New Apple App for Diabetes

Dr. Fran Cogen posted an article about a new system for blood glucose downloading using an iPhone, iPod Touch or cable.

Check this out

Charles Barkley Won't Be Fat Much Longer

If Charles Barkley weren’t fat, would he still be as funny? 

The “Round Mound of Rebound” ballooned up to 350 pounds after his playing days. Naturally, his doctor grew concerned. And Barkley spoke with USA Today about it:

“The doctor said, ‘Hey dude, if you don’t lose some weight you’re either going to get diabetes, have a stroke or drop dead. It’s either A, B, or C.’”

Read more 

My Top 5 Best Fruits for Diabetics

Fruits do not have to be omitted from a diabetes diet. Fruits are full of good nutrition.

You do need to pay attention to portion sizes because they can contain high amounts of carbohydrates that can affect your blood sugar levels.

The fruits listed here are my favorite top five best fruits for diabetics and have generous portion sizes for the amount of carbs they provide.

What are the best fruits for diabetics? This can be a hard question to answer since people with diabetes adhere to varied diets and philosophies when it comes to diabetes management with food. There are exchange lists, low-glycemic diets, low-carb diets, and diets that omit any food that over a certain amount of carbs per serving.


Find out what the top 5 best fruits for diabetics

Winter Weather Especially Harsh for Those with Diabetes

Trekking through the mall on holiday shopping excursions, shoveling out the driveway and playing in the snow with the kids - every winter, your feet log some long, chilly hours.

For people with health issues like diabetes, foot health is especially important when the weather turns cold, as the disease can affect your body's circulation even more so during the winter months.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) offers some podiatrist-approved advice to help those with diabetes maintain good foot health throughout the winter months:

Read full article

10 Things To Help Women With Diabetes

It has been observed that women who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. The exact cause of this type of diabetes is unclear, but it does appear to be associated with weight gain.
In fact, a sedentary lifestyle, along with poor dietary habits, popular in the culture today, is among the explanations for the dramatic increase in the numbers of women suffering with Type 2 diabetes.

The connection between diet and diabetes is that, if you eat a high-fat, high calorie diet, which a lot of us do today, you put yourself at risk for weight gain, and if you are more than 120% of your desirable body weight, in simple terms, more than 20 pounds over what you should weigh, you become more insulin resistant, you use your own insulin at less capacity than you should, and you will have higher blood sugars, which will lead to diabetes.

Diabetes is on the rise, and women with diabetes have an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke. 
The good news is that there are steps they can take to reduce their risk of diabetes complications. From the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)

Read the Top 10 do's to help women with diabetes live longer, healthier lives

Diabetic Thanksgiving Recipes

Delicious Thanksgiving recipes for everyone at the table, including people with diabetes

Food plays a central role in family celebrations and holidays, especially at Thanksgiving. If you have diabetes—or if you’re cooking for someone who does—you don’t have to eat special foods or be excluded from what “everyone else” is eating. (In fact, everyone else should be taking their cue from what’s on your plate!)

Check out Healthy Diabetic Diet Thanksgiving Menu's
Diabetic Diet Thanksgiving Recipes

Also take a look at recipes from Diabetic Gourmet Magazine
Thanksgiving and Holiday Recipes

And one more from the American Diabetes Association
Enjoying Thanksgiving

Sweets for Diabetics – Ideas for a Sweet Tooth

Got a hankering for something sweet?

When you have type 2 diabetes, your best bet is to abstain, but sometimes the craving is strong or you feel left out of festivities and celebrations. Our bodies may be wired for craving carbohydrates, and we have to learn how to handle that in a smart way. Sweets for diabetics don't have to be banned. Here are some ideas to help you satisfy that craving while maintaining control.

Your number one weapon is a plan with effective strategies so you don't find yourself giving into temptations while your brain is preoccupied with getting a sweet fix.

Sweets for Diabetics – Ideas for a Sweet Tooth

Become Involved in American Diabetes Month 2011

November is American Diabetes Month, a time to rally individuals, communities and families to Join the Millions^SM in the movement to Stop Diabetes®.

This year, the American Diabetes Association is asking individuals to take a pledge and raise their hand to Stop Diabetes.

Beginning November 1, the public can take action by taking the American Diabetes Month pledge on Facebook.

Here are other ways you can become involved:

1. Attend an American Diabetes Month event in your area
   
2. Visit www.stopdiabetes.com
   
3. Call 1-800-DIABETES
   
4. Text JOIN to 69866 (standard data and message rates apply)
   

Soft Drink Makers Target U.S. Youth

U.S. children and teenagers are seeing far more soda advertising than before, with blacks and Hispanics the major targets, as marketers have expanded online, according to a study released on Monday.

