Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and/or enjoyed the start of Hanukkah. Either way, most people experienced some sort of food-fest yesterday.  Some of us may have actually – gasp – overindulged!!  Say it ain’t so!  If your belly was a bit too full going to bed, today is a new day.  So instead of beating yourself up, time to decide how you are going to handle the rest of the holiday season.

Eating out or at events where there will be lots of food can be a challenge for healthy eating.   It can be even more difficult for diabetics who may experience severe fluctuations in their blood sugar levels depending on the types of calories they consume.  The American Association of Diabetes Educators put together a wonderful guide for healthy eating that is diabetes-friendly.  Includes portion control and the right combination of foods.  Everyone should follow these suggestions, not just diabetics.

Many decide to give in for the entire holiday season and think they will get back to healthy eating in January.  This can lead to folks feeling sluggish, making exercise even more challenging.  

                              Excess calories + decreased exercise = weight gain

Now is not the time to give in to the self-pity that comes after “blowing the diet”.  And in this instance, the word “diet” does not refer to a calorie-restricted meal, but refer to the healthy eating plan that we previously discussed (see BLOG 3/26/13).  There is nothing wrong with eating a few extra calories every now and again, for a special occasion – as long as you pick right back up and resume your healthy eating plan.

So to beat the blues, acknowledge and accept that you enjoyed spending time with family and friends.  You had a wonderful meal or series of meals, and then commit to resuming your healthy eating plan.  For the home cooks out there who are preparing foods for friends and families, be mindful that there may be a diabetic or two in the group.   Try to include a selection of fresh vegetables (not just prepared as a casserole) – your guests will be thankful!

                   ~ One drop of knowledge can ripple through an entire community

As a child, my family went to a predominantly black church in a poorer section of Long Island, NY called Wyandanch, located within the Town of Babylon. Despite living in the north, there were still a few of the older black women who held on fiercely to their southern roots.  I can still visualize the mounds of fried chicken, baking pans full of mac-n-cheese, and the pots of collards cooked with ham hock that were staples during Sunday church gatherings.  And yes, the desserts – sweet potato pie, cheese cake, peach cobbler – just to name a few.  At times, I would hear the grown folk talking about so-and-so not having the cobbler because they had “a touch of the sugar”.  Couldn’t understand why someone would prefer to have a little sugar instead of eating a yummy dessert.  Didn’t realize until I was older that the conversation was not about a sweetner, but about diabetes mellitus!

                                                                     What is diabetes? 

Diabetes is a disease that affects the chemistry of your body.  Our bodies can be likened to sophisticated machinery that requires specialized care to ensure all of our “fluids” are properly maintained.  Glucose is a simple sugar that is one of the main sources of fuel for our bodies; most is derived from the foods we eat, but glucose can also be produced in our liver and kidneys.  While we need to have enough glucose to keep our bodies functioning, levels that are too high can disrupt the chemical balance of the body and, over time, cause significant damage to many different body parts. The main regulator of glucose levels is a hormone called insulin.

Glucose levels can be measured in the blood, so when your doctor gets a blood test to check your chemistries, your blood sugar level is also being evaluated.  High blood sugar can be caused because someone does not produce enough or because their body is not responding to the insulin that is produced. As with most illnesses, diabetes is a spectrum of diseases - meaning there is more than one type of diabetes and it impacts people differently. 

There are 3 main types of diabetes:

The American Diabetes Association has an excellent website that reviews the basics of these diseases.  Please take a few moments to check out the site – there is an audio button to havethe site read to you!  

Despite the sweet moniker, diabetes is a very serious disease that can have devastating complications.  In the U.S., diabetes is much more prevalent among minority populations (see graphic), so it is important for these communities to education themselves about the disease and its risk factors. 

More about diabetes this Sunday, November 17th during RadioTalk on Touch 106.1FM – tune in at 9:20am to participate in the discussion (livestream: touchfm.org)!!

         ~One drop of knowledge can ripple through an entire community