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Curbing Sugar Cravings

Curbing Sugar Cravings

Curbing Sugar Cravings


If youve been reading headlines lately, youll know that sugar is the new villain when it comes to obesity, inflammation, and chronic disease. Yet we Americans crave the sweet stuff. According to government figures, sugar has infiltrated the American diet so much that, on average, we eat about 152 pounds of it a year. Compare that to what we were eating 200 years ago: only 2 pounds of sugar per year. The 20152020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends we limit calories from added sugar to less than 10% each day. Thats about 200 calories worth, or roughly 13 teaspoons of sugar for someone consuming 2,000 calories per day on average, we get closer to 680 calories worth, or nearly 43 teaspoons of sugar each day.
More than a third of our sugar intake is in the form of sugary drinks, including non-diet sodas, sweetened ice tea, sports drinks, and other soft drinks. Table sugar accounts for about 25% of our intake. And the rest comes from baked goods, desserts, candy, fruit drinks, and breakfast cereals.
Some foods and beverages are obviously full of sugar. But sugar lurks in many foods that youd never suspect. Examples include:
Syrup (corn, maple, cane sugar, high-fructose)
Its natural for people to enjoy the taste of something sweet, and this preference starts at birth. Babies are born liking the taste of sweet and disliking the taste of bitter. Scientists believe that our sweet tooth dates back to our prehistoric ancestors, who gravitated to ripe fruit as a source of energy. In addition, eating sugar is pleasurable, and not just because it tastes good. When we eat Continue reading

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This Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Didn't Stop Her from Climbing

This Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Didn't Stop Her from Climbing


I heard a piece on NPRs Inflection Point the other day with a brilliant behavioral designer from Stanford. She explained that when she approaches a project, she starts with the future in mind. She talked about imagining future possibilities. Why not, she said, imagine an awesome future?
Im going to begin in the same way. What I hope to accomplish with my story is to change the common perception of what it means to live with diabetes. I hope to ignite something in someoneto spark an idea that could change lives. I come from the world of campaigns and politics and the way we are taught to share is through storytelling. I want to talk about health, technology, and diabetes through the lens of my own life.
In 2014, the climbing bug hit me hard. I started spending all my free time in climbing gyms and all my spare change on climbing gear. This recent shift in my life brought with it community, strength, and new heights of self-confidence even though I was only in my early twenties. Life was good.
I was feeling so good, in fact, that I applied for a Live your Dream climbing grant from the American Alpine Club and the North Face to climb in the French Alps during the summer of 2015. As a budding rock climber and mountaineer, going to Chamonix meant a chance to take my skills to the next level. In February, when I found out I had received the grant, I pushed full steam ahead to train and grow my skill set. I outlined a series of climbing trips to help me prepare.
In May of 2015, I planned a trip to climb Mt. Whitney in California. When the weekend was finally upon us and we s Continue reading

The 10 Most Popular Diabetes Stories from 2017

The 10 Most Popular Diabetes Stories from 2017


The 10 Most Popular Diabetes Stories from 2017
The 10 Most Popular Diabetes Stories from 2017
The year is coming to a rapid close, and its a great time to reflect on the accomplishments and inspiration of the past year. Were really proud of the content weve created here at ASweetLife, bringing breaking news, recipes, lifestyle pieces, and bits of humor and insight to the diabetes community every week. Which is why weve leapt ever-so-casually into the Wayback Machine to take a spin through some of our most popular diabetes stories from this year. Is your favorite on the list?
Actress and Diabetes Advocate Mary Tyler Moore Dies at 80 : For years, the first voice that greeted us on the JDRF phone system was that of Mary Tyler Moore. As it should have been. Ms. Moore was, after all, the heart, soul and lifeblood of the JDRF. It is not an exaggeration to say her willingness to share not just that voice, but that smile, that honesty, and that star-power pushed the diabetes treatment and research landscape to the place it is today. In 2017, we said goodbye to one of the most prominent, dedicated, and inspiring advocates for people with diabetes Mary Tyler Moore. Moira McCarthys moving piece on Moores passing and her lasting influence on the diabetes community is a must-read.
The Never-Relaxed Parent of A Child With Diabetes : As I held my son and waited for him to come backand yes, through the years I envision that during hypoglycemic episodes he does go someplace else, where his arms and legs are tied to bricks, where he seems to slip away from meI realized that Ive gone s Continue reading

Ask.Screen.Know: A Chat With Rev Run And Justine Simmons About Diabetes And How Black Families Can Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle

Ask.Screen.Know: A Chat With Rev Run And Justine Simmons About Diabetes And How Black Families Can Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle


Ask.Screen.Know: A Chat With Rev Run And Justine Simmons About Diabetes And How Black Families Can Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle
We spend a virtual visit at Run's House and learn how his family are staying healthy!
Diabetes has always been a scary word for me. Growing up, the phrase diabetes runs in our family was drilled into my head over and over again, whilst watching my aunt inject herself with insulin on a strict scheduled basis.
As I got olderand being a stan for carbs and sweetsI always tried my best to keep an eye on it, knowing fully well just how more difficult my life would become, should I inherit this medical condition.
Thats why I was thrilled to chat with Rev Run and Justine Simmons, who are partnering up with Novo Nordisk for the Ask.Screen.Know campaign, on a mission to raise awareness about the risks of Type 2 diabetes and the importance of early screening. According to the American Diabetes Association , more than 30 million Americans are living with diabetes and one in four dont know it. African Americans are almost twice as likely to develop diabetes as Caucasian Americans.
In addition to discussing how to reduce the risk, we talked about ways to manage once you are diagnosed. Because Rev Run and Justine are all about family, we got to get a virtual peek into Runs House and how their family is about that healthy lifestyle.
Blavity: Were very excited to talk to you about the Ask.Screen.Know campaign because its a very important topic. What is your personal connection with diabetes?
Rev Run: My dad had diabetes and my wife, Justines dad, had dia Continue reading

Diabetes Week: Know Type1 and Save Lives

Diabetes Week: Know Type1 and Save Lives

My first blog post in a while… I’m so sorry, life has been absolutely bonkers and totally different to how I thought this year would play out! A large chunk of my life has been taken up by work after I was promoted in January from a part time Marketing Assistant to a full time position. I also finally managed to pass my driving test late March and I bought my first ever car, it’s PINK! Well kind of, it changes colour depending on the light, it might be pink today but tomorrow it could be more purple or red! So every spare minute I get away from work has been spent adventuring with Cici, cruising in our car. Wanderlust is my new favourite word!
I’m also busy packing, because my biggest wish for this year has come true… Cici and I are finally moving house! It’s currently being renovated by our new landlord, so we have some time to wait until we can move in yet, but we have a potential moving in date of August 1st. Hopefully we’ll get some warm weather by then and we can make the most of our gorgeous new garden before the colder months kick in.
Anyway, enough about that, let’s talk about the now! I attended my first ever Diabetes UK Type 1 event this week at The Senedd in Cardiff, (when I finally got there, late as usual… bloody sat nav!) and I had a fab time! I got to finally put some real life faces to names of fellow Type 1 Diabetics I’ve met through my blog. Arriving late, I expected that I’d have to walk into a packed out room, all flustered and red faced with embarrassment as everyone stared disapprovingly at me. Instead, I arrived to find David & R Continue reading

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