Seasonal Eating
By Quinn Phillips
Quick: what local produce is in season right now? Most Americans probably couldn't answer that question. After all, with refrigeration and cargo jets, it's no longer necessary — or even common — to eat primarily produce that is in season locally. Chances are good, this time of year, that the fresh berries, greens, tomatoes, and peppers in your local supermarket come not from a nearby greenhouse, but from a farm located in a warmer climate hundreds or even thousands of miles away. And, of course, certain warm-weather produce — like bananas, oranges, and pineapples — is never in seas...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - February 26, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Getting a Foot Up On Diabetes Care
By Jan Chait
"Check your feet."
How many times have we heard it? Many times, however, that's all we're told: Check your feet.
What am I looking for? What do I do if I find it?!
And, come to think of it, why am I checking my feet?
Furthermore, they tell us, put lotion on our feet, but not between our toes.
Huh? Why not?
It's a puzzlement. So I asked my podiatrist, Ken Krueger, DPM, to 'splain some of this stuff.
What we're looking for are things such as:
• A red spot
• A crack or opening in the skin
• A blister
• Any drainage (or odor)
• Any change in skin color
"All of these are signs of an in...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - February 25, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
A New Year
By Scott Coulter
This is the second blog entry I wrote for this week. I'm scrapping the first one. You see, I watched a documentary on the "workings of the universe" and got myself inspired to write a flowing, philosophical post about the vastness of time and space, the insignificance of people, why we should all come together and get along... Not bad stuff, but after rereading it, I think it missed the mark.
That entry read like a long prose about grand concepts. And I thought that would be good for New Year's — you know, dreaming big, looking ahead. But dreaming big is not a problem for me. It's not a problem for ...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - January 2, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Why All the Drama?
By David Spero
Have you noticed how people need drama in their lives? If they don't have anything to worry about, they create something. People with diabetes don't have to create. Diabetes brings plenty of drama. But is drama good or bad? If it's bad, how can we get rid of it?
Why do people pull for drama in their lives? Drama is defined by Google as "an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances." So drama makes our lives more interesting. If we're bored or we feel there's no point, having some excitement and emotion might pick our lives up a bit.
Did you ever wonder why Oprah Winfrey's w...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - January 1, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
High Spending, Poor Results
By Quinn Phillips
Last week, Diabetes Flashpoints looked at how health insurance in the United States operates, compared with several other rich countries. The United States is notable both for its widespread reliance on employer-provided insurance, and for its wide variety of insurance types for different groups within the country — in most developed countries, young children and seniors, the rich and the poor, are covered by the same system. So what does our hodgepodge of systems in the United States cost, and what outcomes does it create? The data paint a picture that isn't very pretty.
There are two ways to measu...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - January 1, 2014 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Diabetes Resolutions for 2014
By Web Team
Want to start off the new year on the right foot? Then be sure to check out this list of diabetes resolutions from Gillian Arathuzik, RD, CDE, of the renowned Joslin Diabetes Center. Suggestions include taking all your diabetes-related medicines, examining your feet daily for cuts and sores, getting a flu shot in the fall, and seeing your dentist twice a year. Check out the recommendations and pick a goal or two for yourself.
Once you've chosen your diabetes resolutions, see these postings from diabetes dietitian Amy Campbell for help sticking with them!
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Diane Fenn...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 31, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Linking Weight With Relationships
By Amy Campbell
The winter holidays are slowly dwindling. Besides being left with too many presents and a lot of food, you might also be left with some unwanted weight. Now's the traditional time for people to be thinking about New Year's resolutions and shedding some pounds for the incoming new year.
If you're trying to lose weight or eat better/exercise more for your diabetes, how does that impact your relationships? For example, if you're making an effort to eat less or up your physical activity, do you find that your spouse or significant other is supportive? Or are they knowingly or unknowingly sabotaging you?
Weight...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 30, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
2013 Conference on Diabetes and Exercise Available Online
By Web Team
If you missed out on the chance to attend the 2013 North American Conference in Diabetes and Exercise that took place in August, you're in luck — the Corporate Members of the diabetes and sports association Insulindependence, along with Brown Hound Media, have teamed up to make the entire conference available to view online for free.
