Driving Safely With Diabetes

Diabetes is a difficult condition to manage. You never get a day off, and you never get a break. It’s something you always have to consider, even at moments most people take for granted as times they can tune out and focus on the task at hand.
While people with diabetes are fully capable of having healthy lives, and can typically do anything people who don’t have diabetes can do, the condition can come with some additional struggles.
For instance, if you don’t have diabetes, your daily commute may seem like a necessary inconvenience. When getting from point A to point B, you might simply be trying to find the safest and quickest route. Maybe you fear traffic jams… getting a flat tire… or even bad weather conditions that might make your drive less safe and predictable.
If you have diabetes, these things are still on your mind. And while everyone fears the worst case scenario of a car accident, most people have the expectation that if they drive safely and defensively, they can avoid the worst.
However, if you have diabetes, it can come with some unexpected and dangerous surprises.
Take a look at the video below where people with diabetes share their experiences with unexpected hypoglycemic episodes, and learn how they’ve adapted to make driving with diabetes as safe as possible!
Make sure to let us know what you think in the comments below! Continue reading

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Foods That Fight Diabetes

This vegetable variety doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar, they go a long way in satisfying your appetite and boosting your intake of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals. These vegetables are low in calories and carbs, making them some of the few foods that people with diabetes can enjoy almost with abandon.
In fact, the American Diabetes Association identifies most non-starchy vegetables as low glycemic index (GI) foods with a ranking of 55 or less. What’s more, research conducted by Newcastle University found that a low-calorie diet consisting of non-starchy vegetables successfully reversed type 2 diabetes in patients. Some good non-starchy vegetables include:
Alfalfa sprouts
Artichoke
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Beans: Italian, green, yellow, wax
Bean sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage/Chinese cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chicory
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green onions or scallions
Greens: beet, collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip
Jicama
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce: endive, escarole, leaf, Romaine, iceberg
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Parsley
Peppers, all varieties
Radishes
Rhubarb, fresh
Rutabaga
Sauerkraut
Snow peas or pea pods
Spinach
Summer squash
Swiss chard
Tomato/Tomato paste
Turnips
Water chestnuts
Watercress
Zucchini
Avocado
Rich, creamy, and packed with beneficial monounsaturated fat, they slow digestion and help keep blood sugar from spiking after a meal. A diet high in good fats can help reverse insulin resistance, which translates to steadier blood sugar long-term.
Barley
Choosing this grain instead of white rice can reduce the rise in blood sugar Continue reading

Super Spice Turmeric Fights Cancer, Obesity, and Now Diabetes

Turmeric, long known in the far east to be a powerful and potent spice that cured many illnesses, is now being understood by Western scientists for what it truly is – a cancer killing, obesity reversing, diabetes helping power spice.
According to Natural Society [1]:
Past Research Proves Turmeric’s Anti-Cancer Power
In the 1990s, Bharat Aggarwal, Ph.D. and colleagues from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston sprinkled a bit of turmeric on some cancer cells in the lab and were flabbergasted by what they found. “The effect was staggering,” Dr. Aggarwal told Men’s Health in 2011 [2]. Just a pinch of the powdered perennial plant blocked a biological pathway required for melanoma, prostate and other cancers to grow.
Eight years ago, Chinese researchers found that curcumin, the primary constituent of turmeric, could play a pivotal role in treating prostate cancer by inhibiting hormones known to trigger the disease. Also in 2007, University of Alabama scientists discovered that combining curcumin with traditional radiation therapy killed prostate cancer cells that had previously become radiation-resistant.
In June, preliminary research by UCLA researchers found that a synthetic version of turmeric helps kill cancer cells that had been resistant to a common chemotherapy drug [3]. The team hopes that someday turmeric will be utilized as a treatment for head and neck cancers.
Now the Spice is Being Used for Diabetes Control
Now, scientists want to know if a combination of turmeric and Omega-3 fatty acids might delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes or Continue reading

Benefits of A Vegetarian Diet For Managing Diabetes, Recipe Included

Though it is not likely to cure your diabetes, eating a vegetarian diet may help control some of the symptoms, stave off diabetes-related complications, and possibly make the body more insulin-responsive.
The benefits depend on the type of vegetarian diet adopted. A vegetarian who allows dairy products will experience different results than a vegan, a person who eliminates all animal products from his or her diet.
Even if you do not choose a vegetarian lifestyle, you can enjoy some of its perks by preparing veggie meals a few times each month.
Three Vegetarian Diet Benefits
Controlling blood glucose. Foods prominent in vegetarian diets – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes – help the body control blood glucose and become more responsive to insulin. This reduces the risk of complications related to diabetes and may lower the amount of medication you require. However, diabetic vegetarians need to monitor their intake of simple carbohydrates or starches, which can quickly elevate blood sugar.
Managing weight. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in calories than non-vegetarian diets, making weight management an easier task. Vegans, who eat no meat or meat-related products, also have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than most of us. Having a healthy body weight and BMI aids in blood glucose management, lowers the risk of diabetes-related complications, and facilitates overall well-being.
Maintaining a healthy heart. Enjoying a low-fat vegetarian diet will decrease your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, a complication that often accompanies diabetes. Thou Continue reading

The CDC's "Diabetes" Data Needs to be Segmented by Diabetes Type

This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data on the state of "diabetes" in the United States. The CDC allows you to see the data by gender, ethnicity, age etc...but fails to break down the diagnoses by type. Presenting aggregated data of all diabetes types together makes it impossible to interpret the data meaningfully for any one type of diabetes.
In order to segment the data, it needs to be collected differently. Until research and reporting protocols are changed, the data will fail to adequately serve its purpose. Our request is simple: the CDC needs to release data segmented by diabetes type.
There is continued public confusion over what the differences are between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It is important that the CDC not further this confusion with unspecific data, and even more critical that those who rely on the data have accurate information. This data is relied upon by people all over the world - including researchers, journalists, and students. It needs to be accurate.
You can help in a few ways:
1. Sign and share this pledge. Join us in educating the global community about this chronic disease and fighting for a cure!
2. Use Aidbox, which adds a image to your email signature, helping you to raise money and awareness with every email you send. Easy, effective and free.
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Beyond Type 1 was founded in 2015 by Juliet de Baubigny, Nick Jonas, Sarah Lucas and Sam Talbot. A new brand of philanthropy leveraging the power of social media and technology, Beyond Type 1 is changing what it means to live with Type 1 diabetes. By educ Continue reading