2 Things People With Type 1 Diabetes Can Learn From The Cancer & AIDS Community

2 Things People With Type 1 Diabetes Can Learn From The Cancer & AIDS Community
Cancer is scary. Diabetes is scary. Chronic illness in general is scary. But each condition holds a different social connotation which is why Cancer & AIDS receive more funding, research, and general support from the government and the media than diabetes.
Diabetes is such a large, yet largely ignored, problem that it is almost difficult to comprehend. For that reason, here is some perspective, comparing AIDS, Diabetes, and Breast Cancer:
There are 29 million diagnosed cases of some type of diabetes in the USA. A speculated 79 million people are living with undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. If that doesnt get your attention, the cost associated with diabetes will.
While the American Cancer Society estimated costs of all cancers annual amounts to $201 billion, diabetes takes the cake (low-carb of course) with a staggering $245 billion annual impact. Not only are these costs associated with inhumanely astronomical health care prices of managing the chronic condition daily, the health care cost of diabetes isskyrocketing because of untreated diabetes.
Yet, you can hear a pin drop when it comes to diabetes advocacy in American (and most other countries) culture. Why is it that so much of the awareness, media attention, fundraising, and community support is mostly going to other justifiable causes like Cancer and AIDS but not diabetes? Is diabetes not that deadly? Clearly it is killing at a higher rate. Is diabetes not a big financial problem? Clearly it is bankrupting patients and the heal Continue reading

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Junk food and diabetes: Recommendations and tips for eating out

Junk food and diabetes: Recommendations and tips for eating out
Reviewed by Natalie Olsen, RD, LD, ACSM EP-C
More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is a condition where the body is unable to make enough insulin, or to use it properly.
Insulin is necessary both to regulate levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood and to use this sugar to fuel the body's cells.
Healthful eating is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent or manage the symptoms of diabetes . However, by making smart decisions, it is possible for those with diabetes to enjoy their favorite junk foods from time to time.
Diabetes-friendly options at popular chain restaurants
Junk food is high in calories and sugar but low in nutrients, so should be consumed as infrequently as possible.
Fast food, processed foods, and prepared snack foods all fall into the category of junk foods. They are high in calories , sugar, and fat but low in nutrients. Therefore, these types of foods should be consumed infrequently, especially when trying to manage diabetes.
Junk foods may contribute to diabetes in the following ways:
Rapid effect on blood sugar levels. Highly processed foods that are high in calories and low in vitamins , minerals, and fiber are digested quickly and can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
Poor portion control. Junk foods are usually not very filling and frequently come in larger portion sizes than recommended. Both these factors may lead people to overeat junk foods, something that c Continue reading

Gifts for Diabetics: The Ultimate Guide (Always Updated)

Gifts for Diabetics: The Ultimate Guide (Always Updated)
Finding a thoughtful gift for a friend or family member with diabetes can be hard. Thats why I created this Ultimate Guide to Gifts for Diabetics!
Gifts for diabetics used to be less exciting than getting socks for Christmas, but now there are so many beautiful, useful or just plain cool diabetes products available that I really want to share them with you!
All the items in this guide are things that I either already own, or that I would be excited to unwrap myself. We deal with diabetes 24/7, so why not add a little color, technology, information and fun to make our everyday diabetes management a little less clinical and a little more tolerable?
I will update this guide whenever I find a new product that deserves to be on it, so it will always be the Ultimate Guide to Gifts for Diabetics, no matter when youre reading it. If you use a product that you think I should include, please leave a link in the comments below so that I can check it out.
When you have read this guide, remember to also check out my Ultimate Fitness Gift Guide for the best fitness equipment, gadgets, and accessories.
Think before you buy: Diabetes can be overwhelming sometimes, and not everyone will appreciate getting a diabetes-related gift on a day that should be all about fun, family, and friends. If in doubt, I suggest you buy a gift that is useful for people with diabetes without being made specifically for people with diabetes (like the workout pants or Apple watch).
We look at our testing supplies and injection devices every day, f Continue reading

If You Have Diabetes Or Prediabetes, Make Sure To Avoid These Foods

If You Have Diabetes Or Prediabetes, Make Sure To Avoid These Foods
If You Have Diabetes Or Prediabetes, Make Sure To Avoid These Foods
Diabetes is a severe disease but luckily, you can control the level of your blood sugar if you choose to consume the right food. The main point is to avoid the food that contains high amounts of sugar. Sometimes people with diabetes consume certain food without prior knowledge about the exact level of sugar it contains. So, pay attention to these 20 kinds of food if you are a diabetic:
If you like carbs, try to eat whole grains such as barley and oats. Instead of white rice, its better to choose the brown alternative.
Also, avoid white flour and all its products like bread, pasta, etc.
Its advisable to always choose an alternative to carbs if possible.
Everyone should avoid trans fats as much as possible, especially people who suffer from diabetes. This means you should limit fried food, including fried meats, French fries, and in short, everything that is deep fried.
Processed meat is generally a bad choice because it contains high levels of sodium. Furthermore, sodium is dangerous considering it increases chances of heart attack and stroke in the case that you suffer from diabetes type 2.
For this reason, its wise to consume food with low levels of sodium. Also, avoid processed meat toppings. Instead of these toppings, use vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, greens, carrots, etc.
Hamburgers are abundant in saturated fats that can contain high levels of cholesterol. You dont have to eliminate hamburgers completely, just chec Continue reading

City of Hope's New Approach Aims to Cure Type 1 Diabetes in Six Years

CITY OF HOPE SETS NEW GOAL FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES CURE
More than $50 million in private funding aims to cure Type 1 diabetes in six years
A recent grouping of donations totaling $50 million is outstanding, those in the trenches with diabetes said. But only six years to a cure? Really? You lost us there, some claimed.
Dr. Bart Roep, Ph.D., director of the program, now known as the Wanek Family Project at City of Hope, understands that view.
Some people give up [on hope for a cure], and I respect that, he said. He admits, too, that six years is a goal, not a promise. I cannot be confident in the six years, he said. If I knew what was needed to do that, Id do it on one year. But, he feels the pathway City of Hope has laid out thanks to the donations leads the diabetes world on a road to better outcomes, and a place that, in six years, will be significantly better than where we are today.
What the program plans to do is change the entire way we view a cure, shifting from a one-size-fits-all method of research and goals to a system of precision medicine; a way to offer individualized and personalized therapies for people with diabetes much in the same way cancer treatment does today.
The program will draw heavily from a biorepository, something Dr. Roep says will save millions of dollars and many years in helping them embrace the concept of diabetes being unique in almost every individual. Armed with that knowledge they will dig back into human clinical studies that may not have succeeded on a mass scale and look to see if they can help patients on a smaller scale.
For ins Continue reading