grams; calories; carbohydrate grams; protein grams

peanut oil 42 375 0 0

garlic 0 10 2 0

sesame seed paste 12 180 4 8

chili 0 10 1 0

soy sauce 0 30 6 6

sugar 0 45 12 0

miracle noodles 0 0 0 0

sesame oil 4 45 1 2

total per meal 58 695 26 16

total per serving 14.5 173.75 6.5 4

Enjoy!

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What’s your favorite comfort food?

If you survey 10 people and ask them what’s their favorite food to eat after a long, frustrating day of work, you’ll get a sizable majority voting for spaghetti.

Spaghetti, like other comfort foods such as pizza or doughnuts, elicits a serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter chemical released in the brain that elevates our mood after we eat something satisfying.

Whether we have it with a homemade marinara sauce or a garlic-olive oil blend, spaghetti is indeed fun to eat and often brings the family closer together.

But how do you feel after eating spaghetti? If you’re like most people, you don’t limit yourself to the portion size that nutritionists recommend, say, a fist-sized serving of spaghetti. A fist size? You gotta be kidding! Who has that kind of will power?

Most people are hard-pressed to limit their spaghetti serving size to two big handfulls.

Second- or third helpings are common.

As a consequence, how do most people feel after eating regular spaghetti?

--bloated

--tired

--mentally foggy

--fat

--not sexy

So what to do if you love spaghetti?

Great news! As of March, 2014, Miracle Noodle introduces Organic Shirataki Spaghetti!

Now you can cook your favorite spaghetti dishes without the guilt.

Here are some guidelines to cook a quick, healthy spaghetti meal using Miracle Noodle Organic Spaghetti.

--use low-sugar sauces

--dry roast the spaghetti

--add fresh whole basil leaves; add them in during the last minute or two of cooking

--add broccoli as it contains lots of antioxidants, has a huge crunch factor and fiber to help you feel full

--add pine nuts for extra protein

--add pink Himalayan sea salt, a healthier version of salt than white (processed table salt)

--add kelp flakes (available at natural markets) which is an excellent source of iodine

The possibilities are endless. Drizzle with a healthy oil like olive or avocado. Also optional is to add a tablespoon of coconut oil for a rich flavor. These oils are healthy fats and will also help you feel full and prevent cravings, unlike regular pasta.

Are you excited to try Organic Spaghetti?