To see the conference, which includes information about "nutrition, diabetes athlete physiology, advances in treatments and technology, and more," click here. And to see the sponsors that have made this possible, view their page on the Insulindependence Web site.
This bl...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 28, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
Walnuts Improve Blood Vessel Function
By Diane Fennell
If you've resolved to improve your diet in 2014, there's one small step you can take that will reap big rewards, according to new research from the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center: incorporating walnuts into your diet.
Previous studies have established the health benefits of nuts, including lowering cholesterol levels, facilitating weight loss, decreasing the risk of heart disease, and boosting brain health.
To determine the effect of walnuts on cardiovascular health in overweight adults, the researchers looked at 46 nonsmokers ages 30–75 who had a body-mass index (BMI) greater than 25 (...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 27, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Diane Fennell Source Type: blogs
What I've Learned
By Scott Coulter
It's the end of the year, and instead of making a list of resolutions for what I'll do differently next year (which never works, by the way), I thought I'd take the time to write down everything I've learned from the past 20 years of living with Type 1 diabetes. Yep, that's right, it's my 20-year anniversary with this sucker, and so I thought I'd wrap up this milestone year with a recap of everything I've learned so far.
Lesson #1: You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.
Mick Jagger was right. Diabetes is certainly not something that fits in...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 26, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott Coulter Source Type: blogs
Health-Care Systems
By Quinn Phillips
In the United States, chances are that when you look for a job, you will consider not just your potential salary, work environment, and duties, but one other crucial factor: benefits. In this country, the mark of a "good" job has long been that it offers health insurance (and usually other benefits, such as a pension or retirement plan, or dental insurance). While Americans tend to view employer-provided health coverage as an innate part of our health-care system, in most other rich countries no such system exists. So how did this system develop in the United States, and what are the alternatives, as prac...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 25, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs
Looking Back to 2013
By David Spero
Barack Obama says, "Look forward, not back." But I think we need to look back. If we don't know where we've been, how do we know where to go? For me, 2013 was an amazing year. I hope it was good for you, too.
Most of my amazing wouldn't be noticed by anyone else, except maybe my partner Aisha and my advisor/editor Eileen. I've gone to wonderful places without leaving my neighborhood. Many days I don't even leave the apartment, but I'm still having great adventures.
One ongoing adventure is getting into meditation. I'm still terrible at it, but it's making a big difference in my life. I'm more open, more cen...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 25, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: David Spero Source Type: blogs
Quick! Get on Your Bottom and Exercise!
By Jan Chait
Exercise, they tell us. Take a walk. Ride a bike. It's good for your diabetes control and helps you lose weight.
Exercise, says Karen Kemmis, PT, DPT, CDE at Joslin Diabetes Center in Syracuse, NY, an affiliate of the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University,
lowers your blood sugar, increases muscle mass, and, because muscles burn more calories than fat, your metabolism gets boosted. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn every minute of our lives.
But what about those of us with physical limitations? Dancing is out — maybe. Jumping rope is out. All-out, hard-core Zumb...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 24, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Jan Chait Source Type: blogs
Sugar Surprises!
By Amy Campbell
’Tis the season for visions of sugarplums dancing in your head…and lurking in your food, too. The holidays are certainly a time for all sorts of treats and goodies, many which are loaded with sugar in one form or another. It's virtually impossible — and unnecessary, I might add — to completely avoid sugar. We all know that it's OK for people with diabetes to eat sugar in moderation. However, too much of a good thing isn't all that good, diabetes or not.
Sugar bombs
Americans love their sweets. But becoming too sweet on sugar has its downfalls. Dietary guidelines advise us to get no m...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 23, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Amy Campbell Source Type: blogs
Walking Study Seeks Volunteers
By Web Team
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, are seeking volunteers for a study on walking.
The study aims to evaluate the differences in walking between groups of people with and without diabetes. The research, which will take about four hours to complete, involves walking analysis, muscle strength and sensation testing, measurement of blood pressure, and a range of motion test. Benefits and risks will be discussed with anyone who volunteers.
Up to $50 will be provided in compensation for the time and effort of completing the entire study.
People with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, as well a...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - December 21, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Web Team Source Type: blogs