The report from the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity also said many fruit and energy drinks, which are popular with teenagers, have as much added sugar and as many calories as regular soda.

When it comes to energy drinks such as Red Bull and Amp, the marketing is skewed toward young people, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics says such highly caffeinated beverages are not appropriate for children and adolescents, the report said.

Read full article
Soft drink makers target U.S. youth

Meals to Live, the first grocery store line of frozen meals designed for the needs of consumers living with diabetes

Meals to Live offers innovatively packaged, great tasting and convenient options to help people living with diabetes manage their nutritional requirements.

With easy-to-read packaging that clearly displays relevant nutritional information on the front, such as fat, sodium and fiber, Meals to Live is a leader in the frozen foods category. It gives consumers a convenient, easy meal option with no guesswork. Five of the eight meal options are also 100 percent gluten-free.

Founded in 2010, Meals to Live is the only line of frozen meals specifically designed for those living with diabetes. Available for purchase at more than 2,000 retail locations in the U.S. Meals can also be purchased on-line through the company's website www.mealstolive.com . Meals to Live is a proud sponsor of the Diabetes Friendly Foundation (DFF).

Meals to Live is available in stores across the U.S., including select locations of Publix, Tom Thumb/Randalls, Walgreens, Raley's, Brookshire's, Ralph's, Meijers and Sprouts and may also be purchased online at www.mealstolive.com . The suggested retail price for entrees ranges from $3.99 to $4.99.

Meals to Live is the first frozen food line to utilize the Carb Counting system - a guide nationally recognized and endorsed by the American Dietetic Association - to help easily calculate the total number of carbohydrates in each meal. Meals to Live entrees range from 18g to 58g of carbohydrates, are high in fiber and low in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium, which are important considerations for those living with diabetes.

Along with frozen entrees, Meals to Live also offers Glucose Quick Sticks, an easy-to-carry quick-dissolving flavored powder that instantly provides a healthy boost of glucose for those who face low blood sugar challenges.

http://www.mealstolive.com/

Visit them on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/MealstoLive

Healthy Fast Food Choices

Can fast food be part of a healthy diet?

The CDC estimates that most Americans get one third of their daily calories from sources outside the home, and a study from the USDA shows that people who frequent fast food restaurants have a higher BMI than people who don't. The increase in fast food consumption coincides with the increase in obesity in the past few decades.

The ideal approach to healthy living would be to limit fast food in our diets. With today's fast-paced lifestyle, that might be difficult to do sometimes. Is there a way to eat at a fast food restaurant and still have a healthy lifestyle?

Find out the six tips for making healthy choices at fast food restaurants
Healthy Fast Food Choices - How to Make Healthy Fast Food Choices

Better Neighborhood Can Improve Health

A study by researchers from the University of Chicago has shown that 'location location' as real estate agents are fond of saying, can also work for improving health.

Low income women with children who moved to better neighborhoods showed better health statistics, including reductions in diabetes and obesity.

Read more - Moving Poor Women To Less Impoverished Neighborhoods Improves Their Health

Seniors with Diabetes

 When diabetes presents in the older population, there can be different criteria for diagnoses and treatment. There are many special considerations to take into account when caring for the senior with diabetes. Management of the disease can sometimes be challenging.

Diabetes Management Challenges For Seniors
Seniors face many additional challenges when diagnosed with diabetes. Not only is the risk for Type 2 diabetes more common as people get older, but physical, financial and medical issues are often compounded as people age. Not enough insurance coverage, co-existing medical problems, difficulties with transportation, lack of social support, being unable to be physically active, all these can come into play when elderly patients are diagnosed with diabetes.


Endocrine Changes in the Elderly
According to A.D.A.M. Healthcare Center, the normal or average fasting glucose level rises 6 to 14 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) for each 10 years after age 50. Older people should have blood drawn to check glucose levels and make sure they aren't in the early stages of diabetes, or high blood sugar.

Finish reading article at About.com

Nearly 26 Million Americans on Your Holiday Shopping List?

This holiday season, make your money go further and support a great cause: stopping diabetes. How? By shopping in this year's American Diabetes Association's Gift of Hope Catalog.

Every penny of profit from the Association's Gift of Hope catalog goes directly to diabetes research.

Gift of Hope offers items for everyone on your list:

• Holiday cards, many of which were created by or dedicated to a person with diabetes
• Personalized photo gifts, including holiday greeting cards, travel mugs, phone skins and more
• House wares and seasonal gift items, such as plates, ornaments and hand towels
• Gift bundles feature cookbooks and kitchen gadgets together at a discounted price

The Gift of Hope program was started in 1971, when several Minneapolis-area parents of children with diabetes wanted to do something to fight the disease. They started selling holiday greeting cards to raise money for diabetes research. Since then, the program has raised more than $24 million for diabetes research, averaging 50,000 customers a year.

