Diabetic? You can still have fun at Easter!
April 10, 2009 by Raquel Billiones
Filed under DIABETES
Being a diabetic at Easter can be very difficult. Especially if you are a little child. Sweets and goodies everywhere but not allowed to eat? How about those traditional Easter treats like hot cross bun s and chocolate eggs?
Having diabetes means a lot of dietary restrictions. Does this mean that diabetics cannot enjoy life in general and Easter in particular? Not at all. Here are some tips from diabetes organizations all over the world for an enjoyable Easter holiday:
- A small treat of chocolate is fine, according to Diabetes New Zealand. “Moderation is always the key message when it comes to treats and special occasions. A small amount of normal chocolate is not a problem. Limit your intake to two small squares or one small hollow egg.” The group recommends to avoid giving chocolates as Easter presents even if they are supposedly appropriate for diabetics. Give non-edible presents instead!
- Diabetes Australia - New South Wales gives us the green light for a little bit of Easter treat - as long as it is dark chocolate. It also shares some wonderful recipes, from fruit bread as an alternative to hot cross buns to Low Fat Ice Cream Cassata Slice.
- The British Diabetic Association (BDA) also does not object to a little Easter sweet. Chocolate Easter eggs are especially great for kids because they look nice and big but hollow inside. It is best that the eating the egg be spread over the whole Easter weekend rather than be eaten in one go. Like Diabetes NZ, BDA also doesn’t recommend to so-called “diabetic” Easter eggs. “They are expensive and unnecessary. Diabetic chocolate contains fructose, sorbitol or a similar sweetener which can have a laxative effect. Diabetic chocolate is also just as high in fat and calories as ordinary chocolate, and can still raise blood glucose levels.” BDA by the way, also gives a general overview on the nutritional value and safety of sugar and sweeteners.
- BDA also gives some tips on holiday celebrations and eating out. This resource gives some recommendations on planning fun but healthy parties, be it children’s birthday parties or family celebrations.
Other resources to check out (and be considered as Easter presents)
- Festive Foods and Easy Entertaining, by the British Diabetic Association. ISBN 1-899288-70-8
- Other books on diabetes found in this site.
Happy Easter, everyone.
Photo credit: stock.xchng
Healthy Hispanic food for everyone - even for diabetics
April 2, 2009 by Raquel Billiones
Filed under DIABETES
I love Mexican food. Tortillas, enchilladas, tacos, to name a few. Unfortunately, like many delicious food, they can be full of calories and cholesterol. The National Diabetes Education Program has come up with new tool to help Hispanic Americans (as well as all Hispanic food lovers regardless of ethnic origins) enjoy their traditional dishes without damaging their health. The campaign Más que comida, es vida (It′s more than food. It′s life) consists of recipes and cooking tips designed to reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The program is a joint venture of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
But why specifically Hispanic food?
Other statistics according to a national examination survey:
•· In 2005, Hispanics were 1.6 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.
The Más que comida, es vida campaign gives simple, easy-to-follow tips on how to make traditional Hispanic dishes healthier and lower in calories and fats. The tips consist of a few adjustments in the preparation, ingredients, and of course - portions.
According to Betsy Rodríguez, public health advisor of the National Diabetes Education Program′s (NDEP) Hispanic/Latino Work Group:
One of the recipe books is called Ricas recetas para personas con diabetes y sus familiars (Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families), which of course available for free download in both Spanish and English at the NDEP site.
The booklet contains a comprehensive introduction to diabetes and its management. With each recipe is an accompanying “Nutrition Facts” table and diabetic exchanges calculated based on the American Diabetes Association Exchange System.
My favourites?
Avocado Tacos for starters, Rice with Chicken, Spanish Style (Arroz con pollo) and Tropical Fruits Fantasia for dessert.
Bon Apetito!
Children and Diabetes
October 27, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
The current initiative of the International Diabetes Federation (a worldwide alliance of some 200 diabetic associations in more than 160 countries) is Children and Diabetes:
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases to affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. If not detected early enough in a child, the disease can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked: it is often misdiagnosed as the flu or it is not diagnosed at all.
Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs and alert to the diabetes threat.
The Diabetes Warning Signs
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Increased hunger
- Weight loss
- Tiredness
- Lack of interest and concentration
- Blurred vision
- Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)
*In children with type 2 diabetes these symptoms may be mild or absent.
See You in Cyber Space
October 25, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
Today marks my last day at Battling Diabetes. I have some new adventures that are waiting for me!
First–many thanks to Hart, the DUDE, and to the other bloggers at the Hart Empire for making this journey so comfortable. Thank you to the readers for your comments and participation.
I have learned far more from this site than I could have imagined. With a family history of diabetes, I have taken to heart the education gleaned here and hope you have also.
Finally, I wish those of you battling diabetes on a daily basis the best.
Trick or Treat?
October 7, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
The only trick to Halloween is how you are going to decipher manufacturer labels on candy products to make smart diabetes lifestyle choices.
When it comes to nutrition I’m constantly learning, just like you. Reading labels really is an important part of that education process.
Do you read labels? Here’s a few label reading pointers:
There are several important things I try to remember when I look at labels.
The first is that I better check out how many servings are in that candy bar my child brought home in his treat bag and I am about to consume in the closet with the light out. Sure it says 120 calories per serving, but if I look in the teeny tiny print, it also says two servings per bar. Two servings? Who eats half a candy bar?
Most labels are based on the daily nutritional value of a person who is on a 2000 or 2,500 calorie diet. Again my incredulity radar goes off. Who eats a 2,000 calorie diet? The Weight Loss Center says a 2000 calorie diet is appropriate for a large man. Terrific. So when I read that I am consuming 31 grams of carbohydrates and it is only 10% of my recommended daily nutritional intake of carbohydrates…I need to remember that they are talking to a large man on a 2000 calorie diet.
Sound complex and confusing. It can be.
Here are a few sites to help unscramble the American food labeling system.
- From the FDA: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- RealAge: Food Labels
- Mayo Clinic: Nutrition Fact:Reading the Food Label
Reading Food Labels is available for purchase from the American Diabetes Online Store.
Diabetes Clinical Trial Update
October 2, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
Before we review what’s going on in diabetes clinical trials let’s review the basics of clinical trials for our new readers.
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is scientific research involving people that studies the effects of a new medication, therapy or device to determine if it is safe and effective.
In the United States, clinical trials are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.
The Phases of a Clinical Trial:
Phase I evaluates dosage parameters.
Phase II continues to evaluate safety and begins to study efficacy.
Phase III compares the new drug with standards of care or if there are none, a placebo.
Phase IV is used if the drug normally used as a standard is to be used for another condition or if the formulation is changed. This phase may also be used for extended studies on drug side effects.
Diabetes clinical trials may involve studies of prevention of diabetes or the treatment of diabetes.
Types of Diabetes Clinical Trials
- Action studies (doing something) - These focus on finding out whether actions people take, such as exercising more or quitting smoking, can prevent diabetes or their impact on current diabetics.
- Agent studies (taking something) - These studies examine whether taking certain medicines, vitamins or food supplements (or a combination) have an affect on preventing or treating diabetes.
Why Participate in a Clinical Trial?
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons including the opportunity to try new cutting edge therapies under the care of leading researchers and health care providers, and for the opportunity to contribute to research to help themselves and others.
Clinical trials do have side effects including the possible negative effect of the therapies and/or no effects at all and they can be more time consuming than originally anticipated.
If you are considering participating in a clinical trial not only is it important to explore all facets of the trials through informed consent, but it is important to determine the cost and funding of a clinical trial and how your insurance coverage or Medicare comes into play. While often the medication being tested is free, there may be additional costs such as lab tests and hospitalization which are not.
Get answers ahead of time.
In depth resources on clinical trials and registries for clinical trials:
ClinicalTrials.gov not only lists registries of current clinical trials in the U.S and other countries but breaks them down according to condition, drug, sponsor and location.
World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. “The mission of the WHO Registry Platform is to ensure that a complete view of research is accessible to all those involved in health care decision making.”
CRISP, Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects. “A biomedical database system containing information on research projects and programs supported by the Dept. of Health and Human Services.”
Center Watch: Clinical Trials Listing Service. This site provides a notification services for new clinical trials.
American Diabetes Association provides basic information on clinical trials.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International lists current JDRF funded clinical studies and provides information on what phase those studies are currently in.
The Children With Diabetes site lists current clinical trials.
Diabetophobia
September 24, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
Diabetophobia or fear of diabetes.
What exactly is a phobia?
From dictionary.com:
“a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.”
Perhaps something occurred in your life that stuck in your subconscious mind that triggers a fear of diabetes.
So what is fear?
Again, from dictionary.com:
“a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”
There are many facets to the diabetophobia. It can include fear of becoming a diabetic. Fear of hypoglycemia. Fear of needles. Fear of diabetic complications.
It often includes denial.
Denial is my personal favorite. And hey, if you are reading this…I am probably preaching to the choir.
You probably have the numbers memorized, right?
But for everyone else here they are again from the CDC press release dated June 24, 2008.
Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately two years, according to new 2007 prevalence data estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that nearly 8 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes.
In addition to the 24 million with diabetes, another 57 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes. Among people with diabetes, those who do not know they have the disease decreased from 30 percent to 25 percent over a two-year period.
How do you deal with diabetophobia?
The best way to diffuse fear is with knowledge.
Knowledge brings not only the tools to deal with fear but also a calm acceptance that you will be able to handle your future.
A few months ago I shared a simple risk test to assess your risk for diabetes from the American Diabetes Association. Turns out ADA offers an even more in-depth risk assessment called Diabetes PHD.
“Diabetes PHD (Personal Health Decisions) is a powerful new risk assessment tool. It can be used to explore the effects of a wide variety of health care interventions, including losing weight, stopping smoking, and taking certain medications.”
Another personal favorite assessment tool that I love and hate is RealAge.
“Your RealAge is the biological age of your body, based on how well you’ve maintained it.”
If you suffer from diabetophobia you’re probably already having some anxiety.
Relax. You aren’t alone.
I took the simple diabetes risk test and faced the scary realization that I need to make some changes. I haven’t had the courage to take the PHD yet.. I will, I promise. I will.
And RealAge. Haven’t done that in a few years. A little nervous here.
See what I mean about denial? I told you, you weren’t alone.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief from her 1969 book, On Death and Dying, explains the stages which apply to any life changing event. The stages are not simply about death, but reflect the loss of life as you know it. A diagnosis of diabetes or pre diabetes is a life changing event.
1. Denial–refusal, either conscious or unconscious to accept the facts
2. Anger–at self or others
3. Bargaining–compromising with others or a faith system
4. Depression–a period of sadness, fear and regret
5. Acceptance–dealing with the facts
The important thing is not how you move through the stages, but that you continue forward momentum. That momentum is individual, bringing you to a place of coping and to a place of re-evaluation.
Right now I’m transitioning through a few of these stages as I realize I am a pre diabetic (family history, borderline gestational diabetes, weight struggles). I realize knowledge gives me the tools to do something about this and I am trying, albeit struggling, to make the necessary changes in my life.
What about you?
Where are you? What facets of diabetophobia are you dealing with?
Where are you in the grieving process?
More importantly how will you obtain the knowledge needed to overcome diabetophobia?
Legislative Victory for Diabetics
September 17, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
Legislative Updates:Major victory in fight against discrimination
People with diabetes won a major victory last week when the U.S. Senate passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act (S. 3406) by unanimous consent. This bill ensures that people with diabetes will be judged on their ability to do their job, and not be punished for how well the disease is managed. “We applaud the U.S. Senate for passing S. 3406, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and we appreciate and recognize the leadership of Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Orrin Hatch (R- UT), Edward Kennedy (D- MA), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Senate Leadership for moving this critical legislation forward,” said Dan Kohrman, Chair of the ADA’s Legal Advocacy Subcommittee.
The problem was the narrow way the Supreme Court had construed who has a “disability” as it was defined under the ADA. As a result, a person with diabetes could be denied a job explicitly because of his or her diabetes. The employer could successfully argue that because the person did such a good job with diabetes management, he or she didn’t have a “disability” and therefore could not pursue a discrimination claim. The ADA Amendments Act corrects this problem so that people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses are once again protected from discrimination.
We aren’t done yet. This week we expect the U.S. House to vote on the Senate version of the bill, and then it will go to President Bush to be signed into law.
Other diabetic legislature you should know about, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association
Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act
The ADA supports the Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act (S. 2983/H.R. 2210) which will promote research, treatment, and education regarding diabetes in minority populations.
Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act
The Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act (S. 755) will help families with a lower-income be able to get affordable and comprehensive medical care for their diabetes.
Diabetes Treatment and Prevention Act
This bill will increase our ability to prevent new cases of diabetes and improve disease management by providing additional funding for the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control
And you can sign up for e-alerts here, for updates on federal and state diabetes legislative action.
Slumbering Away Your Diabetes
September 16, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
The September Diabetes Forecast discusses 10 Ways to Get Healthy Right Now; a really informative article by Tracey Neithercott that also discusses the sleep and diabetes connection.
Big Idea #2 Get More Sleep
…in a 2006 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who reported shortened periods of sleep or poor sleep quality had higher A1C’s than those who had long, restful slumber.
U.S News & World Report article, January 3, 2008. Lack of Deep Sleep Raises Diabetes Risk
According to the researchers, three nights of interrupted sleep effectively gave people in their 20s the glucose and insulin metabolisms of people three times their age.
Sleep–Here’s The Big Picture
The sleep cycle consists of four stages, going from light to deep sleep and finally REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The sleep cycle takes about 90 minutes. Per SleepDex, “infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. Adults spend nearly half of sleep time in stage 2, about 20% in REM and the other 30% is divided between the other three stages . ”
So what do you think? Are you sleep deprived? 
Find out.
Test your reaction time at Sheep Dash.
Diabetes News, Weekend Edition
September 14, 2008 by Tina Radcliffe
Filed under DIABETES
Our thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Ike, Gustav and Hannah, many of whom are diabetics.
PRNewsWire, Sept. 11, 2008.
The public is urged to visit feedingamerica.org to make a financial donation to the disaster relief fund.
In the days before the storm hit, an estimated 2 million people evacuated coastal towns. Some of the most pressing needs are not directly related to storm damage, but rather the effect of the mass evacuation. Thousands of at-risk families were forced to spend their limited resources on transportation, lodging, dining out and other expenses. Many have returned to homes without electricity, meaning that all food left in refrigerators and freezers had spoiled. Many are without the funds to replenish their food supplies — or even the ability to access groceries.
Donations made to Feeding America are used to secure and distribute easily prepared food such at canned and shelf-stable goods such as soups, peanut butter, and tuna, which required no refrigeration or preparation; meals: ready-to-eat (MREs); and hand-held snacks like granola bars. The organization also secures frequently requested items such as bottled water, baby formula, disposable diapers and cleaning supplies, which are more difficult to acquire following a disaster.
From the American Red Cross:
Prepare for Disasters Before they Strike: Build A Disaster Supplies Kit
There are six basics you should stock for your home in the case of an emergency:
water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items for medical conditions.Or purchase your emergency kit at the Red Cross Store.
How You Can Help Hurricane Relief
When people are victims of a hurricane, the American Red Cross is ready to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance. You can help people affected by the Hurricanes of 2008, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Go online to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS to donate today! You can also use your cell phone to donate $5 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by text messaging the keyword “GIVE” to “2HELP” (24357). Donations will appear on monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance. All applicable text rates apply.If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, you should call 1-800-REDCROSS. To learn more about hurricane preparedness, visit RedCross.org.
More Diabetes News:
The Financial Express, September 12, 2008. Novo Nordisk Launches New Diabetic Device. The new generation Flex Pen needs 30 percent less force, making it more comfortable for patients and encouraging more compliance.