Find out more at
DiabetesCare.Net - Nearly 26 Million Americans on Your Holiday Shopping List?

Sugar Free Candy - Pros and Cons

 If you're wondering whether sugar free candy is an option for you, here are a few points to ponder:

• Sugar free candy will provide fewer carbs and calories than regular candy, although sometimes just slightly fewer. So if you're watching carbs or calories, you still need to be mindful not to overdo it. Read the nutrition label in order to keep track of how many total carbs and calories you take in.

•  Sugar alcohols (like maltitol) are often used in sugar free candy. While sugar alcohols are great for lowering the carbohydrates and calories in a food -- they contain 1-4x less calories than sugar -- they also have some possible negatives. The most common negative side effect is bloating and diarrhea. The American Diabetes Association claims that sugar alcohols are acceptable in a moderate amount, but should not be eaten in excess. So, it really depends on how well you tolerate them as to whether or not you can eat them.

• Sugar free doesn't mean fat free. Sugar free chocolate candies in particular may be high in saturated fat, which is found in cocoa butter. So be especially mindful when eating sugar free chocolates if you have heart disease, are overweight, have diabetes, or have any other reason to be careful about your fat intake. 

Head over to About.com for more pointers on sugar free candy

Wristwatch Glucose Monitors Not Accurate

Devices worn on the arm to continuously monitor blood sugar levels are not very good at detecting low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, according to a recent study.

Hypoglycemia remains a major obstacle to the successful treatment of type 1 diabetes, especially in children. One of the greatest fears of patients and parents is the possibility of a severe hypoglycemic reaction. Low sugar can lead to disorientation or even loss of consciousness.

The purpose of the study, conducted by members of the Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet) Study Group, was to assess the accuracy of the GlucoWatch G2 Biographer (GW2B) and the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) during hypoglycemia in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Wristwatch glucose monitors not accurate - About Kids Health:

Kids With Diabetes Can Have a Happy Halloween

There's no need to be scared of sugary treats. Children with diabetes can safely enjoy Halloween with these simple tricks.

Halloween is synonymous with costumes, haunted houses, trick-or-treating — and candy. And while no parent wants their kids to overindulge in the sugary stuff, those of children with diabetes, especially kids newly diagnosed, may be especially concerned.

"Last year at Halloween my son was 14 months old and he'd only been diagnosed [with type 1 diabetes] a month. I was terrified of the candy that his three older brothers would bring home from trick or treating," one mother wrote in the online forum Children With Diabetes.

Kids With Diabetes Can Have a Happy Halloween - Diabetes Center - Everyday Health:

New Ways to Beat Diabetes

The latest treatments for fighting the devastating disease
Over the past 30 years the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes has skyrocketed, from about 6 million in 1980 to almost 19 million today. As this problem spirals out of control, researchers are racing to find new treatments for this devastating disease.

Recently, scientists at Newcastle University in England reported that a 600-calorie-a-day diet appeared to reverse type 2 diabetes in a small group of patients who had diabetes for less than four years.

Seven patients out of 10 were still diabetes-free three months after they stopped the extreme eight-week diet, which consisted of meal-replacement drinks and three daily servings of starchy vegetables.

Finish reading article at AARP

Can You Eat Unlimited Fruit & Veggies & Lose Weight?

While it’s a common belief that eating unlimited amounts of fruits and vegetables can help you lose weight, studies proving this as a fact are limited, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, consuming foods that are more nutritious and lower in calories can lead to better health, thereby promoting a healthier weight. Fruits and veggies meet these parameters and more. They are less dense than other foods and tend to make you feel full faster.

Along with daily exercise, maintaining a healthy diet can help you lose weight and keep it off, reducing your risk for health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and obesity. A healthy diet is made up mostly of fruits and vegetables.

According to the Department of Agriculture's My Plate website, at least half of your plate during meals should be covered by fruits and veggies. Following such guidelines also can help you to cut out trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet, which can lead to a healthier weight, suggests MayoClinic.com.

Can You Eat Unlimited Fruit & Veggies & Lose Weight?

Gestational Diabetes In African-American Women Increases Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

African American women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy face a 52% increased risk of developing diabetes in the future compared to white women who develop GDM during pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the journal Diabetologia.

African American women are less likely to develop GDM during pregnancy. But for those who were diagnosed of having GDM, their future overt diabetes risk is the greatest among all race/ethnic groups.

Although Asian/Pacific Islander women are much more likely to develop GDM than African American or non-Hispanic white women, their future diabetes risk after GDM is similar to that for non-Hispanic white women, the study found

Gestational Diabetes In African-American Women Increases Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes